After the walk that morning a routine began to take shape. Anthony would knock on Lydia’s door and they would go for a walk. In the morning they would get coffee and in the afternoon they would walk to the cafe and have a cup of tea together. They had developed a routine and each one of them began to look forward to spending more and more time together.
Three weeks or so after their first meeting on the elevator, it was five o’clock in the afternoon and they were walking down Kings Highway. The temperature had warmed again and the clock had been set to Daylight savings time in New York. So the sun would be setting an hour later than it had been.
As they walked across the street Ike began to bark and Groucho joined in. There was a lady in a red and black suit sitting on a stool and handing out tarot cards.
She shooed the dogs for barking and they went silent.
“Please take a card.” She spoke in a gypsy accent. She was in her forties, leathery skin on her face pulled across her facial bones. Her hair was black, her eyes were black and she had a black diamond stud in her left nostril. Her coat was half red and half black. She wore a knit cap on the back of her head and by her feet was a satchel full of her tarots.
Anthony took a card and it was the card of lovers. Embarrassed he was undecided of what to do with it. Not that Anthony and Lydia were lovers, they not even held hands, but it was as if it were a sign of sorts. 
“Aah, you pulled the card of lovers. You both are not married, Am I right?”
“No, yes, I mean, no we are not married.” Lydia responded.
“Oh but there is feelings between you two…where are your spouses? Wait dont answer…” She pulled a card and it was the death card.
“So they are both deceased and each of you are having feelings of guilt for enjoying each others company…dis is the reason you are not yet lovers.” She smiled a knowing smile.
“Not yet…um, ok.” Anthony did not know what to say – but he knew she was correct.
“Take another card…” She held one towards him.
“Aah…the hanged man. This is interesting.”
“What she is going to hang me?”
“No – the hanged man is not what it seems. It is based on Odin the Norse God who hung himself upside down for 9 days to try and learn the knowledge of the runes.”
“So what does it mean?” Lydia asked.
“The hanged man is telling you to stop trying to control every aspect of your life. Let go and let things fall into place and they will. There is a destiny for each of us; the harder you try and to evade it the harder it is your life will be. Give up your sense of control – its as real as a fake orgasm. Looks real, feels real but it is not real and no benefit is derived from it.”
“You must go now…but stay together. There is adventure ahead.” She closed her eyes and gestured to her satchel.
Anthony went into his pocket and pulled a five dollar bill. Dropped it into the satchel and they walked away.
Freddy Zalta 