I Understand his Tells

Celine watches crime stories on TV every day a daily diet of murderers and rapists, her man says “what the hey?” She laughs at his fears she might kill him in his sleep. Go to bed, honey, she says to him. Count plenty of sheep! She has a fantastic sense of humor for she is most bright. She pays word games for hours, her answers are not light. Opponents fear her, she has 819 best words of the week. Playing with her is not an option, if winning is what you seek. Celine studies people from afar, never up close. I understand their tells, she says, that one is a ghost. Pointing to an unassuming man, she gives me his digits. He looks a bit strange, his fingers flutter and fidget. What is wrong with him? I ask, holding my breath. He’s got some kind of phobia, perhaps fearful of death. It seems odd to me she can tell this from afar. He’s an Uber driver, she said, I just escaped from his car.