Lies

Chapter 13:

The next day, I sat in my car, looking at the large sign that announced the Ranglewood Department Store. It had my maiden name on it but was it really ours? I shook the thought from my memory.

It was a gloomy day, adding to the fact that I was equally as gloomy. Nolan was sick and I couldn't stay home because of a class so my mother took him. Colton was working and Harper and Ryan were at Claire Drake's house with a bunch of the other neighborhood kids. I wasn't surprised if it would start raining to top the whole day.

I guess I was just in a bad mood as it was for some reason. A headache was pounding against my head and sleep wasn't helping it, creating a more stable environment for a bad mood. I knew I looked bad just by the way I felt but I was too afraid to look in the mirror. I believed that I would be seeing someone different and not the Iris Carter that I was.

It all could be linked to the letter I had found. The letter now sat in my purse taking up space in the pocket that held my feminine products because I knew that no one would look there. I had stayed up later then I had wanted to looking over the letter and analyzing its contents trying to figure out what it meant for my family but I hadn't the slightest idea. The only clue was the store and that's where I would start.

I averted my gaze to the big, clear windows that showed almost everything inside of the store. It was also a smaller version than meijer and was ultimately closer with more secrets than I could guess at the moment. The layout was so familiar I could pinpoint where everything was since my father had taken me through the family business when I was such a little girl. My father would point and make sure I knew where everything was. He often said it would be mine one day if I was up to it. But it seems it was given to someone else; not to his own flesh and blood. Someone I didn't know and was a secret to everyone of us; maybe even my mom.

I unlocked the door and got out, grabbing my purse that was stationed on the passenger seat. It was a pink Coach purse that matched my khakis and pink tank top with a cardigan over the top of it. It was the largest one I could find and therefore the most expensive. I loved it because I could keep everything that I needed and really didn't need inside of it.

I walked up to the front doors which were the automatic slider and walked through them. Different fragrances from different food groups made their way inside of my nose when I entered and it made my eyes glance in different directions trying to find the source of each smell. I saw pastries and different types of meat in one corner. Fruit and veggies in another. It was the perfect assortment of necessities for anyone who was looking for exactly what they needed.

For all the times that I had been there, I was completely lost. I had no clue where to look. I needed a manager of some kind to give me pointers on who now owned this store. But where would I find that person? I found myself going in circles near the entrance trying to find someone or something that could at least point me in the right direction.

My eyes landed on a lonely worker that was near the fruit section. It was a male, setting various fruits in their places and moving onto the next fruit that was laying previous. He had glasses on that magnified his eyes and acne that spread across his face like a rash. I walked up to him.

"Uh, hello. My name is Iris Carter. Could I speak to your manager?" I asked as the man looked up. I noticed that his teeth were too big for his mouth and an awful smell was emitting from him.

"Yeah. Follow me." The man said, pushing the cart in the direction of the back of the store. We passed many aisles, all holding the necessities needed for everyday life. Food, pots, pans, baby supplies, clothes, electronics and all sorts of stuff that helped this place function. I followed behind the man, almost fainting from the smell of him. Others noticed his stench too for they looked in his direction with scrunched up faces.