A haunting past

13.5 Mae West

Spring 1997, Myshuno town center

They arrived at the Sakura Festival in Myshuno.

Mae was glad she managed to convince Linda to come here with her today.

She hadn't tell her sister the reason, because then she wouldn't have come, but this was very important to Mae.

"Okay... it looks nice. But why we had to come here the three hour drive on the day before my presentation of the latest lab results?", her sister asked her.

Because it would have been Mae's only chance to know.

"Because...", Mae started, hesitating.

"I did read in FASH! magazine, that Madame Cosima comes here regularely. She's known to read your love fortune, and she's never wrong!"

There, she said it.

She hoped that her sister wouldn't be too angry.

"A fortune teller?! Are you serious?"
Mae had expected that reaction.

"So you dragged me here all the way, when I'm already stressed out, just for some hanky panky?!"

Obviously Linda wasn't happy about it, but she seemed even annoyed now.

"But Linda... It is important!", Mae cried out.

"How else can I know if what I'm going to do is the right thing? What if getting married to Herbert is a mistake?"

"Now, suddenly you have doubts?", Linda asked her.

Well, Mae had been very sure about the wedding - until now.

Maybe she had what they called cold feet?

The wedding was supposed to be next week.

"Oh well, let's get over it...", Linda gave up.

She still didn't look too happy about it, but Mae was grateful.

When they saw an old woman in a colourful, spakling dress and with wild flowers in her long hair, they asked if she was the fortune teller.

She was.

"How can I help you?", the old woman asked them.

Her voice was deep and melodic.

Exactly like they expected from a fortune teller.

"Well.. uhm, I'm getting married soon...", Mae started, hesitating. "And I would like to know my future with him."

"Let me see your hand then, child", the fortune teller answered.

"Okay... huh. But Linda, you go first!"

Mae was still too afraid.

Linda sighed and showed her hands to the fortune teller.

"Let's see...", the old woman started, her voice heavy with meaning.

"I sense that many men have loved you so far. And many still will..."

"And what does that mean?", Linda asked, a sense of amusement in her voice.

"That means you can choose", the fortune teller answered.

"How helpful", Linda said.

If Mae would have payed more attention, she would have witnessed a rare occasion of her sister using sarcasm.

"Now let me see what I can sense here...", the fortune teller grabbed the other girl's hands.

Mae swallowed down the anxiety that had crawled up her chest.

"Hmmm... I don't see too much... everything is twisted", the fortune teller said, after a long break.

"You seem to fly from one man to the other, like a butterfly. But you have some trouble to commit to only one."

"Oh, she got that right!", Linda laughed.

Mae's sister apparently had found back her good mood.

"That's not true anymore! I'm fully convinced I want to marry Herbert and be happy only with him!", Mae shout out.

"Then why you look for my advice?", the fortune teller asked.

Mae hesitated a second, then gave her hands back to the old woman.

She looked again, and Mae found the reading to take forever.

"Oh!", the fortune teller suddenly squeeked.

"I found a mark of fate." she said then, her voice deep and meaningfull again.

"What is a mark of fate?", Mae asked confused.

"It means that you have met a person, that is predestined for you. "

"...is it Herbert?", Mae asked, too afraid the fortune teller might say he was not.

"Did you bring him here, too? Or at least a photograph of his palms?", the fortune teller asked.

Of course Mae had not.

How should she have known that?

"Then how could I tell you if he is?", she asked.

"You'll have to find it out on your own."

Now this hadn't been helpful at all...