Palm Readings at the Pyramid

The bar at the Pyramid Resort curved around like a question mark, all glass and golden light, palm trees pressing against the windows like curious onlookers. Elena sat alone with her papaya margarita, watching the goldfish in the cylindrical tank by the counter—orange scales flashing in the low light, swimming endless circles in its glass prison.

"You're wondering if he'll call," the woman said, sliding onto the stool beside her. Elena hadn't noticed her approach. The woman was perhaps fifty, with expensive jewelry and eyes that had seen too much. "I don't mean to presume. But you have that look. Like someone waiting for a phone that won't ring."

Elena laughed bitterly. "Is it that obvious?"

"To me." The woman ordered scotch. "I read palms in the lobby on Tuesdays. Tourist attraction. But sometimes you see things regardless."

"And you saw... what? That I'm pathetic?"

"That you're caught between worlds." The woman's gaze dropped to Elena's left hand, then back up. "He's still married. He told you he's leaving her. He always tells them that."

The papaya margarita suddenly tasted like ash. "How did you—"

"Because I was you, twenty years ago." She rotated her glass on the coaster, leaving rings of condensation. "He sold me the same pyramid scheme of the heart. Invest now, reap the rewards later. But the only thing that compounds is the waiting."

"He's different," Elena said, though the words felt hollow even as she spoke.

"They're all different. That's the bull." The woman's smile didn't reach her eyes. "He tells you you're special. You're the one who understands him. His wife doesn't get him like you do. It's a performance, and you're the audience of one."

Elena stared at the goldfish, still circling its endless prison. "So what do I do?"

"Same thing this fish does." The woman finished her drink and stood up. "Eventually, you realize the glass is there all around you. Then you either keep swimming, or you decide to jump."

She pressed something into Elena's palm—a business card. "Tuesday. If you want to know what your future actually holds. Not the one he sold you."

Elena sat alone as the bar lights dimmed. Outside, the palms swayed in the darkness, and somewhere, a phone might have been ringing. She didn't reach for hers.