Great Lover Of Many

Madam Keesia sat us down across from her at a little table, under an enclosed, dimly lit, little square tent set up near the cart, and dealt out several cards face down, next to a large crystal ball on a table top stand. She then began to turn the cards over one at a time, explaining what each one meant as she went.

It was hilarious watching her try to read Tim and I and tell us something that sounded plausible. Neither Tim nor I believed fortune-tellers had any real ability to actually see into the future and knew they only told you things they thought you'd find believable, based on clues they picked up from talking to and observing you, and your reactions to what they said.

The first thing she told me was that even though I had strong feelings for Tim, he wasn't destined to be my soul mate.

Well, duh, I guess she got that from watching my interaction with Tim when he bought the flower. I appreciated the flower and took it, but I guess she could see I didn't react the way a girl in love would have.

What she said next, however, sent shivers down my spine.

"Ma-dam Kee-zia sees great change. A life altering event, dar-ling. Tings aren't as day appear, but zee details it's dark and cloudy." She turned over another card, "And there's death . . . yours." She emphasized the word yours while pointing her long red fingernail at me.

After a longer than necessary pause, she lowered her arm. Tim tried to stifle a snicker as she continued.

"Death tis never funny, my dear," she directed at Tim with a condescending glare, before returning her attention to me, "But not to worry, dar-ling. Tis not necessarily physical death though. Could be, but most likely no. Ma-dam Kee-zia will find out for you . . . "

She turned another card over and tapped on it with her long red fingernail.

"Ah yes, yes . . . Here it tis, new birth. I see bright sunshine, and a life-source on zee other side, but only if . . . well, tis up to you. Zee life-changing death and rebirth will be triggered by a you, my dear."

She stopped when she turned over the next card and studied it carefully, looking up at Tim and I then back down at the card, several times before before continuing, "I see true love, marriage, much laugh-ter and ha-ppi-ness. You, my dear will be a great mother of many."

That was it, she was done. Tim and I looked at each other, and back at her. She held out her hand for payment. Tim paid her, and we left the tent.

As we walked away from the gypsy, I wondered aloud how she could have known what she knew and if it meant I was predestined to that future or did I still have the ability to change it? After all, she did say the change would be triggered by me, but didn't say how.

Tim began laughing hysterically. "You're joking, right? You didn't really buy that vague, generic bullshit?" He asked, but soon realized I was serious.

"You don't think that stuff she said about death and life changes mean something," I asked him.

"That you would make a great lover? of many?" He began to laugh hysterically. "That would mean your destined to me a man whore? Or better yet," he looked me up down for emphasis, "A slutty girl?

"For you to take it as a girl, there's only one way," he continued while rubbing one of my butt cheeks, "she said you gonna get ran through."

More laughter erupted from Timmy.

"No dummy," I shoved him sideways with a well aimed shoulder bump. "She didn't say great lover, she said great mother."

Tim stopped laughing and his facial expression grew serious. "Ohhhh, 'great mother of many.' Well now, that changes everything. Oddly specific too." His serious look returned to a grin and he began to laugh again. "She's so good at knowing the unknown, but she couldn't see that you can't be a mother of many. You can't give birth. You can't have babies. You haven't got a womb! "

He began quoting several lines from an old Monty Python bit, mimicking a thick English accent as he did.

"Where's the fetus going to gestate? You going to keep it in a box?"

Returning to his normal voice, Tim immediately asked, "Are you sure she didn't say great lover of many? Her odd gypsy accent was thick. It makes more sense."

"Yeah, absolutely sure. You wanna go back and ask her wwwaaaaa------ uh, T-Tim?" I had looked back in the direction of Madam Keezia's tent and cart.

"What is it," Tim asked.

"It-it's gone, she's gone. LOOK."

Tim turned around and immediately saw what I saw or well, what we didn't see. Where Madam Keesia's Emporium Wagon and Fortune Telling Tent had stood just moments earlier, was now an empty spot. there was no way she could have packed up her tent and table and moved her wagon that quick. There wasn't even a horse hitched to the wagon to have been able to pull it away either, but yet, it was gone, it was all gone.

We both stood there scratching our heads. That was the creepiest thing we had ever seen.

Tim took hold of my hand and we headed back to the spot where Madam Keezia had just been. There was no sign that she or her wagon had ever been there.

"I-I cant explain it." Tim exclaimed. "We were just sitting right here."

"Explain what?" a strange voice asked.

We both looked around to see a four foot tall, sad faced clown holding several balloons in his hand, standing behind us.

"You work for the carnival," Tim began to speak to the clown. "so you know Madam Keezia. She was just right here. Do you know where she would have took off to so fast, or how?"

"Did you say, Madam Keezia?" The clown asked, bewildered.

Yeah."

"Where did you hear that name?"

"She was just right here with her red, wooden, Emporium Wagon--"

"and Fortune Telling Tent?" The clown interrupted, finishing Tim'ssentence.

"Yeah," Tim replied. "And she sold us this red rose right heeee---"

Tim turned towards me to show the clown the LED-lit red rose he had purchased. It was at that moment we both realized I no longer had it. I must have laid it on the table while Madam Keezia was reading my future.

We didn't have any proof she was ever there, other than knowing her name and having a description of her wagon and tent.

Obviously the clown knew her, too.

"I don't know what to tell you and certainly don't know how you know her or think you saw her, but Madam Keezia hasn't traveled with us since she mysteriously fell ill and suddenly died, 12 years ago. Actually 12 years ago today, in this very town."

"But we spoke to her, just moments ago. Right here in this spot."

"What did she say to you? Did she read your future?"

"Yeah," I spoke up. " she told me I would be a great mother to many."

"Madam Keezia was a very gifted seer when she was alive. If you really did see her and she told you that, you should consider yourself blessed to have been visited by her and know that she knew what she was talking about. You can take her message to heart and know that if she said it, it's true. Congratulations, on the many children you are going to give birth to in your life . . . or adopt."

The clown then turned and hurried away.

"Wait! Come back!" Tim called out, but the clown soon disappeared around the corner of a group of tents and into a crowd gathered to watch a magic show.

I punched Tim in the bicep and spoke, "Ha! Shows what you know. You don't need a womb to adopt, or foster children."

"So you're saying you belive what she said?"

"Yeah, just as much as you believe she was really here and we really talked to her."

"We did!"

"I know!"

"You wanna just go home now?" Tim asked.

"Actually, no."

"You're not creeped out?"

"Not at all. Actually I'm kinda at peace with it. Can we just accept that she was here and finish the night we started?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tim shrugged. "If that's what you want."

"I do. Let's forget any of that happened and enjoy the rest of the night. I believe you were showing me how nice a lady can be treated when she's on a date with a gentleman. I'd like to learn more, please."

Tim offered me his elbow and I took hold of it with both hands.

"Where would you like to go now, m'lady," he asked.

"Um, how about we ride the Tilt-a-Whirl," I suggested.

After a brain-scrambling spin on the Tilt-a-Whirl, we got a funnel cake to share, and then rode several more rides, until we both were ready to puke from all the spinning.

At that point, Tim bought us each a banana smoothie in skinny, two foot tall, plastic, green, glowing alien cups. The banana smoothies helped to sooth our tummies and calm us down.

For the rest of the night neither of us mentioned Madam Keezia again.

Before we left the carnival, Tim played several carnival skill games trying to win me a stuffed animal. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted, saying it was what all guys did for their date and he wanted me to get the full experience.

He lost the first few games he tried; ring toss, target shoot, and balloon pop but then when he had to throw a baseball at bowling pins, he knocked them all down and was told I could take one of the small prizes (a small stuffed plush doll that kinda looked like Mickey Mouse but was obviously a knockoff fake) or we could forfeit the small prize for a chance at a bigger prize.

Needless to say, he went for the bigger prize, won that, and passed on it for the largest prize, which he also easily won, a three foot tall, plush bunny rabbit which he excitedly handed to me.

Okay, I could see how that could be something special for a girl on a date. I understood the gesture and even though it wasn't a real date, I still felt something when I took hold of the bunny.

I also realized I had to carry it around until we got back to the car.

Now I'm hugged up to it, fast asleep.