A day off work landed me in DanShui with the beautiful Misa.
(note: Something about the looks of these Japanese-Chinese women tends to veer off course and end up lost in the territory of the exquisite.  Seriously.  Misa was turning heads.)

We only go because I am two snaps away from phenomenal nagging.  I want to get my fortune told and according to Misa, the lady in DanShui is the one and only clairvoyant to see.  And, it’s cheap as hell.  So we down our coffees and hop on the next northbound subway.  It’s a beautiful day out.

“Do you want your palms read or a tarot reading?  Combined it’s 400NT. The palms are 100NT, but the card reading will answer the questions you have.”

I have no looming questions at present.  Since I am mostly coming to the fortune teller for entertainment value, I choose to have my palms read.  She takes my left hand first, then my right, looks at the lines, looks at the back, and starts to rubbing them between her hands while she speaks.  From my inclinations, to my weaknesses, to my failed relationships, the woman basically digs around my 23 years, pulling out any junk that strikes her fancy.

“You are surrounded by good people.  Whenever you need help, someone always shows up to help you.  You have very good fortune.”

It’s true; I am very lucky to have the people I have in my life.

“You will not stay rooted in one place.  You will fly from country to country and perhaps you prefer it that way.”

I have conflicted feelings about this.

“You give too much in relationships.  You need to learn how to hold back.”

On this topic she stops at the edge of detail.  Reading the lines on my hands, the lines on my face, the look in my eyes, she knows what I know.  And she stops talking for my sake.

[I wonder what she would say to me now.]