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I knew her reputation in town. As I grew older, it was all but impossible to escape.
While the spawn were teasing and taunting me, their mothers were spreading rumors and spiteful things about my mother. Making up their version of events was far easier and titillating than seeking the truth.
Turning into the same aisle, I steered my basket in their direction. I released the handle a little to ensure it slipped from my hand as I reached for something on the top shelf, assisting its careen into the group of nasty women.
The cloak of invisibility I’d been gripping fluttered in the wind of ambiguity with the possibility that my identity would be revealed. I was beyond caring for the need for anonymity.
The cart collided with Mrs. Elmers—the ringleader of the group—her pinched face spinning at whiplash speed to deliver my scolding. But, if she recognized me, she masked it well. Instead of the frown I had been expecting, a forced smile spread across her tight and aging face.
“Oh, dear, please be more careful with your wayward cart. It would be a tragedy if you hit one of the elderly folk making their way around this market.”
I mumbled a half-hearted apology as I pushed past, dumping into the cart the unnecessary items I selected from the shelf as an alibi for my actions.
Without a glance back at the women and feeling slightly defeated, I pressed past them. The chastising I had in my head had died on my lips.
With a cart full of groceries and essentials I would need to make it through what I was hopeful to be no more than the next few weeks, I steered toward the checkout. The group of women were nowhere to be heard or seen, for which I’d become grateful.
The magazine stand held my attention as I waited for my items to be scanned. The glossy pages were filled with images of celebrities smiling while posing on the red carpet. I was unable to drag my attention away as I took in their styles, their hair and formal wear, sculpted and hugging the curves of the women, the glamor and presence undeniably flawless.
“Alina?”
Hearing my name was like being doused by icy cold water, sending a shiver down my spine. I didn’t need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. The sound was as familiar as my own. Even with the time that had passed, I still recognized the timber of that voice.
It belonged to the last person I wanted to see.
ChapterFour
Callum
Her body tensed, but she didn’t turn to face me. If it hadn’t been for the blatant reaction of her body, it would’ve been easier to believe she hadn’t heard me at all.
Instead, she kept her back turned and continued with the structured and meticulous movements of placing the items from her cart onto the counter for scanning.
There was no doubt it was her, the girl who’d been burned into my memory since the day I found her with tears chasing trails down her angelic face at the bus stop. Her little body was shaking from the bitter cold of the stormy day. She looked so fragile and lost. Even as a young boy, I’d suffered through the overwhelming desire to protect her, stubborn and strong-willed as she was back then.
* * *
She wiped her nose and turned to me as I sat on the bench with her. Her little legs didn’t quite touch the ground as they dangled over the edge. Mine easily met the dirt, thanks to the embarrassing growth spurt I’d had the previous summer. I asked her if she could walk me home. I had missed the bus, and the trek was a forty-minute walk.
When we reached the bottom of my driveway, she’d slowed, dragging her feet a little as if waiting for the inevitable goodbye which was meant to happen. But instead, I’d strode on, determined forward steps in the direction of her home. She had to scamper to catch up, but even when she did, she didn’t ask any questions.
* * *
Alina gathered her bags and left the store without a backward glance, no further acknowledgment that she even knew I was standing behind her or had called her name. I should’ve known it was only a matter of time before she’d turn up. After all, her mother had just died.
In the tragedy, I hoped she’d return, but I hadn’t anticipated feeling hollow and unprepared at the sight of her.
Dumping a twenty-dollar bill on the counter, I rushed out, my feet carrying me toward the girl who’d turned into a butterfly of a woman.
“Alina,” I called after her. “Wait!” My steps skidded to a halt on the loose gravel as her car peeled out of the lot. Any doubt I had that she’d known it was me calling after her was easily dismissed seeing her escape like Batman answering the bat signal.
I sighed, shoving a hand through my hair as the taillights glowed red at the corner before disappearing from sight.
* * *
My name crackled over the store’s loudspeakers, calling for assistance, bringing me back to reality from my nostalgic trip down memory lane.
For the past two hours, I’d been operating on autopilot, restocking the shelves in the hardware store I partnered with my father, avoiding dealing with customer inquiries.
