cliché musings

Pisces: You know what they say, the past is in the past. Don’t let your mistakes stop you from exploring something new. Instead, reach out to an old friend or begin that backburner project. Your spirits are in the perfect place for that added energy! But be careful not to dive into a relationship too quickly; take things slow and don’t overestimate your feelings.

* * *

Macy was born on March 7th at 3:16 A.M. in Cleveland, Ohio. so reaching out to the otherworldly is really her only option.

“Thanks for meeting with me,” Macy says, after Giselle lets her inside. “I know it’s kind of short notice.”

“It’s really not a problem,” Giselle says. She had straightened her rust-colored hair and tied back the front strands; opening the sharp edges of her cheekbones. “My door’s always open.”

Her apartment is organized, neat at first glance, but cluttered with items, books piled on shelves with the bookmarks–mainly Post-It notes and strips of paper–sticking out, tapestries hanging on the walls, crystal ornaments decorating tables, and pumpkin-scented candles in each room, lighting the room a muted orange. She leads Macy through the entryway and into the connected living room, a circular space with a couch and armchair, wooden coffee table, and a TV on an entertainment stand. One of her tapestries is a rainbow-colored map of the world done in faux-watercolor; it’s been strung up next to the TV. has been Two knitted blankets are hanging over the couch, and she pulls them down and offers one to Macy.

“Lorraine says you needed advice about a date?”

Macy wraps the blanket around her waist and sits down. She’s not cold but likes to feel swaddled. “A Tinder date,” Macy clarifies. “On Saturday. But my horoscope says this isn’t a good time for relationships, so I wanted a second opinion.”

“Ah, and you’re a Pisces,” Giselle says. “Potentially a rocky time to meet someone new, but maybe it’s the right day. Do you know their sign?”

“He’s a Taurus.” It was one of the first things she’d asked. “They’ve been okay in the past.”

“Yes, that’s a strong compatibility pairing. Can I see your hands?”

Macy stretches her arms across the couch and holds her palms facing up. Giselle places her own hands on top of hers. 

“Now, close your eyes.” Macy does. “I want you to picture him in your mind, and envision what your first date will be like. What do you see?”

“A restaurant,” Macy says. She draws a tall, shadowy figure behind her eyelids, laughing and sitting across from her at a table. “He’s dressed nice. He pulls out the chair for me and pays for the bill.”

“Is that all?”

Macy frowns. What else could she expect? “A kiss at the end of the night. He tells me he’ll text me tomorrow.”

“What about his personality? What are you looking for?”

“I mean, I know he’s loyal,” Macy starts. “A Taurus, obviously, but then he might be extremely stubborn. And you know about their self-indulgence habits. What if he’s so focused on the date he’s rude to the waiter? I just want his positive traits to be apparent.”

“Right,” Giselle says. “Go on.”

“I hope he’s funny. And asks me about my life instead of just talking about his. Oh, and that he’s not catfishing me. That’s important.”

“Those are all reasonable expectations,” Giselle says. She removes her hands. “But…”

Macy opens her eyes. “But what?”

“I do see troubling attachment signs in the future. I’d like to do a three-card reading.”

Giselle stands, red skirt rustling against her legs and picks up a deck of cards from her coffee table. The backs are a dark purple, etched with the moon, sun, and stars. She separates the deck and bends the cards;her black acrylic nails clicking against the table as she shuffles the deck and spreads it out. Macy chooses a card from the left side. She flips it over, revealing a craftsman sitting at a bench, hammering a disk into a pentagram. 

“This is your past,” Giselle says. “The eight of pentacles. In relation to love, it means you’ve strived for perfectionism in relationships and worked hard to find romance.”

It’s not the first time Macy’s pulled an eight of pentacles from a tarot reading, and she doesn’t doubt its meaning in her earlier relationships. Trying, she thinks. Always trying. 

She picks another card on the left. A clock floats in the sky, separated into eight sections, each labeled with a symbol. In the background, various flying animals sit upon the clouds.

“Wheel of fortune,” Giselle explains. “In your present, you’re searching for new opportunities. I think that one’s pretty spot on.”

“Did you doubt it would be?”

“Of course not.” Giselle grins, revealing a dimple in her left cheek. “I’m the best around. Now let’s get to what you really want to know.”

Macy flips over a third card in the center, showing a group of five men standing in a circle and fighting with large sticks. 

“I’m sure you can already guess,” Giselle says, watching Macy. “The five of wands. This typically means future endeavors will be casual. You might think of them as just fun and games, nothing serious.”

Macy sighs. “Of course. Maybe Tinder wasn’t the best place to look for guys.”

“Just keep your options open.It doesn’t mean you won’t find anyone.”

“Thanks, Giselle.” Macy takes the hair tie off her wrist and pulls her hair up. “You wanna watch something??”

“Definitely.” She grabs the remote off the arm of the couch, tossing it to Macy. “You can pick.”

* * *

Macy’s date is on a Saturday night. She puts in effort:pulling on a tight, red dress;curling her hair, twisting the dark strands into a top knot; and swiping on mascara and dark lipstick. Jason — her date, the Taurus — shows up in a blazer and trousers, looks like his profile pictures, and makes jokes about the clients he meets at his law firm. He pulls out her chair and pays the bill, plying her with appropriate questions all the while: what does she do for a living? Does she enjoy advertising? What are her long term goals? He puts his hand on her waist as they leave and drives her back home.

“So,” he says, when they pull up to her apartment. “Do you wanna do this again sometime?”

Macy smiles. “Sorry,” she says, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think it’s the right time.”

* * *

A week later, Macy is back on Giselle’s couch, curled up in a knitted blanket.

“What about him?” Macy turns her phone around.

“He’s okay,” Giselle says, looking through the photos. “Swipe and see what happens.”

Macy swipes right. “No match.”

“Damn,” Giselle says, and then laughs. “Maybe you should just swipe on everyone.”

“Even I’m not that desperate.”

“Oh, please.” Giselle e leans forward, resting her head on Macy’s shoulder to look at her phone. Her candles are lit again, and pumpkin spice sifts through the room. “And you don’t have messages from anyone you’re interested in?”

“I mean, this what you doing tonight is very persuasive.”

“They can’t help that they think you’re hot.”

Macy flicks her friend on the forehead. “Why can’t I find a respectable guy on here? Love for Pisces is in a good place right now.”

“They don’t know what they’re missing.” Giselle flops over, kicking her feet over Macy’s lap. “Their star charts are dominated by sex.”

Giselle’s hair fans out across the couch arm, naturally curling around her shoulders. She’s dressed in blue pajama pants with white stars and a tank top, different from the skirts and dresses Macy usually sees her in, and her face has been wiped and washed of any makeup. Macy can feel the heels of her feet pressing into her thighs, her ankles rolling as she shifts on the couch.

 Macy has only been over for actual readings before, from Lorraine’s suggestion, but Giselle thinks she can help with the “setting up a date” process, which really just means choosing the guys she should match with.

“Ugh,” Macy groans. “Men.”

“How’s that campaign going?” Giselle was referring to her newest feat at work: advertising for gum.

Macy shrugs, shutting off her phone screen. “I’m not sure. I doubt gum will ever be that exciting.” 

“Five Gum does try pretty hard.”

“I know. Does anyone even know what stimulate your senses means?”

“How it feels,” Giselle mimics in a low voice, “to overhype your product.” 

“But really,” Macy says, in between giggles. “From a marketing standpoint it’s kind of dumb. They only get points for being original.”

“And I’m sure you can kick their asses in quality gum commercials.”

“It’s not like I’m making the commercial.I just organize where and how they should advertise.”

“Hey, that’s still pretty cool. How many people can say they’re smart enough to know exactly how to gain the attention of American gum consumers?”

“You’d be surprised. I’m sure there are probably thousands of us.”

“And you should own being part of those thousands. Gum is a staple product in our lives.” 

“You sound like such a Sagittarius.”

“Pisces and Sagittarius.” Giselle hums. “Great in communication, but we’d find it hard to trust each other.”

Macy stays quiet for a moment. Pisces and Sagittarius. “Yeah, that’s true. We overthink everything.”

“Guess we just can’t think about anything, huh?”

Macy smiles but definitely does not stop thinking.

* * *

Macy is making coffee in the break room when Lorraine comes up to her.

“I wanted to ask you about something,” she says, while getting a mug out of the cabinets. Today her hair has been teased into an Afro, her eyes heavy under winged eyeliner, and around her neck, a large gold necklace with charms of potion bottles and crystal balls. 

“Okay?” Macy says. They texted this morning, and she didn’t mention anything then. “Shoot.”

“Giselle says you’ve been over a lot more lately.”

Macy stares at Lorraine, confused. “Yeah, she’s been helping me with the Tinder date stuff.”

“I was just wondering,” Lorraine says. The Keurig finishes Macy’s drink, and Lorraine swaps the mug out with hers. “You seem like you’re getting close.”

“Is that the question?”

“Kind of.” Lorraine turns away, watching the machine pour out coffee. For a moment, they only listen to the sound of brown liquid dripping into a porcelain mug. “I don’t know. Just thank me for bringing you two together.”

“Well, yeah. I definitely appreciate having a connection to a fortune teller. You know how much they’ll usually charge for readings?”

“A lot, I know. Don’t tell her we only keep her around for free insights.”

“Don’t forget Netflix.”

Lorraine laughed. Whatever she was confronting Macy about, she appeared to let it go.“Got any plans this weekend?”

“Well, Friday night I’m trying another date. Giselle predicted it might be pretty rough, but I wanted to give it a shot.”

“What, are you just trying to prove she’s right?”

“Partly,” Macy admits. “But I went through the effort of setting it up, and it’s not like he’s an Aquarius or anything. What’s the worst that could happen? My horoscope today said take a new risk. The benefit will be worth the uncertainty.”

Lorraine nods in agreement, watching her as she sips at the steaming coffee.

* * * 

“How was the date?”

It’s Friday. Macy shucks her heels and collapses on Giselle’s couch. “Bad.”

“Shit, that sucks.” Giselle walks over and kneels down next to her. “But does that mean I’m right yet another time?”

Macy smiles and pushes her head away. “Leave me alone. I need time to feel sad.”

“What did he do?”

“Nothing. He was super boring. We went to see a movie and he just sat there the whole time, no commentary, no hand holding or anything. Like, even a teenage makeout session would have been better.”

“What was he again?”
“A Cancer.”

Giselle sat on the floor and crossed her legs. “Do you think he cried after?”

“Oh my god.” Macy bursts into laughter. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“What?” Giselle wonders, also laughing. “Cancers always cry.”

“You’re right. I really went on a date with an uncontrollable crier.”Macy chances a look at her phone. There’s a You’ve got a new match! message from Tinder, from five minutes ago.

“Here,” Macy says, tossing her phone to Giselle. “Help me find someone else.”

* * *

It’s after the fourth date–and some regretful bruises and wrinkled clothes –that Macy knocks on Giselle’s door, shifting from foot to foot,heartbeat racing and stomach, flip-flopping..

Giselle opens the door, hair done up in a bun and fuzzy slippers on her feet.

“I want to do a true love reading,” Macy blurts out. Giselle stills, hand holding the doorknob.

“Are you sure?” she says. “It can be pretty intense, Macy.”

“None of my dates end up right. Even you predict that. I just want to know who I’m supposed to be looking for.”

Giselle’s eyes shift to the ground, and then back up to Macy. “Only if you’re sure.”

They go into the living room. No candles are aflame this time; the cozy apartment is drowned in darkness and shadows. Macy sits, not bothering to wrap herself up. Giselle switches on a lamp and shuffles the tarot cards, routine motions through her fingertips, and sets them down on the table. Macy chooses six.

“The first represents you,” Giselle says. The card is turned over, showing an angel playing a trumpet over a crowd of naked people. “Judgement. This means you’re developing a new perception of love.”

Macy pulls her knees to her chest, resting her chin at the end of her thighs. There really isn’t much more to say to that.

“The second card is for your partner.” Giselle flips it, and then pauses.

“What?” Macy asks. What looks like a priest is sitting on a throne, signaling to two men in the foreground. “That’s the hierophant, right?”

“Yes,” Giselle says. “It is.”

There are a few moments of silence. “Um, the hierophant is a teacher,” Giselle eventually continues. “It means your partner should be a person who shows you the meaning of life, who can explain the questions you don’t have answers to.”

Macy stares at Giselle, watches her adjust the hair in her bun and how her hands move down to the next card.

“This is your connection. It can be how you meet, or what pulls you two together.” The card reveals three swords hanging on a wall, while next to a fourth one a man lays in a bed. “The four of swords. It usually represents passivity, a period of rest and recovery. You might meet through a more subtle presence in your life, when you’re attempting to build up your mental strength.”

She doesn’t know if she imagines it, but Macy thinks she sees Giselle take a breath before flipping the next card.

“The fourth is your strength. Two of cups. The relationship will blossom due to mutual attraction, and you’ll bring out the best in each other – that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling that makes a new relationship exciting.”

The fifth card is turned. It’s upside down, a woman holding a bird in a field, with nine pentagram disks. 

“The fifth is your weakness,” Giselle says. “The reverse nine of pentacles. You’ll reflect too much on your self-worth and feel like you’re not enough for your partner. You’d have to work hard to maintain a healthy relationship.

“And the sixth is your love card.” She turns it over. “Reverse hangman.”

Macy can feel her stomach fall, looking at the second upside down card. A man is hanging off a tree branch. “That’s bad, isn’t it?”

Giselle doesn’t answer. “You’re indecisive,” she says instead. “You’re worried that you’ll have to sacrifice something in your relationship, and usually it’s comfort. You’re afraid of the outcome and you might not even begin the relationship.”

Giselle looks up, and her brown eyes meet Macy’s. Macy feels her heartbeat pulse beneath her skin, an energy charging from her gaze. Nerves drown out the room, blurring the edges of her vision and deafening the sound. 

Two words break out to the forefront of her mind, their letters materializing over and over and staining the lobes of her brain. Tell her, she hears. Tell her.

But she doesn’t know. She knows nothing except that the cards told her she’s afraid. She’s afraid and indecisive and an overthinker. Her daily horoscope never mentioned this and she has no instructions, while her only other source is a Sagittarius–a thirty percent intimacy pairing–that sits two feet in front of her. Macy’s a Pisces with a Cancer moon and Capricorn rising, born on March 7th at 3:16 A.M. in Cleveland, Ohio, so the only thing she can do is deflect.

Pisces and Sagittarius. Pisces and Sagittarius. 

“I’m sorry,” Macy says. “I have to go.”

Giselle never even looks surprised.