easy to talk to, and as I was realizing she wasn’t easily discouraged. The short time we’d spent together showed me I’d passed judgment on her the same way other people always did to me. In my mind, popular people would never befriend the unpopular ones.
“I’m curious. What were you doing at the tarot shop the other night? Don’t you guys have better things to do?”
Good opening. “It was Darryl’s idea. He said Madame Elizabeth is good . . . and pretty,” I added as an afterthought.
“Oh . . . ” Shannon sounded doubtful.
“My turn to ask questions. Do you work in the shop every day?” I would have expected her to work at the mall, maybe at the perfume counter or selling fancy handbags, or whatever women called those things.
Shannon seemed reluctant to answer, but after a moment, she dropped her sandwich back on the plate. “I don’t talk about myself or my family all that much, but I’m going to tell you since you look like you can keep a secret.” She glanced up at me, looking hopeful.
I placed a palm over my heart. “Not a peep.”
“My dad travels on business a lot. My mom gets bored, so she took classes on tarot reading. She’s one of those . . . um . . . eccentric people. When she got her certificate, she talked my dad into getting her a spot in that awful location. And to make things worse, she demanded I helped her out after school.” Shannon’s mood shifted, and she seemed unhappy.
“Madame Elizabeth is your—”
She didn’t even let me finish. “Yep, my mother.”
“Does it bother you to be working there with her?”
Shannon nodded. “Sometimes I ask myself why I agreed to it, but I don’t have the heart to tell her to look for someone else. It feels weird, because I feel we’re just fooling people. But her readings—I’m not sure what to make of them.”
I stared at her, stunned.
“Don’t look so shocked. I saw your face when you went out of her office .” She tried to make it sound funny, but I couldn’t smile.
“What are you trying to say?” I put down my soup bowl.
“Madame . . . err, my mother said something that scared you. I knew it, because she’s done the same thing to me.” Shannon picked up her sandwich again, as if debating another bite, but she put it back down without eating more.
This small revelation triggered the warning bells in my head. “Is that why you’re here?”
“Yes and no.” She got up to walk over to the window, and she stood there for a long moment before turning around. Her eyes misted. “I didn’t believe her at first. She told me after you left that you’ll be the key to what lies ahead for me.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “So our being partners in class is falling into a pattern designed by some cruel jokester?” I tried to make sense of it, but I was drawing blank.
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. That’s what she told me. It scared me, and for days, I didn’t talk to her. It felt like she wasn’t the same person. I don’t know what to say, Brian. Believe me, I’m freaked out, too.”
I patted the mattress and urged her to sit beside me. I had no idea what to say to her. It sounded so weird.
Shannon sat down and wrung her hands. “I have no idea why I didn’t believe her then, but I do now. My peculiar mother saw something in those cards. When I asked her, she cried and hugged me. She said she has no idea how to help me. When she saw you, she was certain you’re the one who could. It’s just plain unbelievable!” She shook her head.
“Did she explain why?” The whole thing was too confusing.
Shannon glanced around as if what she was about to tell me was top secret. “Mom wants me to stay as close to you as possible. I got so upset with her because the whole thing was ridiculous, but she insisted. I know it sounds like I’m taking advantage of you, but how else can you explain how we became partners all of a sudden?”
That much was
“I’m curious. What were you doing at the tarot shop the other night? Don’t you guys have better things to do?”
Good opening. “It was Darryl’s idea. He said Madame Elizabeth is good . . . and pretty,” I added as an afterthought.
“Oh . . . ” Shannon sounded doubtful.
“My turn to ask questions. Do you work in the shop every day?” I would have expected her to work at the mall, maybe at the perfume counter or selling fancy handbags, or whatever women called those things.
Shannon seemed reluctant to answer, but after a moment, she dropped her sandwich back on the plate. “I don’t talk about myself or my family all that much, but I’m going to tell you since you look like you can keep a secret.” She glanced up at me, looking hopeful.
I placed a palm over my heart. “Not a peep.”
“My dad travels on business a lot. My mom gets bored, so she took classes on tarot reading. She’s one of those . . . um . . . eccentric people. When she got her certificate, she talked my dad into getting her a spot in that awful location. And to make things worse, she demanded I helped her out after school.” Shannon’s mood shifted, and she seemed unhappy.
“Madame Elizabeth is your—”
She didn’t even let me finish. “Yep, my mother.”
“Does it bother you to be working there with her?”
Shannon nodded. “Sometimes I ask myself why I agreed to it, but I don’t have the heart to tell her to look for someone else. It feels weird, because I feel we’re just fooling people. But her readings—I’m not sure what to make of them.”
I stared at her, stunned.
“Don’t look so shocked. I saw your face when you went out of her office .” She tried to make it sound funny, but I couldn’t smile.
“What are you trying to say?” I put down my soup bowl.
“Madame . . . err, my mother said something that scared you. I knew it, because she’s done the same thing to me.” Shannon picked up her sandwich again, as if debating another bite, but she put it back down without eating more.
This small revelation triggered the warning bells in my head. “Is that why you’re here?”
“Yes and no.” She got up to walk over to the window, and she stood there for a long moment before turning around. Her eyes misted. “I didn’t believe her at first. She told me after you left that you’ll be the key to what lies ahead for me.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “So our being partners in class is falling into a pattern designed by some cruel jokester?” I tried to make sense of it, but I was drawing blank.
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. That’s what she told me. It scared me, and for days, I didn’t talk to her. It felt like she wasn’t the same person. I don’t know what to say, Brian. Believe me, I’m freaked out, too.”
I patted the mattress and urged her to sit beside me. I had no idea what to say to her. It sounded so weird.
Shannon sat down and wrung her hands. “I have no idea why I didn’t believe her then, but I do now. My peculiar mother saw something in those cards. When I asked her, she cried and hugged me. She said she has no idea how to help me. When she saw you, she was certain you’re the one who could. It’s just plain unbelievable!” She shook her head.
“Did she explain why?” The whole thing was too confusing.
Shannon glanced around as if what she was about to tell me was top secret. “Mom wants me to stay as close to you as possible. I got so upset with her because the whole thing was ridiculous, but she insisted. I know it sounds like I’m taking advantage of you, but how else can you explain how we became partners all of a sudden?”
That much was
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