The Reluctant Fortune-Teller

by Keziah Frost

  It was early February and Carlotta’s Club was in Quebec. The snow glittered in the sunlight outside the Good Fortune Café, where Norbert sat drinking an espresso and waiting for a customer. Business was slow today, but someone identified as RDL had registered by phone for an appointment at 3:00 p.m.

  At 2:58, in walked Reggie Di Leo, the private investigator. The bell on the door jingled merrily and incongruously over his scowling face. Catching sight of Norbert, he nodded once and made straight for the same table where the two men had sat weeks ago, the day that Reggie had “finished with Norbert.”

  Watching Reggie’s approach, Norbert felt strangely calm and self-assured. He saw in a glance a man who had grown mistrustful through his life’s disappointments, a man who was in many ways closed off from others and from himself, a man who covered his sadness with hostility. How could Norbert not feel a wish to heal and advise a wounded soul?

  “Norbert Z,” said Reggie, with less sarcasm than the last time he had said Norbert’s professional name.

  “Reggie,” said Norbert, with a friendly smile.

  “Don’t get the idea I’m here for a reading,” said Reggie, passing a hand through his black locks and emitting a brief, mirthless laugh.

  “Ah?” said Norbert.

  “I’m here on business. But I’ll pay you for your time.” Reggie pushed a photograph toward Norbert.

  “You did so well with that last missing-person case,” said Reggie, smiling with one half of his mouth, as if he were joking, “I thought I’d try you on this one.”

  “You want me to help you find a missing person?” asked Norbert, puzzling over this compliment from such an unexpected source.

  Norbert picked up the photograph and immediately recognized the young woman.

  Reggie said, “Her name is Georgina Burns. From Buffalo. She’s been missing for seven weeks. Her mother just called me last week, since the police haven’t turned up anything. I told her, I said, you waited too long, whadda you think I can do now? You shoulda called me right away. Then she—Anyway. You get any feeling about this? You wanna pull some cards out of your deck or something? I mean, at this point, there’s nothing to lose. She’s gone without a trace.”

  Norbert looked into the face of his customer, Gigi. Norbert saw her in his mind, soaking up the New Mexico sun.

  Glancing back at Reggie, he considered his options.

  “Tell her mother,” began Norbert, “that she’s alive and safe.”

  Reggie leaned forward, listening respectfully.

  Norbert continued, “And she doesn’t want to be found.”

  Reggie sat back. He had expected more.

  He said, “That doesn’t help me collect my fee, does it?”

  “Tell her mother she’ll be in touch when she is ready.”

  “Yeah. Right. My line of work, you don’t give people news like that. That’s not what they want to hear. ‘Where the hell is she?’ That’s all they want to know.”

  “She’s gone to a place where she can grow into who she is,” said Norbert.

  Reggie raised his eyebrows at Norbert, then looked out the window and scratched his head. He looked back at Norbert and emitted another dry laugh. He was hesitating between scorn and curiosity.

  “What the hell does that mean, Zelenka?” he asked.

  “It means, simply, she couldn’t grow here.”

  “She was already grown. She was twenty-seven. Whadda you talking about?”

  “This is a young woman who needs just a little space and time. She’s finding her life’s purpose.”

  Reggie said, “Oh! There we go. Life’s purpose. Well, that’s okay, then, huh.” Reggie shook his head. “Life’s purpose, my ass.” He drew his wallet from his coat pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “Here’s for your time, Zelenka.”

  Norbert said, “Wait. The twenty minutes isn’t up. Do you want a reading for yourself?”

  Reggie tilted his chin up and frowned at Norbert.

  “You kidding me? Do I look like I go to card readers?”

  “Since you’re sitting here, I guess you do,” answered Norbert.

  Reggie hesitated.

  Norbert said, “Shuffle.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Six of Hearts:

  A gathering of true friends brings peace. You are curious about your future. Begin your plans.

  “Ah, greeted by your partner in crime, Norbert,” quipped Carlotta as she led her Club through the door of his little white bungalow. Ivy was, as usual, beside herself with joy at the sight of company, wiggling her rear end as she sidled first right and then left, trying to give preference to everyone at once.

  Norbert, running a hand over his scant white hair and smiling widely, gestured his friends toward the living room sofa and chairs.

  “Oh!” breathed Margaret. “That heavenly scent of lilac coming in through the window—do you all smell that?—oh! It reminds me of the first time we visited you, Norbert.”

  “‘When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,’” inserted Carlotta, not to miss an opportunity to quote Walt Whitman.

  Birdie added, “Yes, it was just last May when we brought you our idea. And look how far you’ve come with it!”

  The group sat for a moment in reflection.

  It was Carlotta who broke the silence. “Norbert, in this year, you’ve become a true friend to us—and to no one more than me. I never thought, that sweltering day last year when we came to your assistance, that fortune-telling would ever turn out to be more than just an entertainment for the summer.”

  Norbert saw them all as they were a year ago, the women urging him to try something he didn’t believe in or understand, and he doubting what their motives might be.

  “And although you have not accepted our influence as I had hoped, I must admit that you have done rather well. And I have you to thank, Norbert, on behalf of my family. Hope’s business has taken on a new life because of you. Hope herself has become a more positive thinker, and she credits your influence. And you uncovered a health problem that she now has under control. And Summer—well—who will ever forget how you fell through the ice to get to her? And the change in her since that day.” Carlotta cleared her throat to put a brake on her emotions.

  Margaret came to her rescue. “Well, she’s just out and about more now, isn’t she? As a young person should be. I mean, you see her in town, she’s even dropped by the Art League a few times to paint with us, and I understand she’s dated a young man once or twice, hasn’t she, Carlotta?”

  “And therapy,” added Birdie dreamily. “She’s seeing a therapist in Edwards Cove. Therapy is wonderful. I think everyone should be in therapy all the time. Don’t you, Carlotta?”

  Carlotta straightened her back. “Well, you should, certainly.” She smiled wickedly at her old friend.

  Norbert didn’t know much about therapy. He did know that in the kind and attentive presence of another, we may glimpse our answers, and even better, our questions. He hoped that Summer’s therapist, whatever her qualifications, was kind and attentive. Through fortune-telling, Norbert had learned about the power that is unleashed when one person simply pays close and caring attention to another person.

  Norbert was a practical and rather orthodox man. For him, it had been a great risk to become a fortune-teller. But it was ultimately a cozy risk: it involved only intimate conversations across a table with a querent while he “held all the cards.” This first risk, however, had led to an even greater one that was not at all cozy, when he crossed the ice bridge to find Summer Moon. Since then, he had gone back to the quiet conversations, which were really more in fitting with his temperament and age, guiding people through the cards.

  “So what have you learned in this year, through the readings?” asked Birdie. “What new and wonderful revelations have come to you?”

 
Norbert had been thinking about this.

  “I get a lot of food for thought just from customers’ questions. For example, once, a querent asked me, ‘What is life—all the striving—about?’”

  The three ladies looked at Norbert with interest, waiting for his answer, but instead, he turned the question on them. “What would all of you say to a question like that?”

  Margaret didn’t pause for thought. She never did. She said, “I would say, just enjoy your life. Make sure you enjoy it. And maybe, don’t strive so much!”

  Birdie said, “Yes, don’t strive. Just be. Life is about love.”

  Carlotta said, “Hmm. Here’s the way I see it. Each of us is here working on a project—the project of living a Life. A life that is good, that is worth living. And I would say—if I may—that you, Norbert, are doing very well on your project.

  “What do you think, Norbert? What are we here for?” added Carlotta.

  Norbert paused, thinking how to put his thought into words. “I think we are here to be a kind presence in each other’s lives.” The ladies looked at him expectantly, hoping for more. “I think that is the best we can do.”

  Carlotta laughed. “Surely not! A kind presence in each other’s lives? Why, Ivy does that. Toutou does that. Certainly we can do slightly better than dogs!”

  “I must disagree with you,” said Norbert, smiling. “I’m not sure that we can.”

  “Well, Norbert, I am older and wiser than you.”

  “By seven years,” inserted Norbert.

  “And I pride myself on learning. That has to be what it is all about, for the higher animals. Yes, projects and learning. I continue to learn every day. And you, Norbert, should you ever tire of the fortune-telling trade, you can always learn a new skill, and we could teach it to you, I’m sure. With all our combined hundreds of years of life experience—”

  Margaret interrupted, “Will you stop that?”

  “—we can learn anything we put our minds to, and make a new career for you.”

  “Oh, no,” said Norbert. “I am happily settled in my career, thank you. You’ll just have to find another project for the Club.” Norbert polished his glasses carefully with a white cloth. “I do wonder what is next for you, Carlotta.”

  Carlotta found herself peering into Norbert’s deep, brown, hypnotic eyes, a little longer than she wanted to.

  “I wonder what is next for all of us,” she said.

  * * * * *

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Norbert, Carlotta and all the rest of the cast of The Reluctant Fortune-Teller make their appearance in the world thanks to a wonderful collaboration of many encouraging people.

  It is because of my daughter, Claire, that I was able to write this book. It was Claire’s idea that I write about “a fortune-teller who doesn’t believe in his own fortunes, even though they always come true,” and that was the beginning of Norbert’s tale. From the very beginning, Claire encouraged and critiqued and added to the gaiety of the making of this story, every step of the way.

  My wonderful agent, Danielle Bukowski, believed in Norbert and dedicated hours of skillful editing, which improved this book immensely. I am deeply grateful.

  My editors, Liz Stein and Natalie Hallak, asked the questions and made the suggestions that have made this a much better novel. I appreciate your sensitivity, thoroughness and immense gift for story. Thank you, Erika Imranyi, for loving Norbert’s story and acquiring it for Park Row, Harlequin/HarperCollins. Thank you also to copy editor Libby Sternberg, who combed through the finished manuscript with precision.

  I owe a tremendous debt of thanks to my beta readers: Claire Smolinski, Rosemary Davy, Hilary Ward Schnadt, Fredric Meek, Larry Zoeller, Susan Davy, Judy Davy, Lisa Marquez and my dear husband, Tom Davy, who fueled my writing with soy lattes each morning.

  I wish to thank Tom Bromley and the participants in the Faber Academy UK online course “Writing a Novel,” and my own local writers’ workshop group.

  And at last, I keep my promise to my white-haired fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Kean, who told me it didn’t matter that I couldn’t do math, because I had “a flair for writing and would write books one day.” Mrs. Kean, I told you I would thank you in my first book, and here you are.

  NORBERT Z’S GUIDE TO FORTUNE-TELLING

  Be guided by your own intuition and common sense, as much as by the card meanings listed here. Have your querent shuffle the cards and hand you the top one, shuffle again and do the same, always shuffling between cards, until you have seven cards. Place them in a horseshoe spread, facing yourself. See if a querent card has appeared in the spread; this would be any face card. Kings are males, Queens are females, and Jacks can be either. If there is more than one face card, one is sure to be the querent, and the others represent important people in the querent’s life. Cards to the left of the querent card may signify past events that continue to have an effect now. Cards to the right of the querent card refer to the future. Alternate meanings are listed for some cards; these alternate meanings may seem to contradict the first meaning listed. As the reader, you must use your own intuition to discern which meaning is correct for this querent at this time. Above all, look for encouragement and positive suggestions you can give your querent, because people are very suggestible, and may unconsciously work to make your reading come true.

  HEARTS

  Ace of Hearts: A transformative power is at work here. You will see that assistance comes from an unexpected source. Above all, trust yourself.

  Two of Hearts: You are about to have a fun adventure. Be open to trying something new. Alternate meaning: you have a secret admirer.

  Three of Hearts: You may be challenged to defend yourself. Be calm. You are very well able to deal with any difficult person or situation.

  Four of Hearts: Be confident in yourself. Another person may feel threatened by your skill and power. Just be kind, respectful and firm.

  Five of Hearts: Beware of another’s envy. Alternate meaning: know that, ultimately, you are safe. You are flying high, aligned with your inner being.

  Six of Hearts: A gathering of true friends brings good times and a sense of peace. Alternate meaning: you are curious about your future. Begin having fun with your plans.

  Seven of Hearts: Strife between friends. Focus on common goals. You really are on the same side, truly.

  Eight of Hearts: An unexpected meeting brings new perspective. You learn every day and at all times, when you are open. Alternate meaning: a wedding soon. It may be yours or someone else’s.

  Nine of Hearts: Your deepest wish will be granted. You will receive benefits even beyond your deepest wish.

  Ten of Hearts: You have a special gift that you may have not developed. It may even be a hidden gift. Why not begin to use this gift?

  Jack of Hearts: A fun-loving person. Possibly a person who parties too much and is irresponsible. Alternate meaning: romance is in your immediate future.

  Queen of Hearts: A good-hearted woman, supportive of the querent. A friend indeed.

  King of Hearts: A kind and generous man. He will help you in any way he can.

  SPADES

  Ace of Spades: There is great power in this card. A determining factor. It is the end of one chapter, to allow for the beginning of another.

  Two of Spades: We are all carrying our own sorrow. Be kind to everyone. Consider performing a random act of kindness. It’s always good karma.

  Three of Spades: Health concerns. Do you need to see a health-care professional? Alternate meaning: maintain the blessing of good health that you have by eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep.

  Four of Spades: The past must be released. What’s done is done. In order to go forward, you must turn your head toward the future.

  Five of Spades: A crisis. Help is needed. You or someone close to you needs help. The surrounding car
ds should guide you as to who, and what kind of help.

  Six of Spades: Grief. Loss is one part of life. Allow time to grieve. Grieving is hard work. Be kind to yourself.

  Seven of Spades: Your responsibilities require your attention. Alternative meaning: you are taking on more responsibility, and this will help you to grow as a person. The responsibility could be a pet, a child or an elder, or it could be a task at work.

  Eight of Spades: You are challenged to withstand criticism. Don’t worry. You know who you are. Alternate meaning: let any negative energy just pass you by; it is nothing to do with you. Stay focused on what you love and what makes you happy.

  Nine of Spades: Disaster. You are on the brink of taking an action that might have far-reaching consequences. Draw back from the precipice while there is still time.

  Ten of Spades: Tearing down of illusions to make space for new beginnings based on truth. You are dedicated to learning and growing. Alternate meaning: you will be signing up for a course of study.

  Jack of Spades: A pompous or immature man or woman. A blowhard. This person needs to strut and command attention due to insecurity.

  Queen of Spades: A woman who is very perceptive. Don’t ever bother trying to fool her! She is a good person to have as an ally.

  King of Spades: A serious man with no sense of humor. Critical and closed-minded.

  DIAMONDS

  Ace of Diamonds: The power of the magician is signified here. Within you there is a powerful force. It is time to tune in to it and let it be your guide. You have great talent.

  Two of Diamonds: Others trust you because you are sincere. Great things are coming your way. Look for them. Alternate meaning: a small amount of money is coming to you soon.

  Three of Diamonds: Success! Good fortune is building. Gratitude is the secret to happiness. Through a daily practice of gratitude, you will continue to attract even more good things into your life.

  Four of Diamonds: Open your mind and allow yourself to explore new ideas. Why not? Alternate meaning: a job offer comes from an unexpected source.