Keith, single and in his thirties, is given a paid tarot reading session with a top psychic for his birthday. Unexpectedly, after the Lovers card is drawn, the reading produces four nines in a row, which the psychic says is a strong message from the universe. To find love, Keith must keep his eyes open for occurrences of nine.<br><br>On his way to meet up with his friend George, Keith meets George’s friend Zvika, someone he has always found unnerving. As Keith also gets to know Zvika, though, he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic man. But they are unalike, and while opposites might attract, can they live happily ever after? Is the persistent number nine a problem or a solution?

The Fool

He didn’t seem bothered by the situation, and we got back to my car without incident, and from there drove back to his house, where he immediately went to bed and I sat in the kitchen trying to figure out what had happened. I knew drugs had been involved, and alcohol. A party? Possibly. But beyond that vague impression I simply could not remember!


Okay, I told myself. This has got to stop.


I got out my black notebook and made an entry to this effect. I scanned the entries and saw the various occurrences of the number nine, among these other, life-questioning entries. Then I looked again at the number-nine entries in a bemused fashion.


I turned the page and wrote, rather large, a number nine. Because my hands weren’t all that steady, the line and the circle didn’t quite line up, but overlapped. I stared at the figure and puzzled. Then it struck me that the number appeared like a zero and a one together.


Chapter 29