This is a work of fiction. The author retains all rights. Reproductions are not allowed without the authors consent.
There are no explicit sexual acts contained in this work, it is a story of love and the strong bonds shared between two guys.
This is the first story I have submitted. I would love to hear from you so email me on exuinoxneo@hotmail.com and be honest with what you think (but not brutally!). You can even email me if you have any questions - which overseas readers may wish to do as I am Australian and you may not understand the meaning of certain slang words. Enjoy.
TWO
It was going to be another loud morning. I knew this because apart from the sounds of pots, pans, and dishes banging away loudly, I could hear my auntie's boisterous voice bantering with my older sister. Despite the noise I woke up with a smile on my face where normally on days my aunt popped over this early I would be scowling and wrapping a pillow around my ears to shut out the racket.
I was looking forward to the day ahead. I got out of bed full of energy and went into the bathroom to wash my face. I stared at my reflection in the mirror trying to figure out why I felt so cheery, but I just smiled, shrugged and said to myself in the mirror, "I dunno."
The smell of my auntie's cooking greeted me in the kitchen as I entered.
"Grab a plate March," Aunt Jen said in her strong voice, commanding yet sincere at the same time. She turned with a frying pan still hot with bacon and transferred the contents onto an empty plate on the counter.
"That smells great Aunt Jen," I said enthusiastically.
"What? It's just bacon and eggs I whipped up because your sister is too lazy to cook," Aunt Jen joked.
"Hey, I just don't want to cook," Julie defended.
"C'mon Aunt Jen, you know you love to cook for us," I quipped.
"Well now, somebody has to feed you -," Her sentence trailed off when she looked up at me, she squinted her eyes to peer at me better, perhaps assessing my aura, being the spiritual person she was. "There's something different about you March, your aura and presence seem much stronger than usual."
"Yeah," Julie added, "You didn't even complain about the noise this morning."
"Please, spare me guys," I said cheerfully. I grabbed an empty plate and piled it with bacon, eggs, tomato and toast while Aunt Jen continued to observe me closely. "Your concern for me is very touching."
"No, seriously, you seem - different. Why are you so happy this morning?" Aunt Jen asked in a voice quieter than normal.
"Like I said to my reflection earlier, 'I dunno'" I explained and shoved some more bacon into my mouth munching away with obvious fervour.
"Yeah, I know what's different," my sister Julie, said. "He's gone mad and he's eating like a pig, but that last part is normal."
With a mouthful of food I said to Julie, "Oh you are so misdirected."
"And you have no manners, pig." Julie said.
"After you finish eating I'll do you a reading." Aunt Jen said matter-of-factly and started heading out the room to grab her cards. I rolled my eyes. Without breaking her stride, Aunt Jen said behind her, "And don't you roll your eyes."
"Whadya know, she is psychic!" I joked.
Julie raised an eyebrow and shook her head at me.
By the time Aunt Jen returned, I'd finished my breakfast.
"Now wash you're hands, I'm not letting you touch my cards with those greasy fingers." Aunt Jen said in a strict but soothing voice.
As I passed Aunt Jen to put my empty plate away I feigned grabbing the cards from her hands. She deftly manoeuvred them away from my reach.
"Now, now, I told you to wash your dirty hands," She said.
I laughed and complied with her request before seating myself at the table. She passed me the cards and told me to shuffle them, though I knew to do this anyway. The cards were a standard deck of fifty-two cards but with the jokers included. I handed them back to her when I finished.
"Now, let's see what we have here..." Aunt Jen said as she placed a card on the table. She began her telling, "These two are the centre cards of focus; they determine the interpretation of the surrounding cards."
The first card she laid down was the ace of hearts. She looked at me without surprise and said, "It looks like there will be love in your life soon."
Julie sat herself down, intrigued at the unfolding prediction, "Hah, given his track record with girls I find that hard to believe."
I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Mature," Julie said to me.
Aunt Jen put down the second centre card. It was the king of hearts.
"This card can be many things but in this case, it represents you at a most vulnerable time of your life," Aunt Jen studied me more closely. "Interesting indeed."
"Very," Julie said.
"Meh," I said unconcerned, but I could feel my heart starting to race.
"These two cards are intertwined with the centre, they reveal the meaning of the centre, the beginning of the wheel that rotates clockwise to give meaning to all and the centre." As she finished she placed the first top card down, it was the ace of diamonds. "Hmm, the cards tell me you will share a mutual affection."
"Ooh this is better than a romance novel!" Julie said in excitement.
Aunt Jen and I both looked at her at the same time.
"Sorry," Julie said, "I'll be quiet."
The next card placed on the table was a king of clubs. Aunt Jen gasped and put her hands to her mouth.
"What is it" Julie and I said in unison. I gave Julie a wry look. She raised her hands up, palms turned outward.
"Okay, Okay," She said.
Aunt Jen hid a smile behind her hand. "Oh dear, March, does anybody else know?"
"Know what?" Julie beat me to the question.
Aunt Jen looked at her as if realising she was there for the first time. She said, "Julie honey, can you give us some privacy dear."
"Oh, come on this is really interesting," Julie pleaded. Aunt Jen furrowed her eyebrows. "Alright I'm going, way to rain on my parade Aunt."
"Honey this is about March."
"Yea, finally he's gonna get some action."
Aunt Jen's eyebrows furrowed even deeper
"Going," Julie said throwing her hands up in defeat and left the room.
"What do you mean by 'does anybody else know?'" I asked confused.
There was silence as she considered the question.
"March you will meet someone and you will discover things about yourself you never knew before." She had a grin on her face, but somehow I sensed she was not telling me everything. She squealed girlishly, "I am so happy for you."
Something nagged at me from the back of my mind but I pushed it away ignoring it. "So tell me what this chic is like. Is she hot? Is she a blonde bombshell?"
"You shouldn't always assume things, March" Aunt Jen said evading the question. "Let's continue this shall we?"
"The next two cards will explain the relationship between the centre and the beginning of the wheel, and clarifies the strength of the connection." She continued.
The first card she laid to the right of the centre cards was a jack of diamonds and the second was a jack of clubs. Aunt Jen's grin turned into a smile.
"Now you have me intrigued," I said.
"Never before have the cards predicted a love this pure or this innocent," She said being vague again. "I envy you."
"What? With who? You gotta tell me more aunt."
"Let me finish before I can tell you more." Aunt Jen said. "The next cards are bottom of centre, they predict what may come of the centre and the beginning of the wheel, the two who are intertwined"
She laid down the first card underneath the centre. It was the ace of spades.
Aunt Jen's eyebrows narrowed. With a slight hesitation and a tremble of her hand that I could see she was trying not to show, she laid down the second bottom card. It revealed the ace of clubs. Aunt Jen drew a sharp intake of breath. I could feel my heart racing faster, a sense of dread washed over me and I could taste the bile at the back of my throat.
I didn't say a word, somehow I didn't want Aunt Jen to finish her telling, I wanted to tell her to stop but instead I kept quiet.
Taking a deep breath she continued with forced steadiness in her voice. "The last two cards of the wheel may not reveal anything yet if they do, they will foretell not just the end of the wheel, but may speak of new chapters."
The first card on the left was a joker. Aunt Jen blinked, stunned. Drawing the next card without attempting to hide her trembling hands she laid the last card down. Joker.
Aunt Jen's face drained of blood. Her skin was pale where her cheeks used to be rosy. I didn't know what was going on but I could definitely hear my heart beating loudly in my ears, like the sound of drums beating ominously.
Aunt Jen looked at me with a smile but I could see something else in her eyes that didn't reflect that. She said, "There's nothing to worry about dear, the telling weaves a mystery for you, you will be happy with one who will love you so much in return."
"No matter what the future brings, you must promise me that you will open your self to the universe and accept the many coincidences that it will bring you for what they are, coincidences that are meant to be, good or bad. You will soon begin a journey to discover your true self, and dear," Aunt Jen sighed, "Do not be afraid to love."
Her last words hit me with brutal force. I didn't expect her to be so insightful, I couldn't be that obvious could I?
I laughed, pushed away the feelings of dread and said, "Ah, don't worry bout me Aunt, nothing can harm me."
"That is exactly what I'm afraid of and not what I'm worried about." She said quietly to herself.
"Okay," I drawled out, "I'm just gonna get ready for uni now, but thanks for breakfast Aunt Jen"
She smiled at me seeming a bit preoccupied, "It's my pleasure March, next time you cook me breakfast."
"Aw, you know I hate cooking."
"Nonsense, you're a great cook and you know it."
"I never said I was bad."
Aunt Jen laughed. "You are just too sure of yourself young man."
"Hey, you take me as I am."
"We have no other choice dear."
"Too right," I said and headed to the bathroom.
Aunt Jen was cool, even if she tended to go on a bit about coincidences and things that were meant to be. She was usually vague with her tellings anyway, so it wasn't any different from any other she'd done. I still felt there was something she was hiding, but I also knew she didn't always divulge everything her cards tell her. As she explains to everyone, there are some things she won't reveal because everything has a changing path so nothing can be certain.
After I showered and dressed, I made my way to the kitchen again to fetch a glass of juice. Aunt Jen was still there with her back to me, but she was engrossed in her cards. The same ones from my telling were still laid out on the table, but there was something different. I moved closer to get a better look. On top of the two centre cards was one more card. Aunt Jen had never drawn an eleventh card. Not that I could remember anyway. I moved closer to see it clearer. Placed across the middle of the two centre cards was a queen of diamonds.
"What does that mean?" I asked over her shoulders.
Aunt Jen almost jumped out of her chair. "You shouldn't scare people like that, March."
She must not have heard me enter. I apologised, "Sorry."
"Don't worry, I'm just getting old." She said comforting me.
"So what's with the last card? I've never seen you do that before," I asked again.
She scooped the cards together into a pile and stacked them neatly with the rest before putting them back in their packet.
"Well, sometimes the cards may be telling more than they appear," Aunt Jen said, "And a final card may answer a final question."
"Yeah?" I said with a grin, "What did you ask and what did it say?"
"Let's just say that there is a silver lining to every cloud." She responded vaguely again. She put the packet of cards in her pocket and walked to the kitchen sink.
"Enough already with the cryptic-ness, do you always have to be like that?" I asked rhetorically.
"You have no other choice dear," she said while she cleaned up.
As I was about to roll my eyes she said, "And don't roll your eyes at me."
"Psychics," I said with exasperation. "I'll seeya later Aunt Jen, I'm off to uni."
"Have a nice day, March," Aunt Jen said while chuckling to herself with mirth.
"You too," I called back, shaking my head as I left the house.