Horseshoe

by Bonnie Bryant

  Lisa knew that Joey Dutton, one of Horse Wise’s youngest members, lived near Jasmine and May. She also knew that Joey’s dad was moving his dental practice to the town where Stevie’s boyfriend, Phil Marsten, lived. “Are you guys good friends with Joey?” she asked them.

  “He’s our best friend!” said May. “We play at his house all the time, and he comes over and plays with us, and he’s got a tree fort and everything. And now he’s riding, and he’s going to get a pony and he was going to keep it in his backyard like we do. Everything was going to be perfect, but now he’s moving away!”

  Lisa knew that nothing she said would keep Joey from moving. “He has to go with his family,” she told Jasmine and May, “but I can promise you that you’ll still get to see him often.”

  “We will?” Jasmine asked excitedly.

  “Of course we will,” May answered. “He’ll be in the Cross County Pony Club instead, and we’ll see him every time Horse Wise and Cross County have a competition. We didn’t need a fortune-teller to tell us that.”

  Lisa could tell she was going to have to do better. “Mmm,” she murmured, waving her hands over the deck of playing cards. She pulled a card from the pile. “See here, this is the two of spades,” she said, “and spades is trump.” Lisa didn’t know what “trump” meant in cards, but she had heard her mother saying it when she played bridge. “This is a very lucky sign,” Lisa said solemnly. “It means that even without Joey you two are going to have a wonderful summer.”

  “Wow,” said Jasmine. Even May seemed impressed. They paid up and left satisfied. Lisa could hear Jasmine repeat “Spades is trump” under her breath as she went out the door. Lisa hoped there weren’t any bridge players standing in line.

  She had three more customers, all younger kids who seemed pleased with the fortunes she told them. Of course, Lisa reflected, who wouldn’t be pleased to hear “Your grades will improve,” “Your allowance will increase soon,” and “You will meet a dark, handsome stranger”?

  Then in came Michael Grant!

  With her finest gestures Lisa bade him to be seated. She inhaled deeply and mysteriously and stared at him for several seconds. “Do you know your sign?” she asked him in a deep and mysterious voice.

  “Sign?” Michael looked puzzled.

  “Sign,” Lisa repeated. “Like, the sign you were born under.”

  Michael thought hard. “I don’t think there was a sign,” he said.

  Lisa sighed. “Like, Gemini, that’s one of the signs,” she said. She didn’t know all of the zodiac signs herself, but she knew that “What’s your sign?” was considered a very good question for fortune-tellers to ask. Except, of course, when the person you asked didn’t know what you were talking about.

  “I rode a roller coaster called Gemini once,” Michael offered. “But that was three years ago.”

  “That counts,” Lisa said. “Let me consult my charts.” She made a big show of checking the astrological charts Stevie had photocopied from an encyclopedia. “Very favorable,” she said. “I can see that Mercury, is rising in—umm—your thermometer, and the moon is pretty far from a solar eclipse. Very favorable signs, indeed.”

  She turned and gave Michael another long and very effective look. He shifted slightly in his seat. “I think I can answer a question for you, Michael. You may ask the crystal ball. What is it you would like to know?”

  Michael pointed at the paperweight. “Is this the crystal ball?”

  “Of course. Ask, and you shall be answered.”

  Michael bent low toward the crystal ball. Lisa bent low, too, so that she could hear his question. Glancing cautiously at Lisa, Michael whispered, “Is she the one for me?”

  Lisa bit her lip and assumed the trancelike state that Stevie had used with Veronica. “Let me see,” she murmured. “Yes, yes, I’m getting something. The image of the girl of your dreams. The perfect girl for you—the one ordained by the stars …”

  Lisa thought quickly. Who was that super model Stevie’s brothers were always mooning over? “Your dream girl is beautiful in every way,” she intoned. “Very tall and slender, with curving hips and a wonderful figure. Thick honey-blond hair, fair skin, wide brown eyes, a tiny mole on one cheek. Long, luxurious eyelashes. She’s the one for you.”

  Lisa opened her eyes slowly. Michael looked a little stunned. Lisa’s description didn’t sound at all like Veronica diAngelo. “Are you sure that’s right?” he asked. “I mean, it’s not the answer I was expecting. Are you sure she’s supposed to be a blonde?”

  “Definitely,” Lisa said. “I know exactly what I’m talking about, and this is the perfect girl for you. The crystal ball never lies!” She flung her arms out dramatically, reflecting that what she had said was indeed true. She was sure that Michael, just like Stevie’s brothers, would love to go out with Cindy Crawford.

  “Okay,” Michael said, putting down his dollar. “Thanks for the info.”

  He left, and in came Jessica. She stood by the door looking shy and frightened.

  “Come in,” Lisa said very gently. “What would you like to know?”

  “Oh,” Jessica said. “I don’t have any questions. I just thought it would be—fun—to know my future.” She sat and looked down at her lap and then up at Lisa trustingly. “Things have been difficult,” she said in a voice that hardly sounded like a little girl’s. “I thought maybe you could tell me if they were going to get better.”

  Lisa’s heart went out to her. Luckily, she knew just what to say. She turned over a few of the cards, had Jessica swirl the cup of wet tea leaves, and consulted her charts with great seriousness. “First of all,” she said, “I can tell that you have a great future with horses. You’re a good rider now, and all you have to do is keep practicing and learning. You’ll be very good someday.”

  “Really?” Jessica looked amazed. She smiled into the cup of tea leaves.

  “Really,” Lisa repeated. “Also, I can see that you’re going to get a new best friend from an unexpected source. This friend is going to need your help, your love, and your attention.”

  This time Jessica seemed doubtful. She twisted her hands together. “Who wants to be my friend?” she asked Lisa at last. “No one does—not really.”

  Lisa felt like hugging Jessica, but she didn’t want to give Jessica any reason to doubt her. She looked at the charts again. “I see a friend,” she insisted. “You’ll have to wait. Patience will bring you a special friend.”

  Jessica shrugged and smiled. “Okay.” She left looking a lot happier than she had come in. Lisa smiled; that part had gone well.

  The next customer was Veronica, back for more! Lisa could hardly believe her luck.

  “I want to know everything else you can tell me,” Veronica demanded, taking a seat on the box.

  “Ummm.” Lisa picked up her cards and shuffled them several times. She spread them out before her, facedown, and flipped a few over, and then back. “When were you born?” she asked suddenly. “What was the exact hour?”

  Veronica frowned. “Three A.M.”

  Lisa pulled some of the cards out and set them aside. She reshuffled the remaining cards several times. Veronica began to look impatient. Lisa shuffled again and spread the cards out before her in a different direction. “What county was the hospital in?” she demanded.

  “What hospital?”

  “The hospital in which you were born.” Lisa frowned and tried to look superior.

  “Loudon County. Look, I don’t see what that has to do with anything. All I want to know is about Michael Grant.”

  Lisa pretended not to hear Michael’s name. “The county is very important,” she said sternly. “I’m beginning to get a picture of your ideal man. He has come before—I have seen him before.” Like about five minutes ago, Lisa said to herself.

  “Really?” Veronica leaned forward. “What was he like?”

  “You’ve already been told that,” Lisa said to her.

  Veronica smiled—she hadn’t expected
Lisa to know that. How could she, Lisa realized, when she didn’t know that Carole and I were listening to Stevie’s fortunes? “Very true,” Veronica said, relaxing a little bit. “What else can you tell me about him?”

  Lisa looked dreamily into the crystal paperweight. “I can see his tastes,” she said. “I know what he likes and dislikes.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Veronica said. “Tell me.”

  “He’s a simple man with simple needs,” she said. “He’s looking for a natural girl with simple tastes, without fancy airs. He doesn’t like makeup or”—Lisa struggled to find the right words—“excess personal adornments.” She smiled mystically at Veronica. As usual, Veronica was wearing lipstick and plenty of eye makeup. She had changed from the riding gear she had worn in the parade and was now wearing a pair of tailored and very expensive-looking linen shorts with a sleek silk blouse, large extravagant gold earrings, and leather flats. She’d managed to redo her hair too, and not a wisp was out of place.

  “The man who came before dislikes hair spray,” Lisa said firmly. “He likes a natural look, clean, sun-dried hair and a clean, well-scrubbed face. The man who came before wants a girl who is comfortable in blue jeans.”

  “Blue jeans?” Veronica asked. “He wants me to wear blue jeans?”

  “He admires girls who wear blue jeans. He prefers old jeans—old jeans with holes and patches. He likes girls in tattered sweatshirts, old T-shirts, and well-worn, comfortable clothing.”

  Lisa could hardly keep from laughing. She couldn’t remember ever having seen Veronica in jeans, unless they were brand-new neatly pressed designer jeans, and Veronica certainly never wore clothes with holes in them. Lisa had described someone who was the exact opposite of Veronica in every outward way.

  “He does?”

  “He does. His ideal girl does not wear jewelry or other expensive—er—trappings.”

  “And he was just in here, right?” Veronica pointed to the tent door.

  “The man,” Lisa replied, “has just come before.”

  Veronica looked surprised but satisfied. “Well, at least I know what I need to do.” She began to get up from her seat.

  “Wait!” Lisa flung her hands into the air. “I’m getting one thing more!”

  “Yes?” Veronica spun around.

  “No,” said Lisa, “it’s too important. It’s going to cost you more than a dollar.”

  Veronica reached into her purse, but Lisa shook her head. “It’s gone,” she said, waving her hand near her forehead. “I wasn’t concentrating, and it slipped away. Come back in a little while and we’ll try again. I know it was very important.”

  Veronica looked unhappy. “Just so you’re sure you can get it back,” she said. “I don’t want to miss anything important.”

  “I know we can,” Lisa assured her. “It’s a simple case of mind over matter.” She began to reshuffle her cards.

  Veronica slunk out the door. Lisa let out a sigh. “She’s gone,” she said. Stevie and Carole rolled out from behind the back flap, laughing.

  “You were wonderful.” Carole got up to hug Lisa and Stevie patted her on the back. “Even better than the time before!”

  “I think she’s buying it,” Stevie said. “I really think she’s buying it.”

  “Oh, she’s definitely buying it,” Lisa replied. “You should have seen her face! She nodded after everything I said—I’m surprised she didn’t take notes!”

  “Here.” Stevie handed Lisa a soda. “Judy Barker saw us sitting back there and brought us these.” Lisa took a grateful sip.

  “A toast,” Carole offered. “To the perfect setup for Project Fix Everything!” They raised their sodas in the air.

  “And a toast to the Goodluck Horseshoe,” said Lisa. “Look at all the money we’ve made!” She pulled out the envelope she was keeping under the table. “Some of the grown-ups even gave us more than a dollar.”

  “Wow. CARL is going to be thrilled,” Stevie predicted.

  “If only the rest of it goes well—”

  “It’ll go well,” said Carole. “Now take off that robe. It’s my turn!”

  FOR THE NEXT forty-five minutes there was a line of customers waiting at the Goodluck Horseshoe tent. Inside, Carole was kept busy sloshing tea leaves and waving cards around. She predicted good weather, straight-A report cards, long sea voyages, new boyfriends, and, in one case, that the New York Mets would win the pennant.

  Finally, Carole’s big moment arrived. Veronica returned for the third time.

  She had been transformed. Instead of the stylish, expensive clothes she had been wearing before, she now wore tattered blue jeans and a battered red Ralph Lauren sweatshirt. Looking closely, Carole could tell that the designer jeans weren’t really old—the holes were new and clean-edged. It looked like Veronica had attacked them with scissors. The rips on the sweatshirt seemed new too. Veronica’s fancy earrings were gone, her face was scrubbed clean, and her hair had been tied back in a plain tight ponytail.

  Carole was thrilled.

  Veronica hesitated at the door. “I was expecting Lisa,” she said. “She promised to tell me more.”

  “We’re all on the same wavelength,” Carole assured her. “I’ll be able to tell you exactly what you need to know.” She held out her hand, and Veronica paid her another dollar.

  Carole crossed her hands in front of her and began to hum. She hummed louder and louder, closing her eyes and leaning backward. Veronica waited.

  “Yes,” said Carole. “I understand what you need to know. You’re looking for a clue to the heart of the man who came before.”

  “That’s right,” said Veronica. “I had the chauffeur take me home so I could change my clothes. What else do I need to do?”

  “Hmmm.” Carole swept her hands over the crystal ball, back and forth, several times. The motion seemed to transfix Veronica, who watched her closely.

  “I see the key to his heart,” Carole announced. “The man who came before wants a generous soul.”

  “Generous?”

  “Yes. How much money do you have with you?”

  Veronica looked into her purse. “I just got my allowance, but I spent some of it,” she said. “Looks like twenty-eight dollars.”

  “You must take that money,” said Carole, “and give it generously to a person in need.”

  “Wouldn’t ten dollars be enough?” asked Veronica. “I was planning to buy some new lipstick—” Her voice dropped off, and Carole could see her wondering if she needed lipstick, since “the man who came before” didn’t approve of makeup.

  “No way,” Carole told her. “It must be the whole twenty-eight.”

  Veronica blinked. “Anything else?” she asked. Carole shook her head. “Okay. Thanks for the help.” She stumbled out of the tent, looking for a person in need.

  Carole peeked out of the tent to watch. Just across from their booth, Stevie was introducing Jessica and Jessica’s mother to Judy Barker. Judy was explaining to Mrs. Adler that CARL put many animals up for adoption.

  “Oh, couldn’t we get one?” Jessica begged, pulling on her mother’s hand. “Can’t we get a dog, Mom?”

  “I know a great dog you could have,” Stevie said. She looked over and saw Veronica come out of the booth, and her eyes widened. “For only twenty-five dollars,” she added loudly.

  “But I don’t have twenty-five dollars,” Jessica replied.

  Veronica’s head jerked around to look at Jessica. She stared for a moment, her hand going slowly to her purse, then she shook her head and looked away.

  There, on the other side of the road, Lisa stood talking to Michael Grant. Lisa broke off the conversation and waved. “Hi, Veronica,” she said. “Michael just told me he was looking for you.”

  “I did?” asked Michael. “I mean—sure I did.”

  Meanwhile, Stevie was saying to Jessica, “I couldn’t hear you. What did you just say?”

  “I said, I DON’T HAVE TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS,” Jessica shouted
.

  Veronica looked at Michael, who looked at Veronica, who looked back toward Jessica. The Saddle Club held their breaths.

  “Here,” Veronica said, pulling the wad of money out of her purse and handing it to Jessica, “why don’t you get yourself a dog. There’s enough there for you to buy it a toy or something too.”

  Jessica’s mother shook her head. “That really isn’t necessary,” she said. “We can well afford—”

  Veronica held up her hand. When she wanted to, she could be polite, and she was gracious now. “Please allow me to give Jessica a little present,” she said. “She was my ‘little sister,’ you know, until I decided not to ride in the drill.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Jessica said. She threw her arms around Veronica’s waist.

  “Well, thank you, but I really don’t think it’s necessary,” Jessica’s mother said. “It’s very nice of you, I’m sure.”

  Veronica pushed Jessica away gently and held up her hand again. “Please let me,” she repeated. “It’s such a pleasure for me to do things for others.”

  Jessica’s mother looked at Jessica’s ecstatic face and Veronica’s earnest one. “Well,” she said, “I know my daughter would really love a dog, and we’d like her to have one. Thank you very much.”

  “Thank you, Veronica!” Jessica waved happily as Veronica crossed the road to Michael’s side. Lisa silently went back to the entrance of the tent.

  “Can you believe that just happened?” she asked Carole. “It’s exactly like a play.”

  “Keep watching,” Carole replied, “It isn’t over yet.”

  “She wanted me to have a dog,” Jessica said to Stevie, looking with wonder at the money Veronica had given her. “She must not hate me after all. She must like me.”

  “Of course she likes you,” Stevie said.

  “Then she must not think I’m a terrible rider either.”

  Stevie put her arm around the little girl’s shoulder. “Nobody thinks you’re a terrible rider,” she said, “because you aren’t. Come on. Do you want to meet the dog I was telling you about?” She led Jessica to the other side of the trailer.