The Fortune Teller's Fate

by Audrey Berger Welz

  The boys didn’t quite know what to make of Lucky’s transformation, but Diamond told me the next morning how impressed everyone one was with her. “She struck up a conversation with a doctoral student of poetry from Columbia University. I had no idea Lucky was so well versed,” Diamond said. “This young man, Thomas, seems really taken by her. He’s almost as tall as Marvin, and as handsome, too—only he has a mustache, and his glasses give him an intellectual look. Tomorrow he’s invited us all to Harlem for dinner, and afterward he said he’d take us to the Cotton Club.”

  When I heard that, I was certain Lucky had finally met her match—and it sounded as if Thomas might have met his.

  ¯¯¯

  On the third day, Marvin, Harsita, and I took a carriage ride around Central Park. I made special note of the flowers planted. Lucky had requested we visit the Shakespeare Garden. I particularly enjoyed seeing a white mulberry tree surrounded by rosemary and pansies. The garden, we learned, had originally been called the Garden of the Heart but was renamed in 1916 in honor of the three hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

  Our carriage driver told us that the new mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia, had taken on the job of cleaning up Central Park as a part of his platform and appointed a good man named Robert Moses as commissioner. “Why, just a few years ago you would have seen more weeds than flowers,” he said.

  Lucky and Thomas were in a separate carriage close behind us, close enough so that when I turned back to wave at them, I could see Thomas take Lucky’s hand.

  ¯¯¯

  There was a reason that Diamond and Roman hadn’t come along on our carriage ride; in fact, I’d engineered it myself.

  I felt so much unspoken tension between them that I arranged an afternoon for just the two of them. Before we left the Waldorf, I tipped the maître d’ and asked that he procure a small corner table for Roman and Diamond. They had barely spoken since Spade’s death. Diamond and Roman had a wall between them that needed to come down, and it was spelled S-p-a-d-e.

  Neither objected. Roman, who’d made a point of being out of town whenever Diamond came south for a family visit, had marveled at how much she’d grown, and he delighted in her shine. I had no idea what their lunch would bring, but I hoped they’d both find a little clarity.

  At dinner, I could see that some sort of intimacy had grown between them. One would brush up against the other as if it were an accident. They made conversation but avoided each other’s eyes. Between our main course and dessert, I saw them by the restroom. It was obvious that Roman had slipped Diamond a kiss or said something sweet.

  Later Roman said to me, “She’s such a beauty and has so much style. Has she always been so talented and pretty?”

  I nodded, smiling inwardly. The only queen you were able to see when you were growing up was Spade, I thought.

  ¯¯¯

  Lucky and Diamond had become closer on this visit in a way I hadn’t seen since they were girls. Besides blood, now they both had love. Thomas and Lucky had become inseparable, and our party had grown by one.

  Thomas seemed to be serious about Lucky, and he loved every limerick she composed. He thought her poetic: she was Russian and Italian, after all, and had grown up in a circus. You didn’t need to be a fortune-teller to see that Lucky was the answer to Thomas’s dreams and that he was the answer to hers.

  Thomas impressed me, too. I took notice of his Southern accent and discovered that he’d recently accepted a teaching position at Tulane in New Orleans and had been studying French. “Je parle français,” I told him, and we began to freely converse in French.

  He knew little about circus life. His family lived in Charleston, and he had come from a long line of educators, just as Lucky came from a long line of circus folk and equestrians. I imagined that one day he might write a novel about Lucky and her family. Perhaps he would title it The Circus of the Queens.

  ¯¯¯

  The next morning, Diamond took me aside. “Roman kissed me last night. My entire life I’ve been in love with him, and now that he is free to love me, and I think he might, I don’t know if it is right.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I understood.

  “It’s so hard, Donatella. If ever I had a soul mate, I believe it would be Roman, but in these past several years our lives have gone different ways. I don’t think I could leave the New York stage and be happy.”

  “You don’t have to know everything at once,” I told her. “See what you still have in common, and how you feel when you’re around him. Later you can consider the rest.” Diamond had spent a lifetime waiting for Roman to come to her, and she found it impossible not to explore her feelings.

  Marvin had been talking to Roman about his relationship with Diamond, too. Could he find a way to live in New York if she wouldn’t leave?

  “What would I do here?” Roman considered the question. “My life has been about animals, nature, and farming, and there isn’t much of that in New York City.” Marvin nodded; that much was obvious. “Wall Street is not full of the kind of beasts I’m used to taming. I guess I could work at the Bronx Zoo.”

  Despite their doubts, Roman and Diamond spent every possible minute together. It was as if they had been starved. Their coming together had been difficult, and I suspected their parting would be, too. They were working their way through Spade’s death, and they could only find their way through that together. And neither knew what would happen when they said goodbye.

  ¯¯¯

  Harsita seemed to be the only one of us without an agenda or plan. He simply wanted to breathe in the city and enjoy his time away with friends, but now he felt a little left out. Marvin took him to Nat Sherman’s, the famous cigar store on Fifth Avenue, to introduce him to the finest tobacco in the world. “The shop was filled with well-dressed men,” Harsita told me that evening, “and the air in the room smelled pleasant, but nothing is better than the scent of the fresh tobacco we grow on our land. We’ll replant some next spring and send the boll weevil up north on vacation.” We both laughed, realizing that here we were, an Indian boy and a Russian girl, talking like Southerners about Southern concerns.

  ¯¯¯

  Goodbye was the hard word we each had to say. It wasn’t easy for any of us. Back on the Orange Blossom Special, as we pulled out of Penn Station, headed south, I marveled once again at how so much had changed.

  Thomas and Lucky had made their own way to the train station, unwilling to give up any time they could spend together. On the train, Lucky sat next to me. “I think Thomas and I are a match made in heaven,” she said, and I had to agree. They had some planning to do, Lucky said. First he would come to the circus so she could introduce him to her parents, Ann Marie, Kyle, and the kids. Then he would take her to Charleston, if Vladimir and Bella approved of him.

  A more contented bunch I had rarely seen. Our fortunes, though, were about to change with just three words.

  Chapter 48

  Lucky stayed on for several days in Savannah before taking the train back to the circus. Every other sentence that left her lips began or ended with “Thomas.” Roman wasn’t much different, only his word was “Diamond,” over and over, and when he was in a serious mood, he’d add her middle name, Claire.

  Harsita returned to the farm a happy young man. He had waited a long time to gain a father’s love. He and Marvin had that in common. The special moments they’d shared in New York were ones he could draw upon for the rest of his life, and they gave him a sense of security.

  Harsita and Roman had become like brothers on our trip, especially after the two of them went to the zoo. Both had an extraordinary fondness for animals, and besides the lions and elephants, they were enthralled by the gorillas. “We must have watched them play for at least half an hour. Did you know the average gorilla’s brain weighs twenty ounces?” Roman asked.

  Before Lucky de
parted, I decided the time was right to share my little plan—the one Marvin predicted wouldn’t stay little for long. I asked Polly to help me make a special meal I had in mind. Minutes later she returned, wearing the apron I had just given to her, the one with the pictures on the pockets. The pocket on the right had a picture of the Statue of Liberty and the pocket on the left a picture of the Empire State Building. Before we departed I had raided a souvenir shop, bringing back as many souvenirs for Polly as I could fit in my bag.

  I put on my favorite apron with the big yellow roses, placed a record on the phonograph by that new gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and French violinist Stéphane Grappelli, and Polly and I began cooking an amazing meal of crabs and potatoes. She insisted, though, that she be the one to make the peach cobbler, which made the house smell like a home.

  Everyone was gathered on the porch, swinging east and west, with fresh mint juleps in their hands, when I made an announcement. “I don’t know the next time we’ll all be together. Supper will be ready in ten minutes, but before we have our dessert, there is something I’d like to discuss with you.” And in the dining room, our bellies full but reawakened by the aroma of Polly’s cobbler, I shared my idea for the first time.

  Everyone gathered around. Without skipping a beat, I started right in. “Before Lucky leaves and we get back to our routines, I’d like to share with you the grand scheme that’s been on my mind.” I coughed several times to be certain I had everyone’s attention.

  “The boll weevil destroyed the cotton on a large piece of my land. I know you’ve wondered why I haven’t replanted there. How I could let that rich soil lie fallow? It’s because all along I’ve had something else in mind for it, and if I have my way, one day soon that land is going to be put to good use.”

  “What are you talking about?” Harsita asked.

  “Patience, my boy.” Marvin smiled. “You’ll like what Donatella is about to say, at least if it’s what I think it is.”

  I glanced over at Marvin, smiled back, dusted the crumbs off my apron, and kept on talking. “The land that we’ve planted is beginning to turn a nice profit, and it looks like our harvest will improve this coming year. What I’m saying is, I believe our farm, as it is, is bringing in enough money for us to live comfortably, and that there is something else we can do with this other piece of land.

  “I want to plant something there, but something of a very different nature, something I think will bring us all a great sense of satisfaction. I’m beginning to feel I’ve already waited too long.”

  Everyone inched in closer.

  “With your help, I’d like us to rebuild the old barn that sits on this land and sow grass for a pasture.” I paused, looking at the confused, expectant faces turned toward me. “Then we’ll bring home Emily and Bess, and this will be their home.”

  Their stomachs full, my audience was slow to react. “I’m not certain how we’ll accomplish this, but we will. Emily and Bess are more than circus animals. They have been the heart and soul of the Circus of the Queens. They represent us, especially Spade, and I know of no better way to honor her. I’ve decided to do what I can to make it happen.”

  You could have heard a lightning bug singing, it was so quiet in the room. Like a fire-and-brimstone preacher, I’d gotten so worked up that I needed to stop and catch my breath.

  “It’s not going to happen overnight, but I’ve been planting the seeds of this dream for some time and I suspected you wouldn’t want to be left out.”

  “Donatella, Donatella!” Harsita cheered.

  Marvin went and got a bottle of champagne and offered up a toast. “To Emily and Bess, and Donatella!”

  Everyone started jabbering at once, plotting and throwing out ideas. Grabbing a spoon off the table, I banged a large glass pitcher like a judge calling my court to order. “This is what I know.” I waited for them to quiet down. “Being inside the city limits, we need permits. I have, hypothetically, discussed something of the likes of this with our city planners, and because I own so much land and pay such high taxes, it seems likely that they will issue them.

  “The zoo that bought Emily is almost bankrupt, and I believe her time there is limited at best. We all know Big Jim is greedy above anything else. I can’t bear the thought of abandoning Bess to such a scoundrel. I hear his new manager, Larry, is not much better. Vladimir was desperate, or he never would have let this happen.”

  “Going up against Big Jim is going to be our greatest challenge,” Roman said thoughtfully.

  I smiled. “But it will be our greatest satisfaction, too. Marvin has a contact on the inside at Big Jim’s circus and we’ve been paying him to feed us information. While we wait, we can prepare the land and pasture—quietly, of course. When the timing is right, we will be ready.”

  Again, we toasted Emily and Bess. I silently expressed my gratitude to Irina. I had already gone to Spade’s grave and shared my plan with her. “Don’t worry,” I told her. “I won’t let Emily’s story end like this.”

  Harsita grinned. “I can’t wait to hear Emily play the harmonica and see what Bess decides to paint next. You can definitely count me in!”

  We stayed up late, listening to the phonograph, and Marvin insisted I play the piano, which had been left covered far too long. I had been learning some of the songs from Jumbo, so I played “The Circus Is On Parade” and “My Romance.” Having seen the play, everyone joined in and sang along. It made us all feel as if Diamond were with us again.

  ¯¯¯

  I had dreamed of this kind of happiness. As a child, I thought this was the way life was supposed to be. But then the messenger of death came to our front door and told my father about my mother, and later he appeared with a revolution thrown over his shoulder. I’d become afraid of happiness, worried that once it was within my reach, it would disappear. Then how could it show its face again to someone who didn’t believe?

  As I laid my head on my pillow that night, I asked the fear to go away. Happiness had entered my home, and I had come to understand that life dishes out happiness in moments, months, even sometimes years. These past days, with or without belief, I had been blessed with true happiness.

  ¯¯¯

  The next morning, I woke up early to take Lucky to the train station.

  “Thank you, Donatella,” Lucky said when we were alone during our ride, “for everything. You’ve always been more than an aunt to me. I think I found the direction of my life on this trip, and it never would have happened without you. I believe I’m going to marry Thomas and move to New Orleans.”

  I smiled. I thought so too. Still, for some reason, I found myself distracted the entire way to the station, as if I were a little tipsy, or I had let something important slip. I’d broken out in a sweat. Lucky noticed and asked me if I felt all right.

  “I think maybe I’ve caught a cold,” I said. “Be certain to put on your sweater when you get on the train.”

  I tried to tell myself this was a new beginning, but neither of us wanted to say goodbye. Lucky grabbed me and held me close before she let me go. “I promise to send everyone’s love,” she said before she boarded the train. Once inside, she waved goodbye and put her cheek against the window. I thought I could see a tear.

  The whistle blew its mournful note, and the train pulled out slowly, as if it were almost too heavy to move.

  ¯¯¯

  In the car, driving back to the farm, I began to shiver. I had to be sick. Why else would I be so restless from the outside in?

  When Marvin saw me, he told me to calm down and put me to bed. I tossed and turned, unable to lie still even in my dream. Marvin told me later I looked frightened. I could vaguely see a steep mountain and a bridge, but clouds kept passing in front of me, obscuring my view. It was a puzzle that I couldn’t solve.

  I awoke frustrated, but I went through the motions of getting up and getting to work, even though
nothing felt right no matter what I did.

  ¯¯¯

  The next day, a man with a telegram arrived at our front door. I should have known not to answer it.

  Three words—that’s all I needed to read. Numbly, I handed the telegram to Marvin. Then my legs collapsed and I fell to the floor.

  The sound of my fall brought Harsita and Roman running to the door. They looked at me, and then at Marvin, who was standing like a statue, the blood drained from his face, gripping the telegram. They picked me up and carried me to the nearest couch. The young boy who delivered the telegram didn’t know what to do, but he patiently waited for someone to give him a tip. When Marvin regained his wits, he stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out some change. The boy left, and Marvin came to my aid. I kept mumbling three words. Harsita and Roman couldn’t understand what I was saying, so Marvin translated.

  ¯¯¯

  Lucky was already on the train to West Virginia when the telegram addressed to her, Marvin, and myself arrived at the farm. She’d planned to meet up with the circus in Davis, a small town in the mountains of West Virginia, near the famous Blackwater Falls.

  Later she shared, “The entire way there, all I could think about was Thomas and how wonderful it would be to introduce him to Mama and Papa.” She’d begun to cry and spoke through her tears. “My thoughts were of no one other than myself. Well, that’s not completely true. Every once in a while, I did think about Roman and Diamond. I thought how odd that Diamond and I, twins, should find love at the same time.” Then Lucky completely broke down. “I feel so guilty now, for being so happy.”

  “That you were thinking of Thomas was entirely natural,” I said. “At the time, you had no reason to think of anything else. You didn’t make this happen. I’m sorry, darling. Cry as much as you need to.”

  The circus had been crossing the treacherous Blue Ridge Mountains. The scenery was some of the most beautiful in the country, so even though the roads were grueling, no one seemed to be particularly bothered. Davis was a regular stop on the tour. Until recently, the circus had traveled entirely by train, but during these hard economic times, only the animals and heaviest equipment had that luxury. Vladimir had bartered ten of the rail cars for a small fleet of trucks and passenger cars, along with a little cash to keep the circus afloat.