Elaine allowed her eyes to follow the two lines of candles which formed a pathway along the floor. They curved over to the left and stopped at the table in the far corner. She smiled to herself as she remembered the sign on the door:

As she approached the little circular table, Elaine became more aware that the man she was approaching looked nothing like a Rolando. The overweight gentleman sat back in his chair and dabbed his balding head with a handkerchief. If he were to stand, Elaine guessed that he would be no taller than five feet. She imagined his legs dangling from the edge of the chair and smiled again.

"I know what you're thinking, but lets face it, the great Steve is never going to be a seller is it?" Elaine laughed and shook his waiting hand. Steve gestured for her to take a seat. The scent of peach from the candles was warming and Elaine felt a little more at ease. Steve awkwardly adjusted himself in his seat and leaned toward her.

"I can certainly feel strong energies coming from you, are you an anxious person?" Elaine sighed and shook her head.

"Look, I'm really sorry but I don't believe in all of this..."

"This what?"

"You know psychics and all that." She offered the man a sympathetic smile. "I'm here on a weekend away with my friend for my thirtieth birthday, and... well she asked me if I would do it. I suppose I didn't want to upset her."

Steve shrugged indifference. "Ok, but you could at least give me a chance right? I have plenty of satisfied customers." He winked and held his hands out. Having already paid, Elaine gave him the nod to continue.

Steve asked her to produce an item about her person that was significant in some way. The best she could do was the key ring that was bought for her when her daughter was born. It was simply a large pink letter B. Steve cupped both hands around the key ring and held them to his forehead. Elaine could tell from his knuckles that he was gripping it tight. As his concentration deepened, he screwed his face up to the point that he looked to be in pain.

"Brace yourself Elaine." He said without moving. She nodded and smiled at the scene unfolding in front of her. Steve seemed to be a nice enough man. This was the only thing that stopped her from laughing.

She was feeling perfectly calm right up until the point she realised that she had never given him her name.

"Right, you are a nurse and have an addiction to caffeine. You have a daughter that is younger than two and, despite not wearing the ring, you are married."

Elaine's mouth had fallen open and she sat in silence. Everything Steve had just said was spot on. "Don't say anything," He snapped "There's more. You have been married for four or five years but have been with your husband for much longer than that. I think its maybe ten years, am I right?" Steve finally opened his eyes to see Elaine nodding, her eyes made her look like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"How did you do that?" She asked after several deep breaths. Hearing this seemed to calm him.

"Are you still a sceptic?" He asked with the warm smile returning to his face. "Place your hands on the table and I could probably tell you some more. The hands give off amazing amounts of energy you know." Elaine was unsure if she wanted to continue. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest and was feeling short of breath. A small part of wanted to jump up from the chair and run out without looking back. This was, however, only a small part of her.  

She placed her hands on the table with her thumbs touching. She had seen people place their hands this way for séances and the like.  Steve held his own stumpy hands about an inch above hers, explaining that he could pick up energy this way. Slowly he lowered his hands and gently gripped Elaine's. In much the same manner as before, he closed his eyes tightly. The grip on her hands was not strong enough to stop them from shaking. Previously, the look on the psychic's face had been comical, now it was terrifying her.

"You are definitely an anxious person." He said with a grin. Elaine let out a nervous cackle, which undoubtedly confirmed her anxiety. Steve hadn't opened his eyes and continued. "As a teenager you suffered from depression because you were bullied at school. It was never physical though, no... it was name calling. Does Snotty mean anything to you?"

"My god, that's what they used to call me. My maiden name is Bogey." Steve wasn't smiling anymore, his concentration was deeper than ever.

"Rod Stewart, something's linking you to him, or one of his songs." With this, Elaine couldn't continue. She pulled her hands away and stood quickly, sending the chair flying into some of the candles behind her.

"What the hell is going on here? How are you doing this?"

"Please Elaine, sit down."

"And how the fuck did you know my name?" She screamed. "I never even told you."

"I'm psychic love; you saw it on the door." He pointed a chubby finger back towards the exit. "I'm not doing this stuff to rip people off, believe me. I like to think I help people in some way." He produced his handkerchief from the breast pocket of his shirt and wiped his damp forehead. "Please sit down again and I'll see if I can help you" 

There was a long moment of silence while Elaine considered her options. She knew in her heart that if she wanted to leave, she would have done it already. "No more shocks now," he added. "I promise."

Elaine picked up the chair and noticed that three of the candles were no longer flickering in line with the others. Slowly, she returned to the table and set her hands down as before. This time, she was the one with her eyes closed.

"We are looking at the future now, and I think it's going to be a bright one for you. I get the feeling you are interested in travelling and I can see you in South America in the near future. Yes, definitely South America. I'm drawn towards Chile."

"I've always wanted to go to Chile." She whispered.

"Good, you will enjoy it. Also your finances will be healthy, but then again they always have been. The other feeling I am getting is really strong, hold on." He lowered his forehead onto his hands, and Elaine could see beads of sweat transferring on to his fingers.

"What is it?" Elaine asked. For a moment, Steve didn't answer. His infrequent breathing suggested that he was struggling to summon the answer.

"There is something in your future that you are concerned about. Something's bothering you. It's quite cloudy, and this tells me that you are really unsure. I get the feeling you have a big decision to make. I feel that it's a decision regarding where your family are going to be in the future." With this, Steve released his grip. "I hope this has helped you Elaine," He said "Now I really must have a cigarette."

Elaine thanked The Great Rolando for his time and said her goodbyes. Her pulse was still racing and she felt almost drunk. More than ever, she felt the need for a coffee. As she left, he lit a cigarette and gave his final piece of advice.

"Don't forget to lay off the caffeine love; it's really not good for you."

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

On Monday morning, Elaine awoke late and felt drowsy. The sun crept in through the small gap in the curtains. A quick glance at the alarm clock told her it was ten o'clock. She dressed quickly and went downstairs to see her husband sat on the sofa with their eighteen month old daughter Bethany. A children's cartoon played on the television, but Wayne was the only one watching it. Bethany was fast asleep.

"Good morning sweetheart." He said quietly as he rose from his seat. As he walked over, they both started to speak at the same time. Ever the gentleman, Wayne allowed his wife to go first. At this moment, Elaine felt under prepared and still a little tired. She knew, however, that it was now or never.

"I don't know how to say this Wayne," She said as she dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"Say what babe?" He asked. The colour faded from his face and the concern was evident.

"I'm going to stay with my Mother for a while. I think I need..."

"Why? Elaine, what's going on? What are you trying to-"

"I want a divorce Wayne, that's what I'm trying to say." She had said it a little loud and Bethany stirred in her seat. Fortunately, she didn't wake. Elaine really didn't want her to see this. "I need some time to clear my head. I will explain more when I have had a couple of days with Mum." Wayne didn't answer. His head was down and he was staring to the laminate floor below. Elaine could think of nothing further to say, so she turned and walked away. Before closing the door to their home, she took another look back at her husband. He was still staring at the floor.

It took quite a few minutes for Wayne to finally move. The shock of his wife's words had frozen him solid. Feeling dizzy, he decided to rejoin Bethany on the sofa. She was still asleep, no doubt dreaming about wonderful things. She had no idea of what lied ahead.

The cartoon, which Wayne could not name, continued to play on the television as he picked up the phone on the coffee table beside him. As he listened and waited for an answer, he reached into the back pocket and pulled out the very thing he was about to talk to his wife about.

After at least ten rings, the phone was finally answered.  As he spoke, Wayne was staring down at the three flight tickets to Chile, which he had purchased the day before.

"Steve it's me. Look, I don't know what it is you said to her, but things have not turned out as planned."