Chapter 36 Grace #2
"It took my phone and my sunglasses," Max says. "I don't have anything nice to say right now."
"Open your heart chakra," Nico says. "Feel the love that's pulsing through you."
Max inhales sharply. Chloe squeezes her husband’s shoulder and mouths, “Please stop,” to Nico.
"You're such a pretty monkey," Max says. "Your hair is the color of golden sand dunes. Your eyes glitter like they're made of stars. Please be a good monkey and return my phone to me.”
The monkey tilts his head to the side.
"I think you offended it by calling it pretty," Nico says. "It's clearly a boy monkey."
"Does it fucking matter?" Max asks.
"With that attitude, you can forget about your phone,” Nico says. "You haven't learned your life lesson yet."
I can’t help but giggle. "Why are you so mean to him?"
Nico smirks as he watches Max. “This is fun. We should all hang out more often.”
Chloe joins the negotiation, crooning about what a handsome monkey he is.
Nico snaps his fingers together. “I just remembered something. These monkeys take bribes."
He opens the zipper of his crossbody bag and pulls out a ripe mango from inside. He walks to the ledge and holds it out. The monkey instantly climbs down and gingerly takes the mango from his hand. He plucks the sunglasses from his eyes and throws them near Max's feet.
Max mutters something under his breath as he picks it up.
"And the phone?" Max asks.
"Patience, my friend," Nico says.
"I'm not your friend," Max says.
"Do you want your phone back or not?" Nico asks, glancing at Max.
"Yes," Max mutters.
Nico raises his eyebrows expectantly.
"Please, Nico," Max says.
"Anything for you, my friend," Nico says. He holds out another mango for the monkey.
"Ask him not to throw the phone," Max says.
The monkey holds the phone out to Nico.
"Good boy," Nico says, taking the phone and handing it to Max. "They're smarter than you think."
The monkey climbs back up the trees. I watch as it peels the mango with its teeth before biting into the juicy flesh.
We continue down the steps.
When we reach the bottom, we’re all pulled toward the view. We’re standing atop a cliff, watching white-blue water crashing against the secluded beach below.
I'm hypnotized by the beauty of it.
We all take photos together before visiting the temple. When the show is about to start, we head toward the amphitheater. I'm surprised to see that it's an open-air theater carved right into the cliff's edge. The stage is at the center and offers magnificent views of the ocean and the sunset.
A few months ago, I wouldn't even have been able to dream of a moment like this.
And now I'm in Bali with my husband and my sisters. I don't know how it happened, but life finally got better somehow.
Nico passes around a packet of fried banana chips as soon as we sit down.
"How many things do you have inside that bag?" Briar asks.
"I'm a dad," Nico says. "I don't go anywhere without snacks."
"I'm not complaining," Briar says. "I'm six months pregnant, so I appreciate all the snacks."
A hush falls over the crowd as the show begins. The performers fill the stage, dancing and singing a story about gods and monsters. There's fire, smoke, and chanting.
At one point, the sky turns such a vibrant shade of orange that it takes my breath away.
I glance at my sisters.
I'm so happy for both of them. They have everything they ever dreamed about—freedom, love, and happiness. As for me, I never even let myself dream, but Dante placed the whole world at my feet anyway. I lean my head on his shoulder as I watch the story unfold.
Through the fire, I see something.
Someone.
The sky is darker than before, so I can't say for sure, but I think they're watching me. Through the flames, I see red curls. I see a woman staring right at me. As I look at her, I get the feeling of the rest of the world melting away.
She stands out like a beacon in the dark.
She tilts her head to the side, showing me more of her face. And then she stands and walks toward the exit. When she's about to disappear from view, she turns and looks right at me.
She doesn't say a word, but I think she wants me to follow her.
She's a stranger. It's not wise for me to go anywhere with her. But I feel drawn toward her for some reason.
"I'll be right back," I whisper to Dante.
He nods. I walk around the edge of the stage until I reach the exit. The red-haired woman is a few feet ahead but glances back at me. She doesn’t smile, but she still feels like a warm presence.
There's a twinkle in her eyes as she turns and leads me toward a purple tent in the distance. We're still in the temple premises, but I don't remember seeing this tent here before.
I glance around at my surroundings. The monkeys are watching me from the trees. Not a single person is in sight. I guess that's because everyone's still at the show.
The woman disappears inside the tent. I hesitate for a moment when I reach the threshold.
And then I step inside.
The sweet scent of sage lingers in the air. The older red-haired woman is sitting behind a desk, shuffling a deck of cards. Her piercing green eyes are contemplative as they watch me.
"Sit down, child," she says, fanning the cards out on the table before her.
There's a floor fan in the corner circulating the air inside the tent. A calico cat naps beside it.
"Who are you?" I ask, remaining at the threshold.
"You can call me Zelda," she says, gesturing for me to sit.
I know I should be distrustful of strangers, but it feels like I'm being tugged by an invisible string. I'm in a trance as I walk toward her and take a seat.
"Would you like a reading?" she asks, locking eyes with me.
Her eyes are the bright green of an untouched forest. They seem to glow from within. I'm frozen as I stare at her.
She raises her eyebrows. I remember that she just asked me a question.
"I don't really believe in these things," I say, glancing at the cards. "I'm sorry."
"That's okay," she says. "But the cards seem to have something to say to you. Would you still like to know?”
I shrug. "Sure."
When I glance back down at the pile, I see that three cards from the deck have been flipped over. I didn't even notice the movement of her hand as she flipped them.
Her fingertips glide across each card as she reads them out loud.
"The Lovers," she says. "You have a union in your life that's destined. From this point forward, you won't have to walk any path alone."
A warmth blooms in my chest as I think about Dante. A part of me still feels like it's too good to be true, but our hearts speak the same language. I can't help but smile every time I think about him.
The smile freezes on my lips when she pulls the second card.
"The Devil," she says. "While the card itself isn't always negative, I can sense that you have a dark force in your life. And it appears like it still has a hold over you."
I stare at the card. It's so eerie.
The card is called The Devil. Instead of showing a monstrous creature with horns, this card shows a stunning woman with cold violet eyes. Just like my mother.
She's beautiful, but it's only skin deep.
"In order to fully step into your new life, it requires a sacrifice," she says. "You must do the work yourself. When the time comes, you need to break old patterns. You need to break the shackles that bind you to your past."
My stomach churns.
This woman is a stranger. But she's speaking to me like she knows everything about me. She's looking at me like she knows my past and my future.
And based on what she just told me, she's insinuating that I must stand up to my mother. I must face the devil in my life without backing down.
The very thought of it fills me with dread. Tears rush to my eyes.
"You mustn't let yourself forget," she says, tapping back on the first card. "You're not alone. You're never alone."
I tear my eyes from The Devil and look at The Lovers. The gorgeous card depicts two skeletons embracing. They're surrounded by red roses, and it feels like the kind of love that lasts forever. The kind of love that finds you in every lifetime.
"Do you understand what I'm saying, Grace?" she asks.
I blink. I don't remember telling her my name.
A soft meow comes from the corner of the tent. It's the calico cat. She's watching me as intently as her owner.
"I think so," I say cautiously.
"You'll understand it better when the time comes," she says.
Her words feel ominous. I can't shake the feeling now that something bad is about to happen. And it gets worse as I look at the final card.
Death.
"Everything occurs in cycles," she says. "Old things must die to make space for the new. This emphasizes that you must not get in the way of the transformation that is required of you."
"And...that's all it is?" I ask. "It doesn't mean anything else, does it?"
"It doesn't mean a literal death, if that's what you're worried about," she says. "This just means that your new life is going to cost you your old one."
I watch as she shuffles all of the cards into one pile.
I never believed in cards and destinies, but I believe everything this woman is telling me. Being in her presence, I feel like she knows things about me I don't know myself.
"I should probably go now," I say. "Thank you for the reading."
She smiles at me. "We will meet again."
"We will?" I ask.
"Our paths are meant to cross again," she says. "Grace?"
"Yes?"
"Grace?" she calls again.
Her voice shifts now, changing into a lower baritone.
"Grace?" It's the voice of a man.
Everything turns a shade of orange and black. I jolt upright. I'm back in the audience. I never left.
"Grace, are you okay?" Dante cups my face and makes me look at him.
I take a deep breath. "What happened?"
"You fell asleep," he says. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine," I whisper, glancing at the place where I saw the red-haired woman. The show is over. Everyone is leaving, but I still search for her. She's nowhere to be seen.
"What are you looking for?" he asks.
"Did you see a woman?" I ask. "She's maybe in her sixties. And she has these bright green eyes that can see all the way down to your soul."
"Grace, is everything okay?" My eldest sister, Chloe, makes me look at her. Her eyes are wild as they flick over my face.
I don't know how to explain it to them because I barely understand it myself.
What I had was a dream. I know that logically, but I’ve never had a dream like this one. I remember every single detail, from the flecks of orange on the calico cat's fur to the way she held me with her gaze.
It felt so real.
But I can't tell my family that. They'd worry about my sanity.
"Sorry," I say, smiling sheepishly. "I just had a weird dream. I can't believe I missed the ending."
Dante accepts it, but my sisters don't. They keep glancing over at me as we join the crowd at the exit. We walk to the parking lot. On the way back, I search for the purple tent, but it’s nowhere to be seen. I look up at the trees. The monkeys are watching me, like they're the only ones who know.
"What was the dream about?" Chloe asks, linking her arm through mine. She leans in conspiratorially, making her blonde waves fall on my shoulder.
"It was a silly one," I whisper.
“I still want to hear about it,” she says.
"I was given a tarot reading by someone," I say.
I still remember every word that woman said to me. And even though I never believed in that kind of stuff, I can't shake the feeling that I'm about to be tested.
"She pulled three cards," I tell my sister. "And when she spoke, it felt like she knew everything about me. She knew every weakness I ever had. She knew all of my insecurities. And she made it sound like she knew what my future held, too."
"How did you feel after she gave you the reading?" my sister asks.
"It was a little overwhelming," I confess. "But it was also reassuring."
"Maybe it's your subconscious mind trying to guide you," she says.
"Maybe," I say, but it's a lie.
It was real. It makes no sense, but the conversation I had with the red-haired woman was real. She said that we'd meet again soon.
I know in my bones that I'll see her again.
Her words haunt my head like a twisted lullaby.
Old things must die to make space for the new.