Moon Lady

The cars on the highway blurred as Bonnie sped past the posted speed limit. She flung her cigarette butt out the window and mumbled, “Bastard.” John was away, and the plans she had made were canceled. She eased off the gas pedal when she saw an incoming call from Joanne. Her stomach lurched and she banged on the steering wheel with her fist.

Bonnie let the call go to voicemail, but knew Joanne wouldn’t leave a message. Her next move would be a text.

“Ding,” the phone sounded. But it would have to wait.

Three hours later, Bonnie sat on the upper deck of the beach house. Her down jacket, coffee, and two fingers of tequila warmed her as she stared at the empty beach. “Bastard,” she muttered again, and she picked up her phone.

Since she left Raleigh until her arrival on the Outer Banks, Bonnie had received four phone calls, no voicemails, and six texts – all from Joanne.

The first text read: I’m quite upset. Please call me. (with three crying face emojis). The next six messages conveyed Joanne’s escalating desperation. The last: Oh, please, Bonnie. I’m begging you. I must talk to you ASAP.”

Bonnie held her phone and gazed out at the Atlantic as the swelled waves formed whitecaps beneath the winter platinum sky. She inhaled the crisp smell of the ocean, sand, and the imminent rain. Finally, she exhaled and phoned Joanne.

“Oh, Bonnie. Thank you so much for calling me back.” Joanne said.

“What, no ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you’?” Bonnie asked in an attempt to diffuse Joanne’s manic mood.

Joanne proceeded into a frenzied ramble without pause, “I’m sorry, I'm so upset about my exchange of emails with your friend, Libby. It’s awful, Bonnie. I knew there was something underhanded about her. Then she denied being involved with my Bob. And now that bitch has blocked my emails. Well…”

Bonnie shut her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. “Wait, what? Did you say Libby was seeing Bob?”

“Yes.”

“But Libby has never met Bob to my knowledge. Besides, he isn’t dating or involved with anyone else.”

“How do you know?” Joanne asked.

“I’m sorry, the connection is bad, JoJo. What did you say?

“How do you know Bob isn’t dating anyone?” Joanne asked again.

“I’m sure Bob would have mentioned it to John, and John would have told me,” Bonnie said.

“I know he’s seeing that hussy Libby!”

“How?” Bonnie asked.

“Tarot cards,” Joanne said.

There was a long silence.

“Bonnie, are you still there?” Joanne asked.

“Yes, yes, I am, but I’m confused.”

“Oh, it’s all in our emails. I’ll forward them to you. And another thing…”

“JoJo, let’s start with the emails. Send them to me. Surely, you’ve misunderstood.”

“Fine. I’ll send them. You can read it for yourself.”

Bonnie’s phone pinged with the notification of a new email.

“We can go through them one by one. And–,” Joanne continued.

“No, JoJo, give me a chance to go read them on my own and we’ll talk later.”

“When? This is urgent, Bonnie. I’m…I’m fit-to-be-tied.” Joanne said.

“I’ll call you back this evening by 8:00.”

Eight o’clock? That’s six hours from now. Why so long?”

“Listen, dear. I just arrived at the shore. I want to get settled in before the storm. And I need to touch base with John. He’s extended his research trip in Europe, and we have a few marital matters to discuss.”

“Oh, I remember those conversations. I hope everything is alright?”

Bonnie twirled the three-carat diamond ring on her finger, then continued after the pause. “Everything’s going to be fine. If I can, I’ll call you sooner, but eight will work best for me.”

“Do you promise to call me back?”

Bonnie heard Joanne’s muffled sob, so she softened her voice but rolled her eyes. “I promise, dear.”

“Thanks.”

“Okay, bye for now,” Bonnie said.

It was four o’clock when Bonnie poured her second glass of wine and turned on her tablet. She hesitated to open the email. She had Joanne’s approval to read the correspondence, but shouldn’t she have Libby’s permission, too? After all, they were private letters, even if sent electronically. And Libby was a stickler for good manners, respect, and protocol. She dismissed people from her life who crossed the line. Bonnie needed to remain on friendly terms with her.

Bonnie met Libby through John after they co-authored a paper together about psychology and tarot. After becoming familiar with one another at faculty family events, Bonnie tried to embrace Libby as a friend of her own to keep tabs on Libby’s friendship with John. They enjoyed outings to the movies and lunches, but they never formed a closeness. Libby was complex. A disciplined postmodern hippie with conventional ideas about what was ethical. As of late, even their tenuous friendship had become strained. There were moments when Libby gave her a knowing look or veiled comment - as if to say, “I know what you’re up to,” but Bonnie dismissed the idea, believing it was her guilty conscience.

Deciding to do the right thing, Bonnie sent Libby a text message.

Bonnie Overturn 4:36 pm

My plans for the weekend were changed. I’m at the beach house if you’d like to drive out. By the way, I spoke with Joanne, and she’s upset about emails between you two. She sent them to me, but I wanted your permission before I read them.

Libby Williams 4:51 pm

Hmm. That’s an interesting turn of events. Yes, it’s fine with me. Read on.

Bonnie Overturn 4:54 pm

What do you mean? What’s interesting?

Libby Williams 4:55 pm

Read the emails.

Libby’s cryptic replies pissed off Bonnie. What did she mean by “interesting,” and the terse “read the emails”?

Bonnie opened Joanne’s email.

---Forwarded Message---

Subject: Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 1:54pm

Bonnie,

See below.

JoJo

Bonnie shuddered as she recalled the long email threads of her corporate years. She scrolled down to the very bottom to read the first email.

Subject: Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2025 8:47am

Dear Libby,

Thank you for allowing Bonnie to give me your email address. I wasn't sure if you remembered meeting me at Bonnie’s birthday party out on the Outer Banks last July.

I’ve been recalling the lively discussions about tarot cards. I’ve never heard such in-depth and open conversations about something so taboo. Who would have guessed that an educated and successful man like Bonnie’s John was so knowledgeable on such a subject? And yet I was inspired to purchase a tarot deck myself (well, actually three). I hope that’s permissible. I had read somewhere that a tarot deck should be gifted. Is that true?

Anyway, I remember how comforting your words were after that insensitive young man (I forget his name) blurted out, in front of everyone, the meaning of the tarot card I pulled. It was the Death card upside down. Do you remember? I believe his words were, “You need to accept it and move on already.” I could feel the dagger stares of everyone in the room. You offered me a moist napkin to dab my cheeks and wipe my forehead, and you sat beside me. Your kindness was appreciated.

Of course, a year after my divorce from Bob, I had heard similar things from people.

It’s been six years now since he left, and I still miss him terribly. Is that so unreasonable? I know he hasn’t remarried, and I haven’t heard of him being involved with anyone either. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks of me and getting back together. I mean, people do reconcile and remarry. Do you know which tarot card indicates the possibility that Bob and I could get back together again? And how would I read the cards to know what’s going on with him?

What books on tarot would you recommend for a newbie like me?

I would be very interested in your thoughts and responses to my questions.

Warm regards and I hope this is the beginning of a new friendship.

JoJo

“Weh, weh, weh,” Bonnie said, imitating a baby’s cry. “You’re still whining about Bob and the divorce,” she mumble aloud. She took a sip of her wine and scrolled up to the next email.

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Libby Williams

Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2025 7:05 am

Dear Joanne:

Yes, I remember you, especially the cake you brought - German chocolate, my favorite.

And yes, tarot can be fun and an interesting topic. You mustn’t mind Dave (the young man who was so harsh). He’s new to tarot and eager to show off his prowess. But he needs to work on his delivery and tact. The game was supposed to be friendly.

As for John, his interests are in exploration and entertainment. As a Jungian psychologist, he views the tarot as an archetypal representation of the collective unconscious, like Plato’s forms. He and I co-authored a paper on that very subject. In short, sometimes it is less important what card is pulled, and more important to focus on a person’s response to the card’s imagery and interpretation.

Again, yes, you may purchase your own tarot deck(s). The notion of waiting to receive a tarot deck as a gift is outdated. I’m not sure of its origins, but the folklore was that a gifted tarot deck conveyed that a person was chosen, or called to, the craft.

I have no book recommendations, but visit a local bookstore and skim through the tarot books. Select one with no more than 150 pages; anything longer or larger can be overwhelming for a beginner. Start by flipping through the tarot cards one by one and write your initial impression of the card in one or two words. Then read through the book. I believe learning the tarot is part intuition and part memorization.

Good luck and have fun!

Sincerely,

Libby Williams

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2025 7:21 am

Hi Libby,

Thank you for your reply, but I was wondering about your response to my questions:

Do you know what tarot card indicates the possibility that Bob and I could get back together again?

And how would I read the cards to know what is going on with Bob?

Warm regards,

JoJo

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Libby Williams

Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 8:11 pm

Hi Joanne:

My apologies. I sympathize with your heartache, but I’m hesitant to reply to these questions. The use of tarot for emotionally charged concerns is a delicate matter even for a seasoned practitioner, let alone a novice. Any advice could be misconstrued and detrimental.

Regarding the use of the cards to gain insight into what’s happening in Bob’s life, well (if you’ll forgive my bluntness) that’s creepy, disrespectful, and, to me, unethical. It’s like spying on him or peeping through his window. Nothing good can come of it.

I cannot tell you how to use the tarot, but I can monitor my influence based on my personal values. I hope you can understand this.

Sincerely,

Libby Williams

Bonnie snorted at Libby’s self-righteousness.

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 8:27 pm

Libby,

Let me tell you what I understand - The Moon and Queen of Cups. There is a woman of deep emotion deceiving me. I believe that person is you. Bonnie told me you were in San Francisco in January for a week, a few miles from Bob’s condo. I also know John had given you Bob’s contact information, even though Bonnie had the good sense to object.

Is that when you became involved with Bob?

Joanne

Bonnie jerked her head and scrunched her forehead in disbelief at how Joanne jumped to this conclusion.

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Libby Williams

Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 7:45am

Dear Joanne:

It is a simplistic and possible interpretation, but in this case, wrong.

Interestingly, you accuse me of deception, and yet you have not been honest yourself. You feign ignorance about tarot and ask me for recommendations, and yet it sounds like you’ve been working with the tarot for a while now. Or am I to believe that in just four days you’ve deduced the Moon and Queen of Cups represent a deceptive woman? And the only thread binding me to your conclusion is contact information that was shared with me.

However, I have considered your last email, and to some extent, you may be accurate about my deception. However, let me say AGAIN, I am not dating Bob. I have never met or talked with him. I did have his contact information, but I never used it.

Sincerely,

Libby Williams

Bonnie quickly scrolled to the next email.

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 8:08am

Libby,

On the one hand, you say my interpretation is right, and on the other, you say you’ve never met Bob. I’m confused.

Can I call you?

Regards,

Joanne

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Libby Williams

Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 8:21am

Dear Joanne:

I’m not inclined to share my phone number with you, and I had asked Joanne NOT to give you that information. In light of our back and forth here, I was correct to limit our communications to emails.

While I don’t agree with how you are using the cards, let me suggest there may be other interpretations for the Moon and Queen of Cups. For example, are YOU the woman of deep emotion caught up in a false reality about reconciling with Bob?

OR, is the Queen of Cups someone born in an astrological water sign—Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces? What is your astrological sign?

Hopefully, this will help you.

Sincerely,

Libby Williams

Bonnie gasped and gulped the last of her wine.

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 9:00am

Well, Libby…it could be you. Bonnie had mentioned your birthday was November 1st. According to what I’ve printed out, YOU ARE A SCORPIO – A WATER SIGN!

Joanne

Bonnie let out a laugh and read the last email.

Subject: RPY Tarot Cards

From: Joanne Browne

Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 10:03am

Dear Joanne,

There isn’t much point in our continuing this line of communication. I am not seeing Bob, and I’ve never met him.

While I have made some observations, I have not confirmed what I suspect to be the truth regarding who Bob may be seeing. That is all I can say about the situation.

I wish you well.

Sincerely,

Libby Williams

Bonnie stared at “I have not confirmed what I suspect to be the truth…”

It was after six o’clock when Bonnie finished reading and re-reading the emails. She paced about the living room, wringing her trembling hands. Joanne could be dense, but she would figure out…

Bonnie’s phone rang. A call from Joanne. She declined the call.

“Ding,” the phone chimed moments later. A text notification.

Joanne Browne 6:27pm

Your birthday is July 3rd. That means you're a Cancer - a water sign. Please tell me it’s not true. (three wailing face emojis).

Bonnie turned off her phone. She didn't want to take or make any calls. Not even to John, who had made it clear he wanted a divorce. He didn’t need tarot to find out about her infidelity.

And she knew Bob wouldn't call either. He was the bastard who told John about their affair after Bob canceled his weekend plans with her.