“Mum, I worked all day. I don’t want to go back to town. And look, I made dinner. Plus, I had a project I wanted to start on tonight. Can’t you go to the market?”
She pouted. “But darling, I was so busy with the seminar I haven’t had a chance to do my vibration exercises today. I can’t sell these machines if I don’t use them. Authenticity is important in today’s consumer market and—”
“Fine.” I slurped up the last mouthful of curry and grabbed my coat. The last thing I wanted to do was head out again, not with Ashley wandering around the village. But I remembered I didn’t have the craft glue I needed for my book project, and I knew Mum wouldn’t let up until I ran her errands. “Car keys?”
Mum shook her head. “It’s spewing black smoke again. I think it’s the alternator.”
Great.“You don’t know what an alternator is. Mum, can’t you replace the car instead of spending more money on this business of yours? Then you could drive to an office job or—”
“I’m not going to do that when all I need to do is sell fifty power-plate machines and recruit ten salespeople, I’ll be able to buy a brand new one. Take your cellphone and mace for safety.”
I should bring her into the shop. I bet Heathcliff could teach her a few things about the perils of a retail business.
I pulled on my coat, propped open my umbrella against the miserable winter drizzle, and stepped out into the moonlight.
On the corner of our street was a playground where the council estate teens hung out at night, drinking home-brew piss and smoking whatever drugs they could get their hands on. I kept my head high as I jogged past, but they were too busy laughing at one of their mates hanging upside down on the monkey bars to notice me. Miracles did sometimes happen.
A car whizzed past, the driver yelling something out the window. His harsh voice and lewd suggestion sent a shiver of fear down my spine. As I crossed the road, angry voices and the sounds of smashing glass poured out of the windows of the house opposite.Just another night on the estate.
Four years in New York City, and this place still terrified me. No wonder Mum tried every hokey scheme in the book to get out of here. I thought I’d escaped ___field, but now here I was again, right back where I belonged.
As I neared the village, the houses grew tidier, the gardens resplendent with winter blooms and gnomes peeking over stone walls. Tonight, there was a choir performance at the church hall, so the market teamed with people. ___field villagers were serious about their hymns (although I suspected some of the eager shoppers were stocking up on hip flasks and snacks to get them through the evening). The market was an old Tudor home on the high street that circled the village green. It had been converted into a general village store. They stocked everything from groceries and souvenirs to basic household items and farm supplies. I ducked behind a display of Cadburys and checked the aisles for signs of Ashley.Nope, she’s not here.I threw myself into the fray and maneuvered my way to the homewares section. I found a couple of tubes of glue and some craft scissors, colored card and ribbon for my project. Next, I grabbed a stack of towels. As I leaned in close to check the price tag, a pair of glasses slammed into my face.
What the fuck?
I followed the arm that held the glasses up to a kindly old lady with an enormous floral tote bag. She waggled her glasses in front of me.
“These will help, dearie,” she cooed. “I use them to see my crosswords.”
My cheeks flushed.What the hell is she thinking?For one thing, I had a pair of glasses in my bag for close work (which I never wore because gross), and no way in hell her crossword specs were the same prescription. And also, did I lookthatpathetic? Was this my life now, strangers trying to give me their purple tortoiseshell glasses?
“I don’t need those,” I managed to say. “I can see perfectly fine. I just thought the prices were scratch and sniff.” I shot to my feet and shuffled away, dropping a trail of towels in my wake.
This is my life now. Everywhere I go, people are going to feel sorry for me.
My arms wouldn’t stop shaking. I rounded the corner and dropped more towels. No way was I stopping to pick them up.Just grab the rest of Mum’s shite and get out of here.The lurid packaging on the shelves blurred together into a carnival of light and color, mocking me with words I couldn’t read.
I’m fine. It was just some batty old woman trying to be nice. I can hold it together.
In the next aisle I located the kitchen supplies. There were only seven plastic water bottles left. One-by-one I balanced them precariously on top of my towel stack, forming a kind of totem to my mother’s stupidity. I took my first teetering step toward the counter when my eye caught a display of condoms.
A rush of heat flared between my legs as a series of deviant visions flashed in my mind. Morrie’s long fingers trailing over my skin with a featherlight touch while his wicked grin suggested all that might follow. My hands tangled in Heathcliff’s curls as his haughty lips parted over my nipple. The pair of them pinning me to a bookshelf as they fought with my clothing, lips and hands everywhere at once.
Whoa, where did that come from? Are horniness and deviant visions weird symptoms of my eye condition?
Because no way did I really want what I just saw from Morrie and Heathcliff. No way.
I withdrew my hand, steadying my load before I lost another towel. But then I reached out again, fingering the corner of the box.It wouldn’t hurt to keep some in my purse, just in case. It’s not as though anything will ever happen with Heathcliff or Morrie, but I never know who I might run into.
“Mina, is that you?”
I jumped, sending an avalanche of condom boxes scattering across the aisle. My heart leapt in my throat as I recognized the figure who bent to pick them up.
“Darren, hi.” I forced a smile for Darren Barnes, who had been in my year at secondary school.Jeez, how many people from my past am I going to run into today? I squared my shoulders and tried to look completely normal, like I wasn’t thinking about buying condoms or hiding this big gaping secret that ate me up inside. “I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“Oh, I never left.” Darren stood up with his arms full of boxes and stacked them back on the shelf, lining up the edges in perfect parallel lines. His cheap polyester shirt and black trousers bore the store logo.
He works in the market.
