30
There was something about Jack’s height, or his dark eyes or long, black hair, that made him seem like the center of everything around him. In order to keep her secret, Jo was joining the person who couldn’t know, joining him to hide from him, but despite this predicament she felt, as she approached, as though it was he who was shielding her and not the opposite. Not the truth. She scurried through the lot, and Jack paced toward her, his long strides floating him through the mess as though he were standing still.
“Morning,” he said.
“Yeah.”
It was growing quite hot, and she loosened her pool blue wrap. A large bee swam in the air before her, looking for some place to land on the rippled surface of her fabric, and Jack waved it gently away. Then he gestured toward Time and Eternity’s metal cage.
“You know them?”
“A little.”
“I was just headed up to see what kind of operation they’re running.”
“Oh, that? It’s nothing; it’s some kind of dunk tank.”
“Huh. Well, is it nothing, or is it some kind of dunk tank?”
“Dunk tank,” Jo said. Jack seemed irritated.
“Right,” Jack said, and looked down at her questioningly. “Well I don’t remember being asked about it, but since they’re friends of yours, I—”
“They’re not friends, really, just acquaintances.”
“Since they’re acquaintances of yours, I’m not going to get rid of them. But I just want to make sure no one’s going to get hurt in that cage.”
Jack was definitely irritated.
“Actually, it’s only going to be Eternity inside.” Jo wondered what he’d do if she physically reached out and grabbed his hand, if she pulled him in a different direction.
“Just eternity, eh? Well we’ve only got about six hours, so…”
This was too stupid to explain. Jo followed helplessly as Jack began walking again. She tried to think of ways to stall him, to give herself time to think of something better, for something else to come along, or someone.
“Have you seen Rockette?” Jack asked.
“Jack, I want you to know that I’m not sorry about last night.”
Success. Jack stopped and turned around. They were standing beside Sunshine’s Tarot booth, and there were two chairs shaded by a P.O.W. flag strung overhead as an awning. Sunshine’s tent was pitched just behind the card table and Jack called his name, but he didn’t seem to be around. They sat.
“I’m not either,” Jack said. “But it was stupid.”
Jo laughed. “I don’t suppose those are mutually exclusive.”
“So after you get Che out of the ground, you’re just going to roll on out of here, I suppose.”
Jack was playing with a small square of velvet sitting where the cards would be read, rolling it between his fingers. Jo watched his hands worry the cloth.
“This isn’t my place, Jack.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Well, honestly, whether or not it’s true, I just can’t stay.”
“Am I the only one who cares about the truth around here?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind. Jo, I just…”
Sunshine appeared at the door of his tent.
“Hey, Jack, please don’t do that,” he said.
“I’m sorry?”
“Don’t touch the cloth.”
Sunshine came over and stood behind the table, smoothing out the velvet. He’d just woken up, and his green robe hung open, exposing his penis.
“It can pick up your energy and throw my readings.”
Sunshine still carried himself like a soldier, though he’d long since renounced his military past. He looked around, seeming nervous. Jo saw Jack looking at his crotch.
“Sorry, Sunshine. We were just leaving anyway.”
“Don’t even think about it.” Sunshine pulled his deck from a pocket in his robe and spread it out on the velvet he’d just made neat. “Pick a card, both of you. No one sits at my booth without a reading.”
“Look, Sunshine, we’re—”
“We’d love to,” Jo said.
She leaned forward and drew a card, the third from the right. She looked at Sunshine for more direction, but he was focused on Jack.
“Go on, just one card,” he said. “It won’t take more than a second.”
Jack sighed, and drew one from the middle.
“Ah, a middleman,” Sunshine said.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” asked Jack defensively. Jo could tell he was becoming impatient. He didn’t like to be interrupted, and this interruption had come at a moment when Jack was revealing something of himself, was making himself vulnerable, so that this vulnerability was left there, waiting, turning slowly in their minds like the ballerina in a music box.
“Not many people choose a middle card,” explained the ex-marine. “Most people feel like it’s over-determined. Like picking an end card. Which even fewer people do.”
He put the cards in a neat stack to the side, and asked them to place their cards down, face up, on the table.
Jo’s was Judgment.
Jack’s was The Fool.
As Sunshine began to explain Jo’s card, she was focused only on Jack. He’d grown visibly tense; his hands were gripping his knees. It reminded her of the first time they’d met Paco, when he’d come down from Tucson to introduce himself, to tell them they’d be seeing a lot of him. She was sorry, now, that she’d urged them to stay.
“Now on to you, Jack. The Fool is an interesting card. It’s actually a—”
In one quick motion, Jack stood, reached across the table, and smacked Sunshine across the face with an open palm.
He did not hit him terribly hard, it seemed, but it was so fast that it seemed to open a new dimension over the table. All the energy and motion was gone, and only stillness remained, a vacuum.
“Not okay,” Jack said. Then he turned around. “Come on, Jo. Let’s go.”
Jo hung back as Jack started walking, and looked apologetically at Sunshine. She’d never gotten to know him very well, but he seemed like a sweet, well-meaning person. She doubted he’d orchestrated “The Fool” intentionally. He looked at her, the right side of his face red and his eyes wide, startled.
“The Fool is actually a good card,” he said. “It’s all about limitless possibilities.”
“I’m sorry, Sunshine. Jack’s, well, I’m…”
Sunshine shook his head. He seemed sad. “Jack’s Jack,” he said. “You’re you and I’m me. Just an interesting way to start the day is all.”
Jo nodded, apologized again, and ran to catch up with Jack, who was walking directly toward the air-dunk tank.
“Jack!” she called out.
When they arrived at the Love’s booth, Eternity was nowhere in sight, and Time was wrapping small bits of cloth around the corners and edges of the tank. She looked up and greeted them, then put her work down and took Jack’s hand, not shaking it, really, just holding it between her own.
“Jo told us all about you,” she said. “And this ceremony! It’s an honor to be part of.”
Jack frowned, removed his hand and looked at the metal contraption behind her.
“This isn’t going to hurt anyone, is it?”
“I hope not! It would be my husband that got hurt. He’s…” she craned her neck to find him in the lot. “He’s around here somewhere.”
Jack grabbed the closest corner and gave the big thing a shake. “It seems solid enough,” he said.
“It’s held together by love,” Time said.
Jack held a hand above his eyes to shield the sun, and stared down toward the visitor center. The first show of the day had ended, and the tour group was just then funneling back down the steps.
“Yep,” he said. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
New Dead Families 