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WEDNESDAY
It's a sun-drenched afternoon in St. Helena, California. Jade is visiting the quaint town for two weeks and staying with a friend she hasn't seen in a while. She decided to lodge at their place for the duration of the trip so she could spend more time with them before they went back to college for the fall semester. It's her second day here. She spent the entirety of yesterday unpacking and unwinding inside since the August heat left her deadbeat tired.
Currently, she walks through the downtown area with her friend, looking for places to shop. Her mother's birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so she plans to find a special gift for her. She keeps an eye out for a spiritual shop that might hold remedial treasures.
It's unbearably humid, and Jade's frog bucket hat on her head does a mediocre job shielding her face from the sun's scorching rays. She readjusts the straps of her overalls as she strolls, regretting wearing denim since her sweaty skin is digging into the rough fabric.
Her eyes squint into painful slits due to the sun directly facing her, and after another minute of thigh chafing and upper lip sweat, her sight lands on an intriguing shop with a purple and white striped roof. The letters pasted on the window read: The Crystal Shop.
Bingo. Right up her mother's alley.
Jade's mother has always been fascinated with the spiritual side of life, her brain full of astrological facts and drawers full of crystals that all have a specific purpose. Jade supposes it's only natural for herself to be interested in it, too. Her name is a gemstone, after all.
Grabbing her friend's arm, she stops them both in their tracks. "I need to get my mom something for her birthday," she says, nodding toward the shop. "This place seems cool."
"Sure, let's go," they reply while already halfway through the front door.
Jade jogs to catch up while admiring the shop's exterior. There's a huge display window with various expensive-looking necklaces, rocks, and crystals. She begins to worry that she might be unable to afford a single item. If so, she'll just have to buy the cheapest thing available. She knows her mom will appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into it.
The door is already propped open with a wooden wedge to provide easy access for customers and allow the summer weather to waft in. Jade suddenly feels a prickly wave of anxiety wash over her. She realizes that she has absolutely no clue what to look for. She just hopes a snobby employee who judges her lack of knowledge about crystals doesn't own the shop. She's been in that situation far too many times before with her mom.
Her friend is already inside, so she follows closely behind. They've always been more fearlessly outgoing than her, while Jade prefers observing instead of talking. She makes a mental note to have her friend ask an employee to help her find something worth buying.
Jade instantly feels the coolness from the air conditioning once she's inside, and it feels heavenly. She glances around, overwhelmed by the endless shelves and boxed displays of crystals, books, and tiny bottles of unknown liquids. This is way too advanced for her brain.
