“Look at that perky little butt.”
I hear a voice whispering behind me as I towel down my legs. I glance at the speaker and her identical friend again. They’ve peeled off their caps, and other than their hair, they’re carbon copies of each other.
“And those firm breasts,” adds the other. “That was me sixty years ago.”
“The good old days!”
I stand there clutching my towel, gaping.
“What’s your name, dear?”
“Lois.”
“I’m Prudence, and I certainly don’t live up to my name,” says the gray-haired one.
“I’m Hope, and I certainly do.” The second one has an orange perm.
“Are you sisters?”
“Twins!” they cry in unison.
Now I get it. And they’re chatterboxes, too!
They disappear in a changing room to get dressed, and I take that as my cue to do the same.
Once I’m out of my swimwear, I check the time and sigh. I need an excuse to stay out a little longer—it’s too early for me to go home. I bumped into the Campus Drivers at lunchtime, and Lewis beamed a “See you tonight” at me, so naturally I’ve been trying to come up with evening plans ever since. But in true keeping-with-my-lucky-streak: The library is closing earlier than usual and Becca is spending the eveningwith Carter. I also don’t have it in me to go to the movies by myself. These moments are the worst—when the loneliness becomes so all-encompassing I can feel the sadness catching in the back of my throat.
I breathe in and stare at the ceiling to hold back the tears that are starting to well in my eyes. I dash out of the changing room before it all comes streaming out of me. Cutting through the mall, I arrive at the main square by the entrance. I sit on a bench, close my eyes, and lean my head against the wall. Goddamn it, I’m starting to think that if I really can’t find a place to live, I’ll need to bite the bullet and get myself a hotel room.
“What’s wrong, my love?”
I blink. Without my even realizing, one of the twins from earlier has joined me. For the life of me, I can’t remember whether this is Prudence or Hope sitting next to me, but deep down, I’m wishing it’s the second. I could do with a little hope right now.
She leans into me. “You’re down in the dumps.”
“Maybe a little,” I sigh, rubbing at my eyes.
“Prudence, what are you doing?”
So Prudence is sitting next to me, and this must be Hope, then, limping her way over to us.
“You know every time you sit down, it takes you ten minutes to get back up!”
“Our new friend is having a bad day. Do we still have wine?”
“I hid two bottles when that old fart Agustín stopped by yesterday.”
“Excellent! Up you get, young lady!”
“I’m sorry?” I babble.
“I need a strong, young thing to get me back on my feet!”
“Oh!”
I jump up and offer her my elbow, and as she slips her arm through mine, I hoist her gently toward me. I hear her hip creaking, and once I’m sure she’s safe from a fall, I take a step back. Prudence isn’t loosening her grip, though. Before I know it, Hope is clutching my other arm, beaming up into my face.
“We live over there.” She points a wrinkled finger to a side street across the road. “Very kind of you to walk two old ladies home.”
