Women In Black

Chapter Seventeen

Katya sighed while she parked in front of the mall she had been at just a few hours ago. She had to make it as quick as possible so that she could come back before Trixie woke up. She speed-walked to the inside of the mall, her heels making a loud noise each time they hit the floor. Just like she had yesterday, Katya's memories of the mall as a kid came back. She and her sister ate ice cream while her mother spoke in Russian to their grandma, or when she skipped school and went to the cinema with a few friends. Katya's train of thought got interrupted when a familiar face appeared, sitting at the food section, enjoying a burger. She felt her stomach drop when she realized that it wasn't just a product of her imagination, her mother was sitting there.

"Shit," Katya felt like someone was stepping on her chest. ,

She quickly hid behind a column and tried to calm herself down. It had been nearly nine years since she saw her mom for the last time. And it wasn't a nice goodbye, it was her mother screaming how disappointed she is at her type of goodbye. She bit the inside of her mouth in anger as she remembered her mother's voice. She never even tried to understand Katya or anyone in her life that had some kind of problem with addiction. She remembers the awful comments she made about her best friend when she overdosed. Katya could stand her shitty attitude for a bit, but it got so annoying that she had to leave. She left and her mother got even angrier, not letting Katya visit her sister at all.

She peeked through the column, her mother was still eating. Katya grabbed her pair of sunglasses and took a deep breath before walking to where she had to in the first place. She felt the eyes of her mother on her, not for long. Her stare was a feeling that Katya would never forget, how judgy and intense it is. Katya casually stared back, their eyes meeting before her mother kept eating her burger and Katya got inside the store. She exhaled as she took her sunglasses off and walked up to the counter. The woman seemed to be busy with the computer, so Katya cleared her through to grab her attention. She had red hair and light green eyes, she seemed nervous, Katya assumed she was new.

"Oh, Hi sorry, How can I help you?"

"Hi, I wanted to take a look at the pink platform boots in the shop window."

"Of course, come follow me."

Katya followed the young woman and noticed that her name tag said "Gigi". She also couldn't help but stare at her beautiful outfit.

"These right?"

"Yes those, do you have them in a size seven?"

"I'll go get them for you, you can wait on the counter," Gigi said before exiting to the back of the store.

Katya waited on the counter, taping it with her fingers from her pinky to her pointer finger. Gigi came back with a beige box, putting it on the counter while grabbing a bag.

"Could you put it on a gifting bag, please?"

"Of course, is it for your daughter?" Katya's heart almost stopped at the question.

"Oh god no," Katya said and Gigi giggled. "It's for my, my best friend." Katya almost laughed at herself remembering what she and her "best friend" had done last night.

"I'm sure she will love them."

"I hope so."

"That'll be 70 dollars."

Katya reached into her wallet, hesitating before taking the organization's credit card out. A little gift isn't that bad, Katya said to herself while watching Gigi slide the card and give it back.

"Thank you,"

"Thank you too, bye," Gigi said before Katya left the store.

Katya was looking for her sunglasses in her handbag when someone stopped her.