Playing With Destiny

PROLOGUE ‘Oh my gosh, why does it feel so hot today? I’m sweating so badly and yet I haven’t earned a penny.’ Feeling annoyed, I just fanned myself with cardboard. I also adjusted the large scarf wrapped around my head and neck, this thing is certainly not helping with this kind of weather. Why does it have to be scorching hot in this country? “Ladies and gentlemen, who want to know about your future? I can read your palms; I can see your future!” I shouted at the people passing by, but nobody seemed to notice me. Some were just throwing me weird glances but kept on walking away from me. “Hey, do you have some cigarettes?” asked the man who approached my seat. He looked like a thug with his disheveled hair and tattooed body. “Yes, how many?” I queried, one of my eyebrows arched up. “Give me a pack," he grinned. "Can I have a kiss, too?” the i***t was even smirking when he asked that. What a disgusting creature who thinks he’s hot! I rolled my eyes before I took what he was buying and shoved it into his outstretched palm. “There you go! That’s ten dollars in all.” I tried to sound calm even though I really wanted to scratch that smirk out of his face so badly. He even had the guts to scan my body with his filthy eyes! “I’m Jason, by the way,” then he introduced himself. He was obviously trying hard to sound cute! Ugh! Asshole. He’s giving me the creeps. “Just get out of my sight now. I’m having such bad luck because of you.” I was even more horrified when he started laughing. He looks like a member of a mafia group. “Sure babe, but see you later!” he winked before turning his back on me. I just winced in disgust and tried to ignore him after that. By the way, my name is Julia Davis. I’m a fortune-teller s***h street vendor here. I sell cigarettes, candy, drinks, and herbal medicine from my hometown. I have everything, from medicines for simple colds, coughs, and fevers to love potions, anti-witchcraft, and other stuff. Name it, I have it! But my specialization is fortune-telling! Supposedly. Apparently, I don’t have any idea about it. I'm no clairvoyant. But in fairness, I have already fooled a lot of people with my craft. Luck seems to be on my side now as I see a young woman approaching. She had just got out of the church and, by the looks of it, she was going through something really bad. Now, I don't need to be clairvoyant to see that. It was clearly written on her face. I fixed my scarf one more time, then cleared my throat. It’s show time! “Hey Miss, wait,” I said in a calm voice as I tried to reach for her arm. “You look like the world is on your shoulders.” She looked at me and then frowned. She’s one of the most beautiful women that I’ve ever seen. She has fair, smooth skin and she really looks wealthy. Though the sorrow in her eyes is undeniable. She will fall right into my trap. That’s for sure! "Excuse me, I'm in a hurry," she said as she pulled her arms away from me and started walking away. I started to panic. I need to have at least one victim! I mean, client! “Miss, you better believe me. I know you’re having problems with your current relationship!” I shouted those words to stop her. I just wish that I'd said the right words. I breathed a sigh of relief as she stopped walking and slowly turned to me with her eyes wide in shock. Whoa! You’re really the best Julia! Now I think I should take it back when I said that I’m not a legit fortune teller. I’m f*****g good at this! I shouted in my mind while she was still staring at me in awe. "H-how'd you know?" she asked me, looking confused. “I told you I’m a fortune-teller. I can see your future, even your past. Come sit here.” I ushered her inside my booth and let her sit. “My knowledge of these things came from my greatest ancestors,” I kept spouting lies while taking the tarot cards. "You're not fake, are you?" she asked, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. “Well, I’m not forcing you to believe me, Therese,” I smiled. Her eyes widened in shock as I muttered her name. Even her jaw dropped! She stared at me in disbelief. I think I already got her. Hook, line, and sinker. She’s pretty but she seems lacking in the brain department. She didn’t even realize that her name was on her necklace. I quietly thought to myself. I gave her a sweet, reassuring smile while I shuffled the tarot cards in front of her. I don’t know whether I’m doing this the right way. I had no idea about that, so I just shuffled it the same way I did with ordinary playing cards. After that, I laid them one by one on the table between us while trying to concentrate. “Are you ready now?” I flashed a mysterious smile at my newest victim. I already have my moves memorized for this thing. Within the two years that I’ve been doing this, I got so used to it. I don’t even mind if I’m only fooling them. All that matters to me is my family. I have to work hard for them. She didn’t say anything but kept on looking through my eyes. Maybe she’s not yet convinced that I’m a legit psychic. I closed my eyes, then drew a deep breath while dramatically feeling the cards that were now carefully laid on top of the table. Hmm, what should I say? I asked myself. My heart started to pick up its pace. I inhaled deeply one more time before I finally opened my eyes, then cleared my throat before taking a card. “Your boyfriend is cheating on you,” I said after quietly looking at it. Her lips parted after hearing what I had to say. She had this look of protest on her face but I continued what I was saying after flipping another card. “I can see another woman. She has blonde hair. They’re in love with each other and he seems to forget everything about you now,” I just blurted out everything I could come up with at the moment, fingers crossed. I then flipped another card and looked at it closely, trying to figure something out of the drawings on it. “Distance.” I showed her the tarot card that I was holding. “You’re far from each other, am I right?” I asked her. She just nodded while looking at me intently. With the look on her face, I can tell that she can’t believe how I knew all of that. Well, I can’t blame her. Even I, myself, can’t believe that I’m having such luck again! “That’s the reason why he fell out of love, why he started getting cold.” Guilt suddenly flooded me when I looked into her eyes. Tears were starting to well up in her bright honey-colored eyes. I have no choice but to swallow my guilt. I tried to flip another card but she suddenly grabbed my hand. “Please stop. I’ve heard enough,” she said in a hoarse voice. "Here," then she hurriedly went out of my booth after putting a bill in my palm. I wasn’t able to look at the money because of the guilt that suddenly washed over me. I tried to follow her. She seemed so affected by everything that I'd said. It made me feel even more remorseful. I looked at her with pity until she disappeared into the sea of people around her. I shook my head while whispering an apology in the air. Yes, I may be used to this job, but it still makes my heart feel heavy. I took a glance at the now crumpled paper bill inside my hand. My eyes widened in shock upon seeing the amount that she gave me. I scrutinized it to check if it was not counterfeit but it's real! A thousand bucks! Now I want to jump in excitement. This is the first time that someone paid me this kind of amount. I quickly shoved it inside my pocket. There are a lot of thieves in this part of the city. They’re really swift, so I have to be careful. “Hey, Julia! It seems like you were able to con someone again!” Belinda called. She’s the one who occupies the booth next to mine. She’s selling amulets, charms, and other kinds of what-knots. “Just got lucky!” I answered with a broad grin, my guilt now completely down the drain. “So you have money to send to your family again?” she asked. She has become close to me over the past couple of years. That’s why she knew everything about me, even my being fake! “Yeah, how about you?” “Hmm, just fine,” she shrugged. An old woman approached her store so I went back inside my booth feeling happy. I was even humming to myself while attending to my next customer. When the sun started to set, I began to put away my merchandise and props. I had already earned more than enough for today, so I decided to go home. It’s exhausting to stay under the sun the whole day selling things. I packed everything up and took it with me. “Belinda, I’ll get going now.” “All right, I might stay for a little while.” I started to head on my way. My things are heavy but I chose to walk to get home. It’s just a few minutes walk away from here anyway. I need to save every penny that I earn. Once I reached the gate of the house where I was staying, I looked around first. When I didn’t see anyone, I quickly opened the gate and slipped in before immediately closing it again. I went to the backdoor to find my way inside the house. I was welcomed by the complete silence. I’m the only one living here. Actually, no one was supposed to be living here. I just accidentally found what seemed to be an abandoned house when I had nowhere else to go. It’s like a blessing from the heavens when I was so close to giving up. It was easy to break the locks at that time because they were old and rusty. I just replaced them with my own but the front door lock is intact. That’s why I have to use the backdoor every time. I took all my things up to the attic of the house before plopping myself on the mattress on the floor. Another exhausting day has ended, but I must admit that today is a little bit exciting. I wanted to feel guilty when I remembered the look on the woman's face, but I just shook it off. I earned a lot today. That's what matters...