XI. Tarots don't lie

Cara

I choked on air. Of all the things I expected her to tell me this was the most unexpected. I thought she would say something like ' you will live a short life', it would make sense considering the fact that I eat vegetables as much as dogs do. I now found this whole palm reading thing ridiculous.

"I don't lie. It's true, Cara. Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos have wound your thread with another's."

Clotho? Lachesis? Atropos? I remembered the names from my Greek mythology phase.

For weeks I had only dressed in Chitons. Dad had called it the worst month of his life. He had had to go all over town to buy me chitons that were appropriate enough for school. It was right after my mom left so he did basically anything I wanted. Those were truly the days.

Clotho...the fates?

"The fates?" I asked the crazy woman sitting across from me. I had to bite my tongue in order to hold in a laugh.

"Yes. You find this unbelievable. I understand. You have been raised so mundanely, lived such a mundane life." She almost snorted. I could see she was also holding in a laugh. "Since you don't believe me human, I will have the tarots prove it to you."

Taking the tarot cards at the edge of the table, Kogo spread them out on the table in a circle. She made sure all the cards were in view.

"Look at the cards and patiently move your card over the entire circle...take your time and follow your instinct. Your spirit will guide you. Do this with faith, Cara. No jokes." Her tone was serious.

I nodded.

With the motivation of cookies and muffins, I hovered my hand over the cards. I did not rush it even though my tummy was aching for the promised muffins. The things I do for food.

I picked one and without flipping it over I placed it aside. I did the same with three others.

When she saw I was done she put the others into a deck and placed them on the side. She then flipped the first card I picked out.

It was upright, facing me. The lovers , it was written in bold cursive black letters. Kogo was silent for a moment as she stared at her card.

The lovers? Seriously, I don't even have a boyfriend. I'm as single and frankly, as prudish as they come...Nuns get more action than me.

"The lovers...not surprising considering your fate, " I concluded that this woman was batshit crazy.

I was never really the kind of girl who believed in these kinds of things, hell I didn't even know my own sign. Maybe it was because my father believed so much in science and it rubbed off on me. Anything that could not be proven by science was not real.

"Though the lovers from the name basically means love in your life it is also a sexual card." I choked again. My cheeks reddened at the mention of sex. " I realised from your reaction that you are...Et intacta pura ?"

"Ate what?"

"Et intacta pura. Pure and untouched. A deep burning desire will fill you. Your body shall awaken and you will thirst for only that person. Only he can put out the fire...he whose soul is bound to yours."

"He whose soul is bound to mine?"

"Oh...she whose soul is bound to yours? I didn't see that coming,"she chuckled.

"What? No. I'm straight and confused..."

"It's OK to be confused. You are still young. But this new person- boy or girl, man or woman- will fulfil your deepest desires."

"What? What? I mean I am confused about what you mean with the whole 'bound' thing."

"Oh...your two souls are intertwined...woven together like cloth." I had not fully understood. None of this mattered anyway, these were just words from a high old lady.

"Let me ask you this. Is there anyone with whom you feel a strong connection? One you feel safest with? One you find yourself desiring like you have no one else?"

Just play along, I told myself.

I licked my lips, racking my brain on who this person could be. Only one person came to mind, Ivan. But the fact that he was the person I first thought of did not mean he was the one. Can't be.

Despite my reluctance to accept it, there was a connection between Ivan and I, one that could not be denied. My mind brushed off the thought.

It was probably someone I had not met yet.

Ivan, the back of my mind insisted.

"Ah...so there is one who has claimed your soul. It will only be a matter of time before he claims your heart then your body. And this time you will run to me saying 'Kogo! You were right!'."

She flipped the next card. The chariot. Awe was clear on her slightly wrinkled face. " The chariot. You are on a journey. New world's await you, Cara."

For the first time, the words coming out of the lady's mouth did not sound like poppycock to me. It made sense. I was in a new town, a new city, new school and in a few months I was going off to college.

"Don't take it so literally."

"Kogo! I am not getting any younger out here and neither are you. Cara and I need to leave. Are you almost done?" Alice shouted from the other room, impatience lacing her tone.

"Patience is a virtue, Alicia. There are muffins in the top cabinet next to the...next to where I put that thing. Don't have the ones with the little sticks they're...special and not for you." Kogo responded loudly. Nothing about this woman was old and frail.

She flipped the next card. Her eyes went wide and her tan skin went a tad paler. The card was dark themed with a huge tower. It was upright. Down below it was written in bold cursive letters ' the tower '.

"The tower. Danger awaits you, Cara. Forces work at your destruction. Beware." Her words scared me, sending a cold chill down my spine. My breath caught in my throat. "You are a fighter. I can tell you have potential to do great things."

"We are done here. Now we can go have cupcakes and muffins before Alicia devours all of them."

"Thanks. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Please do come back. I want to see the look on your face in a few months when you figure out just how right I was. Tarot's don't lie."

***

Finally I got the muffins I had been promised. The fact that I had waited so long for them made them more delicious.

I found that Alice had a close relationship with Kogo. She was her grandmother after all. They were very open with each other. They even had inside jokes I did not understand.

By the time Alice and I were leaving Kogo's boutique it was already five thirty. The sky had darkened to a deep blue as the night approached. I only hoped I would get home by six thirty.

"Wait!" Kogo exclaimed just as my friend and I were out the door. As quickly as her legs could carry her, Kogo rushed to us. In her hand was a black bag with some stuff clinking inside. "Alicia, how dare you forget the stuff you asked for. I had to chase after you. "

"Oh...sorry Kogo. " Alice took the bag from Kogo and peaked inside. Smiling with contentment she spoke, "Thank you."

"Anytime. Now hurry. It's my happy hour...and it's getting dark," she stated bluntly. If there was one thing I had learned about the old lady, it was that she was as blunt as a meat-axe. That and that she was weird.

As we left, I knew in my heart, this was not the last time I would be seeing Kogo.