There’s this woman in Cow Hollow who I had gone to in the past for a facial. I remembered that she had done a good job. But I don’t do facials very often and I’m never very loyal when it comes to haircuts, massages, waxing, and other treatments, and services. But for the past couple days I’ve been thinking I need to get a facial. And once something sticks in my head, it won’t come out until I fulfill it. For example, if I want Chinese food, I’d darnd’t better get Chinese food ASAP otherwise I’ll be thinking about if for days on end.
I woke up this morning and decided I needed to get a facial. Few good places in the city will see you for a same day appointment, but Francoise is a hidden gem. When I called, she said she could take me in an hour. She just had to make her way from home to the office. I actually don’t think she sees very many people. Again…a hidden gem.
Before she hung up, she asked, “Would you also like a tarot card reading?”
“Uhh, no, I think just the facial.”
Francoise Skin Care is located at 1952 Union Street in the middle of shopping central, Cow Hollow. Francoise is as old as my mom and looks like an aged French woman, chubby and slightly hunched over with blonde hair and bright big blue eyes. She rents the back room of an office building. Her office is sparsely decorated with a round table for her tarot readings up front, then her treatment room in the back where she does the facials. It’s pretty bare bones, but she does a good job and I’m relaxed the whole time. The $85 facial lasts over an hour.
After she was done, she asked again, “No tarot card reading?”
“You know Francoise. Yeah, I think so. Sure let’s do it.”
The $65 tarot card reading took one hour. It was fascinating.
“I don’t want you to talk, ok? You don’t say anything. If I ask you a question, you say yes or no. Ok? Let’s begin. Cut the cards.”
While she switches between sets of tarot cards, she actually spends the majority of her time using a regular deck of playing cards.
“First we do you. Now, Catherine, you did not want to do the reading at first, oui? Then you change your mind. Is there something bothering you, someone you want to know about?”
“Yes, there’s someone in particular.”
“Ah, oui. I will do his reading, too. Yes? But you first. Ok.”
She speaks in a French accent and I love when she says my name. Very French.
She has me lay out 13 cards in a circle which she turns over. Then I lay another 13 cards on top of the other 13. She turns these over as well. “Catherine, you are a very smart, intelligent girl.”
I smirk. “Uhh, I don’t think so. But thank you. That’s nice.”
“I am reading the cards. It is in the cards. The smartest people in the world are born in June. And you are a Gemini. You are always on the go. Go, go, go. You don’t stop. You like to think very late at night. You have a lot of trouble sleeping, I can tell. It makes you fatigued. You are often very fatigued.
“Let’s start with your job. Cut the cards, Catherine. You do finance.”
“OmiGod,” I interrupt. “I work for a bank.”
“There will be some kind of change in your job. Your boss will no longer be your boss. Is this true. Something like that?”
“Yes. We hired a new Associate Director who will be groomed to take over the Director position. He’ll be my new boss in a year or so.”
“Maybe that is what I see here in the cards. Give me five more cards. Ah, yes, you like your job, but you are very fatigued. You deal with many people. You take your work home at night. I see papers that you are reading in bed at night. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, one more card at the very top. Right here.” I pick out a card and lay it on top. She turns it over. It’s an Ace. “Ahhh, Catherine, you triumph. Oui-oui. You will triumph in your job. Very good.
“Now let’s do your home and your well-being. Give me five cards. You love your home. It is comforting for you. But sometimes you are sad, lonely, eh? You want a man by your side, yes? Yes, I see it here. See, look what came out. This man here. But you are very independent, you like your job. Five more cards. Ahhh, Catherine, you are wealthy. You make good money. You come see me more often, haha. I see it here. My darling, good for you, I see you work very hard and are very generous.
“Good, now your health. Ahhh, voila, you are fine. Except I see fatigue. I give you advice. 10 minutes every day at work, you take a break, oui?”
“Oh, ok. I’ll go walk around for ten minutes around the block or something.”
“Oh no!” She points at my waist. “Ahh, Mon Dieu, you are too skinny. No walking. You sit down for ten minutes and you rest your eyes. Close them, go sit on a couch at work. You have a couch? Go sit and rest your eyes. Walking. Ahhh, no!
“Now for love. Give me five cards, Catherine. Five more cards. Another five cards. Another five. Ahhh, my darling, you are in love with this man. It is written all over your cards.” She looks at me and touches my hand. “You are a smart girl. You love your home, you love your career. So independent. And when you take out these cards now, all I see is this man. You date a lot, I see, but again, this man. He is a dominant force in these cards. You are so in love. Is this the man you are asking me about in the beginning? Ahhh, oui. We will read his cards.
“He is a cancer. Smart, but not as smart as you. He has a good career, makes good money. He is torn, very torn in his life. Sad, I think he may be sad.” She turns over a queen, I perk up. “Here is why he is torn. This is not you. This queen is not you. It is someone else that he cannot stop thinking about. Before he met you, was there someone else? Was he married?”
“Almost. He was ready to propose, then she left him.”
“He is a cancer. He cannot, he may never forget his first love. This queen is his first love.”
I nodded and sat quietly. I picked out more cards as she instructed, and waited for her commentary. “He wants a child. I see it very clearly. Is this true?”
“Yes, very much so. He has always talked about having children.”
With a few more cards to go, my queen of clubs came out. “Ahhh, I was wondering if you were going to come out. Yes, he thinks of you. He cares about you. But it is very difficult for him. Maybe he is scared. I don’t know. There is something between you, it is true. It is in the cards. It is in the future.
I spoke up. “Francoise, he doesn’t care about me. I was hoping my card wouldn’t show up. I was hoping you could tell me to move on.”
“It is not in the cards, Catherine. I see something there. You must give it time.”
“But it’s been years and I don’t think there’s anything between us. It’s been very tough.”
“See all this negativity? You will not get anywhere with this negative thinking. You need to be positive. You need to be strong. You must be willing to change, oui? You must be sweet. Be sweet. I would tell you if it was not worth it. I see something there. Keep trying.”
this is so interesting! i am always fascinated by the occult, especially when they seem to have insights about things they wouldn’t otherwise know about you.
btw happy birthday cathee! hope you have a fun birthWEEK! (month??) 🙂