Page 65 of The World Outside My Window

‘Now, give these a shuffle, love, and then, when you’re ready, split them into three piles and lay them down here.’

Laura does as she’s told and lays down three separate piles. ‘Right you are. Now, think about what question you want to ask the cards. Maybe it’s about whether Jim will come home, something like that. Whatever you want. Then, when you’ve got your question, choose whichever pile of cards you feel most drawn to. Then let me know.’

There is a moment of silence, then Laura places her hand on top of the middle pile. ‘This one.’

‘Okey dokey.’ Marjorie picks up the middle pile and puts the other two back inside the pack. Then slowly she starts to spread the cards out on the table in front of her, from the top of the pile. Faye has seen this so many times before, even learnt to do it herself when she was younger. But even though she doesn’t read cards herself any more, she still loves watching her mother at work. It’s instinctive for her, almost as though she knows what card is coming before she’s even turned it over. Faye watches Laura’s face as she studies the – to most people – indecipherable pictures on the brightly coloured cards in front of her. It’s clear Laura has no idea what she’s looking at and, again like most people, her face reveals a mix of fear and hope in equal measures.

Her mother stabs at the first card with her forefinger. This card is all about the present, so she isn’t expecting it to be great news. It depicts a devil, and a man and woman chained to a post beneath him. The devil, Faye knows, is a terrifying image for most people to see.

‘This here is about breaking free from your dark side, and having the courage to express your true feelings,’ Marjorie explains, her fingers tapping lightly on the card as she speaks, marking out her words like a metronome, or an incantation. A frown lightly creases her forehead and she looks up at Laura, who meets her eye uncertainly. ‘It means you should let go of your inhibitions, and express your true emotions.’

Laura gives a small nod, but says nothing. Marjorie’s finger slides over to the next card. Faye watches as Laura’s eyes widen at the Death card, with its depiction of Death riding a horse, wearing black armour. Most people panic about this card too, but it’s never about someone dying. She hopes Laura understands what it’s trying to tell her.

‘Now there’s no need to worry, my dear. The Death card doesn’t mean what you think it means.’ Marjorie closes her eyes, deep in thought. ‘It doesn’t mean someone has died, or someone is going to die. It represents the death of an idea, or a plan.’ Her eyes flick open again to take in Laura’s reaction as she says her next words. ‘Or the death of a relationship.’ She lets her hand linger slightly longer as she watches Laura take in her words. ‘It means, my dear, you shouldn’t feel afraid to free yourself from a past that no longer serves you well, and to proceed towards a new future.’

Faye watches as Laura swallows, her face pale. Her eyes dart towards Debbie, but Debbie is watching the cards, deep in thought herself. There is just one significant card left, and Faye holds her breath as her mother explains what it means.

‘This one, my dear, is the Lovers card. This represents the challenges and difficulties of finding the right partner, the right person to be with in life.’ She pauses for effect. ‘It means you need to consider your long-term interests and, if you can’t make two potential relationships work together, then you should let one of them go.’

Her words hang in the air for a moment, like so many tiny fragments of paper being suspended before dropping messily to the ground. Then, with a huge sigh, Marjorie sits back in her chair and wipes the back of her hand across her forehead dramatically. She’s good at this, but by God does she love the drama of it all as well. If they didn’t have the same nose, Faye would sometimes wonder whether she’s actually Marjorie’s daughter at all, they’re so unalike.

‘Well, I hope that’s shed some light, dear?’

Laura nods but says nothing. She looks even more pale than when she arrived, and she doesn’t seem to know what to say. Luckily Debbie comes to her rescue.

‘Wow, that was great, thank you so much, Mrs Phillips.’

‘Oh, please do call me Marjorie. Mrs Phillips sounds so formal.’

‘Well, thank you, Marjorie. It’s been very – enlightening.’ Faye can detect a hint of displeasure in Debbie’s voice and wonders what her problem is. Her mother has just given Laura a really good reading, and it all sounded pretty positive to her. The end of an era must be about her and Jim as they were, and maybe even about her agoraphobia. The new beginning – well, that could be Laura and Jim in their new life when he comes back. Unless Laura has met someone else in the meantime, of course, which is entirely possible. It all seems so obvious to Faye, but, she supposes, it can all be a bit confusing and overwhelming for someone who has never had a reading before.

‘Mum, you look exhausted, do you think you should take a nap before dinner?’

‘Oh, don’t fuss, I’m fine.’ Marjorie turns to Laura and Debbie. ‘I hope it’s been of some use, at least,’ she says, reaching forward and gripping Laura’s hand between her own chubby ones. ‘These things are not always crystal clear immediately. Sometimes the cards tell us things we weren’t expecting or give us messages which are a little hidden and it can take a while to work out their true meanings. But they’re rarely wrong. Rarely. I’d say you’ve got a pretty good reading there and everything’s going to turn out okay. Wouldn’t you agree, Faye dear?’

‘Yes, Mum. It sounded great.’ She stands woodenly. ‘Anyone want more tea?’

‘Oh no. Thank you.’ Laura looks shell-shocked and stands abruptly. ‘Thank you so much, Mrs Phillips – Marjorie – but I think we’ve really got to dash.’ She glances out of the window where the sky is an ominous grey again through the heavy net curtains.

‘Oh yes, you don’t want to get wet, do you?’ Marjorie gathers up her cards and places them carefully back in the pack. ‘Well, it’s been really lovely to meet you and thank you for popping over.’

‘And thank you for doing this – reading for me.’

Marjorie nods. ‘You’re very welcome, dear. Jim loved the couple of readings I did for him.’

‘You – you did tarot card readings for Jim?’ The surprise is clear on Laura’s face.

‘Why yes, it’s why he came over. I think he was looking for answers. I did two for him – or was it three, Faye dear?’

‘I’m not sure, Mum.’

‘Oh well, anyway. I don’t know what he was hoping for, but he always seemed happy with the result.’

‘Oh. I see.’ Laura looks even more shaken and Debbie takes her elbow as they turn to leave.

‘Thank you for the tea, Faye.’

Then, after a quick goodbye, they’re gone. Faye is relieved they didn’t stay longer. The peace and quiet can sometimes get to her, but at the end of the day this is where she’s most comfortable, in her own home, just her and her mother. Why else would she still be here otherwise?

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