Becky Garrett watched Josh Randall walk by her office and sighed. "Isn't he just the most scrumptious creature you ever saw?" she asked Helen Winston, her best friend and co-worker.

    Helen laughed. "Yeah, Beck, if you say so. But don't you think you're being a bit fickle? Last month, you said the very same thing about that intern guy... what was his name? Carl something or another?

     "His name was Cade... and he was gorgeous, too. It's just that Josh is even more incredible….” Becky replied. “And I’m not fickle. I just have an alpha personality, and I have an uncontrollable need for instant gratification.”

     “Uh huh… a ‘got to have it now’ kind of person.” Helen commented jokingly.  “I know how you are, Beck. How many years have we known each other now? Since seventh grade?”

    Becky nodded. “Long enough for you to know that I always try to get what I want when I want it.” she replied.

     “How long would you want him if you got him?”

     Becky dismissed her friend’s question with an airy wave of her hand. “Who knows? He might stay interesting to me for a while. The only problem is that I don’t seem to be sending out the right signals where’s he’s concerned. Other than a ‘Hello,’ or a ‘How are you?’ here and there, he doesn’t seem to know I exist. It’s very frustrating.”

     Helen laughed. “A man who does not respond to the wondrous charms of Rebecca Garrett… will miracles never cease? Has it occurred to you that he might be married or otherwise attached?”

     Beck shook her head. “Nope. He’s single. I checked.”

     Helen mouth moved in a small moue of disbelief. “Well, I’m sure I don’t know why he’s unresponsive, then. Maybe you ought to consider passing this one by, Beck.”

    “Not a chance!” Beck replied emphatically. She sighed again. “I swear, I would give my right arm for a chance with him. I really wish I could find a way to connect.”

      Helen got up from the chair in which she was seated and moved to the door of Becky’s office. “Remember what they always say, Beck… ‘Be careful what you wish for….’  

     Twilight found Beck walking down Melrose Avenue, headed towards Le Chic, a trendy little boutique that offered some very exotic items of apparel, the idea that if she wore something a little more enticing than her normal attire, it would spark a bit more interest from Josh.

     She was just crossing Orange Avenue when an unusual neon sign to her left caught her eye. ‘Madame Destiny,’ it read, ‘can make the future your desire.’ It stopped her in her tracks. She would swear that she had never seen this tiny storefront shop before, and yet it seemed intimately familiar. Impossible, since she believed that all psychics and mediums to be nothing more than frauds. Then, astoundingly, she was moving toward it, almost as though she had no will of her own.

     The dark interior of the shop reminded her of something from the set of a Hollywood movie portraying its impression of a Gypsy’s encampment. Silks and satins of every conceivable shade and texture draped the windows, and hung in a swath from the ceiling, creating a tent-like atmosphere. Candles burned on almost every surface, and statues of ancient gods and goddesses mingled with those of the Virgin and Child. The smell of sandalwood incense permeated the air, giving it an almost hypnotic feel.

     The tiny bell over the door had barely stopped its tinny tinkle before a figure stepped into a curtained doorway to the rear of the room. It was a woman with jet-black hair and sapphire colored eyes set in a face that boasted a café au lait complexion. When she spoke a brief greeting, her soft accent revealed her Creole origins.

     “You’re Madame Destiny?” Beck inquired.

     The woman inclined her head slightly. “I am called by that name.” She studied Beck silently for a moment. “What is it that you wish of me?”

     For a moment, Beck was wordless “There’s this guy…” she began.

     “You seek his affection?”

    “And what would you be willing to give in return for the fulfillment of that desire?”

     “What’s your usual fee?” Beck asked, taking her wallet from her Gucci bag. Madam Destiny smiled.

     “I require no fee for myself until your desire has been fulfilled. However, the powers to whom I send your request require their own recompense.”

     "Oh? And just what do they usually ask for?” Beck inquired.

     “How strong is your desire for this man? If it is great, would you be willing to give up a day of your life? A mere twenty-four hours that would have been yours in the span of your years?”

     Beck considered this odd request for a moment, two things coming immediately to mind. The first was that this strange woman was truly mad. The second was to wonder how she would be able to collect on this very unusual debt. How would she know how long Beck’s life was destined to be? Only God or whatever deity one believed in could know that for certain And even that was if you believed in any deity in the first place. Beck was not sure she did.

     A brief smile flitted across Madame Destiny’s lips, as if she knew what Beck was thinking, but she held silent as beck considered her terms.

     “Okay, sure.” Beck conceded finally. “Why not? It’s only one day, after all. How much difference can one day at the end of your life make, anyway? After all, I might have Alzheimer’s when I get older, or have been in a car accident and be brain-dead or something. Yes, I think Josh is worth it.”

     “As you wish…” Madam Destiny replied. She drew a pen and a piece of paper from the folds of her skirt and began to write something. When she was finished, she handed the paper to Beck. “Go and buy your dress now… buy something in a light blue. Your Jason likes that color. Tonight, at dusk, meet me at the address I have written there, and you will be granted your heart’s desire.”

    Beck suddenly found that she was standing at the corner of Orange and Melrose, seemingly without having walked there. She shook her head in denial. ‘That’s not  possible.” she murmured to herself. But when she opened her clenched fist, she still held the piece of paper Madame Destiny had given her. The address was one in West Hollywood, not to far from where she now stood.

      With halting steps, she moved down the street toward her destiny.

     Dusk was just falling as she stepped out of her car in front of the building that bore the address she had been given. She was dressed in a beautiful sky-blue strapless dress made of China silk, with and elaborate beading on the bodice. A sheer silk stole of a matching blue and white tie dyed pattern that appeared to be misted onto the fabric was wrapped around her shoulders. She had paid a week’s salary for the dress, but the moment she had looked at herself in it, she knew she’d made the right choice. She looked absolutely incredible in it; she felt almost irresistible.

     Mounting the stairs in front of the building, she read through the names on the tenant’s directory, chiding herself for doing so. It was not likely that she would find a listing for ‘Madame Destiny’ here.

     “Beck!” A familiar voice spoke her name, and she spun around to find herself face to face with Josh. “What are you doing here?”

     She gave a slight laugh, please at this sudden turn of events. “Apparently being stood up by someone…” she replied breezily. “How ‘bout you?”

   “I live here.” he replied. “And whoever he is, if he saw you in that dress, he’d know what a damned fool he is.”

      “Actually, it’s a girlfriend. We were supposed to go to that Aids benefit at the House of Blues, but I’ve been waiting forever it seems, and my friend hasn't shown up. I guess it’s just about over by now.”

     “Shucks, all dressed up and no place to go.” he teased with a grin that almost took her breath away. “Since you’re already here, would you like to come up and visit with me for a while? I’m afraid I can’t offer you the glamour of a charity benefit, but I make a mean pina colada…”

     She pretended to consider his invitation for a moment. “Sure, why not? The only thing I have to look forward to at home is reruns of ‘Buffy’.”

     Jason laughed. “Well, I’ll be more than happy to see if I can’t be more entertaining.”

     Beck emerged into the growing light of a beautiful spring morning, her heart full of happiness. Jason, she thought, was probably the most perfect man she’d ever met. He was kind, thoughtful, courteous, and completely wonderful. Last night had been a most remarkable experience for her; in fact, it had been perfect, right down to the moment when he had whispered that he thought he was falling in love with her.

       She was already envisioning a life with him. There had been no discussion of a permanent relationship, of course, but that would surely happen. She could almost envision walking down the aisle in a beautiful church somewhere, becoming Mrs. Josh Randall. She just knew that they could make a wonderful life together.

     As she slid behind the wheel of her silver Mitsubishi Eclipse, a sudden wave of encroaching blackness swept over her. She was dazed by it for a moment, alarmed by it; there was no reason for it. She was in perfect health.

     She was suddenly seized by an urgent need to see Madame Destiny. She pulled out of the parking spot, tires squealing, and pointed the car in the direction of the shop.

     The two-mile drive was a nightmare. The blackness kept washing over her, threatening to wrest control of the car from her. She finally screeched to a halt in front of the small shop, and dragged herself from the driver’s seat, feeling consciousness slipping from her. Staggering to the front door, she opened it and fell through it. Madame Destiny seemed to be waiting for her.

     “What’s happening to me?” she cried. ‘Everything seems to be fading away… what did you do to me?”

     Madame Destiny studied her with a tranquil face. “I did nothing… those who direct destiny are merely taking what you promised them.”

     “I promised them one day of my life… that’s all… they weren’t supposed to collect it so soon!”

     “Ah, but my dear, who are you to say what is too soon? Your fate was decided before you ever approached me… look!”

     She held a small crystal ball up before Beck, and in it, Beck could see a vision of her silver Eclipse being broad-sided by a semi truck, and then a vague photo of herself in the obituary column, with a heading below that read. ‘Hollywood Resident Killed In Auto Accident’. The date of the paper was the following day.

    “You see, tomorrow was to be the last day of your life, and you gave up one day of what you had. That makes today now the last day of your life.” Madame Destiny laid the crystal ball aside as Beck slowly sank to the floor. Look at it this way, my dear… at least you are spared the horrible and painful end that was destined for you…”

     “It’s not fair!” Beck wept, as the darkness surrounding her grew. “Josh loves me… I love him… my life is just beginning…”

     “No, it is just ending.” Madame Destiny replied. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you to be careful what you wished for?”