When Stars Align

Tarot cards.

The curtain was scraped back and sunlight flooded the room. Luca leapt up and hit his head on the headboard. He groaned in pain and squinted his eyes, though he had a massive headache and his eyes were still somewhat heavy lidded with sleep; he zeroed in on the subject of his disturbance.

“Rise and shine sleepyhead,” Ricardo grinned at him and he let out a series of expletives in reply.

“Geez, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” commented Ricardo.

“What in God’s name are you doing in my room?” Luca asked, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the sleepiness.

“How did you even get in here?” he yawned.

“I have my ways,” Ricardo replied with a cheeky grin.

Luca didn’t care to know about his ways, he just wanted to be left alone. He heaved a sigh. “Why are you here, Ricardo?”

Ricardo’s countenance changed and his face grew serious. “Carmen-Lucia is here, in Paris. She says you haven’t been home in weeks,” he gave his brother a pointed look as he trailed his hand on the curtains absentmindedly.

Luca groaned. “I’ve been busy,” he grunted.

Ricardo’s gaze caught an easel left by the window, he walked to it and flipped the flimsy material covering it over. A sketchpad laid there, a drawing of a woman on it, but not the woman they were currently discussing.

“Hmm, I can see that,” he said and replaced the cover. “Well she wants to see you, you know she needs you now more than ever,” he continued, “and as your elder brother, I demand you get your ass out of bed and into the shower. It’s almost mid-day already.”

“Elder by five minutes,” Luca pointed out, “so you don’t get to order me around, brother.”

“Yes, but still elder to you.”

Luca stared at his brother, clad in a three piece navy Armani suit, he looked every inch the powerful man that he is. Identical in looks, he’d often been mistaken for his brother on countless occasions, but they were world’s apart. Ricardo was the family favourite, vibrant and jovial, he was groomed in their father’s image, a businessman– unlike his brooding self.

“Luca you have to forget about her. Come on it’s been so long already, she’s probably married with kids,” Ricardo said but his brother paid him no heed. He just stared out at the busy Parisians on the street.

Getting no reply, Ricardo sighed. “Well father asked of you, you should give him a call sometimes too you know.”

Luca acted like he didn’t hear a word he said, his gaze fixated on the window. He knew their father wasn’t really concerned about him, complaining to Ricardo was just a form of fake courtesy on his part.

After several minutes of silence, Ricardo sighed– probably exasperated with his taciturnity– he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Luca did leave the room like his brother requested some minutes after his departure, but not to see the person he requested for. He went to see his aunt, Maria-Lucia. She owned a spa called Glow on the fifth arrondissement of Paris. He walked into the lobby and made his way to the receptionist’s desk.

The receptionist, a petit Caucasian was chewing a bubble gum when he approached her. Her bubble popped upon noticing him, smearing pink all over her lips and cheek. She tried to remove the gum but only worsened the situation and Luca stood there trying not to laugh and further embarrass her. Red faced, she straightened her posture and tried to regain a semblance of professionalism, which further amused him. She cleared her throat.

“Welcome to Glow, we offer—” she began in a drone and he cut her off.

“I’m here to see my aunt. Is she in?”

At his question, she squinted her eyes at him and gasped when recognition hit. “Oh my God! You’re him, you’re the designer, Luca Rossi. Oh I love your designs!” she gushed and went under the counter for a while.

“I got this bag from your summer collection last year,” she brought out a burnt orange bag that he truly had designed. It was made of a thick snake skin leather with a bold orange colour that was created to stand out like a neon sign.

He plastered on the smile he reserved for his adoring fans and gestured to the bag on the counter. “Thank you. The colour suits you,” he complimented and she turned a light shade of red.

“Oh thank you, I try to follow the trend you see,” she jumped into a spiel about her great fashion sense and he nodded politely even though he heard not a word she said.

He loved meeting people who appreciated his work considering he was at this level of success because of them but he just wasn’t in the mood.

“Is my aunt in?” He asked firmly this time and her eyes bulged as she realised her mistake.

“Oops! Sorry, I’m not usually this chatty. I’ll take you to her,” she came out from behind the counter and flashed him an excited grin.

He saw that she indeed did have great fashion sense. She wore a mustard pant suit– with the jacket draped around the chair she just stood from– and a white camisole, complete with burnt orange block heels. With her pixie cut, the style looked both chic and cool. She was like a pop of colour in the neutral background.

Funny, he always thought spa attendants wore only tunics.

She led him down a corridor that smelled of lavender and spring and opened an opaque glass door. All the doors in the spa were made of opaque glass and he could see some people in their spa session in passing. Pointing to the last door in the hall, she turned back and left him there. He went into the office and closed the door behind him, it shut with a click. At the sound, his aunt looked up from the pack of cards she was arranging, a surprised smile bloomed on her face.

“Luca,” she pulled him into a hug. She was a plump woman who always had a warmth about her and liked to give hugs, a lot.

“Oh my Lulu,” she chuckled and rocked him on his feet. He hugged her back just as tightly.

His mother had died after giving birth to him and she’s been like a mother to him and Ricardo since they were infants. They might not have suckled her breasts but she nurtured them.

“I missed you, Zia,” he said.

She released him and tapped him on the head affectionately. “ You missed your Zia indeed, you’ve not come to see me or called me since Christmas. Is that how you missed your aunt?” She folded her arms on her ample chest and turned her back to him.

What could he do, she stayed in Paris and he was back in Italy. The only time he could see her was when he came to Paris, which he rarely does. Not like he couldn’t just hop in his jet and fly over here just for her.

“No Zia, of course I missed you,” he smiled and hugged her from behind, already he was in a better mood.

His aunt has always been able to uplift his mood anytime he felt down since he was a child.

“Well good you came, I was looking for someone to practice my card reading skills on. I was about to go ask Annalise at the reception, I’ve gone rusty you see,” she patted his hand and moved to a section in the room that colourful beanbags were arranged.

She took a seat in one and he did the same. He’s never sat in a beanbag before and he felt beyond ridiculous as he hunkered down in it. Despite his aunt’s lackadaisical way of living, her office was organised down to a T, safe for the sudden burst of colours all over the room, it gave off a warm aura that made you feel calm and at peace in the space.

As if reading his thoughts, she said. “It’s the incense I burn,” she motioned towards an object in the corner of the room and true to her words, they were white coloured incense burners placed in strategic places all over the room. One wouldn’t notice them except the person was looking hard enough. She shuffled a deck of tarot cards and placed them on the floor in front of him.

“Now, pick three cards from the deck,” she said, giddy with excitement and he shook his head at her but indulged her.

He picked three cards and placed them face down in front of her. She picked the first card and a knowing smile crept up on her face, she placed it back face up and he stared at it but didn’t understand the strange symbol on it. It had the image of a king dressed in a red robe, sitting on a throne with both hands in mid air, holding a staff, there were two pillars behind him and two men with bald heads in front of him staring with enraptured attention.

She picked the second one and made an aah sound, this time she gave a hearty laugh. This one was of a woman, dressed in all white like the Holy Mary with a cross on her dress and a crown on her head, her hands folded on her lap. She seemed to be sitting in a garden with two pillars behind her. Curious, he asked her what they meant and she pointed to the first card she unravelled.

“This one is called the Hierophant, it represents love and this one,” she pointed to the second card, “ is the High Priestess, together they mean you’ll find your soulmate soon,” she said with a wiggle of her brows and he chortled. Trust his aunt to make jokes in a reading.

“No I’m serious, that’s definitely what I see in your future. You’ll find the one you’ve been searching for, I can see it in the cards.” She said vehemently and he sobered up.

His aunt fancied herself an astrologer because she took a month’s course in astrology in an ashram in India. If what she said was true, then maybe the stars were in his favour this time.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he brought it out. The caller ID made his mood sink for the second time that day. He pressed the reject button and put the phone back in his pocket. He wasn’t interested in hearing her voice. He got up and his aunt stared at him in surprise. “Where are you going, you just got here!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry aunt but I have to go.” He bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek, “I’ll come see you later Zia, I’ve missed your cooking.”

“But the reading, I’m not done yet.”

“Don’t worry about it aunt, forget about the reading. The only person I see in my future right now is Lucia, she just called me for the hundredth time today and I have to go see her,” he said somberly.

“Oh!”

Of everyone in their family, she knew him best and she knew of his ambivalent feelings towards Lucia.

“Bye Zia,” he waved and closed the door behind him.

Luca left but she decided to still check the last card he picked. She turned it over and the image on the card shocked her to the bones.

“Mio Dio!” she exclaimed. The death card stared back at her.

She got up and rushed into the corridor in hopes of stopping him before he left the building but he wasn’t there. His car zoomed off just as she made it out of the building.