hundred and twelve years ago, you were a very successful individual in every life you had lived. But after you got involved with this soul, everything changed. There was one lifetime when you were a tribal prince and you married her, much against the wishes of your family. The marriage brought down the whole clan and you ended up poisoning yourself. In another lifetime, you were a wealthy merchant and the same thing happened – you hanged yourself from a tree. You know, you’ve been quite creative about the ways you’ve killed yourself – it’s been different every time around; you’ve shot yourself, stabbed yourself in the heart, jumped off a cliff, and once even cut off your own…’
‘Okay, listen, Cynthia,’ Sid cut in desperately, ‘this is really a little … um, overwhelming for me. I need to think about what I’m going to do. I don’t think there is any point now in carrying on further with this session.’
‘I wasn’t going to get into anything else in this session anyway, Sid,’ said Cynthia soothingly. ‘The other cards are all irrelevant, they are about what’s going to happen in the next few months before you…’ Her voice dropped low, prompting Sid to stare at her. She went on, ‘I think the most important issue for you at this point in time is to think how you’re goingto save yourself. We can pick up the other sessions at another time – assuming of course that there is another time.’
Sid felt his heart sink. He got up slowly from his chair and she suddenly said, ‘You know what you should do? You get your wife to come and visit me. I’m here till the fifteenth only and then back only after four months from my South-east Asia sojourn. I could do the Tarot reading for her and then give you some insight into what you could do.’
‘I’ll try,’ Sid said. He had his doubts about Mandira listening to anything he said. Cynthia seemed to misinterpret the uncertainty in his voice as a lack of appreciation of the importance of her suggestion. She narrowed her eyes and said, ‘I’ll just tell you one more thing, Sid. This card, here?’ She indicated the card with the number three on it and the three people dancing around the fire, and said, ‘This card says three. You see? Three is a good number sometimes, but not always.’ She was giving him a very meaningful look. Sid nodded, but he was only pretending to understand.
The number discussion reminded Sid … he had to pay her. Eight thousand bucks to be told that you’re going to die – wow! But then again, how did money matter any more, he told himself and counted out a bundle of five-hundred-rupee notes and placed them on the table, murmuring a half-hearted, ‘Thanks, Cynthia.’
She inclined her head gracefully and said, ‘I appreciate your not asking for credit.’ She didn’t have to elaborate. This time he knew exactly what she meant. He turned to leave, but turned back and said, pointing to the cards on the table, ‘Just curious … what does that card with the water on it mean?’
Cynthia gave him the most pained and expressive look of the whole evening. Sid swallowed hard again and said, ‘Okay, never mind.’
He practically ran out the door, aware of her blue-eyed gaze following him. He made his way to the car and got in. He quickly turned the key in the ignition and zoomed out of the bush where he had parked. He honked loudly in the ear of the sleeping guard who woke up and cursed Sid as he drove away.
Just the previous weekend, Sid had taken an entire season’s membership at the club.
So much for my swimming, he thought bitterly.
10
End of the Road
‘B eta, usse pyaar ki zaroorat hai. Aur woh pyaar sirf aur sirf tum hi de sakte ho.’ The words reverberated in Sid’s head as he sat at the wheel of his parked car. He had had to get away from the advice and gentle chastising of his in-laws. They had arrived two days ago and the lecturing had gone on non-stop. He didn’t see any reason for listening to
‘Okay, listen, Cynthia,’ Sid cut in desperately, ‘this is really a little … um, overwhelming for me. I need to think about what I’m going to do. I don’t think there is any point now in carrying on further with this session.’
‘I wasn’t going to get into anything else in this session anyway, Sid,’ said Cynthia soothingly. ‘The other cards are all irrelevant, they are about what’s going to happen in the next few months before you…’ Her voice dropped low, prompting Sid to stare at her. She went on, ‘I think the most important issue for you at this point in time is to think how you’re goingto save yourself. We can pick up the other sessions at another time – assuming of course that there is another time.’
Sid felt his heart sink. He got up slowly from his chair and she suddenly said, ‘You know what you should do? You get your wife to come and visit me. I’m here till the fifteenth only and then back only after four months from my South-east Asia sojourn. I could do the Tarot reading for her and then give you some insight into what you could do.’
‘I’ll try,’ Sid said. He had his doubts about Mandira listening to anything he said. Cynthia seemed to misinterpret the uncertainty in his voice as a lack of appreciation of the importance of her suggestion. She narrowed her eyes and said, ‘I’ll just tell you one more thing, Sid. This card, here?’ She indicated the card with the number three on it and the three people dancing around the fire, and said, ‘This card says three. You see? Three is a good number sometimes, but not always.’ She was giving him a very meaningful look. Sid nodded, but he was only pretending to understand.
The number discussion reminded Sid … he had to pay her. Eight thousand bucks to be told that you’re going to die – wow! But then again, how did money matter any more, he told himself and counted out a bundle of five-hundred-rupee notes and placed them on the table, murmuring a half-hearted, ‘Thanks, Cynthia.’
She inclined her head gracefully and said, ‘I appreciate your not asking for credit.’ She didn’t have to elaborate. This time he knew exactly what she meant. He turned to leave, but turned back and said, pointing to the cards on the table, ‘Just curious … what does that card with the water on it mean?’
Cynthia gave him the most pained and expressive look of the whole evening. Sid swallowed hard again and said, ‘Okay, never mind.’
He practically ran out the door, aware of her blue-eyed gaze following him. He made his way to the car and got in. He quickly turned the key in the ignition and zoomed out of the bush where he had parked. He honked loudly in the ear of the sleeping guard who woke up and cursed Sid as he drove away.
Just the previous weekend, Sid had taken an entire season’s membership at the club.
So much for my swimming, he thought bitterly.
10
End of the Road
‘B eta, usse pyaar ki zaroorat hai. Aur woh pyaar sirf aur sirf tum hi de sakte ho.’ The words reverberated in Sid’s head as he sat at the wheel of his parked car. He had had to get away from the advice and gentle chastising of his in-laws. They had arrived two days ago and the lecturing had gone on non-stop. He didn’t see any reason for listening to
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