AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On legs that feel like lead, I get up and start alphabetizing different sections of albums. I try and adjust the displays, showing off some of the more popular selections closer to the front window to try and get more people to notice the shop. Because maybe, just maybe, if I can retrieve some scrap of the old magic, maybe I can keep our dream alive.
Ok, the truth is that I'm trying to keep myself busy once again so I don't think about what's going on. I take a deep breath and fix the scarf holding my dark curls back from my face, then go to the back of the store and grab some window spray, surface cleanser, and paper towels. I take my time carefully cleaning every nook and cranny.
The store wasn't really dirty, I just needed something to do Anything to keep the sorrow at bay.
That kills almost an hour and a half. I mop, I dust, I clean the store within an inch of its life, but there’s not really much to be cleaned, so once it’s spotless, I still have a long afternoon stretched out ahead of me.
After putting away all of the cleaning supplies in the back room, I grab a stool and sit behind the register. I try to lose myself in the music, but it's no use. There’s no running anymore.
All I can think about are my fears and worries about the store. I have nothing left to keep me busy. The helpless feeling of my situation overwhelms me and I feel like I’m drowning. I don't know what I'm going to do. I start to take panicked breaths. Tears fill my eyes. I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown.
I don't see any way out of this situation. I’m out of options; there’s no one to help me, no miraculous fund that’ll magically appear to save my store.
I'm about to fully lose it and start crying when two men suddenly burst through the front door. They are struggling with several large boxes. Alarmed and confused, my tears and worries are momentarily forgotten.
"Where do you want these at?" One of the guys asks me.
I just stare at them in confusion. He repeats his question, and I shake my head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about?" I respond.
They both look at each other, then back at me. "Which suite number is this?" The guy asks.
"This is suite B." I respond.
The other guy gives him an almost comical look of frustration.
"Oh, shit-I mean, shoot, I’m sorry about that. Can you tell us where suite D is? We're sorry to bother you,” the first guy stammers, flustered.
I point to the right.
"No worries. It's down that way, not the next one, but the one just around the corner on the back side." I explain.
"Thanks. Again, sorry to bother you, Miss," The guy says.
They carry their boxes out the door. I remain seated and watch them as long as they remain in eyesight. Even after they’ve disappeared from my view, I'm still thinking how odd the encounter was.
Mr. Stevens had said the entire strip was being sold, so why would someone be moving stuff in? Unless maybe it’s someone who has some kind of arrangement with Courtney or something, but it’s hard for me to imagine Courtney leaving this place as it is. From what I’ve seen, she basically takes a place, razes it to the ground, and starts fresh with something “modern” and dull.
But in my curiosity, I’m distracted from my emotional turmoil, and I wonder what that was all about. I can't seem to come up with any logical explanation for it. I get up from my seat and peer out the window, wondering if I’ll be able to see anything.
Despite my best efforts, however, since it’s all around the corner, there’s really nothing for me to see. I turn and start to walk away. I pause and look at the door. A good person would let this go, but I just can't.
That situation didn't make any sense to me, but the only way to get any answers about it is to go down there and see for myself.
For a moment, I’m nervous, fussing about what might happen if I get caught, but then I have to remind myself that I’m not really doing anything wrong, I’m just taking a little walk down there to see what’s up. It’s nosy, not criminal.
After a few moments of deliberation I decide this is the only way I am going to get any answers, and I just know the mystery will bug me if I don’t find out. I put my ‘Back in 5’ sign up in the window and grab my phone and keys.
I lock the store and look around the area. The strip seems deserted, which is pretty typical throughout the whole day. No cars in the lot, and the only other person I see around is a woman on the other side of the road, walking her dog.
