Chapter Six: Take Your Shot
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Teana sat down at an empty seat on the table, putting a pile of wooden chips on the table and starting to stack them.
"Are you serious?" One of the men pointed at Teana. "Is this a joke? Come on man."
"My club, my decision," Akhekh said gruffly. "You don't like it, you can get out."
The man glared at Teana for a moment, but then turned his attention back towards the dealer opposite him on the table.
No limit is the crown jewel of cards. People who play no limit are either so rich they don't care about losing thousands of debens, or are certified experts. Some experts won't even play it because they can't handle the swings. Others tell you that no limit is the only real way to play. To put it simply, in no limit, you're always only one hand from taking control of the game.
In other games, you can only have two raises per wager round, and there are only two levels of wager you can make. In no limit, you can raise as many times as you want per round, and wagers can be as little or as big as you want. If you want to, you can raise every single deben you have in front of you. Fortunes can be won or lost in a single hand.
"Alright, pre-bets," Akhekh demanded as the dealer shuffled. Everyone threw their chips in as the dealer dealt out cards.
Teana took in a deep breath, then peeked at what she was holding. Pyramid Queen and Ankh Peasant.
"I'll pass," Teana said quietly.
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Teana pursed her lips, staring at the center of the table. "Alright, I'm gonna have to wager here. Three grand."
She grabbed three stacks of chips and slid them into the center, then turning to glare at Akhekh. He considered the four cards out on the table, then looked down at his chip stack.
He looked over to the side, Teana not dropping her gaze. Finally, he waved his hand towards her. "I'm out."
She immediately lunged forward and grabbed the chips in the pot, pulling them in front of her.
"Okay, w-what the hell is going on here?" one of the other players asked, pointing at Teana. "What is this?"
"What's the problem?" Akhekh asked in a deadpanned, stroking his beard as Teana finished stacking her chips.
"She's up seven grand!" he exclaimed. "Come on Akhekh, who is this girl? What's your relationship with her?"
"I don't know her," Akhekh said slowly. "She is a card player, and that is all."
"Seven and a half grand," Teana corrected, steepling her hands in front of her.
I didn't have a thing just now. Nothing. I just took Akhekh out holding rags. If there was any further proof needed that I belong at this table, that was it. I'm up from fifteen to twenty-two and a half, and hold the second biggest stack at the table behind Akhekh's thirty. And the night's still young.
"This ain't right," the man mumbled. The man to Teana's left passed her the deck of cards. She took it as everyone else put in pre-bets. She made a pre-bet of her own, shuffled, then dished out cards to everyone in turn.
The table passed the action around the table until it got to Teana. Finally, she peaked at her cards. Was God, Was Vizier.
"I'm gonna go in five hundred," Teana said, grabbing one of her stacks and placing half of it in the center.
"Okay. I'll match that," the man to her right decided, making his own chip contribution.
The table went around, three dropping out, leaving three in the hand, including Akhekh. Teana burned one card to the side, then set out the top three from the deck.
Djed God, Pyramid General, Djed Vizier. Only years of practice allowed Teana to conceal her emotions and present nothing to the rest of the players but a stony look. Things checked around to her.
This is the kind of hand you can spend all day searching for. Two groups of two, Gods and Viziers. Akhekh and this other guy apparently liked their initial two cards enough to hang around, so now I have to pick a guy to go after.
This guy, I don't even know his name, I could set a trap for him. Bet another five hundred, force him to stick around, get him slightly more committed to the hand so when I raise even more later he's compelled to stay.
But I want to go after Akhekh. And he's too smart for a trap. If I bet five hundred here, he'll bail out before committing to the hand. No, Akhekh is better than that. I have to bet big here. Make him think I've got nothing and I'm trying to bully people out. I'll mirror my move from the last hand, make him think I'm just being a bully on every hand.
"Three grand," Teana said, pushing three full stacks to the middle. "That's the wager."
"Forget it," the other man said, throwing his cards over to Teana. "I'm out."
Akhekh peered hard at Teana, then down at the cards on the table. He put his elbow on the table, then propped his chin on it and looked to the side.
"Match," Akhekh finally said shortly, pushing three piles of chips to the middle to go with Teana's.
Akhekh's a smart player. He'd never match that bet unless he was holding something good. If I had to take a guess, I'd say he's holding two Djeds, which gives him a fifty percent chance of making a type-match that would beat my two groups of two.
Teana burned a card, then set out the fourth in the center of the table. Was Vizier. Akhekh chewed on his thumb for a few seconds, sizing the hand up. "Pass."
The deck likes me this hand. That was the money card. A couple years ago, my mouth would have twitched or my eyes would have flashed and Akhekh would have jumped out of the hand in a second. But I think I got him. I've got a trio with a pair, three viziers and two gods, which would beat his type-match. But I want him to stick around, so...
"I'll pass too," Teana said quickly, setting a card face down to the side, then placing a fifth down. Djed Peasant.
It's almost like I'm playing with Ramses and he's yanking the deck. Akhekh has his type-set now, so he's going to fall right into a trap that I don't even have to set.
Akhekh coughed into his fist a couple times, then sighed. "Okay. I wager." He looked down at his sizable stack of chips, putting his fingers on them. "Ten grand."
Teana gave a small look of shock, then held her palm out towards Akhekh as he pushed his chips to the middle. "Alright. Alright, timeout. One second here." She bit her tongue, propping her head up on her fist, looking at the table.
I want him to think this is a tough decision for me. Maybe get him to think I'm holding a trio, or two pairs of two, something that his type-match will beat. But in reality, I'm about to push my stack up to close to fifty thousand.
"Alright, alright. Well." Teana glanced down, looking her chips over. "Well. Looks like I have...nineteen thousand here. Yup, nineteen thousand. Alright, I'm gonna go all-in here." She roughly pushed all of her chips to the middle. "So, that's a match and a re-raise of nine thousand. Yup, I'm going all-in. I don't think you're holding what it takes."
"Nine thousand." Akhekh repeated, looking hard at the massive pot of chips. "Nine thousand. Well. Let me guess. Viziers full of Gods?"
Teana's face faltered, flickering, chin dropping slightly as her mouth opened slightly.
"Very nice. But..." he started pushing chips in, grabbing his thousand-deben chips and throwing them into the middle. Teana felt her stomach start to twist up in a knot.
In that moment, before he shows what he's holding, I know. I know what he has. And I know I'm toast.
"Trust me, girl, it's better this way," Akhekh said, grabbing his two cards after his chips were in the center and flipping them over. Pyramid God. Ankh God. "Gods full of Viziers."
Teana felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured down her throat. Her mouth fell open as Akhekh started pulling the chips towards his pile. She propped her hands up on the edge of the table, staring down in disbelief at the pile of nothing in front of her.
"Pass the deck on. Get out of here," Akhekh instructed. Teana did nothing, just sitting there, as if she was expecting chips to will themselves out of nowhere in front of her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was still partially open in complete shock.
"I said, beat it." Akhekh pointed to the door behind him. Numbly, Teana got to her feet and shuffled towards the door stiffly. "Hey, don't look so down," he said, as the other men around the table started to laugh. "Here. Go upstairs and have a drink on me." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small handful of tiny deben coins, and flung them at her. They hit her chest and fell to the floor.
She looked down at them for a second, then bent down to pick them up, ignoring the men laughing even harder.
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The sun was just peering up over the horizon. Teana almost reached up to knock on her front door before remembering that it was her hut, and simply pushed the door open.
"The Future Princess of Egypt, return to her humble abode!"
Ramses was sitting on the central chair in the main room, reclined on the cushioned chair. Akiiki and Kafele were standing in the far corner, eyes on her walking in with slumped shoulders and her head down.
"These guys told me all about your master plan, and I have to say, it is inspired!" Ramses jumped up, ran ahead, and slapped her on the shoulder. "Taking on Akhekh himself, inspired! No other words for such a complicated and bold vision! I just couldn't let you return without a welcoming party after going and doing something like that. How about I buy you dinner in the nice part of town today or tomorrow to celebrate your...shall we say, inaugural visit to the big table?"
Teana mutely shuffled past him, walking into the kitchen. Akiiki and Kafele exchanged worried glances. Ramses, however, remained oblivious.
"Tired? Yeah, a full night of cards can do that to you. At least say something though, come on!" Ramses followed her into the food area, hands out in front of him. He came in in time to see Teana kick her sandals off in the corner of the room.
"Well?" He asked.
"I...I uh, I lost." Teana turned around to face him, then went over to the countertop to the left to grab a slice of bread. "I lost."
"Oh. Well, it happens, but you can still get into some fantastic action with five thousand!" Ramses smacked her on the back again. Teana didn't even smack him back. "Rough luck, shake it off, we'll be back on it tomorrow!"
"No, no, Ramses," she said hoarsely. "I lost all of it. Fifteen thousand, not ten. It's...I lost all of it."
Ramses froze in mid-sentence, blinking. "Well. That's, uh...y'know, it's a setback." He chuckled dryly. "Uh, shoot, I...well, that's a...problem. But, you know what, I think...well, let's-"
Teana brushed past him and walked back through the main room, not stopping on her way to her sleeping quarters, closing the door behind her.
"Did she just said she lost everything?" Kafele whispered.
"Yes, she did." Akiiki said hoarsely. "Yes, she did. We are so screwed."
"Oh, Ra," Kafele moaned. "We are neck deep in manure. Holy Ra."
Both made a move for the bedroom door, but Ramses sprung out of the food area and jumped in front of them, hands out.
"No! No, the last thing she needs right now is you two and your negativity." Ramses waved them off. "I got this."
"Negativity is appropriate right now, you stupid ass!" Kafele hissed through gritted teeth. "Did you not hear her? She just lost fifteen thousand gold debens! This is bad! Real bad!"
"Everything is fine! Both of you need to keep your opinions to yourself right now, she doesn't need them. What she needs is someone to pick her back up. Like me. So both of you, keep your mouths shut, and let me deal with this. She's in a bad state right now, and what we do now will have a drastic impact on how she is after this is over."
He cleared his throat, spun around, and marched into the bedroom. Teana was seated on the edge of the bed, head bowed, hands in her lap. As soon as the door opened, she raised her hands up to wipe off her face, then looked up at Ramses walking in.
"Hey, uh, bad beat. Sorry, bad luck, what else can I say?" Ramses sat down next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "They happen to the best of us, but they come and go real quick. I'll loan you five hundred, find a good game for you tomorrow, and you'll be right back up to...two thousand, and then things start chaining, and before you know it-"
"No thank you," she said quietly, still looking down at her feet. "I'll pass."
"No, Teana I...you know what, what am I saying, forget the loan. I'll give you five hundred. You can reload and restart. That's how you do it!" Ramses patted her on the back.
"It's okay. I don't want to waste someone else's gold," Teana replied.
Ramses sighed. "Teana. I understand that a bad beat can rattle someone's confidence. But don't talk like that. You're one of the best card players in Egypt. You'll turn my five hundred into five thousand in no time, like you always have!"
"I don't need your five hundred," Teana said, a little louder this time. She stood up. "I'd just throw it away. It's fine."
"O-oh, of course. You have a plan. I mean, of course you have a plan. Alright, what's up?" Ramses crossed one leg over the other as Teana turned to face her bed, then went down on her knees and pulled at a small rip in the cushion. She reached her hand into the hole, and pulled it out, clutching a decent sized sack.
"Oh, but of course!" Ramses jumped up. "Of course you'd have a safety net, just in case. Because that's just how smart you are!" He lunged forward and snatched the sack from her hand, holding it up. "That feels like...five hundred, excellent! Always planning ahead."
"Things are gonna change," Teana said, an emotionless deadpan. "I wandered around town most of the night, thinking, but I know what I'm gonna do now." She waved her hands at the three young men in her room. "Don't worry, you guys aren't involved, I'm not gonna get you guys in trouble. This one's me. I've already done a lot of damage to you two-" she pointed at Akiiki and Kafele, "-so I just need to cut my losses now."
"So what's the plan?" Ramses asked energetically.
"I'm done. It's done. Cards, I'm retired. No more, I'm done playing cards." Teana waved her hands around. "Cards, I'm retiring. That's my plan. It's real simple. No more cards."
"W-what, Teana. You need a nap," Ramses said, patting the bed. "You need to get some sleep, you're talking crazy. Five hundred is more than enough to get you started, and...hell, you know what? My offer stands. I'll give you five hundred debens. You can have a thousand. A few moon cycles, it'll be like this never happened."
"Ramses, no, I don't want your gold. I don't need it. I already know what's gonna happen." Teana nodded her head. "I know what I'm going to do. And it doesn't involve you guys."
"Teana. I swear to Ra I'm not just saying this, you are the best card player I know. And I know card players." Ramses patted the back of her neck.
Teana shoved his arm away, taking her gold back in the process. "Oh yeah? Well, I lost twenty two and a half thousand debens yesterday. In one hand. Twenty two and a half grand, everything I had, gone in a single hand. So if I'm the best card player you know, then you don't know card players, because after what happened last night, I can not call myself good. Good players don't let that happen. Ever. So, these last few years, who knows what can account for all that, but I'm not a good card player."
"Oh...Teana-"
"So, I'm done. I'm moving on from cards. This five hundred is all I have left, and it's going to protect me going forward." She sighed. "I'm gonna find another way to make it work. I'm gonna...start fishing or sewing or maybe get hired as help in a restaurant."
"A working stiff? That's your big plan?" Ramses said, nostrils flaring. "C'mon, Teana, that's a waste of your talents. Besides, that stuff is a death trap, you know that. Those stories always end the same way."
"That's right." Teana set the sack down on the bed. "Fortunately, it's not going to come to that. I'll make as much gold as I can doing whatever task I can find. Whatever it is, I'll do it. I get the same shake of life that every other person in the ten sections gets."
"Teana, you pay taxes, rent, food...no, you know better than me that you never make enough doing crap like that to make ends meet! Maybe for awhile, but you see it all around you. Everybody falls into the red, and everybody gets scooped. You know that!" Ramses scowled.
"I have five hundred debens as a safety net. Whatever I'm short on, it comes out of the five hundred." Teana patted the sack next to her.
Ramses scoffed. "That'll last...three moon cycles. Sustainable model you got there. Great plan."
"Three moon cycles sounds about right." Teana nodded. "So, the way I see things, I have three moon cycles to get married."
The room fell completely silent, all three men staring at Teana. She glumly looked down at the floor.
"I'll start spending nights at the bar, public places...girl like me should have no problem meeting men. I'll go through some options and make a choice before I run out of gold. With any luck...he'll be in the army. I can get out of the sections, live a moderate life without fear of getting scooped or going hungry. Egypt takes care of it's armed forces. If not, you know, whatever I can find. Fisherman, blacksmith, farmer. Hell, maybe I'll really get lucky and end up with a merchant. But if not, well, the additional income gives me a fighting chance."
"That's your master plan?' Ramses asked rhetorically. "Bend over and take it from our male-dominated society?"
"Yup." Teana nodded wistfully. "Whatever I can learn over the next couple moon cycles, I'll learn, scrape together a living as long as I can, then...tie the knot with the best I can find."
Ramses pulled himself closer to Teana. "Teana, you don't get it."
"No, Ramses, you don't get it!" Teana spat, standing up. "I lost twenty two and a half thousand debens in a single hand today! People don't do that, Ramses! They don't do that unless they don't belong! I don't belong, it's that simple! This is the only thing I can do. There's no choice to make." She turned to Kafele and Akiiki. "Guys, I'm really sorry. Our partnership is over, and before you say anything, I accept that it's one hundred percent my fault. It's all on me. Every bit of it. You guys, go on, do your own thing and live your life. You guys will be fine, I'm sure of it."
Both just stood there, afraid to open their mouths. Ramses did not hold any such reservation.
"Here's another one hundred percent for you, Teana," he hissed. "One hundred percent chance the guy you marry, be he a merchant or a soldier or a farmer or whatever, I'll tell you one thing, he's gonna be a douche." He nodded. "A douche. As far as he's concerned, he's doing you a service by marrying you, and he will never let you forget that! He's going to view you as a servant! A means to accomplish his goals in life! Someone to clean the house, cook him food, raise his kids...you don't want that! You have never wanted that!"
"It's not about what I want, Ramses," Teana replied coldly. "It's about what I can do. And this is the only thing I can do."
"So that's it then?" Ramses asked rhetorically. "You're gonna resign yourself to a life of cooking and cleaning and raising kids and following orders from a guy? Teana, you put one toe out of line for the rest of your life, this guy cuts it off! Put another toe out, he kicks you out on the street!"
"Sucks to be me," Teana said dryly. "You know, Ramses, I know it's bad. It's real bad, I don't need you reminding me of it."
"And what about your extended family?" Ramses asked, voice biting, pointing out the door. "Section six? What about them, huh?"
Teana hesitated for a moment, mouth twitching. "I've done everything I can for them. I don't feel great about it, but...they'll get the same chance as everyone else in the sections from here on out."
"Well, that's just awesome!" Ramses walked towards the door, hands up in the air. "All these people, nearly a hundred Egyptian peasants, you're walking out on them! That's your big plan! Lemme tell you, this one really needs some work. It's got nothing on your last one, that's for sure!"
"Ramses, shut up," Akiiki grumbled meekly.
"If you're so worried about them, then maybe you can help them!" Teana spat.
"I got plans for my gold, plans that have nothing to do with this place," Ramses sneered, grabbing the door on his way out. "You have a choice. Whether you realize it or not. You know damn well you're a day of cards away from being back up to four or five thousand, and for some reason, you're ignoring that! You're the most gifted card player in the city, and you're throwing that away!"
"That's not an option!" Teana roared. "I took my shot, and I failed! I got one shot, I took it, and it didn't work out, so it's done! I can't afford to lose anymore! And you can't lose what you don't put in the middle! So I'm done putting things in the middle! Maybe this plan isn't going to put me in a great position, but it'll keep me alive!"
"You lost to a professional! Your first loss in years, and suddenly the sky is falling! There's a million debens floating around in the city just waiting to be snatched by any competent card player, and you're choosing voluntary slavery for some random guy. Why is that? Answer me that."
Teana bit her lower lip and her face went red with anger. She just barely managed to choke out her words. "Because...it's a man's game."
Again, dead silence in the room.
"Yeah, I said it. It's a man's game. I don't like it, but me liking it has nothing to do with it. It's the truth. Yesterday proved it. Maybe I can fake it a little bit, put together some runs, but ultimately...I don't belong at the table. It's a man's game." She sighed. "I need to go play the woman's game now. And...well, society tells me that's cooking food and cleaning the house and raising kids. So be it."
Ramses shook his head in disgust. "Unbelievable." He slammed the door shut behind him.
Teana fell back onto the bed, exhaling.
"Hey, Teana, I'm sorry about him, he's...well, you know, he's a nut." Akiiki walked up over to Teana, sitting down by her side. "Hey, I'm real sorry about yesterday night. It's...it happens, bad beats happen."
"I had top two sets after the first three," Teana said, voice oddly detached. "Fourth street got me Noblemen full of Gods. I had to play it."
"You gotta make a big play on a hand like that," Kafele agreed, slowly walking over to the two and sitting next on the other side of Teana. "I'm real sorry too."
"I thought he was hunting for a type-match and nailed it on fifth street. I thought I had him." Teana sniffled a little. "Then he turned over those damned Gods and...just like that, it was all gone."
"Hey, we're gonna be okay. You do whatever you have to do to stay alive, Teana. Don't worry about us, we'll be okay, you handle your business. This decision you've made, whatever you have to do to make it work, we're behind you. If you need anything, anything at all, you come to us." Kafele patted her head. "It's a rough beat, nothing else you can say."
"Anything you need, come to us. Seriously, don't even hesitate, we're here for you." Akiiki patted her thigh.
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With a heavy heart, Teana entered the basement of section six, opening the door to reveal the face of a bunch of kids between the ages of five and nineteen. Her extended family, the people she cared about and cared for. She forced a bad smile as she walked in, then held her hands up.
"Hey, everyone! Everyone, uh, listen up." She took in a deep breath. "It's done. I'm sorry, everyone, I'm being completely serious here, spread the word to everyone in section six. I never wanted this to happen, but it's over. I can't support you guys any more, I can't give you guys any more debens, that time is over."
Instantly, the room felt completely silent, the two dozen children hanging onto her every word.
"Something's happened, and...everything changes now. I have to move on, we all have to move on. You guys, you're all on your own now. Go out into the world, work hard, and try to keep your head above water. Stay in the black. That's all I can say. But, it can't be me anymore. You can't depend on me anymore. That time is over. I'm sorry, I never wanted this, but that's the situation we're in. Just, whatever you do, try not to get scooped."
Everyone started looking at one another, as if to confirm that they were hearing properly.
"This isn't a joke, this isn't a test, this is real. I made a mistake, and we're all in a bad spot. Including me. Whatever you have to do to stay alive, do it, but it can't involve me."
"It's okay, Teana," one of the kids said, stepping forward. Ana. "We still love you."
"Thanks." Teana said, nodding and smiling appreciatively.
"Yeah, thanks for all the help over the years. You've been unthinkably big for us," Pashet agreed. "You just worry about yourself from now on."
Everyone in the room slowly closed in on her, all of them uttering the same, tired old phrases of love and concern and caring.
"Don't even worry about us," Patesi said, patting her on the back. "Worry about yourself."
"I will." Teana nodded. "I will."
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"So that's that," Teana said, leaning against the far wall of the main room, Sitto seated on her chair in the center, eyes on her. "Ra, it sounds stupider every time I say it. I've spent most of my life making fun of people who lose all their gold in one hand. I've made thousands of debens off of them. And now I'm one of them. Anyway, I'm real sorry, Sitto."
"Don't apologize to me," Sitto replied, nevertheless looking quite unsettled at Teana's story. "It seems to me there are about a hundred other people who deserve an apology first."
"Yeah, well, I've already talked to them." Teana sighed, putting her back up close to the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "I know what you wanted from me, Sitto. And I'll never be able to give you that."
Sitto gave a small smile. "Give me? What did I want from you? What are you talking about?"
Teana bit her cheek. "Come on. You wanted me to be the...beacon of hope for women in this men-first society. You wanted me to be the one woman who showed men once and for all that women can handle business in the world as well. You wanted me to show them up. And now I'm just gonna fall in line with the rest of them and get on my knees for whatever man is gracious enough to save me from the single life. And I know that disappoints you."
"Oh. Teana, I never had an agenda with you." Sitto shook her head. "You make it sound like I'm some...evil genius using you for my own ends. It was never like that. I saw great potential in you to be a great woman one day, perhaps, but sometimes the pieces don't fall into place. But that's fine, you are still a wonderful young woman! What you did, you did in the name of trying to be great. You fell short, but at least you tried."
"Yeah well, maybe I took the wrong shot. I don't know," Teana said, shrugging.
"What bothers me, is that you said you did all this to...what was it, impress a boy?" Sitto squinted at Teana. "They're not worth it. Come on, if any boy isn't impressed by what they see in front of them when they lay eyes on you, they're not worth chasing, period."
"Eh, no, this one...this one would have been worth it." Teana came off from the wall, smirking to herself. "Just trust me, it would have been worth it."
"Who was this boy, anyway? Do I know him?" Sitto asked, putting her hands on her thighs.
"Well...you probably know...of him," Teana replied slowly.
"Who was he?" Sitto scratched the top of her head.
"I don't even want to talk about it, Sitto," Teana said, sitting down on a stool. "It's embarrassing. Even more now that it's not going to happen, it's embarrassing that I even thought about it."
"Alright," Sitto said, shrugging. "I'm not going to make fun of you, not after the night you just had."
"I don't even want to talk about it," Teana muttered. "If I tell you, you'll think I belong in a nuthouse." She tapped her foot on the floor. "Well, gonna be interesting. Teana the housewife. Cleaner of floors, cooker of food, raiser of children. Sounds odd, doesn't it? It took me all night of walking around before I even started to get used to the idea. That's me, for the rest of my life."
"Maybe," Sitto said wryly, shrugging. "Maybe. Or maybe, something comes up."
"No. No, I think this is pretty well set in stone. I don't have another option here, this is all there is." Teana closed her eyes and inhaled. "There's nothing else."
"You'd think that. And yet, things happen." Sitto cleared her throat. "You wanna know something interesting? When I was a young girl, you know what I was gonna be?"
"Somehow, I think that conversation's never come up," Teana admitted. "What? Queen of the World?"
"I was going to be a Priestess. Woman of the cloth, as they say. Live in the temple, work my way up the ranks...those around me thought I'd make High Priestess one day. You see, my father was a priest. My mother was a priestess. Their parents were priests and priestesses, the family line went quite a distance back. So, it was like I had no other option. And, let me tell you, I made my family very proud when I was young. I was a twelve-year-old girl, the pride of the temple. They said my knowledge of religious scriptures was on the level of a forty-year-old. I was already being groomed to stand at the side of the Pharaoh and advise him in all matters."
"That's quite a thing," Teana said, smirking slightly. "So, what happened?"
Sitto hesitated. "Well, those first twelve years of life, I really thought there wasn't anything else but being a priestess. I couldn't imagine an alternative. But when I was thirteen, I realized something. I could never be a priestess."
"Too boring?" Teana asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't blame you, sounds like it'd be a snoozefest."
"No, no, not that." Sitto pursed her lips. "I knew every word of the scriptures, I knew all the rituals and tributes...but I could never find the Gods in them. I realized, when I was thirteen, that all that writing and all those fancy tricks they had you pull...that's all it was to me. I saw no greater power in them. To me it was all just a show. Tried to fake it but...you can't fake something like that, it's not possible."
"Well there you go," Teana said.
"So, I...I told my parents. They were crushed. They sent me away to live in a foster home and I...I never spoke to them again."
"You married a war hero and wrote scrolls that are distributed across the country, that's more than respectable life!" Teana insisted, pointing at Sitto.
"Yes, I hoped that...my accomplishments would convince them that I did the right thing but...they were never willing to hear it. To them, I was a priestess, or I was nothing. I could have become Queen of Egypt and I still would have been nothing to them." Sitto looked down at the floor. "They've been dead for over a decade now, I never got the chance to talk to them again."
"If you could do it all over again, would you make the same choice?" Teana asked, leaning back up against the wall.
Sitto smirked. "I didn't make a choice. No choice. I could never have been a priestess no matter what. It wasn't an option. What I did was the only choice I had. Ultimately, you are who you are, Teana. And you can't fake who you are, not for long."
"That's...that's interesting," Teana said, nodding.
"So, my point is, maybe your destiny is to be a housewife to some random guy in some random small house somewhere. And if it is, well, there's honor in raising children, that much I'll admit. But if your destiny is something greater than that. If you're meant to be a high-rolling card player who destroys the gender norms of our society. Then that's what you'll be. And this, this housewife stuff you're thinking about now, it's not gonna be anything. There will come a time when your destiny will catch up with you. And when it does, you won't have to make a choice. There won't be a choice." Sitto nodded.
"Well, that's a nice thought," Teana said, smiling. "Thank you for understanding. I have to go get a fishing pole." She stood back up straight and headed towards the door.