“What?”
“Let me do a reading for you!” She rushed to the counter and skidded back seconds later carrying a dirty, well-thumbed pile of cards. She held them in the air with a kind of reverence that made Noah and I both stop and stare. “These were my grandmother’s. She was also psychic. That’s where I got my gift from. Here . . .” She thrust them at me. “Think of a question, really focus on it and then shuffle the deck and split it into three parts.”
I looked at Noah for some kind of reassurance and he gave me a shrug. “Okay.” I closed my eyes as I held the cards and I asked the question. It really was the only question to ask right now anyway.
Who am I?
I repeated it over and over again as I let the cards move through my hands. When I was finished, I opened my eyes and looked at her.
“So, three piles, lay them here.” She patted the top of one of the counters. I laid the piles down and then she slowly reached out and turned each card over. Noah and I leaned in as she stared at them. A sense of anticipation rose up in the air around us.
“This is your past, this is your present, and this is your future.” She tapped each one with her finger and Noah and I stared at her as she zoned out while squinting at the cards, as if they were conjuring images in her brain. “Mmmm, interesting. Very interesting.”
“What? What?” I asked, totally caught up in this moment now. The door of the pharmacy suddenly opened, and we all looked up.
“Sorry, closed,” Andi shouted at the woman in the doorway.
“You look open,” she said, looking confused.
“Nope!” Andi waved her hand at the woman. She didn’t seem convinced, though. “Stock-take!” Andi pointed at the shelf and the woman gave one more confused look and then left.
“And?” I asked. The anticipation was killing me.
“When the Six of Swords is reversed like this, it means that you may be going through a personal or spiritual transition. You’re in the process of leaving behind and ridding yourself of a relationship, belief, or behavioral pattern that is no longer good for you. This is a very, very personal and private journey for you, but it doesn’t mean you have to take it on your own. Be open to the new people in your life that can help you. Embrace your new way of thinking and living.”
“Mmmm,” Noah and I both mumbled together.
“And this one, this is your present. The fool.”
“The fool? That sounds terrible.”
“Not at all, the fool is a joyful card. He shows up at the beginning of a journey as well. One filled with optimism and courage and freedom from the usual constraints in life. He approaches each day as an adventure, in an almost childlike, naïve way. He believes anything is possible and opportunities are just ahead. The world is waiting to be explored and he is excited to uncover it all.”
“That sounds exactly like you,” Noah said.
“I know!” I couldn’t believe how accurate this was all sounding. “And my future?” I asked.
“Filled with love,” Andi replied straight away. “These are the lovers, and they mean that your soul mate is just around the corner. True love is coming. It might be closer than you think.”
“Wow!” I looked around excitedly.
“Oh, and those are the tampons you should take.” She turned and pointed at a bright pink box. “Pink is your spiritual color.”
“It is?”
“Yup! Pink is romance and sensuality and femininity.”
“Really . . . ?” I took the box, feeling very introspective.
“Yeah, so now you know some things about yourself,” she said.
I nodded at her and then pulled my piece of paper out. I put the box back on the shelf momentarily and flattened the paper out.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Writing down the things I know about myself.”
Romantic.
