How Did You Want It Again?

10

"Thanks again for bringing me out guys. I hope I'm not being a third wheel." Mariska, my assistant, asked for the fourth time tonight.

"Mariska for the hundredth time you're fine." I laughed. "Besides, you deserve some time away from all that paperwork and phones ringing." I threw down the sucker stick I finished. Bayou had the idea to bring me out to the carnival since Cato up and left me and today was the last day it'd be here. So I decided to invite Mariska who seemed to not have any plans today either. We've been here a steady two hours already and it would've been great if a certain someone was here to win me a stuffed animal..

"Yeah I guess you're right. I am kind of a workaholic. I'm just so blessed to work for somebody like you that's all." She tucked her shoulder length crimped hair behind her ear.

"Well try not to think of me as your mean old boss right now."

"Hey let's go in there!" Bayou exclaimed, pointing continuously at a tent with dimmed yellow and red bulbs sitting off the edge of all of the activity in the carnival. You wouldn't have even noticed the tent if it wasn't for the exit sign being right next to it.

"Psychic reading?"

"I don't know Bayou. My mom's friend deals in tarot cards and she's seen, well felt some pretty ugly futures." Mariska said.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'd like to know where my future ends."

"Why?" Mariska asked.

"Let's just say I cherish my life more than I used to." I looked down because I was the only one who knew what she meant by her statement. I wish she didn't say things like that.

"I'll do it if you do it." I shrugged. Something inside of me was telling me not to go in there, but another half of me was saying what's the worst that could happen?

As we were walking in the tent, two girls were walking out.

"You heard her. Success! That means I'm going to pass the NCLEX exam!" Both girls squealed in excitement rushing past us.

We followed the LED arrows along the path until we came across a curtain.

"Who's next! Two at a time please!" A southern accent yelled.

"I'll go first. By myself." Bayou exhaled before moving the long curtains to the side before entering. She was in there for a good ten minutes before coming out. I couldn't read her face, but I could tell that fake smile wasn't real.

"How'd it go?"

"Yeah it was great. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." She smiled before looking back for a second and turning back around without looking at us.

"Can someone go in with me?" I asked.

"I-I erm got to make a phone call." Bayou rushed out of the tent. I stared at her confusingly. What happened in there?

"I'll go in with you. But I'm not getting a reading."

Entering the curtains it looked like Hogwarts threw up in this this mug. A lady with fresh fingerwaves and green eyeshadow and black eyeliner. Her nails were long as mines and she sported rings on her fingers. Her lips were full as they moved while she chewed what seemed to be a subway sandwich.

"Hello. Welcome to my tent. Where's my money?" I handed her the five dollars as it said on the sign outside the tent.

"Oh I'm-" Mariska started.

"I know you're not getting a reading Marbell." The psychic smirked cockily before moving her sandwich to the side and sanitizing her hands.

"Only my uncle calls me that. He's dead." my head then snapped in the direction of the lady whose name still goes unspoken of, shuffling a deck of cards.