The Case of the Seven Wonders
"When shadows fall he'll close his eyes to hear the clocks unwind. Powerless to leash the hands of time.
Seven wonders crowed the man, knowing six are gone and how the great illusion lingers on..."
In the Rider-Waite tarot deck, the seven of cups appears thusly:
The castle. The pile of riches. The garland crown. The fiend. The snake. The woman. And the mystery beneath the shroud.
This is a good predicator of the next year. For those of you not in the know, I updated my journal, changing the background, putting new pictures up, and writing what Kirk would call a "blurb" on Year Two in my info. Right now, I'm trying to understand what I can of the seven wonders as they pertain to my circumstances.
The castle is probably The Tower, my apartment which is feeling more like home daily, despite mushrooms in the shower and a tempermental fridge and stove. I don't know what the pile of riches represents. My only thought when I saw the garland was that the name Lauren is derived from the Greek laurus which is the leafy flower that these garlands are supposedly made of. Someone named Lauren in my future? Perhaps one of the Lauren's from my past. The fiend could be any number of people: Rachel, DiChristina, Josh Nolan, hell, it could be the irritating RA from Caflisch, Breena. The snake and the woman could be linked, as they are in the Adamic myth. Maybe not. The woman definitely represents "She" who I can feel getting closer daily.
Last Thursday, Corey took me to get groceries. I spent about double my budget, using two debit cards and cash to pay it off. And I'm waiting for the next paycheck, mostly because I spent most of the last one on two shirts from Banana Republic and black jeans and a shirt from the Gap. I was in a bad mood one night and needed new clothes...badda bing. They all arrived and I loved them.
Dixie let me know that there was a party at the Treehouse on Friday. I'd never been to the Treehouse, though I know Kira and Drew, and felt like partying, although I can't think of a time when I don't feel like partying. I got thoroughly sloshed over the course of the night. I remember bits and pieces, snapshots and sequences that don't make much sense out of context, but seem perfectly natural and logical in memory. Dancing with Kira and Katie to Interpol. Telling a roomful of strangers about Maritza. Playing pong with Dixie. Losing at pong with Dixie. Being the first team in Treehouse history to be "skunked" i.e. not getting a single cup while the other team wins. I met someone's love interest, though I don't have much of a first impression left. Gives him a whole 'nother chance. Finally, I remember walking with a group to Country Fair and getting kielbasa and eating three with a Mountain Dew Livewire. Afterward, I went back to the Tower and collapsed. I didn't even get to my anti-hangover remedies.
Saturday morning I was woken by my alarm, which I didn't even remember setting. My jeans and shirt were still on, though my shoes were on the floor. My hair, having been cut by a bodacious blonde on South Main the day before, was slightly mussed, but with less than two inches, how mussed could it be? I laughed, having had a great night.
I rushed through the morning routines with my head pounding. I drank a water bottle full of aqua before taking two aspirin, running a hand to smooth my hair, hoping for the best and heading off to work. The shift was quiet, which I appreciated. I used the time to work on my new writing project, bored with the rest at present. It's called "Thanatos" and it is going to be an account of my second semester at Allegheny. It'll be the perfect prequel to this fall's Vengeance Unlimited, explaining much of the background and origins.
Sunday morning, after eating a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and orange juice I made for myself, I was working on "Thanatos" and making good progress, when Maritza called. My darling girl. We chatted for awhile, catching up and discussing life at large. She's supposed to call back, but we never get to fully unload and are perpetually going to call one another back. Sometime. It's our arrangement and it suits us. I'm finding that I have curious arrangements with many of my close friends, contact, conduct, exchange, and boundaries are all implicit, tacit commandments that are mutually understood. I guess I finally have a handle on human relations.
Now I'm sitting in black mesh shorts, waiting for someone to call me from Caflisch so I can do my laundry. I'm not trudging four blocks down Baldwin Street only to pay four dollars a load. Nope, one at Allegheny suits me just fine. I just need someone to let me in. During the school year, it'll be a hell of a lot easier, but for now, I have no more clothes - except for my beer-stained jeans (which I don't really remember getting beer spilled on, but it happened). For now, the sun is starting its westerly descent and in the dappled light of this crooked little town, I feel airy and content.