I've mentioned Marie, the Venice Beach Psychic on this blog before. And God knows I've talked about her numerous times with my friends. I was just remembering something that happened the last (and second) time I saw her. Just before I left, she asked me to give her my telephone number. She said that she didn't have a phone herself at the time but she might get a cell phone in the future and she might give me a call. I found it a bit odd and even a little disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I wanted to give my number to Marie, the somewhat rough-around-the-edges psychic who works on the boardwalk of Venice Beach, CA. She knew that I was moving to Portland, OR, more than a thousand miles away, so I somewhat suspiciously wondered what she had in mind. I cynically thought she most likely wanted to do long-distance consultations and would expect me to mail her checks for payment. But, I thought, I could always decline if she actually did call me, so I gave her my number. Then I left, joining my friend Carolyne, who had been waiting for me on the grass that separates the boardwalk from the beach. We had to walk some distance to the car, nearly a mile, since we had parked on the street instead of in one of the pay lots. As we approached the car, my cell phone began ringing. I didn't recognize the number that showed up on the display. I answered and a woman's voice said that she was a friend of Marie the Psychic at Venice Beach. "Hmmm..." I thought,"Yes?" She said, "I'm calling because you left your jacket at her stand, and she doesn't have a phone, so she couldn't call you herself." "Oh!" I said. "Thank-you. I'll come back now and get it. Thank-you."
Thus, I was able to retrieve my jeans jacket, which I wear more than any I own. If Marie, the Venice Beach Boardwalk Psychic, had not "thought" to ask for my telephone number, my poor jacket might have been forever lost to me. And I might not have been a little more convinced that Marie truly has something going for her. Marie has not called me since that day but if she ever does get a cell phone, I hope she'll give me a ring.
