Harry Stell came back to town today. And, according to Ms. Porter, brought along a new wife.
"It's scandalous, really," she tells me, bustling about the store-front. "Just months after Clara died - God rest her soul - he runs off and marries some pretty little floosy. Really, Ashley, men these days. When you get a boyfriend, be sure that..."
She trails off then, and turns away. I can see what she doesn't say though. I can see her eyes, looking at me from behind her back, judging me like they always do. I see me reflected in their pupils, as skinny, dirty, transparent speck. I don't mind. It's always been this way.
The door swings open, and a pretty young woman comes in. Her red hair is pulled up around her head, and her eyes are hazel. Restless too. She is nervous, nervous about what others might think. She approaches Ms. Porter nervously. "Hello. "
And Ms. Porter turns, with a big smile on her round face. "Oh hello there!", she says, all her lines breaking into a grandmotherly smile. "You must be Shandra, Harry's wife. I'm Laura, Laura Porter. May I help you?"
I watch Shandra's shyness fade away, as Ms. Porter hurries about, attending to her needs. She smiles for real, answering Ms. Porter's questions with real gusto. She even laughs, a high, soft sound. I watch her eyes shining, see the words on her lips. A friend. I've found a friend.
I wonder what she'd do, if she saw the contempt in Ms. Porter's eyes. Shandra is a city girl, the one all the women here laugh about. The ones they look down on, and secretly wish they could be. Nothing she does will change Ms. Porter's opinion.
Poor little girl. I slide off the stool, and quietly head out the door. They won't miss me. And anyway, I'm late.
YOU ARE READING
The Cracks in my Mind
FantastiqueThe small town of Lelinda, in rural Kansas, is quiet and well-mannered. Nothing interesting ever happens here. Everybody knows everyone else. The only apparent problem is the two-year drought that won't go away. But 12 year-old Ashley Taylor can s...
