My mom had a slew of regular patrons who kept the shop open. And tourists who wanted their palms read and fortunes told usually made up the rest of the customers. Right now, thankfully, it was empty.
“Welcome to Ascension,” my mother said as the bell jangled overhead.
“Hi, Mom,” Melanie said.
“Oh, my daughters have graced me with their presence and at the same time. What must be the occasion?”
I hugged her and then pulled back to admire her beautiful, celestial blouse. “I like this. Where did you get it?”
“You always had style,” my mother said with a laugh then gestured to Melanie. “You, on the other hand.”
“Hey, I’m the one with style!” Melanie said. “I’m the one studying fashion.”
“The seventies were so much more fetching,” my mother said. She winked at me as Melanie huffed. “Now, tell me why you’re here. Something momentous I feel. I read it last night. I see you’re here now to tell me. What is it?”
“I hit the New York Times.”
“Oh, baby,” my mother said, “congratulations! I drew The World in tarot last night, and here it is. You’ll begin your new journey after this.”
I laughed. It was no use interpreting my mother’s predictions. She always had them, and only half of them ever had any semblance of truth.
“Thank you, Mom. I wanted to tell you first.”
“Have you told your father?”
I frowned and shook my head. My father didn’t exactly support my decision to be an author. He’d been aloof about the whole thing since I got an English degree.
“No, of course not,” she said, easily reading me.
I shrugged. “I’ll tell him at dinner.”
“He’ll be happy for you, I think.” My mom waved her hands about. “Now, sit. Sit. Both of you. I just put tea on. We’ll read.”
Melanie and I shared a look that said we both knew there was no point in turning her down. So, we sat with her and waited for the tea.
“Why aren’t you happy about this?” my mother asked as soon as the tea was in front of us.
“What? I am happy,” I said.
She gave me a shrewd look. “We’ve all noticed. Haven’t we, Melanie?”
“True,” Melanie agreed.
“What is this, an ambush?”
“She’s not wrong, Nat. You’ve just been kind of skating by.”
“You’ve been at college. How would you know?”
“Just think that I’ve been at college, and I’ve still noticed.”
My mother nodded. “You have everything you’ve ever wanted and no joy. Is it because you haven’t been working on your new book?”
I frowned. Maybe my mother was more intuitive than I gave her credit for. Or…maybe her readings were right. Sometimes, I wondered.
“Well, I was writing when I was in New York, but I came home, and everything got all muddled again. I’m not sure what I’m doing.”
“Have you considered that maybe this isn’t your home?” my mother asked.
I laughed. “Of course it is.”
“No,” Melanie said. “It’s my home. You didn’t grow up here, and you were happier when you were traveling.”
“Well, I can’t do that anymore, can I?”
“Can’t you?” my mother asked. “What’s stopping you? Money? You have that now. You could live wherever you wanted or travel the world.”
“Alone?” I asked softly.
I couldn’t believe that my mom and Melanie were saying the same damn thing that Jane and Lewis had said. It was like the universe was pointing me in one direction, even as I fought it at all costs.
“Would you truly be alone?” Melanie asked with a wink. “I saw that picture you were sent.”
“Oh, shush you,” I said with a laugh.
“Look, no matter your differences, you are your father’s daughter. You shouldn’t stay in one place too long. You need travel and adventure. Melanie and I are homebodies. Her world is here. As is mine. Yours isn’t.”
I took a long sip of my tea while I took in their words. Maybe they were right. Maybe I’d just been skating around the real issue. I wanted to move to New York. I wanted to live that life. But at the same time, I didn’t want to be part of the Upper East Side. Was there a way to live the life I wanted in New York and not be a part of the Upper East Side?
“Did you already read for me before this?” I finally asked.
My mother shook her head with a smile. “It’s painted on your face.”
I handed over my empty teacup. “Well, what do you see?”
My mother took the cup and stared down into the leaves at the bottom. She smiled softly. “Birds.”
“Birds?” I took the cup back and looked in it. And there it was…birds mid-flight. Even I could see it.
“Do I even have to tell you what that means?” my mother asked with a raised eyebrow. “Fly, my darling. Fly.”
Natalie
13
I flew.
And, two weeks later, I was standing in my own apartment on the Upper West Side. New York City might have ruined my life. But it had also brought me everything my heart had ever wanted. It was the city of dreams, and I intended to dive in headfirst.