Gypsy

The hand-lettered sign read: "Gypsy reads tea leaves - ONLY $10."

“Oh look honey, a fortune teller” said a young woman walking past a quaint shop on the stripmall. “It’s only  $10. “You wanna see what our future holds, mmwah ha ha” doing her best spooky impression.

“Really? “ He said puzzled , adjusting his glasses “I thought you didn’t believe in this mumbo jumbo babe.”

“ I don’t , but I think it would be fun and  an exciting end to our day out shopping.” she pleaded “C’mon , it’s $10 and it can’t take that long. We can grab subs at the deli right after.” pointing to a small place up ahead. “Please” she begged, tugging at his arm.

“OK, OK” he said giving in, “How do you even read tea leaves?, I’ve heard of the cards, the palms, and even the crystal ball, but never tea leaves. Sounds like a load of crap, if ya ask me” a disinterested look on his face, as he opened and held the door for his spouse.

A small bell rang as the couple entered. Inside was dark , candles being the only source of light.. Drapes stretched along the walls, ceiling to floor, in hues of black and deep red.

“You’d figure they would know we were coming” joked the young man as the two made their way to a table in the center of the room. A single tea cup and saucer rest on the table.  An old woman emerged from behind one of the many sets of drapes hung about. She carried a steaming pot and a small wooden box with her, taking the seat opposite of the woman.

“Ten Dollars” the gypsy requested in a low whisper

“She gets right to it, huh sweetie, money up front, all business” the man said harshly

“ We have a non believer” the old woman whispered

“I’m sorry, he’s just skeptical.” apologized the young woman

“Skeptical?  I think it’s a hoax, a con, you prey on peoples emotions.”  he argued

The old woman rose to her feet. “How dare you?” she boomed “You call me a con? A hoax? I will show you, I’ll make you believe” pointing a finger at the man, her face twisting into a wicked snarl “ I curse thee, I curse you to poverty, I curse you, I curse you to blindness,  I curse you to horrible disaster.”

“Boogity, Woogity” the man taunted, grabbing his wife’s hand and  guiding her out the door.

“Wow, what a crackpot” he said as they got outside, walking towards the deli

“I don’t like it honey, she was really angry , what if she really cursed you?” his wife replied frightened

“I don’t believe in gypsies and curses baby, you don’t have to worry,” he reasoned “She was just an old lady and looking for a way to make some cash, I probably shouldn’t have been so callous towards her , but it makes me mad to see people getting ripped off from phonies.”

“She just seemed so sincere.” the woman said as they entered the deli

“That’ll be $20 “ the clerk at the counter  asked , after he had prepared their sandwiches.
The husband opened his wallet, removed a debit card and swiped it ,Card Invalid, He tried again, Card Invalid, . “Sorry, one sec” he said removing another card. “This one should do it” laughing as he swiped it ,  Card Invalid,  another swipe,  Card Invalid.  “Dammit, I have no other money, I’ll have to call my bank.” the husband pointed out.
“ I’ll have your sandwiches here” the clerk replied coldly

After making the call, the young man walked over to his wife
“My accounts suspended, seems I had my identity stolen , They shut it down because they noticed irregular spending, I can’t reactivate it until after the weekend and they are unsure how much was spent” the man said furiously.

“Poverty,  babe,  it’s coming true” his wife warned
“Nonsense, “Let’s go” he said storming through the entrance

BOOM! The man was knocked to the ground.
“Watch out” an older teenager shouted
The man was on his knees , his vision blurry,  My glasses, where are my glasses? he panicked, as two more skateboarders rode past. He scrambled on the ground in desperation, searching. One last skateboarder that had fallen behind the pack came riding by, when he heard loud cracking sound, He immediately knew what happened.
“Watch where your going!” he screamed as the last boy rode off snickering.

It happened so quick, his wife had missed most of the episode, but she was witness to the crushing of the glasses.
“Aw, honey, are you alright” she said helping him to his feet, then walked over and retrieved his glasses.
“They are destroyed sweetie” she said regrettably
The man looked  at his wife, all he could make out was a blurry blob.
“I can’t see anything” he exclaimed “I can’t drive like this, Your going to have to drive us home.”

The woman’s face turned grave, “I can’t drive us home, that’s almost an hour away and I can’t drive on that freeway, It’s too fast paced and nerve racking for me, I can barely drive on the slow roads , let alone driving fast with all the traffic, and the Semi’s, oh lord no, forget it” she declared “and the curse, there is no way”

“There is no curse, it’s all coincidence, the money, the glasses, all of it, Get in the car and let’s go “ he demanded.

After 20 minutes the man had wore her down. She was behind the wheel and preparing to enter the freeway. She inched out, when a loud fog horn blasted the air, as a Semi soared by, right in front of them.

“Go babe, we will be fine” the man assured her as she pulled out. The small red tail lights blending with all the others, as they faded onto the freeway.