Major Arcana: sex, love, and Tarot

Chapter 10: Justice

At four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, Rosemary was seriously scrubbin' it. She had on an old pair of sweatpants that she'd probably bought in high school circa 1999, a comfy t-shirt over a sports bra, and her hair dragged up into a ponytail with no brush. Yup, she thought with satisfaction, it's a real weekend, at last. All morning she'd lazed at home, done her laundry and the dishes, drinking tea and reading romance novels. Meanwhile, she let her mind wander to the sex last night, how good it had been... It was deliciously indulgent.

She had a plan with Thyme for dinner. Some place in the U District specializing in all-vegetarian Thai food. Rosemary rolled her eyes when she looked up the restaurant. When will Thyme start eating real food again? I'm starving every time we go out together! One thing was for sure: she didn't plan on changing.

Sipping her tea, Rosemary belatedly reached for her Tarot bag. Even though the day was well past halfway over, since she hadn't done anything it was kind of like the morning. Without thinking much about it, she reached in and pulled out Justice.

Unsurprisingly, Justice was blind. She stood firm, arms outstretched, looking straight ahead despite her thick blindfold. Naked to the waist, she was fiercely feminine, strong and determined. In one hand she held an uplifted sword; in the other, a set of balanced scales.

"Justice, huh?" Rosemary said. "Whatever."

Setting the card half-hazardly onto the bookshelf (which, she noted, was becoming rather crowded... she would have to start a second row of cards), Rosemary finished her cup of tea and got ready to head for the bus.

*

Thyme greeted her with a hug and a wide, grateful smile. They sat together at a small round table, ordered cocktails, and perused the menu. To Rosemary's relief, this restaurant was just vegetarian, not vegan. Thank God. Thyme made a big show about picking a completely animal-free dish, but Rosemary ordered the Pad Thai – with extra egg.

"So," she said, dipping their fresh roll appetizer into the peanut sauce, "What's new, little brother?"

Thyme chuckled. "Shut up, you're only two minutes older, sister mine." He sighed, then continued, "You know, the usual. Too much work, too much drinking, too much hooking up. But hey, c'est la vie."

"Thyme..."

"I know, I know what you're gonna say. Some shit about me getting my priorities straight, figuring out my life, making grownup decisions, and all that." He cut his eyes at her sharply. "Come on, I know you."

"You're right. That's exactly what I was going to say." Rosemary sighed. "Only that might be the pot calling the kettle black. My life is hardly sparkling clean these days, either."

"Oh?" Thyme asked, lifting a quizzical eyebrow. "Now that sounds like a story."

When their noodles arrived, Rosemary spilled it all. She didn't go into scandalous detail, but still related the conversation she'd had with Fabricio, their kiss, Josh's revelation, the great sex, the fact that he came all over her every time. True to form, Thyme listened with rapt attention, nodding his head at all the right places, raising his eyebrows, but not pushing her. He let the story come out on its own.

At the end, Rosemary sighed.

"So, I guess that's what's going on. I've got one guy who's amazing in bed, but maybe a commitment-phobe. Then the other is a baby, only he says he's fine on the back burner, as long as there're perks! What a mess, right?"

"Sounds like a paradise to me. I don't know what you're worried about – you should just be fucking them both!"

"Thyme! Be serious." She laughed, shaking her head. Her brother was incorrigible. Ever since he came out and began living on his own, Thyme had been indulging in all the possibilities gay hookup culture had to offer. In Seattle, there were plenty. Rosemary worried, though. He was thirty-two, like her, and had never been in any kind of committed relationship. She suspected – and Parsley agreed – that he was hiding behind the sex, avoiding even the possibility of something more. What is it with men and their commitment issues?