This was stupid. I’d fallen into the trap of thinking the cards would predict my future. I was supposed to be making my own connections, coming up with plans. This was supposed to unlock something new that I could use to defeat him.
Instead, it had just focused me back on my original turmoil. Was Apollo going to emerge victorious? Would he crush me and my brothers? And how could I stop him?
“Forest, care to share your thoughts? This card seems to have stirred something up for you. This card represents the future of your problem. A possible solution, maybe.”
Oddly, I felt disappointed in myself for not seeing anything more interesting in the card. “This card... has just told me what I already know.”
“Well, let’s talk through it, maybe you’re missing some deeper meanings.”
“No deeper meaning here.” I forced myself to look up, away from the cursed card. “Look, thank you for the session, Ria. You’ve earned my lack of mockery. But I’m done here. Good luck with the rest of your day.”
I saw just a glimmer of confusion in her eyes before I stood up, almost knocking the chair out from underneath my feet, stuck my hand through the doorway of the tent to push it to one side, and exited.
Then, sighting one of Mandy’s renowned sneak-exit doorways up ahead, I stumbled in the direction of it and pushed my way out, not looking back to see if anyone had spotted my departure.
RIA
I’d had clients walk out before a session was over before. That’s why I took the payment in advance. But I hadn’t expected it from Forest, and I hadn’t expected it to be for that reason. He seemed to have been disturbed by something he’d seen in that final card. For a self-professed tarot skeptic, it seemed he’d been in the right mindset to be drawn in by the cards – but not the right mindset to accept what they had to say.
I was stumped. Had I pushed him too hard? After all, some people weren’t ready to know what their subconscious had to say to them. I might normally have handled such an interaction differently. Despite my sales pitch, I might not have considered taking him into the tent. I may have looked for signs he wasn’t ready for it. I’d been irresponsible by my own standards.
There had been something about Forest... besides my initial attraction, when he’d walked over and my heart had sped up in my chest. Each time we’d argued, I’d gotten a little more light-headed with a feeling similar to... anticipation.
And then, when he’d accepted my offer and sat down to let me read his cards, I’d felt something further. A pull to him. A connection, oddly enough.
Though we had nothing in common, I’d felt myself growing annoyed he wouldn’t share more about himself in the session, that I was being teased by the little hints he gave about his past, his relationship with his brothers, his work. I’d wanted to know more. And then he’d left.
But... I’d fulfilled Apollo’s criteria. I’d gotten his brother to agree to a tarot card reading. I just had to share my findings with Apollo and I’d earned myself that large sum of money promised by the cheque. And, I’d technically had my first sale of the day. Hopefully, some of the other employees and attendees here had seen Forest Brock purchasing my services and would emulate his example. He was the boss of many of them, after all. Probably their bosses’ bosses’ boss.
As the day went on, my hopes were fulfilled. Over the course of the day, my little stand had become something of a novelty of the event, with people sending their friends and colleagues over, sometimes in jest and sometimes full sincerity.
At one point I had a line of people, happy to stand around and chat while waiting for the opportunity to consult the cards about their business and employment problems. One by one, I put my little ‘Reading in progress, wait here for service’sign up on the front of the booth and led the semi-skeptics into the little tent to read their cards.
I was pleasantly surprised – the most snobbish person I encountered was Forest, and in the end, he'd not been so bad.
There were all sorts of problems the patrons had, from tech start-ups who needed an initial surge of energy and creativity to try and sell their product before they ran out of money, to long-time employees of Brock Technology who were stuck on mind-bendingly specific code problems that had stumped them and their colleagues for years.
Almost unfailingly they were won over by my psychological, scientific approach to tarot. Whether or not they left with a solution to the problem at hand, they all certainly had an interesting experience. And there was not one walk-out besides Forest.
All in all, an incredible day of sales. Many of them had taken my business card. It was only a small number who would eventually translate into long-term clients, but I hoped that some would go away and realize their interests had been piqued. Maybe as they started seeing the effects on their life of looking at their problems in a new way, they’d remember where they learned that technique, and seek my services then.
Either way, I was happy. Besides my niggling guilt about Forest, my finances following the day’s work were lookingveryhealthy. It was, to be honest, more than I’d hoped for starting my business. If things continued like this, I would be able to stop worrying about my mom. Or, at least, I’d still worry about my mom’s treatments, but not her lack of ability to afford them.
The event officially ended, and the booth-holders packed up our stalls. I had a cheerier reception from my neighboring booths than I had at the start of the day. They’d all seen how well I’d done, and some of them had even gotten their stalls covered or temporarily closed so they could come and see for themselves. Hands were shook, business cards were exchanged, and before I knew it, the day was over and I was on the subway headed home.
As I was lugging my suitcase up the stairs of the subway on my way to the bus stop, a woman in a black suit and sunglasses stepped out in front of me. I tried to step around her.
But the woman held out a hand to stop me. “Ria Moon?”
I halted. “That’s me.” I sounded tired, because I was tired.
“You’ve been offered a lift home. Join me.”
And, because I was exhausted and she was already loosening the backpack from around my shoulders, I did. I watched as she secured my possessions in the trunk of the black Cadillac, unable to see through the windows due to the dark tint.
When she opened the door, and I complied and climbed in, I saw my fellow passenger was none other than Apollo Brock. I shouldn’t have been surprised, except I’d not expected him to show up in the wild. I thought it’d be a phone call and then done.
“A productive day, Ms Moon?”