IT'S IN THE STARS.

Di crawled out from under the covers, slipped on her slippers and dressing gown then sat down to read her daily horoscope, as she did every morning. If it was a bad reading, she would stay home. Today was good. “Look forward to a bright and sunny day, with many good vibes coming your way, and keep a look out for that elusive good luck which is waiting for you to retrieve it.”

“Wow, I like it! Now I can get ready to go shopping without any bad vibes hanging over my head!’

“Why do you need that to tell you what to do? Don’t you have a mind of your own?” her partner asked.

“Of course I do, but it’s nice to know the stars are looking out for me, as well!”

John knew it was worse than that, but didn’t want to start an argument, first thing in the morning.

“Now, what to wear? I had better check what my colour is for today. Aha! Green! I can wear my favourite green jumper over my jeans, that’s great!”

John sneered at her, but she ignored it. She was starting to wonder if he even cared about her wellbeing at all.

Her friends all agreed with her, that she needed to check her horoscope every day. So far it had kept her out of trouble, although she was still waiting for the “good luck.”

After shopping, Di called into her favourite coffee shop for a Café latte and a doughnut. Her neighbour worked there as a waitress and was always glad to see her.

“Well hello there neighbour! What would you like today?”

“I’m not sure Maisie, is the Café latte good today?”

“It’s always good when I make it, how about one of those pineapple doughnuts to go with it?” “Sounds good to me Maisie!”

Maisie walked back behind the counter. “That woman is weird, she can never just ask for what she wants, she always has to ask me to suggest something!” She complained to her co-worker.

“Have you ever tried suggesting something outrageous, to see what she would say?”

“No, but I’ll try that next time. I can’t wait to see the look on her face!” They both giggled behind the coffee machine.

Di finished her coffee and doughnut, waved goodbye to her neighbour and continued on her way.

Her next stop was the hairdresser. Di pulled into the parking spot, got out and headed into the salon. She had been here plenty of times before, so they knew her face.

“Hi Di, what would you like done today?”

“Well you’re the hairdresser, so I’m sure you know what would look best for me. Just go ahead and do what you think will look the best.”

The hairdresser was seething, but she tried not to show it. Why did this woman never have any idea about how she wanted her hair cut? It drove her mad.

An hour and a half later the hairdresser held up the mirror behind Di for her to see the back,

“How’s that then, are you happy with that?”

“Well of course, you always do a great job, thank you so much!”

Di drove home, took her shopping inside then raced into the bedroom and burst into tears.

“What’s wrong Di? What the hell have you done to your hair?”

“Today was supposed to be a good day John, so why has everything gone so horribly wrong? My horoscope said I would have good luck, it couldn’t have been more wrong!

“I went and had a coffee at Maisie’s café and it was so bitter I almost threw up, and the doughnut must have been 3 days old it was so dry!

I went to the hairdresser and she almost scalped me, it will take months for my hair to grow back to normal. Why would she do that?”

John looked at her. “Maybe because you didn’t say what you wanted, you asked them instead.”

“If you can’t be up-front with people, they will treat you with contempt, which is what has happened today!”

“Stop reading those horoscopes, live your own life, be a little bit forward with everybody, say what YOU want, and maybe then you will get what you really want.”

Di listened to John. Perhaps he was right, it wouldn’t hurt to try anyway, anything would be better than today.

A week later Di went shopping again, this time she never read her horoscope before she left. When she finished her shopping she called into the Café.

“Hello neighbour! What can I get you today?”

“Hi Maisie, I would love a Chai Tea and a piece of the blueberry cheesecake, please. Oh, and a dash of cream on the cake, as well, thanks!”

Maisie nearly dropped her menu. Then she gave Di a huge smile.

“Well of course Di, be right back!”

When she walked back behind the counter she was stoked.

“I don’t believe it she has finally found her voice! She actually asked for something she wanted!”

“That’s great, you won’t have to give her the awful apple crumble now!” They both laughed.

Maisie bought out the Chai Tea and the blueberry cheesecake.

“Best Chai in town, and that cheesecake is to die for! Enjoy!”

Di absolutely loved both, it was the nicest lunch she had ever had in the Café. She even left a $2 tip for Maisie.

“Thanks Maisie, see you next time!”

A couple of months later Di had an appointment at the hairdresser.

“That Di is coming in again, I swear if she doesn’t say what she wants, I will give her a crew-cut!” The shop assistants all giggled.

“Hi Di, what can we do for you today?”

“Well, first off I’d like my hair washed. Then I would like an undercut, but not too short at the back please, and maybe a blow dry to finish. I always have a small fringe, and try to keep the sides off my face a bit, thanks.”

The hairdresser stood there very quiet, and her mouth dropped open. Then she smiled at Di.

“Of course Maam! Exactly what I would have said myself!”

The hairdresser chatted away to her as she worked, and when she held up the mirror to see the back, Di was so happy.

“Wow, that looks awesome! Thank you so much!” She left the hairdresser a $2 tip as well, she was so happy with her new haircut.

Di drove home, took her shopping inside and sank into the sofa.

“You okay Di? Wow, you look great! Did you ask her what you wanted this time?”

“I sure did, and you were right, I need to be more forthright if I’m to get what I really want.”

Later that day when she was thinking about what to have for tea, she usually asked John what he would like, but not this time.

“By the way John, we are having BBQ chicken and chips for tea!”

“But I was looking forward to having fish and chips tonight!”

“Sorry John, have to be another night, I have made up a menu of dishes for the week, and that’s what we will be having!”

John looked at Di and wondered if he had started a monster.

Deep down inside though, he let go of the thought of having to decide on what to have every day, and it felt good.

The next day Di was meeting her girlfriends for lunch. What she didn’t know was that they were all laughing behind her back, because it was them that had persuaded Di that she had to check her horoscope every day, and always ask the other person what was best for her.

Di remembered the conversation and finally realised that her girlfriends weren’t friends at all.

When they met at the Ching Lee restaurant for lunch, they all gasped when they saw her new haircut.

“Wow Di! Don’t you look swish! You must have had a good hairdresser!”

They all sat at the long table looking at the menu. After all had chosen their dishes, they told the waitress to get Di whatever was on special, which was what she usually said.

Suddenly Di stood up. “Excuse me waitress, I would like to order the king prawns and the noodles please!”

The waitress looked at her. “You don’t want the special? But you always want the special?”

“I just gave you my order waitress, if you can’t handle that, then I may have to take my business elsewhere.”

“No, No, that’s fine, I have got your order written down Maam!”

Di’s friends sat there very quiet, staring at her.

“You lot look a little bewildered, you probably should have checked your horoscopes this morning. Why, anything can happen if you don’t have direction every day! My horoscope has been so good to me this week, I couldn’t have had a nicer week, and I have all of you to thank for that. Oh, did I tell you I won a lot of money on tattslotto, which my horoscope told me to enter?

How can I thank you guys, for looking after me?’

They all took out their phones and started checking their horoscopes. “Oh goodness, mine says no foreign foods or I may get very sick. Waitress! Cancel my order please, I’ll see you all later, bye!”

One by one they all disappeared because their horoscopes told them some bad news.

Di chuckled to herself, as she tucked into her beautiful prawns.

“Now I can enjoy my lunch without all those hangers-on to intrude.”

Di started talking to the waitress and her friend and by the end of her lunch she had made two new friends. Di left them $2 each and thanked them for her lovely lunch. “That was really yummy, thank you so much, I will be back next month, but I’ll catch up with you both at the Gym before that!”

Di went home feeling elated. She had got rid of her friends, who weren’t really friends at all, and made new friends who really cared about her. From now on she would make her own decisions on how to run her life, not take directions from a horoscope, or anybody else. Free at last.