Chuck and Dick turned the corner onto Randolph Street after crossing State Street, leaned forward, held their topcoats close to their bodies and made slow progress against the gusting winds comming off of Lake Michigan.
        “It’s ferocious tonight!” Chuck yelled.
        They quinted at each other and laughed greetings at other Chicagoans trying to walk against the strong wind gusts.
        “This has been a crazy winter,” Dick yelled.
        “Yeah, right and it’s really cold, isn’t it?” Chuck added.
        Dick didn’t reply as the two young men made their way toward their favorite downtown restaurant. Dick thought about his mother. He knew she was with her close friend, Harriet O’Connor. They worked for Illinois Bell. He wondered if they were working on this night of the blizzard or whether they were at Harriet’s house, sipping toddies, by a warm fire.
        Dick hadn’t talked to his mother in days, only because their paths hadn’t crossed, but his grandmother told him before he left home to go into Chicago to a movie, “Don’t be concerned about your mother. She’s not going to come home tonight. They say it’s really gonna’ snow. Bad, too. She’s staying with Harriet at Harriet’s home. But I wish you and Chuck would reconsider and stay home tonight. They say that a blizzard, a big one, is on the way.
        Dick looked up as Chuck held the outer front open and they stomped inside. The howling wind was left outside and looking around, they saw a nearly empty restaurant.
        The hostess walked up to them and smiled. “Two?”
        “Yep,” Chuck said, as he opened his topcoat and took off his hat. Dick followed Chuck as the hostess led them to a table in the middle of the restaurant.
        “How’s this, gentlemen?” she asked.
        “Great,” Dick said. “Is it OK if we put out coats and hats in these chairs?”
        “Yes, of course,” she said. “Enjoy your meal.”
        They settled in, ordered coffee, before out meal, Chuck ordered lamb chops and I ordered Swedish meat balls. The food of course was excellent and as they ate, discussed the movie, the weather, what was in store for us to do in the next several weeks, I noticed that Chuck would occasionally look at, finger, read and frown over a place card. I couldn’t see the card, so I didn’t know what he read.
        After our meal and the third cup of coffee, I asked him what the card said. “Is it a place card?”
        “Yeah. Strange,” he added.
        “Why strange. Let me see it.”
        I read: Fannette. Let her read your fortune. The word fortune was lined out and the word future was printed above it and not in a neat fashion.
        “What’s strange about this person, this Fannette?” Dick asked.
        “I have a strange feeling, that’s all,” Chuck said. Dick thought Chuck’s manner was not characteristic of him.
        “Are you going to have your fortune told?” Dick asked.
        “Yeah. Are you?”
        “I ah...”
        They looked up. A short woman, with a pale orange scarf, stringy curly hair, sheer fabrics in her blouse, jacket, and skirt stood smiling at them. Dick knew Chuck was fascinated by the woman’s red cheeks and the orange color of her lips. He could hear Chuck say, “I didn’t know lips came in that color.”
        “Good evening young men,” she said. “I’m Fannette. May I sit with you for a while?”
        I smiled and Chuck said to me, “You go first.”
        “How much is it?” I asked.
        “Nominal,” she said. “Whatever you think it’s worth.”
        Before they could assist her she seated herself and took out a deck of cars. They were turned up at the edges and appeared to have been used many times. She lined up the deck and set them down and rubbed her face. She continually smiled. Suddenly the smile disappeared as she pointed to Dick’s hand. He held his hand out to her and she began to speak. Her voice sounded like it was coming from a distance across the Illinois prairies. She didn’t look at Dick, she looked through him and this is what she said:
        “Your mother loves you very much. Very, very much. But now she has a new love in her life. Relatively new friend...”
        Dick nodded. He agreed.
        “So you must understand. She doesn’t love you any less. But this is a man she’s waited for along time, after some disappointments, I might add...”
        Dick frowned. He thought about his real father and the divorce of his mother from his step-father. “I guess,” he said. Fannette held his hand firmly.
        “You mother is a long distance from you now. There is trouble. There is heartache. There is death...”
        Dick thought Fannette was wrong. Chuck said, “Aren’t you being a little dramatic?”
        Fannette inhaled deeply. She touched the back of her hand to her head. A tear rolled slowly down her cheek.
        Chuck glanced at Dick. Dick knew what was on Chuck’s mind. He could hear Chuck’s word, “I’ll bet she’s been drinking. Who would blame her on a night like this?”
        Fannette jerked her head and glared at Chuck. “No!” she said, raising her voice. “Not at all.”
        Chuck blushed and rolled his eyes.
        “I think what you don’t understand, ma’am,” Dick started to say, “is that I know my mother is not a great distance from here. She’s in Chicago, maybe ten blocks from where we sit right now...”
        “No!” Fannette said. She gripped his hand tighter. “You must pray for your mother. She needs your strength. It is terrible. How do I make you understand?”
        “Just cut out the nonsense, lady,” Chuck said.
        Fannette let go of Dick’s hand. She stood. “I can’t work here longer.” She picked up her cards, stowed them in a vest pocket and bowed her head. “May calm winds be with you this night,” she said, turned and walked toward the front of the restaurant. Chuck and Dick looked at each other: surprised. When they looked up toward the front of the restaurant, Fannette was gone.
        “What a bunch of baloney,” Chuck said. “Your mother’s at her friends house, right?”
        “Yeah,” Dick said. He looked down at Fannette’s place card. He glanced around the restaurant. It was easy to see that there were cards on nearly all the tables.
        “She didn’t even wait to be paid,” Chuck said, “but after that performance I wouldn’t wait either. Too much of the schnockers, maybe.”
        “Do you think she’d been drinking?” Dick asked.
        “Don’t you?”
        “No.” Dick coughed and put Fannette’s place card in his overcoat pocket. “Something was troubling that lady, but I don’t know what.”

        They left a tip for their waitress, put on their topcoats and hats and walked toward the front desk. The hostess smiled and rang up their checks. Dick looked outside at the swirling snow. Chuck grimaced as the howling winds got louder.
        “Nasty night,” Dick said to the hostess.
        “Typically Chicago. Well, a typical Chicago winter,” she said handing him his change. “Bundle up good.”
        They walked through the first set of double doors and outside past the second set of doors. Only occasionally, did they see a person walking in the Chicago night.
        “Let’s hurry and get to the train,” Chuck said
        “Chuck,” Dick shouted. “Listen!”
        “Listen, to what?”
        “There is no sound. Where did the wind go? It’s not snowing. Where’s the snow?”
         Chuck frowned and moved closer to Dick. “You’re right. Just a few moments ago, inside the restaurant, the wind howled and the snow came down in sheets.” He grabbed Dick’s arm. “Let’s get to the train station. Let’s get out of here.”

        The friends hardly spoke on the train on the way to the suburbs. Chuck dozed and Dick’s thought were mostly of Fannette and the different and unpredictable Chicago weather. As the train rolled south and crossed busy Chicago streets, it was plain to see, a blizzard was in progress, outside, and yet, Dick thought, from the restaurant to the train station, there was no wind, no snow and it was a quiet night. He shook his head.
        The conductor announced their station. Dick nudged Chuck and they made their way forward to an exit as the train slowed to a stop.
        “Looks like it’s snowing hard again,” Chuck said. “I wish it would make up its mind. Snow or not snow. Howl or not howl.”
        His words were meant to make Dick laugh, cheer him up. Chuck knew that Fannette’s words had bother his friend.
        They stepped out on to the train station platform and into a calm night. They looked around and the conductor was back inside the train. Only the two friends got off the train.
        Chuck looked at Dick and screwed up his mouth. “Who know?” he said. “I”m beginning not to care too.” He laughed but Dick didn’t as the two walked to the end of the wood plank platform, down the stairs and up the steep hill toward home.
        The night was silent again and it had stopped snowing. It was apparent that much snow had fallen from the time they left until they returned. “A lot of snow here tonight,” Dick said. Chuck agreed.
        Soon they were at Chuck’s home. “You want to stay over with me, tonight?” Chuck asked. “I know it’s only a couple of blocks until you’re home, but...”
        “No, not tonight,” Dick said. “But, thanks.”
        “I understand,” Chuck said.
        They parted and before many thoughts crossed his mind, Dick bounded up the front stairs of this home. He unlocked the front door, entered, shut it behind him and smelled coffee. This late at night, he thought.
        He walked into the dining room. His grandmother sipped coffee and looked up at him. “I wish I had known how to get a hold of you,” she said, setting her cup on down on the table.
        “Why, Gram?” Dick said, taking off his overcoat.
        “Your mother’s in Washington, D.C. She’s at some big hospital. I forget the name. She said she would call back later...”
        “What?” Dick screamed. He undid his tie and rubbed his neck. “When did all this happen?”
        “About an hour or so ago,” Gram said.
        She continued talking and explaining while Dick’s thoughts were of Fannette. “Your mother said she and Harriet had flown to D.C., that the Government had found Jimmy, you know, he’s Harriet’s cousin...”
        “Yes, Gram, I know that.”
        “Well, nobody, Harriet or your mother knew where Jimmy was. They hadn’t heard from him in a long time and they were worried. Harriet hinted that Jimmy had something very important to say to your mother. I think he wanted to marry your mom.”
        “Hm,” Dick said. “Where was he?”
        “Well, your mom said that she and Harriet were told that Jimmy was on a special secret mission of some sort but I think she said they found his plane in a jungle somewhere. Does Burma sound right?”
        There are jungles in Burma,” Dick said. Dear Fannette, he thought.
        “Well what’s going to happen now?”
        “She’ll call us when she can call,” Gram said. “She asked about you.”
        “She did?”
        “I think she was crying.”

        After Dick learned about his mother, his mother’s friend, an Air Force Major and a pilot, and the misfortune about the secret mission, he called Chuck. He told Chuck he was sorry to be calling at a late hour and then related the story concerning his mother.         “I don’t believe it, Dick. Do you?”
        “Isn’t it something else?” Tears came to Dick’s eyes. “I don’t get it.”
        “Well, you know what?” Chuck said in a loud voice.
        “What?” Dick said.
        “We gotta have Fannette tell my fortune the next time we eat at that restaurant. Maybe she can perk up my life and give it some excitement.” He laughed.
        
        Spring had come into Chicago like a lamb. The weather was balmy as Chuck and Dick walked into their favorite restaurant on Randolph Street. The hostess, a different lady than the last hostess, motioned for them to follow her. They walked to the center of the restaurant. “How’s this?” she asked.
        “Fine, thank you,” Dick said.
        They sat down and opened their jackets. Dick peered around the center bouquet of spring flowers and asked, “Do you see Fannette’s card?”
        “There’s no card on the table,” Chuck replied.
        Dick and Chuck looked around the restaurant. “No cards on those tables either,” Dick said.
        “I don’t get it. Where’s Fannette?” Chuck whined. He looked up at the waitress. “Where’s Fannette?” he asked.
        “Who?” the waitress said and smiled. She poised with her pencil over her order pad.
        “The fortune teller. Her name is Fannette,” Dick said. “She told my fortune the last time we were here.”
        “When was that?” the waitress asked.
        “Last winter,” Chuck said. “About four months ago.”
        “Well, I’ve worked here for over five years and I don’t believe they have ever had anyone telling fortunes in this restaurant. And, I’ve never heard of a person called, Fannette.” Chuck became impatient.
        “Do you want to order now?” she asked.
        “I would like to speak to the manager or the hostess.”
        “Sure,” the waitress said and walked toward the front of the restaurant.

        The hostess confirmed that nobody by the name of Fannette had ever worked the restaurant and that was a great disappointment, but when Dick got home, once again, on the very same day, he and Chuck went into Chicago to a movie and lunch at their favorite restaurant, his mother and Jimmy’s cousin, got a call to come to Washington, D.C., again.
        Gram had heard from Dick’s mother. Jimmy had passed away.