....Three Wives, and a Palm Reader

A Story by Jay M. Jones

Premise for a book Idea

Three Wives and a Palm Reader

©Jay Michael Jones

So there I was, standing on the corner of 57th street in Manhattan, art portfolio in hand. I had just come from my art class, (I took a course in abstract painting at the Art Student League in NYC), and a Newport. It is the summer of 2001 so of course I had my portable CD player tucked away in my pocket, and my Jansport strapped snuggly to my back. This was the pre 9-11 New York City that I can still recognize when I visit home, if i squint hard enough.
    It was at that moment I saw him. This bear of a man, standing next to a sign that read "PALMS READ..5$". He was directly across the street from me in front of a very upscale New York office building. He had brown hair, relatively well groomed, some shorts on and glasses. They were the type of glasses one might classify as "spectacles", very old school. Sandals graced his immense, chubby, feet as he stood very still and calm as though he did not care if the business came or not. He had on a red striped polo shirt. I came to find out later, he was an accountant who did this in his spare time. Read palms that is.
    In any case as I stand there, grasping on to that portfolio as though I had the Mona Lisa tucked quietly away behind my shittty art..., draggin on my Newp, he takes a long hard look at me from across that street. A few buses and cars passed in front of him as he stared in my general direction. His eyes were completely fixated on this skinny kid with a blue Guayaberra shirt on and Teva Sandals just zoning out to the stylistic compositions of one Notorious BIG. I could have been anybody on 57th street at that point, nothing really special about me one way or the other. Now, I knew this guy was starin' at me, and I was not about to be another sucker, (I don't even think I HAD 5 dollars to my name at that point,) so I pretended I did not notice and then, in typical NY fashion, I turned my head immediately to him in one quick gesture to freak him out a little. This bear of a palm reading Guru..with brown sandy hair and sandals did not even break his stare. Surprised by this, (I can produce a terrifying mean mug at will), I smile as he proceeds to wave me over.
    Now for the life of me, I cannot remember this man's name. I remember the clothes he was wearing, and that he revealed to me a most horrifying detail about my future, but I could not remember his damn name. Let's call him Ben, for arguments sake. I walk towards Ben very calmly with that youthful swagger that can only be cultivated on Queens Boulevard, and ask him what's up? He replies very calmly to me that he was fine, and that he would like to read my palm for free. He said I looked very interesting to him, and that it would make his day to tell me a little bit about what is in store. he did not read palms in the spiritual sense, instead he interpreted the lines on my palm. I forget what this mystical art is called, but whatever it was I now see that there may be some validity to it. Deciding to accept his gracious offer, I offer up my hand. He pushes his spectacles up to his eyes, from his nose, and takes a looooong look at my palm. He turns my hand to the right, to the left, studies every corner of my hand, and utters to me. "You will have 3 wives before you die, but don't you worry about a thing, once you find your way, you will be quite a force to be reckoned with. Stay true to your heart and your convictions, and everything will turn out fine." I laughed, and took what he said with a grain of salt...but I couldn't stop thinking about it on the whole subway ride home. As I sat there on "R", I thought to myself things like "What was the catch?", "How come he didn't charge me for the reading?" "Find my way? Be true to my heart?".
    To this day, I never saw this man again. I was at that school for at least another month, and I looked for him too. I would have paid him three times his fee if he would only tell me how to prevent these THREE WIVES, and tell me how to FIND MY WAY, amidst the confusion of youth. In hindsight, however, he may have just been trying to nudge me in a particular direction. Maybe he told me exactly what I needed to hear. When I think of that now, I think more about the rest of what he said rather than focusing on those three wives. "don't you worry about a thing, once you find your way, you will be quite a force to be reckoned with. Stay true to your heart and your convictions, and everything will turn out fine."

    There are days, I just don't know what the hell I am doing. The weight of my tiny universe just presses down on my shoulders, and I feel as though I have NOTHING to offer the world save my complaints. On these days...I think of that man, and his little sign, and his free palm reading..and I pick up whatever strength I have lying around my insides..and press on. I will follow my heart, and my convictions...hopefully everything will turn out fine.

JMJ