inside, not hidden, so it’s easier to convince anyone that it was an accident. Though you won’t get caught because look at you.” I looked down at myself and wondered what that could mean. “Who in their right mind would think that a girl wearing khaki capris and loafers would steal anything, especially a bright pink nail polish?”
I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. I know it’s meant for an insult, but she was so gentle about it that it was hard for me to get angry. Plus I was on the verge of a panic attack, so then there’s that clouding my defensiveness too.
“Smile.” She elbowed me as we stepped up to the counter. One by one we placed the items on the counter. Pads, tampons, shampoo, and conditioner. Two fingernail polish bottles and even acetone. Darcy chit chatted with the girl behind the counter while the entire time I was chanting in my head over and over for forgiveness. Oh, and a speedy cashier. I just wanted this entire thing to be over.
I missed everything that was said between them, just smiled as if I was pleasantly amused and entertained. The way Darcy kept continuously looking at me, I assumed I was failing, but only because she knew me too well. This kind of thing was hard for me. I’d spent so many years focusing on never stepping out of line that the idea of something like this getting back to my father terrified me―to the point of a panic attack. I was trembling.
“I love this color.” The cashier picked up the bright pink polish that was on the counter and looked at it, smiling. “It’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too.” I forced the words out when Darcy kicked my foot with her pointy shoes.
We finished checking out, gathering our bags as we turned toward the door. For the first time since Darcy had convinced me to drop the polish in my purse I let out a slow breath. Not that I felt good about the crime I had just committed, but the idea of my father finding out was crippling. We’d just reached the doors and were about to step out when my body went rigid from the sound of my name being called out.
“Ruby.” I gripped the bags in my hand tightly and remained frozen in the doorway. So many things were going through my mind. Someone I knew had seen me do the unspeakable and now they were calling me out on it. My father would know, I would be a disgrace. “Is that you?”
Peeking ever so slowly over my shoulder, I came face to face with Vera, an old friend of my mother’s. “Oh my.” Tears filled my eyes and I dropped the bags to my feet as I moved toward her. “You’re here?”
I still felt almost as if I were imagining the entire thing. It had been years since I’d last seen her. Right after my mother passed, she’d transferred to Boston and that was it. I’d lost her too. A woman I’d admired who was always like the perfect aunt you could tell anything to and knew that your secrets would always be safe.
“I thought that was you.” She released me from the tight embrace, but continued to hold my shoulders firmly. “You look so much like her.” That statement both pleased me and made me sad. I knew without a doubt that my strong resemblance to my mother was a huge reason why my father could barely look at me. I was a constant reminder of who he’d lost.
“Are you visiting someone?” I looked around and saw no one near her.
“Actually,” she let her hands fall from my shoulders and smiled brightly at me, “I’ve moved back.”
She was back here. She came back. “Here?” I know that I sounded ridiculous but honestly I was still a little shocked. Vera Wright was the closest thing to a mother that I had left, and when she moved it was devastating to a young girl who had just lost her mother. Now she was telling me she was back, and part of me couldn’t decide if I were imagining the entire thing or if by some miracle something good was happening in my life and I should rejoice.
“I’ve just found an apartment and put a deposit down. Looks like I will be heading up the teaching department at UF Health.” I nodded because my brain was having a hard time catching up