Finding Love

Gustava's Prediction

                                                           II

                                       Gustava's Prediction

Lucky for Riel, Gustava didn't have any clients yet when she stomped inside the tent. The woman looked at her with surprise. She stood up from the monobloc chair she was sitting and blocked her way to her room.

"What's with that face, dearie?" she asked, cupping her face with her bony hands. "Why are you stomping your feet like that in our tent?"

"I just found a very irritating man outside!" she blurted out. "He's so mean, Mama Gustava!"

"Oh!" She looked more worried as her fingers swept away some of Riel's hairstrands that fell on her face. "What have he done so harsh to you, my dear Gitchie?"

"He said mean things about God! No one could ever be as mean as that man!"

Gustava felt like laughing now. She only managed to grin. The woman led Riel on the monobloc chair where she used to sit. She placed her hand on her shoulders and looked down to her.

"Dear, I don't know how you ever got so faithful to God that you are almost exaggerating."

"Exaggerating?" she echoed with a question mark.

"You see, in our society, we are already aware of the anti-christs and goths and we have nothing to do with that," she explained. Then, Gustava patted her head. "Gitchie, you are still sixteen, but you have to act a little mature now, okay? If he doesn't like God the way you do, then you have nothing to do with it. People are different from us, from you, and will never be always the same. People think differently."

She bit her lower lip. "I-I... I thought you'll be on my side about this."

"I am on nobody's side. I am not defending that man's belief, but neither yours."

"Mama Gustava," she asked, "do you believe in God?"

Gustava gave herself a short moment to think of the right words to say. Seems like there was a certain argument inside her thoughts about what she should answer to her question.

"I believe, somehow," she replied. "But I cannot depend on just believing God, you know, dear? You see, I have to work on my own to earn money, to give your needs like food."

Riel lowered down her head. Sadly, she could see that Gustava did not completely have faith in God.

"Stay here for a moment, I have to go to the ladies' room," she excused before she left the room.

Suddenly, two teenage girls walked inside the tent. They looked flirty on their body-fitting shirt and tank top and short shorts. The blonde girl sat on the other chair and handed her some cash.

"Can you please, tell me about my fortune, Madam Gustava?"

Her eyes widened. "W-Well, I'm not Madam-"

"She looks too young to be a fortune-teller," the blonde girl's brunette friend said.

The blonde girl ignored her statement and extended her hand. "Read me."

Riel was hoping that Gustava would come soon but she didn't. She could not even reject her Mama Gustava's customers. She held the blonde girl's hand and traced the lines with her fingers.

She concentrated on the lines. And Riel suddenly spoke words that she wasn't really thinking of saying.

"I see you cry," she said. "Tears of love."

"What?"

"You have a boyfriend," Riel continued. "But he'll break your heart."

The disappointed girl stood up wildly, annoyed at her prediction. Her friend reached for her shoulders to calm her down.

"Me and my boyfriend are not gonna break-up! You're a fake! Fake! You're no good, Madam Gustava!"

The two girls left. They even forgot to get their money back. Gustava, who was secretly watching them from behind the tent's flap, went out to pat Riel's shoulders.

"That's alright," she said comfortingly.

"M-Mama Gustava?"

Riel turned and looked up to the woman. She was staring straight at the tent flap where the two girls came out.

"I really intended to let you tell those girl's fortunes."

"I didn't really thought of saying those things," Riel confessed. "I can't come up with anything to say because I don't know how to read people's palms and..."

"You don't have to know people's fortunes," Gustava smiled, "you just have to know how to please them."

She felt more confused than ever. What was Gustava trying to tell her?

"You know that I can't really read people's palms. I can't predict what will happen to them in the future."

That shocked Riel. All this time when she thought that Gustava was a good fortune-teller.

"So, all this time you were lying to your clients?" she said bitterly. "Lying is bad, Mama Gustava!"

The woman was surprised at her reaction. "You aren't stupid enough to think that people can really predict the future, are you? I have to do it this way, dear Gitchie! This is my only stable job and I haven't finished elementary! Where else do you think should a woman like me go to?"

"Oh, Any work but not like this, lying to people!"

"That's business. You don't have to say the truth always, Gitchie!"

Riel didn't mind what explanation or reason Gustava would give her. For now, she wanted to run away from a liar like her She made her way to her room, curled her body on the couch and cried.

"What took you so long?"  Brent asked Lolita as the blonde girl arrived with her best friend, Jessica, the brunette-haired one. He kept on smoking his cigarette as Lolita sat beside him on that bench. Jessica decided to remain standing.

"It was that annoying fortune teller," Lolita complained with a frown on her face.

"You believe in such a crap like that?" he smirked.

Lolita shot a glare at him. "Would you believe what she said?"

"What?" he asked although he wasn't obviously interested to know.

"She said we're going to break up! That annoying little Madam Gustava!"

Brent chuckled loud which made Lolita look at him with confusion and curiosity. Even Jessica wondered why Brent had to laugh that loud.

"Why? What's so funny?" Lolita said, more irritated.

"Never knew that the religious girl is right about that Gustava huh?"

"Brent, what are you talking about?" Jessica chimed in.

He looked up to her, then to Lolita.

"Never knew that Gustava is really a good fortune teller. Maybe, I should see her one day."

Brent stood up and threw his cigarette on the grassy ground. He stepped on it to kill the fire.

"W-What do you mean?" Lolita asked, standing next to him.

He gave her a grin as he glanced at her. "I am really planning to break up with you today, Lolita. Adios."

"What?"

Brent didn't want to hear anything from her anymore. He turned to leave.

"Brent! You can't do this to me! Come back!"

But he didn't mind her. Brent walked straight out of the carnival.