A quarter went in, a fortune came out. Inside the glass box, the soothsayer dummy gestured over a plastic crystal ball and leaned forward, as if to peer into her soul. A card clicked into the slot. It said

YOU HAVE ALREADY FOUND TRUE LOVE

It made her smile, and she kept the card in her pocket. She dated, and she loved, but none of it was true. Returning to the arcade, a quarter went in, a fortune came out. It read

LOVE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

She looked inward. She saw Joseph every day but hadn't thought of him that way. Maybe Vernon in HR? So she went out with them, but nothing clicked.

A quarter went in, a fortune came out.

YOUR PRESENCE GIVES HIM LIFE

She stopped dating and started watching. Who changed when she was around? Who became more animated, more himself? No one stood out. She went several months without dating before an outing brought her back to the arcade. A quarter went in. A fortune came out.

I MISS YOU

She looked at the soothsayer dummy, peering up at her. Were those tears in its eyes?

She never returned to the arcade.