Half an hour later Jonah Hex and Madame Xanadu were both laughing as they regaled each other with personal stories. Jonah told about the time he had shot a voodoo practicing snake oil salesman in the legs and left him to be tortured and killed by Apache and Madame Xanadu told about her days living in King Arthur's court and how her sister was the Lady of the Lake who gave the king his sword, Excalibur. Jonah Hex never had much reason to laugh, but something about this woman and her strange smoke charmed him to no end and made even the most phantasmagorical tale seem amusing.
"Jonah, you are a most enjoyable companion," said Madame Xanadu after taking a puff on the hose. "Would you like for me to give you a reading?"
"Do I have to pay ya?" asked Jonah.
"No," said Madame Xanadu. "It would be merely for practice. I would love to get to know you... intimately."
Jonah grunted approvingly.
"You are a card man, I think," said the madame as she stood up and went to another cabinet.
"I've played my share of poker," said Jonah.
"The Tarot, Mr. Hex," Madame Xanadu said, pulling a stack of large cards out of the cabinet and bringing them to the table. She moved the pipe, shuffled the cards, and then laid them face down in front of Jonah.
"Place your right hand on the deck," she instructed him.
He did as she said. She laid her own soft, feminine hand over his rough, sunburned one and looked into his eyes.
"You are a hero to some," she said. "A villain to others. Everywhere you go people speak your name in whispers."
Jonah smirked. Anyone who'd heard his stories could figure on that, he thought.
"You have no friends, Jonah Hex, but you do have two companions," continued Madame Xanadu, becoming very serious. She moved Jonah's hand aside and drew a card from the top of the Tarot deck and placed it face up on the table. It was the death card.
"One is death itself," she said, looking into his eyes again. He didn't blink or flinch or show any emotion. She drew another card and laid it down. It was the ace of swords.
"The other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke," she said.
"Sounds about right," said Jonah, evenly.
Madame Xanadu smiled. "Now for your future, then?"
"Another lady once told me that I'd end up stuffed and mounted, on display for the world to see in some museum," said Jonah.
"Not that far into the future," said Madame Xanadu. The fact that she didn't dismiss the prediction kind of bothered Jonah, but he didn't show it. Instead he stood up and moved towards Madame Xanadu. She stood up too to meet him.
"Well then, if you're talkin' about the immediate future, I can pretty much predict that myself," said Jonah, grabbing the madame by the waist and pulling her towards him. He leaned in and kissed her lips and unlike some women, she didn't flinch or pull back at the sight of his scarred face coming at her. She kissed him right back with all the passion of a woman in love. Then she lightly pushed Jonah away.
"Let me get more comfortable," she whispered and went behind a folding screen where her silhouette could be seen disrobing. Jonah watched her undress like a dog watches its food being served. Soon, she stepped out again wearing nothing but a short, blue and white, silk robe that was only barely closed, so that her ample cleavage could be seen as well as her long, smooth legs. She sauntered over to Jonah and kissed him again and then began to take his coat off. After that, his shirt, and then she roughly pushed him onto the small bed that took up one whole side of the little caravan. She uncinched the belt of her robe and let it slowly slide off of her so that she stood over Jonah naked.
Even naked, without all her scarves and bangles, she still gave off a mystical aura of magic. An old and powerful magic that could elicit passion from anyone, man or woman. She smiled and then climbed on top of Jonah. They made mad, sweaty, passionate love all night long until they were too tired to anymore. In the morning the two awoke next to each other. Madame Xanadu ran fingernails along Jonah's tan, hairy chest.
"This is gonna sound crazy, and not like me at all," said Jonah, "But I feel like I could spend the rest of my life with you."
"I get that a lot," said Madame Xanadu, sadly.
"I mean it," said Jonah.
"Well, let's see if that's in the cards," said Madame Xanadu, stretching above her head and grabbing the Tarot deck. Jonah watched her nude body contort and felt the passion rise in him all over again.
Madame Xanadu laid the deck down on Jonah's chest and then drew a card. It was the high priestess. She drew a second card, the lovers, and laid it next to the first. She looked at them for a long time, interpreting and thinking, letting her inner eye open and show her Jonah's future.
"I am not your fate," she said, finally.
Jonah frowned.
"Your fate, ironically enough, will involve a one-eyed woman," said Madame Xanadu.
"Why is that ironic?" asked Jonah.
"In Greek mythology the fates themselves were three women with but one eye among them. The woman I see for you here, however, is more fickle and cruel than fate. She will be damaged, and she will be hard, but like a reflection of yourself, she will also be good and just and you and her will share a legendary love," said Madame Xanadu, frowning slightly herself.
"That's horse shit," said Jonah. "You just don't want to be with me and this is your way of brushing me off."
"The lonely have no reason to reject anyone," said Madame Xanadu, angrily. "But what will be, will be. It is destiny."
Jonah sat up and the cards fell.
"Maybe the townsfolk were right, maybe you are a witch," he said.
Madame Xanadu did not react.
Jonah stood up and started to dress in silence.
"I should have known better than to get involved with someone like you, I always end up pissed off," he said, once he was all put together. He went to the door to leave.
"Wait, Jonah," called Madame Xanadu from the bed.
Jonah stopped and looked back at her.
"What we had last night... was still special. But I am like smoke," she said.
Jonah looked annoyed. Having grown up with Indians, he sort of knew what she meant, but he was angry and just wanted to leave, so without a word he turned from her and walked out the door, letting it slam behind him.
The next day, after doing some drinking and some thinking, Jonah went back to visit Madame Xanadu and apologize, even bringing some wild flowers with him. This girl had him acting a fool. Unfortunately, when he got to where her caravan had been, it was not there anymore.
Jonah let the flowers fall from his hand and then he stomped on them with his boot.
Ohiyesa Smith came up behind him and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Must have left in the night," said the sheriff. "No one saw her go, but she was gone come sun up."
Jonah just pulled out a cigarette from his coat pocket, lit it, and took a drag.
"Some people are like smoke," he said.
Ohiyesa nodded.
The End
