Lucky 33 (Love in the District #2)

2. Mystic Natasha

CHAPTER 2

MYSTIC NATASHA

M ystic Natasha’s tiny shop was just inside a quaint pedestrian alley off busy Wisconsin Avenue. It looked more like a Victorian passage where women visited an apothecary for poison to kill their husbands than a spot in Washington, DC. Amy stood outside the alley entrance, feeling ridiculous as people pushed by her. Where is everyone? Her sister Laura had said she’d be here early, too, since she would be hanging out with her boyfriend Jake beforehand at his place a few blocks away.

Amy felt the judgmental eyes of passersby on her. She felt like they were all thinking that she was the kind of person who would go to a psychic. That made her feel a little silly. Those kinds of women, in her mind, were lost and gullible. No one can know the future, and a stranger certainly can’t know enough about her life to make any predictions beyond the generic kinds.

A distant but quickly approaching voice shouting, “Sorry! I lost track of time,” interrupted Amy's thoughts.

She waved at her sister. These days, punctual, always-planning-something Laura was so deep in love that she walked around in a haze. Amy adored that for her sister.

Laura hugged her hard. “Happy birthday. I can’t believe you’re going to a psychic. I thought Brit was joking. I’ll admit that I invited myself to the party to witness this. Mom wants a full report tomorrow, by the way.”

“Right? I thought they were kidding, too,” Amy said, shaking her head in wonder.

“What are you going to ask her? Do you have a list of questions?”

That was so Laura. Amy’s sister was a freelance journalist, so of course, she’d think it was normal to have a list of questions for a psychic.

“I’m going to freestyle and find out what she has to say without any direction,” Amy shrugged. “You know this isn’t real, right?”

“I know that there are a lot of mysteries of the Universe that we can’t explain yet,” Laura said wistfully.

“Stop it.”

“No, really. At the very least, be open to what she says. Even if she doesn’t have any insight from beyond the veil, she might have some good advice,” Laura said while digging in her giant purse. She produced two cards. “One from Jake and me and then one from just me,” she explained.

“Where is my present?” Amy whined with a faux pout.

“You’ll have to wait for the family party at Mom and Dad’s,” Laura replied. “I wasn’t trying to lug a gift all over Georgetown.”

“It is, after all, about you,” Amy teased. Laura swatted her, laughing.

“Who’s ready to find out her future?” Brit shouted from across the street, drawing the eyes of those waiting to cross with her.

“The birthday girl is,” Katie hollered, joining Amy and Laura from the alley where she had been shopping, judging by the bags she held.

After the women exchanged hugs, Katie corralled them into the psychic’s shop. The heavy scent of incense hung in the air, and there were crystals on every available surface. Amy’s eyes lit up as she looked around. She’d love to give this place a good dusting. It looked like it had been decades since the place had been cleaned, but it gave the shop an ambiance that was very on-brand for a psychic.

“You’re thinking about how much you want to clean this place, aren’t you,” Laura whispered in Amy’s ear. Amy grinned. Her sister knew her so well. Amy had started her cleaning business, Sparkle and Shine, not long after graduating from college because the idea of clean spaces called to her. She wanted to make the whole world clean.

After identifying every dusty surface that needed her help, Amy’s eyes landed on a heavy purple curtain. It parted just enough to reveal a woman straight from central casting for a psychic. Amy admired her commitment to the look as she took in the woman’s flowing layers and many crystal pendants and rings.

“Mystic Natasha,” Katie squealed, rushing to hug the psychic.

“Hi, sweetheart. How did this work out with your project?”

“You were right about my creative block stemming from a relationship problem. I had been really irritated with my mom for trying to tell me how to live my life. I didn’t realize how much that was affecting everything else. I had a talk with her, and, like magic. I was back to my normal self at work.”

Amy cautiously backed away as Katie and Natasha talked. Maybe they’ll forget about me, and Katie can take my reading appointment.

“That’s fantastic,” Natasha replied. “I’m glad you were able to use the insight.”

“Me too. You rock. Enough about me. I’ll let you get to work,” Katie said as she rejoined the birthday group.

“Come in and know your future,” Natasha said mysteriously, crooking her finger at Amy. How does she know I’m the sucker here for her? Amy glanced back to her friends for support, but they had already backed away. I guess I’m on my own.

“Okay, hi Natasha –” Amy said nervously.

“ Mystic Natasha. ”

“Mystic Natasha. I’m Amy. But you already knew that since you’re psychic.” Amy laughed awkwardly.

“Yes. And your name is in my appointment scheduler,” the psychic replied with a wink.

Touché.

Mystic Natasha led Amy into a cozy room that looked like the inside of a genie’s bottle. The curtain flopped closed behind them, and Amy felt like an air of significance had enveloped them. Clearly, Mystic Natasha took her job seriously, and the time for joking was over. Amy pressed her lips tightly to prevent nervous chatter and let the psychic do her thing.

Natasha breathed deeply and eyed Amy intensely. The silence was starting to make Amy feel a little uncomfortable. She felt the psychic’s eyes travel down her body, from her thick dark hair pulled into a sensible high ponytail to her green eyes that were getting increasingly more tense with every passing second, all the way to her standard “going out outfit” of dark jeans and a flowy top that she wore the rare times she had a night out.

After what felt like hours, Natasha finally spoke. “You hold yourself to an unreasonable standard.”

Amy waited for her to go on, but judging from the continued silence, that was the complete statement.

“I guess?” she responded.

“I know.”

Okay.

“When were you born?” Natasha asked, making herself more comfortable on the pouf she was sitting on.

“Actually, today is my birthday. I was born in 1990.”

The psychic nodded, “Thirty-three years old, then.”

You are at a major turning point in your life.”

The same can be said about most people in their 30s.

The psychic continued, “The number 33 is important in numerology. It resonates with the energies of compassion, blessings, inspiration, honesty, and courage. Most importantly, the number 33 tells us that all things are possible. Numbers are the language of the Universe, and it’s speaking to you now. I feel it. Give me your hands.”

Amy placed her hands in the psychic’s upturned ones.

Natasha held them gently and closed her eyes briefly before speaking again. “Spirit is telling me that you’re going to start noticing a lot of synchronicities in your life. I’m having trouble getting a clear picture of what I’m being shown. It looks like you'll have many opportunities to change your life’s path. You’ll experience nudges from the Universe, mostly in the form of what you’ll think are coincidences. But they won't be. They're messages from the divine.” She opened her eyes and released Amy’s hands. “You’re going to have the most magical year of your life.”

“What does that mean?” Amy asked, curious despite her better judgment.

“It means that all things are possible for you this year,” Natasha said calmly, rotating a large rose quartz necklace round and round.

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to right now. Just know that nothing is off limits, and even the physically impossible things can change. All you need to know is that this is your time to be open to magic.”

“What kind of magic? What things are going to change?” Amy pressed.

“Would you like me to consult the tarot?” Natasha asked.

“I don’t know. Is that going to give me more answers?”

“The tarot will show us what you’re ready to see,” the psychic said, shuffling a deck of cards.

Hm. Well, that cleared things up.

“Let’s do it,” Amy said hesitantly.

Natasha fanned the cards out in front of Amy. “Choose five cards.”

Amy selected two cards from the fan's ends and three from the center. Why am I nervous? This is just a glorified card trick.

Natasha laid the cards on the table in two rows, three in the top row and two in the bottom. She flipped the first card over. “ This card represents your past. It’s the Knight of Pentacles, indicating that you’ve ensured your safety through efficiency, hard work, and responsibility. This fits my initial assessment that you hold yourself to an unreasonable standard. This card shows us that it’s because of your focus on work and being responsible.”

The psychic flipped the second card. “This one represents your present situation. It’s the Death card.” Amy gasped. “No, no, there’s no need to worry. Death isn’t a literal death…usually. It signifies the end of a cycle, new beginnings, and metamorphosis. Death is a good card in this position. It means that you will take a new direction in your life path. Don’t be afraid when that happens. Taken with the Knight of Pentacles in your past, this is a time for you to experience some fun and let loose. Trust that you’ve built a strong foundation and are free to invite this change in.”

Natasha turned over the third card. “This one represents your future. It’s the Lovers card, but it’s upside down. We refer to this as ‘reversed.’ The meaning when it’s upright is partnerships, duality, and union. But reversed? We’re looking at a loss of balance, one-sidedness, and disharmony. Honey don’t look so scared. The cards only show us one possible path. You have free will and the ability to change any of this. We’ll get to that in a moment.”

This is getting a little more intense than I thought it would. Why am I buying into this?

Natasha pointed to the first card in the bottom row. “This card tells us what is holding you back from progressing. It refers to things in your past that you need to address to live in your highest expression of self. This is the Hermit card. Reversed, this represents loneliness, isolation, and having lost your way. Spirit tells me that this is your way of dealing with tough situations. You isolate and dissociate instead of taking action. You’ll want to pay attention when you turn to that type of behavior since the cards show that will be counterproductive.”

Amy looked down at her hands. During the reading, she had tightened her grip on the tablecloth draped on her side of the table, and her knuckles were now painful and white. This isn’t real. It can’t be real. Why is it so real, though?

“And, finally, this one is an action card. It’s the guidance you need to move forward into your highest self. The Star is the card of hope, faith, and rejuvenation. When we interpret this in relation to the Hermit, it’s all about taking inspired action, a leap of faith. Trust in yourself and those in your inner circle. Doing this will help you fight the tendency to hide away or sabotage situations.”

Amy was reeling from the reading. I need to know more.

Mystic Natasha swept the cards back into a stack and stated, “That is all. Our time is up.” What? How? I feel like I just sat down! I can’t believe it. I wish they had booked me the longer session. I need more answers. She ushered Amy back out to the storefront.

Amy felt like she was in a daze. The reading had been strange like the two of them had been in a suspended reality. She felt off like she’d huffed a little too much incense.

While Katie paid, Amy pushed outside to get fresh air. She vaguely registered Brit and Laura calling after her, worried. It was all too much. Her daze cleared instantly when she left the shop, and she was hit by the intoxicating scent of the buttery, fresh-baked kouign-amanns of the French restaurant a few doors down. Her hearing picked up on all of the quiet conversations on the sidewalk. The flowers in the mural on the alley wall practically glowed with rich colors. It was like her senses had gotten enhanced while she was in the shop, upgraded from a 90s tube TV to 4k.

She didn’t want to fool herself and connect the new clarity with the psychic, but it was strange. Amy felt like she had shaken off a life-long fog and, to quote a Hillary Duff song, now everything's in technicolor. What if this really is my year for magic?

“Let’s go,” Laura urged, grabbing Amy’s hand to pull her along. She’d have to consider magic later. It was party time.