Your Perfect Year(33)

“A woman?” Jonathan couldn’t help asking, as he was reminded of his mother.

“It’s possible. In any case, you’ll have a strong companion.” She pointed to another card. “This is the queen of cups. This cup holds a secret that’s connected with your emotions and your soul.”

“A secret? What kind of secret?”

“That’s for you to find out. In any case, it’s a very emotional card that tells you to listen more to your heart and less to your mind.”

“Huh.” He was growing irritated at the vagueness of Sarasvati’s pronouncements. They could mean anything—or nothing.

“Listen to your intuition,” she advised. “If you look closely enough, you’ll see the signs and be able to interpret them.”

“Mm-hmm.”

She seemed to notice Jonathan’s dissatisfaction. “It’s quite simple. Most people go through life with blinders on and never notice the clues fate keeps giving them. Open your eyes and your heart, be prepared to travel unfamiliar new paths, and you’ll be given answers to all the questions that burn in your soul.”

“Mm-hmm.” It sounded ambiguous, to say the least. “Could you be a little more specific? I wouldn’t know where to begin with what you’ve told me so far.”

He feared another scolding from Sarasvati, but she nodded with a smile. “Allow me,” she said, and let her finger move over three cards lying side by side. “This year you’ll enter into a very close, fruitful relationship.”

Now things were getting interesting! “A very close relationship?” he asked. “What kind of relationship? A professional one?” For quite a while now, he had been considering elevating Markus Bode from CEO to partner, with a share in the profits of the company. Bode was a capable man, and their most recent conversation alone showed the extent to which he felt bound to Grief & Son Books. Would now be the right time to reward his dedication?

“Well.” She smiled broadly. “I can’t say for sure, but when I look at this combination of cards, I might even say you could be getting married soon.”

Jonathan couldn’t help barking out a laugh. “Getting married? I might have known!”

“Our subconscious knows things our conscious minds have no idea about.”

He laughed again. It sounded a bit hysterical to his own ears. “Okay, you know what? You were right. So far I’ve had nothing to be afraid of, but if you’re telling me now that within a year . . . Well, in that case I am afraid. Very afraid.”

“There’s no reason to worry.”

“I’m not. Because your claim is absolute lunacy. I don’t even have a girlfriend.” He threw her a look of triumph. She wouldn’t have guessed that he was most definitely single, light-years away from a relationship.

Sarasvati seemed calm and unimpressed. “The year is yet young,” she said.

“Believe me”—he was still grinning—“even if I walked out that door right now and bumped into the most beautiful woman in the world, I wouldn’t rush headlong into marriage.”

“Really? Why not?”

“Because it would be completely reckless.”

“Sometimes recklessness is the right thing.”

“That may sound good, but it’s hardly applicable to real life.”

“You seem to know all about that!”

“What?”

“Real life,” she mimicked. “I’m guessing you’re in your early forties, and if you still haven’t found a partner, it looks like it’s not going to happen.”

“Now, listen here! I’ve been married once!”

“In the past tense. There must be a reason you couldn’t keep the lady.”

“Is that intended as an insult?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you very much!”

They stared at one another for a moment. As their eyes locked, Jonathan felt a tingling sensation creep through him, an almost electric crackle between him and the attractive Sarasvati Schulz. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt anything similar. If ever. His time with Tina seemed like a thousand years ago.

It wasn’t unpleasant; on the contrary. Goaded by the unfamiliar feeling, Jonathan let out an uncharacteristically impertinent remark: “And you don’t seem to have found anyone, either, so we’re both in the same boat.”

“Oh? And how would you know? Are you a psychic now?”

“Life adviser,” Jonathan corrected.

“Touché!” They both laughed.

“So, is there someone in your life?” Jonathan asked as the laughter subsided. He couldn’t say what had come over him, behaving like a sassy teenager, but he had to admit it was great fun.

“Yes,” she said simply, “but this isn’t about me. In my opinion there are plenty of areas in your life you should be examining.”

Jonathan leaned back and crossed his arms. “So if I may be allowed to summarize: There are a few radical changes ahead of me. I’m going to enter into a close relationship, possibly even marry. And I should be aware of any signs and act on them.”

“Yes, you could put it like that.”

“The question remains: How will I recognize these signs?”