dumplings. Cheese. Ice cream. Not necessarily in that order, but I needed to go to the store. There’d be a bigger store or even Walmart in Restin, but I was not in the mood for a twenty-minute drive up the highway with no air. The Market would have to do.
The bell hanging at the top of the door jingled as I went in, making me wonder if those things were required door attire. What stopped me short was the sight of Riley behind the counter.
“Um, hey.”
Riley lifted a hand lazily. “Hey.”
“Get bored at home?” Home. That just fell out of my mouth, and sounded so strange.
“Epically.” She looked around her. “Walked down here for some chips and ended up with a job.”
“You—really?”
At that moment a boy and girl appeared from around a corner.She swiped quickly at her mouth as he fidgeted with his clothing and walked as if there were crawlies in his floppy jeans. The girl was blonde and pretty and probably perfectly figured, but it was hard to tell with the man’s overalls she had on.
“Hi, can I help you?” she asked, her voice soft and drawly.
I smiled. Or grimaced, maybe. “I’m good.”
“Why not?” Riley was answering. “Get some spending money. Not that there’s much to spend it on around here,” she added, nudging blonde girl so that she laughed as she took a seat next to Riley.
I stared at the girl, somewhat stunned into silence, then forced my attention back to Riley. “Okay.”
That’s all I could come up with. I stood rooted to the spot, not quite sure what to make of it. Not sure if it was a good thing. Money wasn’t a bad idea, but with Riley’s new bag of tricks, I wasn’t sure if being so
in public
was a good idea. Of course, not being such a chickenshit and telling her about it would have been a grand idea.
“I work noon to six every day but Sundays, so I’m almost off now.” She consulted her little black-and-white-checked watch. “Carmen’s been training me.”
Oh good. Blonde girl had a name and trained my Riley in what? Smiling? Fashion tips? How to blow the stock boy?
“Okay,” I repeated.
“So are you buying something, Mom?”
I felt the familiar prickle, and looked around. Nothing. No one.
“I—yeah. Chicken and dumplings tonight.”
“Cans are over there.” Carmen pointed to her right.
“Did I say in a can?”
Riley laughed. “Come on, Mom, really. Cans are over there.”
Ugh. I sucked. I rotted. I was the mother from hell. I snatched up a basket.
The store hadn’t changed much over the years. Low aisles you could almost see over. Odd organization of items, which when I was growing up, I didn’t realize was odd. I was amazed in my twenties to find out that chain grocery stores didn’t stock toilet paper next to the dairy items.
I grabbed chips, doughnuts, chocolate, ice cream, pudding, and every other kind of crap I could find. And finally the damn chicken and dumpling
cans
. And brought them up front just in time. To come eyeball to eyeball with the surprised snarky sideways smirk of Shelby Pruitt.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she drawled. “Dani Lou Shane. I heard you were back.”
I had a quick thought that the day couldn’t get any worse, and I immediately shoved it away for fear that it might.
Nice thoughts. Nice thoughts
. I smiled, painfully aware of Riley’s gaze narrowing. She was too old, sometimes.
“Hey, Shelby. How are you?”
“Great. Married almost twenty years to Matty Sims. You remember Matty, right?”
Here we go again. I got a memory recall of Matty Sims and me in the nurse’s office. He was on the cot, and when she walked out, he pulled his dick out and wagged it at me. Wasn’t much to wag.
“Kinda.”
She chuckled the amused noise of someone who knows you’re lying. She was smarter than Lisa Lowe-whoever-she-was-now. Bitchier, too.
“So, what made you want to crawl back to Bethany?” she asked in her saccharin-sweet way. “Weren’t you some big shot somewhere?”
I scratched the back of my
The bell hanging at the top of the door jingled as I went in, making me wonder if those things were required door attire. What stopped me short was the sight of Riley behind the counter.
“Um, hey.”
Riley lifted a hand lazily. “Hey.”
“Get bored at home?” Home. That just fell out of my mouth, and sounded so strange.
“Epically.” She looked around her. “Walked down here for some chips and ended up with a job.”
“You—really?”
At that moment a boy and girl appeared from around a corner.She swiped quickly at her mouth as he fidgeted with his clothing and walked as if there were crawlies in his floppy jeans. The girl was blonde and pretty and probably perfectly figured, but it was hard to tell with the man’s overalls she had on.
“Hi, can I help you?” she asked, her voice soft and drawly.
I smiled. Or grimaced, maybe. “I’m good.”
“Why not?” Riley was answering. “Get some spending money. Not that there’s much to spend it on around here,” she added, nudging blonde girl so that she laughed as she took a seat next to Riley.
I stared at the girl, somewhat stunned into silence, then forced my attention back to Riley. “Okay.”
That’s all I could come up with. I stood rooted to the spot, not quite sure what to make of it. Not sure if it was a good thing. Money wasn’t a bad idea, but with Riley’s new bag of tricks, I wasn’t sure if being so
in public
was a good idea. Of course, not being such a chickenshit and telling her about it would have been a grand idea.
“I work noon to six every day but Sundays, so I’m almost off now.” She consulted her little black-and-white-checked watch. “Carmen’s been training me.”
Oh good. Blonde girl had a name and trained my Riley in what? Smiling? Fashion tips? How to blow the stock boy?
“Okay,” I repeated.
“So are you buying something, Mom?”
I felt the familiar prickle, and looked around. Nothing. No one.
“I—yeah. Chicken and dumplings tonight.”
“Cans are over there.” Carmen pointed to her right.
“Did I say in a can?”
Riley laughed. “Come on, Mom, really. Cans are over there.”
Ugh. I sucked. I rotted. I was the mother from hell. I snatched up a basket.
The store hadn’t changed much over the years. Low aisles you could almost see over. Odd organization of items, which when I was growing up, I didn’t realize was odd. I was amazed in my twenties to find out that chain grocery stores didn’t stock toilet paper next to the dairy items.
I grabbed chips, doughnuts, chocolate, ice cream, pudding, and every other kind of crap I could find. And finally the damn chicken and dumpling
cans
. And brought them up front just in time. To come eyeball to eyeball with the surprised snarky sideways smirk of Shelby Pruitt.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she drawled. “Dani Lou Shane. I heard you were back.”
I had a quick thought that the day couldn’t get any worse, and I immediately shoved it away for fear that it might.
Nice thoughts. Nice thoughts
. I smiled, painfully aware of Riley’s gaze narrowing. She was too old, sometimes.
“Hey, Shelby. How are you?”
“Great. Married almost twenty years to Matty Sims. You remember Matty, right?”
Here we go again. I got a memory recall of Matty Sims and me in the nurse’s office. He was on the cot, and when she walked out, he pulled his dick out and wagged it at me. Wasn’t much to wag.
“Kinda.”
She chuckled the amused noise of someone who knows you’re lying. She was smarter than Lisa Lowe-whoever-she-was-now. Bitchier, too.
“So, what made you want to crawl back to Bethany?” she asked in her saccharin-sweet way. “Weren’t you some big shot somewhere?”
I scratched the back of my
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