Archive for October, 2009

“Now, pick a card, dearie…” She fanned out the deck, the laced black and red designs facing me. My eyes scanned the cards and landed on one toward the left. I pointed to it. She nodded solemnly and placed the card on the top of the deck, face down.

My head whirled with the noise of the rambunctious crowd. The screams of teenagers faded in and out as The Scrambler hurled them toward me and jerked them away. Eerie lullabies jingled from the carousel. She brushed her head scarf away from her face and flipped the card.

I gulped. It was the Reaper. She clucked her tongue.

“Now, what brings this awful fate upon you?” She flipped the next card; it was a heart dripping black blood. “Ah, you are not one of pure heart, are you?” The bracelets on her wrist clattered and chimed as she cut the deck in half. “How soon, I wonder?” She motioned to both the decks. I chose the stack on the right, and she flipped the top card over. It was a picture of a maple leaf in mid-air. “In the time it takes a leaf to fall! Soon!”

I wrung my hands together, horrified – none of this made sense. I stared at the deep wrinkles that broke into crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, completely caked with make-up. Carnival music pounded in my ears. The Reaper’s gaze burned.

“For another five dollars, I can read you your next three cards!” She grinned greedily, showing green-tinted teeth. I hesitated at first, but reached for my wallet anyway.

All of a sudden her face contorted, she doubled over, clutched her chest and fell onto the Oriental rug. She never drew another breath.

I guess you never know which tree the leaf will fall from first.

Every summer I make my journey north for a few weeks of dramatically more pleasant climes.  People are out and about celebrating on every street corner, in every park, and on every front porch in sight.  It is euphoric, utopian, and merriment transfuses the air.  When it is time for me to make my way home and the wheels of the plane screech down in hades, I have weepy melting pangs of jealousy.  I long for the fun I am leaving behind -  and I am despondent that I must return to the flaming bake-pit of deep Southeast Texas in July.

Then annually and most reliably, the earth spins on its elliptical journey reaching the autumnal equinox and we  who stake our claim in the 29th latitude celebrate.  Autumn is upon us and we cheer.

While the rest of the Northern Hemisphere mourns the end of summer and slides slowly into a seven month coma, we revel, vivify, and exalt in the fresh air before us.  Emerging one by one from our air-conditioned cocoons, we grasp for equilibrium after living and breathing the sodden air inside a giant serrano pepper in the shape of Texas.  For us…summer blows.

For the next seven months, no waxy fast food cups will melt in their cup holders in the car.  Torrid heat and sweat will no longer shellac my pants to my ass, and no more Shut-the-damn-door-unless-you-want-to-pay-the electricity-bill-this-month will be heard pouring from my mouth for the umpteen millionth time.

Life in the 29th latitude – totally out of sync with well, everywhere.  A place where Santa dons sunglasses, palm fronds dangle Christmas lights, and one is sure to get bit by a mosquito on Christmas morning.

But today, as I opened my windows for the first time since April, I no longer question the sanity of my decision to live here.  I celebrate - remembering  just what it is that keeps me in Texas – seven or so months of reasonably acceptable weather and although we probably could…we never have to shovel the humidity.

Copyright Sharie Peters Parker, 2009, all rights reserved