# 3 Little Light Of Mine: Her Sunshine

Hearts Touch

Whole wheat . . .

Sourdough . . .

Multigrain . . .

Carrie’s fingers swept across each label as she eyed the many stacks of bread. The jingle of shopping carts, the occasional moan of wheels, and the melting pot of voices filled the bustling labyrinth of Hansen’s Supermarket behind her;

"Chrissie turned three today . . .”

“Damn driver wouldn’t slow down. . .”

“Jessie! I haven’t seen you in three months, how are you . . .”

Carrie’s gaze went back to the sourdough. Can’t remember if I’m low or not. She thought. Her lips came together in a fish-like fashion, her eyebrows bent towards her grey-blues, securing a pondering frown. Better safe than sorry. She decided, pulling a pack from the shelf. The pack had chosen to cling to the one behind it and she groaned inwardly as it left the shelf, landing before a pair of converses.”I-I am so sorry!”She stammered as she placed her chosen pack in her cart.”It’s okay! Here, let me help you.”The voice belonged to a young girl and it held a genuine tenderness that reminded Carrie of Sue. She bent towards the pack before Carrie could, bringing her into view fully. She looked to be no more than fifteen, she had frizzy dark hair that was restrained by a long ponytail, a set of earphones hung from a checkered-jacket pocket, and a floral shirt was tucked into a set of torn jeans.”Thanks.”Carrie said.”No problem.”The girl said as she returned the pack to it’s home. Her eyes, a coca-brown, were large and genial and her lips, a light pastel-pink, fell into a side smile as she faced Carrie.”Saved my life right there.”Carrie joked, offering a smile of her own. A slight laugh escaped the girl, causing her eyes to twinkle a bit.”If you say so.”She said.”You here with your parents?”Carrie asked.”No, I’m here with my Uncle Dan, he’s in the next aisle over.”The girl replied. A man, brown-haired, and whom Carrie placed in his early twenties appeared not long after.”Abra, who are talking to?”He asked, one brunette brow lifting curiously over an autumn-brown eye. The other autumn-brown remained motionless but not lost to the wonder of interest. Abra’s head went towards her uncle quickly.”Oh, a friend Uncle Dan.”She replied and returned her gaze to Carrie. Dan’s eyes went to Carrie, finding her grey-blues in a tender fashion.”Hi.”Carrie said, smiling.”Hi.”Dan said, placing a hand out.”Daniel Torrance. I see you’ve met my niece; Abra.”Yes, she’s really sweet.”Carrie replied as she took the man’s hand.”I’m Carrie; Carrie White. I mean Snell, Carrie Snell.”Your married name?”Dan inquired as he dropped her hand.”No, I was adopted when I was a teenager and I took my new family’s last name. Now I live one street away from this store in a house that carries nothing but me and that last name.”Carrie explained.”You and your niece live around here?”No, we’re just visiting.”Dan replied.”We live in, um, Grandview, New York. Abra helps me run a hotel there.” He brought a playful fist lightly across his niece’s chin, causing her to grin.”Isn’t that right Abby?”He said as Abra’s features glimmered with pride.”Abra, her parents, and I vacation at Bishop's Hotel for a few months every year.”He added, his gaze set back to Carrie’s.”I’ve driven by that place on my journeys through town, it looks awful nice.”She said.”I would call it a palace in the middle of Maine.”Dan grinned.”That’s my opinion anyway, sure beats The Overlook.”The Overlook?”Carrie asked. Her conversational companion’s face fell into shadow.”It was a hotel that I walked the halls of when I was a kid. It’s gone now though.”Dan said. The reply held an edge, as if the hotel lay beneath the lid of a box of personally withheld past knowledge, a Pandora’s Box that Dan would prefer to keep locked.”Oh.”Carrie replied. Her palms were suddenly sweaty and her heart skipped a beat when she realized that her cheeks were filling with color, bringing a light red to her face.”You said that you were adopted.”Dan said.”What’s your adoptive family like?”You’d love them.”Carrie replied.”I have a sister who’s my age, her name is Sue. She has a daughter, her name is Genesis. Sue’s husband, he was my brother-in-law, passed away a week ago; great man, we all miss him, as you can imagine. My adoptive parents are some of the sweetest people that you will ever meet; they live one street over. Then there’s my baby sister Kelli, she’s about Abra’s age now. I don’t know one of them who wouldn’t give the skin off their back for another person.”A great bunch it seems.”Dan commented.”Sorry about your brother-in-law.”Thanks.”Carrie said.”What’s your family like?”My dad passed when I was four, my mom, she runs an orphanage in Connecticut, and Abra’s parents own a hardware store downtown. Save for my dad, lamb-like hearts seem to turn up a lot in my family.”Dan said. Carrie dared to rest a hand on Dan’s comfortingly.”Sorry about your dad.”She said. Dan drew the hand away, massaging the back of his head with a light laugh.”Thanks.”He replied. From his reaction, Carrie bought that his father hadn’t spent any cents of his lifetime being a dad. Just like Mama. She thought. Dan’s hand dropped back to the cart and his eyes went to his niece.”We better start for Bishop’s, your parents probably thought I’ve taken you back to New York!”He smiled. He began forward, passing Carrie a gentle smile on his way by her.”It was great to meet you Carrie.”He said.”Nice to meet you too.”Carrie replied as she exchanged a wave with Abra. The blush drained and Carrie felt her hands relax. Still, her heart swelled with both nervousness and guilt.

-Flashback-

“Sue, how did you know that you were in love with Tommy?”Carrie asked. Sue passed her a smile as she placed her microwave dinner in the small, spinning oven.”I know that I blushed a lot. Damn, Tommy called me Tomato Snell on our first date as a joke due to how much I blushed.”She said.”Really?”Carrie asked.”Yep. Gosh I was so embarrassed!”Sue laughed as she punched the time in on the microwave.”I got him back though; I poured his milkshake on his head. Let’s just say that seeing Tommy’s curls damp with liquid chocolate is definitely something you have to be there for.”Anything else?”Carrie asked.”Sweaty, my palms were so sweaty that I was constantly rubbing them on my skirt.”Sue recalled. Although fondly smiling, Carrie couldn’t help but harbor a twinge of envy. Mama had held no appreciation towards love. Intimacy was a sin; purged into the abyss with the devil. For Carrie to be good there was no love. Love lead to touching, lead to the sins of the flesh, sins that, if violated, Carrie knew that Mama would never forgive her for.”Touch will lead him to putting it in you little girl!”Mama would say. Her smile fell and her gaze left Sue’s.”What’s the matter?”Sue asked. Carrie didn’t let her gaze return to Sue’s.”Sue . . . do you think that a man could ever love me?”She asked. Sue brought an arm around her after.”Definitely.”She replied.”And you wanna know something?”Carrie released her gaze to her sister’s, whose eyes held gentle reassurance.”He’ll be the luckiest man in the world.”She said.

-Present-

Love. Carrie shivered as the thought rushed past. Love no-I can’t be, Mama said it was a sin-I’m not in . . . She dared to let her eyes search out Dan and Abra. She found them at the last register preparing to pick up their bagged items. Dan’s gaze caught her’s and he smiled, causing Carrie’s head to spin slightly. She turned away and began forward. Yes I am.