Perfect Love and Perfect Trust

The Tower

The Tower is a tarot card typically depicted with a tower being struck by lightning and being set ablaze. The tower symbolizes a sudden, unforeseen change. It can be positive or negative, or neither.

 "OH MY GOSH, I am so sorry are you okay?" The figure rushed to her and grabbed her shoulders to help pull her up. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"No," Sophia coughed in mild embarrassment, straightening her clothes, "You're good, I'm fine."

"That's good!"

"Uh. Yeah." Sophia glanced at Teddy who was lazily watching the rain, completely uninterested in the happenings of the two young women. She sighed.

"It's been a long time hasn't it, Soph?"

"Wait..." Sophia started in surprise, "I am sorry, may I ask your name?"

"Oh goodness gracious I am so sorry! It's me, Rosa!" Sophia jumped up at that, grabbing the taller woman by the elbows, suddenly seeing the unmistakable resemblance to her old best-friend. She had removed all her piercings other than her Standard Lobe and her Septum piercing. Her hair was natural black and lacked the electric highlights that she used to never go without.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Sophia exclaimed loudly, straining to be heard over the sudden roll of thunder. Before Rosa could respond, the two were bathed in a concentrated light. Headlights.

"So uh..." Rosa glanced into the storm with a grin. "Do you need a ride home?"

Less than ten minutes later, the sky was as dark as midnight, though she knew the sun hid behind the knotted and swirling storm clouds. The air around her rumbled as the engine of the dark blue pickup truck growled with the rain. Teddy shivered in her lap. Her rough fingers massaged the back of his hand to ease the growing unease settling in her belly. As the radio crackled out some old country song through a tragically poor signal, she fought back the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. She glanced around at her surroundings.

There were three other people in the truck. Rosa sat in the front seat, hand in hand with the golden-haired driver, Daniel, scrolling through a recreational article on the internet. There was also a sleeping teenager taking up the two seats in the back unoccupied by Sophia and her dog. He reeked of smoke. His boots were caked in mud. She sat as far away as she could, dreading getting whatever the dark brown substance could be containing on her clothes or skin. No one had spoken a word since the initial introduction.

Standing under the pavilion with Rosa, when the headlights first assaulted her eyes, she had been struck with a terror unexplainable. The fair-skinned maid had eased her nerves for a moment with soft eyes and a welcoming smile, but as soon as the door slammed shut beside her they're-fired like dying embers igniting an inferno. She ran her fingers across Teddy's floppy ears.

"That dog is far too big to be a lapdog." The driver spoke for only the second time that evening. His face was graced with a calming smile. His eyes reached hers in the rear-view mirror. Her green eyes spoke more words than his mouth had. He could see her nerves, she knew. In the tension between her eyebrows and the way her lips were pursed. "What kind of dog is he?"

"He's a mutt, but he's at least half bluetick." She massaged his shoulder affectionately.

"How old is he? He looks ancient!" He said. Rosa chuckled beside him and turned around to look at Sophia in the back seat.

"He is! I remember he was a puppy when we went to LMS."

"He's ten next month. We usually throw him a birthday party, but I don't know if my mom is gonna feel up to it."

"Man, that's amazing. My oldest big dog only lived to almost 9. "Dan said, squinting through the rain pounding the windshield. "Now, my chihuahua is like 13 but we're not counting ankle-biters."

"Hey, let's go see a movie!" Rosa threw out. Daniel enthusiastically agreed, locking eyes once more with Sophia.

"I have to get back home to make dinner for Mom. Plus, I left my dog-sneaking trench coat at home so I doubt we could get Teddy in." She said with a grin, her anxieties gone. Something about the forest green eyes had completely disarmed her. "But maybe we can all go next week."

The conversation had begun to die down, and Sophia reached into her purse and pulled out a napkin and her phone. She pressed send the moment the front tires pulled into her driveway. She said her goodbye's and grabbed Teddy, shutting the door with a soft smile, lingering a moment in the rain.