Wrestling the Kraken

Bridgett

Bridgett

Back in her own room, Bridgett was all showered and in her own clothes. She carefully folded the ones Lanz had given her, smiling at them. She would return them tomorrow, when they would meet again.

Lanz invited her back for that dinner they never had. Apparently there was something he had wanted to show her, but needed a little more time before it was ready.

Even though she spent the night, he refused to take back the money. She could see that he was also stubborn. What was a girl to do with some extra cash? A smile crossed her face as the idea struck her.

Moving to her closet, she still needed to pick out an outfit. Her eyes were drawn to the floor, then she turned to look behind her. The tape recorder laid out on the nightstand on top of the file. She was starting to get sloppy. That was dangerous for both her and Dante. She had a responsibility, and though the weight of it had been getting to her, she couldn't waiver. If she slipped up, it was Dante's life that would be ruined. All these years of watching out for him- removing obstacles- would be for nothing, if she were to get caught.

Snatching the tape recorder and file, she knelt before the floorboards inside her closet. Using a flathead screwdriver she kept inside one of her shoes, she propped open a single board. Inside were a host of photos. Moments she needed to remember, poses, facial expressions.

The majority of them, however, were from scouting her locations, observing her obstacles, and of course the circus itself. Taking a cloth, she wiped down the recorder and file, before placing them inside.

She had to lift the itinerary she copied from Barbara's desk, in order for everything to fit, but she did so carefully with the cloth. They would eventually need a larger spot, but she could figure that out another time. Replacing the floorboard, she wiped down the edges. Then she replaced the screwdriver back into the shoe and stood up. There was still an outfit to choose.

Jenny would be the one. A short, long sleeved dress that was patterned in a deep navy blue, mustard yellow, red and white. She put on burgundy colored stockings and reached for her metallic, sapphire blue open toed, square heels. With her mascara and peach lipstick on, she was ready to put on her ginger wig. Grabbing her purse, she walked out and hailed a taxi.

The excitement in her grew, as she sat in the backseat. She found herself in high spirits, looking forward to fulfilling her idea.

I don't remember the last time I've felt this.

She was curious... Why did she feel so elated? What made it happen now? Then she shut her thoughts off and relished the feeling, fearing it would leave her at any moment.

The taxi dropped her off and she stood at the entrance of the Johnson's Park Mall. Being a Friday afternoon, it was quite busy. Live entertainment was being set up in the east parking lot, with cars trying to figure out alternative parking around the barricades.

Walking in, she felt invigorated. Where would she even start? People glanced her way, but she didn't feel any snickering or whispers. In fact, the females looked at her void of any scorn and the males looked at her with fascination.

In this particular moment, she was one of them. That took any pressure off her shopping. It was horrible on her stomach, when she had to shield those disgusted glares, and the added perk of an eased mind was even more exciting.

Heading inside a department store, searching for the men's section, she wasn't sure what she was looking for. She knew she wanted to buy a gift for Lanz and to make it special. For Dante, she had worked so hard, especially on the presentation aspect, but guilt and shame always came hand in hand with it. This was something she could dive into and not worry about marking her soul... possibly embarrassment or rejection, but that was something she could work with.