3

Aurora 

 

I walked through our shop. The door chime rang. It looked totally different from the last time I was here.

“I miss you girl.”  Sheila squealed from the counter and gave me the biggest and warmest hug ever.

“Miss you too Girl. It’s so good to see you.” 

“You have to tell me everything. You seemed a little distant when we were last on the phone.” I was. It wasn’t intentional but there was only so much I wanted to get into on the phone.

“Let’s start from the beginning.”

“Spare no details.”

I began to tell Sheila what happened to me from the moment I woke up, Travis’s kiss, how I found out about Andy and Gemma, and today’s meeting at the lawyers.

“I have to remember if I don’t have anything good to say then I shouldn’t say anything at all.” I was speaking with Sheila and I could tell she didn’t agree with how I handled things.

Sheila was wearing her displeasure on her face and I could tell she felt guilty for not coming to see me during my hour of need.

“I’m glad to have you back where you belong.” She was wearing this old style white sweater and a pair of jeans with the knees cut out of them. There was actually a heart stenciled on the back pocket of the jeans.

“I’m curious how you even recognized me when I came through the door.” I was poking fun and she knew I had a dark sense of humor.

“I was wondering when you were going to bring that up. With what I had gone through, I wanted to remember you the way that I saw you the last time. It was selfish, but I couldn’t bear to see you like that. I did visit you in the hospital, but the long-term care wing was too much. I hope you can forgive me.” She had her own trials and I couldn’t expect her to relive what she had gone through with me.

“Listen, we don’t have to ever talk about it again. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I know how painful it is for you. I’m sorry I brought up bad memories. Let’s talk about our business. It looks like you have flourished without me. I see several of my ideas. As I recall, you were steadfast against some of them. What could possibly change your mind?” I pretty much knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

“I wanted to hear your voice and the best way to do that was to implement some of your ideas. The response was amazing. We have several people coming in to sell their old clothes through consignment. I hope you approve.” She was looking for a pat on the back and I felt she was owed more than that.

I gave her a hug and felt more connected to my friend than ever before. Sheila was the one who had convinced me to go into business with her. She was afraid of the bookkeeping, but somehow she had found a way to persevere without me.

“I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”

“It’s almost closing time.”

“We should take a walk and enjoy the Christmas decorations. They are lighting the Christmas tree in the town square. We can have some hot chocolate and bundle up underneath a blanket. It will be like old times.” The celebration Travis had mentioned was postponed until later in the evening. I knew Travis was up to something.

“I’m sure you can find something better to do. You can’t possibly think you can hide the new man in your life. From the way you described him, he may as be the appetizer, main course and the dessert. Tell me you have hit that already.”

It was a little crude, but it was Sheila.

“I have been thinking about it, but nothing has gotten any further than the planning stages. If we are talking about fantasies then I have already hit that and done a whole lot more.” She turned the sign to the closed position and put on her off-white jacket. It went below her knees.

“I think we both know fantasies are nothing compared to the real thing. I almost forgot I got this for your Christmas present before you had the accident.” She went into the back and came out with a black suede coat with white fur-lining along the collar. Sheila helped me put it on.

“Awww…thank you Sheila. It’s the perfect fit.”

“You’re very welcome. Are you sure Jemma didn’t have anything to do with it?”

“I’m as sure as I can be. If she had anything to do with it then she knew how to cover up her tracks. Why do you ask?” I put the jacket on and it fit like a glove.

“It’s really nothing I can put my finger on. She gives off this vibe. It’s probably my imagination. Forget I even mentioned it. I don’t want to make any trouble where there isn’t any. I just got the idea she had a lot more to gain by your hospitalization than anybody else. t gave her the motive to come after me where I lived.

The inheritance was scheduled to be released on my birthday. It just so happened to fall on Christmas Day.

“It’s not like you to stay quiet.” Sheila was opinionated and could expose a person’s weakness with a few words.

“It’s funny you mention that. I did have a few words with her on her wedding day. Things got a little heated. I slapped her, but this was before I knew she was pregnant. The very next night, I was closing up shop and a car almost ran me down in the street like a dog. I couldn’t see the driver and the license plates were removed. I’ve never believed in coincidence.” I wouldn’t have thought my sister would be capable of such a heinous act. That was until she captured my husband in her web of lies and deceit.

“Was there any other instances?” I wanted her to say no, but I was prepared to hear of other close calls.

“There were some minor accidents. I would never swear on a stack of bibles she was responsible. Let’s say for argument’s sake she was in the car. It was probably a message to stay out of her business. If she really wanted to kill me she could have waited until I was preoccupied with putting my key in the door of my car.” We were soon walking down the sidewalk with streamers of different colored lights all around us.

“She has always been vindictive and it got worse when she started to act out. I had to be the adult and put my foot down to her rebellious ways. I couldn’t see letting her future go down the drain. I had to be the bad guy. She never forgave me for making her life a living hell.” I had tried to give her a semblance of a family, but she resented everything I was doing for her.

“You could only reach out so many times before you had to pull back. If she constantly slaps your hand away then you need to take the hint. I’m not telling you anything you shouldn’t already know. You have to admit you both have that stubborn streak.” I had my hands in the pockets and the only place cold on my body was my ears.

I was about to say something about how my ears could afford to have a hat when she produced one in my favorite color purple.

“Don’t tell me, you made this.” I was only kidding, but the way she turned two different shades of red told me this was exactly what she had done.

“I had some time on my hands and I learned how to knit. It’s very relaxing. I never thought it would be. My mother was the one who introduced me to it. I fought her every step of the way, but I finally gave in one night. It was the best decision of my life.” I put it on.

It instantly made me feel like I was lying in front of a bearskin rug. I could see the hallucination of a roaring fire crackling in front of me.

There were kids jubilantly pointing out objects in the toy store for their parents to buy. It was a magical time and everybody was getting into the holiday spirit. The warmth of the coat and the hat gave me a reason to think the future was brighter than I thought.

“Tell me more about Travis.”

“He was the voice I heard while I was trapped in the dark. He was kind and gentle. He lifted me up when I was feeling down. I don’t want you to repeat this, but I was able to hear everything around me when I was in a coma.” She was the first person I had said anything about this. I knew it would go into the vault.

“You’re making me feel bad. Had I known that, I would’ve stopped by every chance I got and be damned the reason why I didn’t. I’ve heard stories about comatose patients being able to hear, but I never thought about it.” I needed her assurance that she wasn’t going to tell anybody about my secret.

“I haven’t told anybody including Travis. He thought I was asleep and he unloaded his personal baggage. He told me quite a bit about himself including his shortcomings. I don’t want him to know that I heard everything, I want to see how he behaves. I can’t be too cautious ever since how things ended with Andy.”

I saw a stand on the street offering free hot chocolate. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. They even had the little marshmallows for a small charitable donation. The whipped cream was a little extra, but worth the price.

I crossed to the other side where the park was located and the huge tree was being prepared for the evening’s festivities. Families had come out looking to share some holiday cheer with their loved ones.

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks girl. I know I can always count on you.” I got some whipped cream and melted marshmallow stuck to my lips.

“Plus you have every right to be cautious. People say one thing and often mean another. And that’s both men and women. Though not all men are like Andy.”

Sheila had brought along a blanket and was setting it up when I spied Travis looking around nervously. He was wearing a fisherman’s dark blue jacket and a knit cap. I probably wouldn’t have recognized him had he not turned for that split second.

I have no idea what compelled me, but I decided to watch him without his knowledge. It was tempting to ditch my friend to play Nancy Drew.

“Remember the last time we snuggled up and people watch during the holidays?”

“Ya, our store had record sales that day.”

They were getting ready to light up the tree and I didn’t feel it was in good taste to leave her standing alone. The warmth of the styrofoam cup was clutched between my bare fingers. I had taken off my gloves to get the full effect.

I could still see Travis and he had met up with a woman dressed in black leather including her pants. She was attractive, had a slim figure. I instantly felt this jealous streak of green running down my spine.

It was obvious from her body language there was a physical past between them. She was purposely running her fingers down over his arms. I recalled Travis telling me that his ex-girlfriend was back in his life. He did say he didn’t want her to be in his current life but I had to be skeptical after what happened with Andy. Action speaks for itself. My eyes were glued onto them.

It was when she grabbed his package that I felt this angry animal trying to get out. He wasn’t doing anything to discourage her behavior, but he wasn’t touching her in reciprocation. At least it was a one-sided exchange of a physical pursuit. I would try my best to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Sheila, you mean the world to me and my life is nothing without you in it.” I was temporarily blinded by the dazzling display of lights splashing its colors on the surface of the snow.

“I will always love you. Those are not two words I would easily say to anybody. I do have a favor to ask. Do you think it’s at all possible for you to take over running the store for the next couple of days? I would like to visit my family in Florida for the holidays. You will have full control over whether or not you open or close on any given day. You can even close up early.” I was trying to listen to her and watch Travis at the same time.

He was trying to fight off the advances of a woman who didn’t know how to take no for an answer. I wanted to come to his rescue, but I didn’t want to be an overprotective girlfriend. Then again I wasn’t even exactly his girlfriend.

“Of course, I will be more than happy to take over the shop for a few days. You didn’t even have to ask.” We sat down on the red and black checkered blanket after clearing away the snow from the spot.

I was in the perfect position to watch how far things go between Travis and his lady friend.