Page 62 of The Favorite Sister

Jamilla shuffles the deck, fanning it out for Jen and motioning for her to pick one. She pats her chest, instructing Jen to press the card to her heart.

“Fermer les yeux et penser à ce que vous derange.”

Jen turns to Lauren.

“Close your eyes and think about what troubles you,” Lauren translates for her. Jen complies with a gamely sigh through her nose, clamping both hands over the card as though trying to smother it.

“Ouvre tes yeux.”

Jen arches one eyebrow, eyes still shut.

“Open your eyes,” Lauren says.

Jen flutters her eyes open. Jamilla motions for her to reveal the card on the table: The Lovers. Jen runs a hand through her longer hair with a laugh. “Okay,” she says. She’snervous, I realize.

Jamilla begins the reading.

“The Lovers do not always symbolize love,” Lauren says, when Jamilla pauses to take a breath. “Especially when somebody places the card upside down like this.”

The group leans forward, elbows on thighs, to get a better look.

Jamilla rattles off a long spiel that Lauren seems to have trouble with.

Seems to.

Seemsto.

“Can you say that again?” Lauren asks.

Jamilla repeats herself, and Lauren nods along, brow cinched, in a commendable effort of trying to understand. “She says that a reversed Lovers card can indicate that you are at war with yourself, and that you are struggling to balance your own internal forces.”

Jen produces a politehmm!As though Jamilla’s reading is interesting, but doesn’t resonate.

“That’s all?” I say. “It sounded like she spoke for a lot longer than that.”

“That was theessenceof it,” Lauren says with a celestial smile.

“Toi,” Jamilla says, suddenly, beckoning Stephanie. “Je veux te parler.”

“She wants to talk to you,” Lauren says.

Jen gets up—almost eagerly, I note—but Stephanie makes no move to trade positions. “Why?” she asks in a surly way.

“Get over there and find out!” Lauren places a hand between Steph’s shoulder blades and shoves. The plane of Stephanie’s back hardens in response.

Jamilla says something else that sounds urgent.

“She says it’s important!” Lauren exclaims.

Stephanie sighs irritably. We all watch, collectively holding our breath, as she decides to finally get up and move into Jen’s spot. She plunks down next to Jamilla with category-five attitude and, without awaiting instruction, pulls a card, holds it to her chest, and shuts her eyes. She’ll do this on her own terms.

She opens her eyes and places her card on the table at Jamilla’s untranslated behest: The Hanged Man, upright. Jamilla says something short and unemotional.

“So,” Lauren says. “The Hanged Man is a willing victim. He makes personal, financial, and professional sacrifices in order to accomplish a higher goal. You are the ultimate martyr.”

“No shit,” Stephanie says, and, just like the pink chipped polish on her toes, this response is pronounced and out of character. We have a funny contest at the end of the season—whichDiggerrequired the most bleep censors in the editing room. It’s usually a toss-up between Lauren and me, but Stephanie, the group’s wordsmith who prides herself on more thoughtful articulation, has always come in last place.

Jamilla is speaking again. When she finishes, Lauren takes a moment before translating. “You are giving too much of yourself to someone. Someone who doesn’t give enough of himself or herself back to you. You let him or her hurt you time and time again.”