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DRUZA 1
Closing my eyes I take in a deep breath, last night I was agitated and didn’t sleep at all which is unlike me, because as soon as my head touches the pillow I am out for the count. I was excited to leave home and live by myself, at twenty-four most people are out from under their parent’s control, but I had to fight for my freedom, I know they mean well and are just protective but sooner or later it had to happen.
I know that I am only a couple of steps away from their caravan, but just being by myself for now is fine. Being Gypsy is a constant fight, we are hard people with a hard life that value our culture, our traditions and obligations. In two days, it is supposed to be my wedding day, a marriage that I didn’t want but that I am obliged to go through because it was agreed by our parents when we were young.
I don’t love Duke, to be fair I don’t even like him, but I will do what I must, what my family expects. Opening my eyes, I look at the woman sitting before me, it is clear from her curious expression and nervous agitation that this is the first time that she has ever been to a fortune teller, I can tell her what she wants to hear, or I can tell her that her husband is cheating on her, that he is not the man that she thinks he is. Since I was a child that this has been my lot, every day I must make decisions on what to say to people, people like the woman before me, coming to me for hope, for a sliver of light in a life of darkness.
Seeing other peoples’ futures used to affect me, I used to cry for weeks on end with things that I could not change, but thanks to Papa I now help them by telling them what I see. “You came here to know if you are every going to get pregnant,” I say as I lean across the small table to take her hands in mine I try to calm her nerves, I know that what I have to tell her is going to destroy her dreams, going to upset her, but I have to tell her the truth, tell her what I know.
She nods her head, hope in her eyes. “I’m afraid that you won’t be getting pregnant from your husband.” I feel her hands stiffen in mine just before she pulls away.
“Are…are you sure?” she whispers.
I nod, “I’m sorry”. A tear slides down her cheek, her pain twisting a knot deep within my stomach. I hate giving people bad news, hate knowing that I have destroyed someone’s hope, their dreams.
“My friend told me that you are never wrong, is that true?” her question has me shrugging, I don’t want to destroy this woman, but the only way to answer her question is to tell her the truth about what I know.
“Do not lose hope, I did not say you will never have children, I simply said that you will not have children with your husband.” My statement has a frown appear on her face, unless she asks me the correct questions, I will not reveal the fact that her husband is a duchbag.
“I will never cheat on my husband!” she says passionately which has me nodding in agreement. “Are you saying that my husband is going to cheat on me?” finally the question I can answer and try and help this woman out of her predicament.
“Your husband is cheating on you,” my answer has her standing in agitation shaking her head vehemently. “Remember what I said when you first came in, that you might not like what I had to say to you, and if you still wanted to continue you had to be prepared to hear sometimes things that you don’t want to hear.” She takes a step back still shaking her head negatively.
“No…I do not believe you.” She says, but I can see the doubt in her eyes.
“That is fine, but now you will be on your guard, and you will find out for yourself.” She turns around and hurries to my caravan door before quickly stepping out. I sigh, that is why I always take payment first or most of my clients would never pay me. Unfortunately, most of the revelations I have for people is things that they don’t want to hear. I know that everyone comes here secretly hoping that I will contradict what they already know.
I truly believe that everyone knows the answers to their questions, but most of the time they fight those answers wanting it to be different. “Another one running for the hills.” I tense, I was so distracted with my own thoughts that I did not hear Duke stepping inside. “You know, if you not careful you are going to start losing customers.”
I know that Duke hates what I do, I know that he doesn’t believe that I can see anyone’s future. I wish he would ask me about his future, because then I would have a reason to see what is going to happen with the two of us. I have always wished that I could see my own destiny, that I could know what to do or not in certain situations, marrying Duke is one of those. I made a promise to Papa when I was just a child that I would never delve into another’s life without them asking me, many times I have wished that I had not made that promise.
Mama and Papa have never wanted me to look into their future either, they have always said that they prefer to be surprised. Sometimes I have hated this gift that I have, especially when I destroy peoples wishes like I have just done with the woman that left. Duke says that I will lose customers by telling them the truth, I have prayed that no one would come, but life seems to be against me and everyday I get more and more people coming to see me. I also have the regulars that seem not to be able to do anything without me advising them.
“Are you listening to me?” Duke mutters belligerently, I raise my eyes at him in question wishing he would just leave.
“I hear you loud and clear Duke, did you want something?” I ask sweetly wishing that he will just leave. He grunts in annoyance and takes a step closer but then stops, not being married yet we are not allowed to be alone, there should always be someone present, a fact that I appreciate because I fear that Duke is a bit of a bully. He has never openly tried anything, but everything about him tells me that he is not the good boy that my parents profess him to be.
“You have one of your regulars outside, your Dad asked me to come and tell you.” I frown, usually I only work by appointments and the woman that left was my last appointment. There are very few that come unannounced as they quickly get ushered away and told to book an appointment as some of my visions drain me.
“Who is it?” I ask slanting my head slightly as I try to relieve the pressure on my neck, I can feel a headache starting to take root. There are no perks to what I do, the fact that I more times than not give those that see me bad news has my stomach in knots of pain for them. Also depending on my visions, they tend to leave me drained and nauseous. I usually don’t see more than two to three people a day because of how it affects me. The regulars bother me because I feel like I am robbing them of living their lives without caution but they are the hardest to get rid of as they become dependent.
“The doctor,” Duke mutters as he turns to leave stopping at the door, “once we married you will have to change the way you do this.” His statement has me tensing in anger, I know that he thinks that I should be booking more people, but he doesn’t understand. Before I can reply he leaves, not giving me a chance to address his statement. Shaking my head, I try to relax my muscles but the thought that the doctor is outside has me more tense than before.
The Doctor as we call him is a dark energy, every time he comes to see me I am left completely exhausted because everything I see about him is evil. I have tried refusing his visits, but he has convinced Papa, my hands fist in annoyance. I know that Papa agreed because he received a substantial amount of money from the Doctor, blood money because we might call him the Doctor but nothing about him is about healing and all about pain.
“Druza” he greets as he steps into my caravan, “your friend let me in.” Of course Duke let him in, all Duke thinks about is money just like Papa. Looking at the Doctor I feel myself cringing, his nearness has my skin crawling.
“You know that I only take appointments.” I say hoping that he will leave but knowing that it is a false hope.
“Yes, yes” he says with a shrug as he takes a seat on the chair before the table across from me. “But I have an urgent matter that can’t wait.” I want to scream in frustration knowing that he won’t leave without his answers, I might as well get this over and done with. He has pulled out a wad of money and is placing my payment on the table between us.
“What do you want to know?” I ask bracing myself for the avalanche of visions that will assault me at his question.
“The woman I am looking for, am I going to find her?” his question has me tensing to the point that I can feel every muscle vibrating. I have seen visions of women before, women that he was experimenting on, dreadful experiments. I hate the fact that I can’t lie to him, I try to omit and sidestep, but he has figured out in the past just how to phrase his questions where it becomes difficult for me to hold back any information. Before even closing my eyes I know that if he does find this woman he is looking for that she will be in danger. I have thought about reporting him to the police before but as Papa says, the police will think I’m crazy.
Closing my eyes I take in a deep breath just as a vision explodes behind my eyes. A woman with long dark brown hair is sitting on a porch, her head is back and her eyes are closed, a serene look on her face. Suddenly her eyes open and she tenses as she sits forward, I see men walking towards her across a prairie, she stands to start making her way inside only now do I realize that she is blind as she places her hand on the wall of the house to guide her towards the door. Her breathing is loud in my head, her fear suffocating me. I see the Doctor at the front of the group of men, a sinister smile on his face.
I cringe as I see him a few steps from the house, just as I am sure the destiny of the poor woman is written the Doctor being thrown back by an invisible hand. I am not sure what has done that to him but suddenly the other men are also being attacked and then I see them. There are men standing in the distance under the protection of trees, men that I can’t see clearly, men that I sense are more dangerous than the Doctor himself. Even though I know that those men are lethal I have the sensation that they are not evil. There is a sense of recognition in me, a sense of calm.
