ache

In April, our prompt was the word 'ache' and I went in a slightly different direction. Enjoy

Do you have a lot of neck pain?” she asked holding on to my left hand.
“No.”
“What about headaches?” She had gray frizzy hair like a mad scientist and I immediately started to regret my decision of seeing her.
“No, not really.”
She raised an eyebrow at me in disbelief. It felt like she was trying to tell if I was lying, she knew that I didn’t totally buy all of this. I avoided her eye and concentrated on the music overhead:
I knew a girl named Nikki I guess you could say she was a sex fiend
She was peering at my hand intently
I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine
“Do you read a lot of historical books?” she asked hopefully.
“No”
She said how’d you like to waste some time and I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind
“Well, it looks like you were beheaded in the French Revolution...”
That suddenly got my attention. No, not because I’m convinced that I was beheaded in the French Revolution but because it was so specific. Now my interest was piqued and I wanted to know more of what the voodoo palm reader had to say.

Julie and I went to a fundraiser for the non-profit bookstore she volunteers with. There were free tarot card readings, astrological charting and palm readings. The tarot and astrological readings each had a line a few people long but the palm reader was wide open so I told Julie that I was going to try it out and took a seat. I immediately told her about the last time I had my palm read, how the lady talked about my cats like it was some great revolution when I was clearly covered in white fur. She promised that this would be more insightful.

She explained that she was going to look at my left hand first because that tells the story of where I had been and what I had experienced and my right dominate hand told me what I was going to do with that information. I am a ball of doubt when it comes to these things. Really? My hand is going to tell me when I’ll meet Mr. Perfect and when I’ll pop out a few chit’lens (I just wrote poop there which I am sure was intentional)? I am skeptical of all of these ways to predict your future and figure out who you are. I’m sure it’s a Libra, youngest child thing but I went along for the ride.

First she just held on to my hand not saying a word, just looking at my left hand. I tried to see what she was seeing but gave up and noticed that Prince was playing instead. My mind started wandering to The Kid, Apolonia, Morris Day, and Doctor Fink. Computer Blue was just ending when the palm reader finally opened her mouth.
“You’re an old soul,” she started.
“I’m not surprised, I’ve always been told that”
“This is definitely not you first life and definitely not your last. You’ve been wandering the world for a long time.”
“Huh,” I mumbled. I didn’t really know how to take this information. I’ve been the law-abiding serious one of my friends and always chalked it up to being old for my age.
She went silent again and the first few beats of Darling Nikki started. I tried not to look like I was more interested in the music and tried to give her my first interested face. This is when she started asking about my neck pain.
“Are you of Dutch decent?” she asked next.
I shook my head no.
“I’m seeing you in Amsterdam amongst the windmills…there’s a man…you’re in love…you…you…feed the community…you bake bread together.”
This actually made me chuckle aloud.
“Yes, you’ve been with him in every life, you seem to find him later in life and then you spend the rest of your time together. I see him at the beheading, I see him in the windmills,” she grabbed my right hand, “and I see him in this life but you’re looking for each other…it’s going to take some time to find him again…be patient…you will be together.” She was really excited at this point and it was hard not to share her enthusiasm. “You two will provide for the community together again. You’re going to find each other doing volunteer work. You are meant to be together.”
She traced a line in my hand with her nail, “you’re going to be here for a long, long time. Your life line is strong and goes up your entire hand. Don’t give up on love. You will find him.”
This was more than I could handle. She told me other things in my reading: that I would be wealthy, that I would make my money due to a something that I created, I would travel…none of it penetrated. She was so passionate when talking about my bread maker that she almost convinced me that he exists and that we would find each other. Almost. And then she pushed the tip jar towards me.