Fortune's Daughter by Alice Hoffman Read Free Book Online

somewhat ridiculous asking her to see into the future.
    â€œI work by appointment,” Lila said sternly.
    She would have said anything then to get rid of Rae.
    â€œIt’s an emergency,” Rae confided. “The man I’m in love with left me.”
    â€œIf you consider that an emergency, half the women in Hollywood would be here right now.”
    Rae could feel herself sinking. “You won’t believe this,” she said. “I think I’m going to faint.”
    â€œOh, no you don’t,” Lila said. “Not here.”
    Lila went back to the kitchen for a bottle of vinegar to hold under Rae’s nose. When some of Rae’s color returned, Lila went to the front door and opened it.
    â€œYou’re right—I need air,” Rae said gratefully. “And maybe some more water.”
    â€œAnything else?” Lila snapped, taking the empty glass.
    â€œA cracker?” Rae called after her.
    Lila brought out a box of Wheat Thins and a fresh glass of water. She told herself that in less than five minutes Rae would be deposited back on the street.
    â€œThis is fabulous,” Rae said as she took out a cracker and bit it in half.
    â€œI don’t think you understand,” Lila said. “I do readings by appointment only. I can’t have anyone just walk in off the street.”
    â€œOh,” Rae said. She had the other half of her cracker in her mouth, but now she was too self-conscious to chew. The Wheat Thin expanded, swelling her cheek.
    If Rae hadn’t looked so pathetic, Lila might not have sat down in the rocking chair and reconsidered.
    â€œWhen did he leave you?” Lila asked.
    â€œA week ago,” Rae said. “If I knew he was coming back I wouldn’t mind waiting. I really wouldn’t.”
    â€œTwenty-five dollars,” Lila said. “And I don’t take personal checks.”
    Rae reached into her purse and counted out two tens and a five.
    â€œI hope you understand that you may not like what I have to say,” Lila warned her.
    â€œI don’t care,” Rae said. “I’m ready for anything. You can tell me everything you know.”
    Lila had no intention of doing that. This reading was not for Rae, but for herself. A simple thing like going into the kitchen and filling the teapot was suddenly an act of courage. Lifting the teapot onto the stove’s front burner seemed to take forever; time was moving in that odd way it does when you are terrified of what may happen next, and your senses are slow and dull. As the water began to heat up, Lila looked out into the yard. Richard stood on a stepladder and picked lemons off the tree. A neighbor called across the hedge and Lila could hear the two men discuss fertilizer. But after a while Lila could no longer hear their voices; she couldn’t hear the thud of lemons as they dropped into a wicker basket. Instead, she heard the flare of Hannie’s stiff black skirts as the old woman shrank back and moved against the wall. Lila had brought Stephen to the restaurant just to meet Hannie, but now she could see that she shouldn’t have. Hannie looked right through Stephen, even after he had given her his most winning smile, the one that worked on nearly everyone. When he asked the old woman for a reading, she laughed out loud—but it was a hollow sound that echoed in the kitchen and made the cooks put down the knives they were using to cut up potatoes for soup and stare at each other uneasily.
    â€œLila talks about you all the time,” Stephen said to Hannie. “Don’t tell me that now you won’t tell my fortune.”
    Hannie hadn’t answered. Instead, she gave him one long look, and the heat she threw off nearly burnt a hole right through him.
    â€œI don’t need tea leaves to tell you his future,” Hannie said to Lila, just as if Stephen weren’t there.
    Stephen stood up; he went to the counter and didn’t look over his