The Aftermath Of You

Chapter Five

The smell of old moth balls permeated the air and the second-hand clothing hung in lacklustre silence. Faded shades of turquoise and orange clashed happily in unnoticed satisfaction.

Toni stood on the threshold of the store, nerves wracking her body while she gave herself a gentle internal lecture. After informing herself that the world wouldn't blow up in her face if she entered, she took a determined step forward.

The few customers who rummaged obligingly through the racks took the time to stop and stare at her boldly; after all, she had been standing in the doorway for five minutes with a pained expression on her face. Her heart quickened and a voice screamed inside her head, "They're all looking at me!" Taking a deep breath, she rushed towards the accessories bin. She'd tried to avoid ever setting foot in this shop again. But just because a place brought back bad memories wasn't going to stop her from being a world-famous novelist. She had to start putting the past behind her where it belonged.

The hunt for the elusive prop began.

It wasn't the most accessible shop; there were so many second-hand garments to a rail that all the racks were sagging in the middle, and getting to the changing cubicle was a perilous mission. Toni had to suck her breath in and squeeze between the racks, taking care not to hit her head on the bits and pieces that hung from the ceiling along the way.

She might have searched all day, if it weren't for the two women who watched her closely, from their seats behind the shabby old counter. Their eyes bored into her. Toni kept her head averted, not allowing them to get a good look.

After a few minutes of quiet perusing, one of the women bellowed, "I know your face from somewhere."

"Oh! Well then," Toni croaked awkwardly. Usually, Toni would have told some fabulous lie in a thick Aussie accent about how it was impossible because it was her very first day in the country. It was just far easier than having to tell some stranger just how awful her life had been recently. But that was before, Toni reminded herself resolutely.

"Yes, I'm sure I've seen you in here before!"

Toni forced a smile. The woman had probably been working here since Jesus' dog died, what did she expect? Toni dug her hands deeper into the pile of hats, but as she burrowed further down the voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Now I remember you!" one of the women cried out. "You used to come in here all the time with that fella."

"Err... yes." Toni's heart stopped beating, and her face blanched. She tried to smile but gave up quickly after nearly passing out from lack of oxygen.

Fortunately, she was saved by a short, round lady approaching the counter holding up a sparkly gold halter-neck top. "Do you have this in a size ten?"

"Oh, no," the shop assistant replied. "This is an opportunity shop, we only sell one-offs."

"What kind of opportunity is that?" The short woman scowled, her dark curls springing around her head in outrage.

Toni tittered into the hats and shawls. The crazy lady could almost make her mother look sane.

Her fingers came in contact with something soft and woolly with threads of silk interwoven into it, and Toni tugged it decisively. Holding her trophy up to the greying fluorescent light, she found herself face to face with the perfect accessory: a woolly pink pilot's hat. Toni pulled it down over her bed hair and headed towards a mirror. She looked absolutely barking mad; with this hat, she could imagine writing with the artistic genius of Dr. Seuss. Perfect. Forcefully, Toni walked to the counter with her prize; no matter how much she wanted to turn and run she made sure that she put one foot in front of the other. She couldn't keep running from the past.

"No, this isn't what I want at all," the short round woman was saying, casting an eye over her fellow shoppers as if begging them to revolt with her. "I can't believe how badly this shop is run. I won't be coming back." Then she marched out, possibly hoping that the hordes would follow her.

"Righty oh," one of the sales assistants replied with a sympathetic smile before turning to her workmate and whispering, "She's barmy."

Toni pretended not to hear, quickly throwing the hat on the counter, humming loudly to put the woman off any further conversation.

"So how is he?" The woman gave a pleasant smile as her accomplice reached to take the hat and put it in an old supermarket bag. The smile didn't look pleasant to Toni; instead, it stretched into clown-like proportions. "Jake, isn't it?"

"Err, no ... Jack." Toni wished she could turn and leave, but taking a deep breath she said, "And he's gone." Her hands were sweaty. She wiped them on her dungarees.

The nosy shop attendant had the grace to look awkward. "Oh," she said with her lips pinched.

A broken, guilty look crept into Toni's eyes. She tried to breathe steadily but there was a large lump wedged in her throat and she couldn't draw air in around it. Her cheek felt damp, and as a tear trickled its way down towards her chin, her shame was far too much to bear. She threw her coins onto the counter, grabbed the bag, turned wildly and rushed for the door.

The woman called after her apologetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Toni struggled to pick up her umbrella which she had left at the entrance, but all of her fingers had turned into thumbs, delaying her hasty exit and leaving her to overhear the woman whisper to her accomplice, "She was such a nicely dressed woman. Nice looking bloke too ... God, it must be a full moon!"

Note from Author:  If you know someone (like Toni) who needs cheering up then please tag their names in the comments. Thank you for your views, votes and comments!