[For the previous installments, please scroll back]
“Give me your hand. I’ll give you a… “reading”.
I laughed again as I gave her my hand.
“How much will it cost me?”
I had started this game and she wasn’t afraid to play. I was already hooked.
“Not one penny.”
Her hand was smooth and soft as she slide her palm across mine. When she simply held it in hers, I no longer cared about possibly being late for work.
“Okay Ms. Psychic,” I teased, “Tell me about my future because I could definitely see you in it.”
She gave me a long look and then whispered, “From what I see in your palm, I would much rather tell you about your past.”
I was completely amused by and intrigued with her.
“Go ahead, ” I dared her. “Future or the past, I’ll take anything you’re willing to offer me.”
“Anything?”
She tilted her head to the side and gently squeezed my hand.
Yes, I was truly taken with her. I was just about to respond when she closed her eyes.
Was she actually going to go through with this?
She reopened her eyes. The stroking of her palm against mine was giving me wicked goosebumps.
“What did you see?”
“Let me concentrate.” She closed her eyes again. “I’m seeing a dog, actually a puppy.”
I shook my head. “Your powers need a little work. I don’t have a dog.”
“But you did at one point in time.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“Yeah but..”
“A cocker spaniel? Her name started with an S?”
Shit.
The puppy’s name had been Sandy. When she had gotten sick, we had to put her down in my last year of high school. It had hurt me so much that I had vowed to never have another pet again.
“That’s a good guess but lots of people have had dogs.”
“Okay,” she looked down at my palm again. “I see…snow, a broken leg, and deep sadness. Skiing was your passion and you hate the fact that you can no longer do what you loved so much.”
Another statement, not a question.
And again, she was right.
Fuck.
Just the other day, I’d been thinking about how much I missed hitting the slopes. But being an asshole and showing off my skills when I was 18 on a family ski trip had busted my knee and that had been my last time on the slopes.
I was floored but pretended to be aloof about it.
“You could have Googled that information about me.”
Her dark brown eyes gave me a serious look.
“And how could I have done that when you just approached me?”
I was about to tell her that everyone in the city knew my family and who I was, that maybe she had recognized me and had read about it somewhere. But I realized just how conceited it would sound to say out loud and decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Okay, tell me something else.”
This time, she took my hand and placed it between both of hers as if she was trying to pick up a better vibe.
“Blue is your favorite color. But not just the regular, run-of-the-mill blue. It’s more like an ocean blue. You love the ocean – it reminds you of the summers you’ve spent at the beach. Maybe as a child? Strangely enough, though you love the ocean, you have a love hate relationship with water, a true fear of water that you eventually overcame.”
What the f…?
Only a handful of people knew about my childhood fear of water. Shit, I hadn’t even thought about it in years because it was no longer an issue.Her words took me by surprise so when I quickly released my hand from hers, I startled her. Her eyes were big and wide as she saw how freaked out I looked.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that.”
She gave me an apologetic look and downed the rest of her coffee. Then, she abruptly stood up, grabbed her bag and headed through the coffee shop doors. I quickly picked up my coffee and trailed behind her.
“Wait! Where are you going? I don’t even know your name.”
As I tried to catch up to her, she didn’t look back.
Next installment: January 24
©2016 Marquessa Matthews. All Rights Reserved.
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