The Work of a Legacy

The Aftermaths: Selina

Dear happiness,
It's is been a long time.

"What about this one, beti?" My mama ask, whipping out a horrendous piece of work complete with oversized rainbow sequins.

I put on a fake smile and put the dress back. "It's lovely, mama, just not my style."

She sighs, running her fingers through her age-thinned hair in frustration. "I know that this shop is not the most high end of shops, but it's all we can afford, and you have to pick something. You can't just go naked."

"Well..."

"You are not going naked."

"I was kidding. Let's keep looking, okay?"

But as the sun begins to sink underneath the tangled knots of trees, we become no closer to finding a suitable dress.

"I'm sorry for wasting your day, mama."

We walk together in silence back to the artificially lit restaurant. By this time of day, it'll be filled with mostly tired bike gang members who reliably popped in every single Friday. They each get a coffee, stare at the menu for twenty minutes, and then order the hamburger, extra onions, extra mustard, and no tomato.

"A day spent with my daughter is never wasted. I just wish we could have found something you liked."

"Hey!" From the bottom of the hill, a man sets down a heavy looking package and points at us. "Are you Selina?"

"Er... Yes?"

"Finally! Do you know how long I've been waiting here? Almost all day! I have other places to be, Miss!"

"Uh, sorry? Who are you?"

He straightens his collar and clears his throat. "I'm... the delivery man."

I raise an eyebrow. "Okay... sorry dude, we didn't order anything."

"It's complimentary," he states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Look, if you want to go to the reunion wearing those rags, be my guest, but it would have been nice to notify us before making me stand out here all day."

"Wait... you're here from Chanced?"

"Where else would have their delivery guys wearing tuxedos?"

Running down the rest of the hill, I snatch the package from the ground and keep running all the way to my room, locking the door behind me.

"Please be a dress, please be a dress, please be a... dress." I hold the contents of the box in my hands, tears brimming in my eyes. "Damnit." It's a blank piece of paper. Someone probably stole the damn thing, if there even was something in it to begin with.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!!" I kick my bed in frustration, tears freely flowing down my cheeks now.

"Read the back," a voice coughs.

My blood runs cold.

I'm not alone.

"W-what?"

"Read the back," it repeats.

Shakily, I turn the paper on its back.

'Check underneath your bed.'

"Okay, I'm checking under my bed, but if it's a human person I swear I'm going to scream, and there is an entire bike gang down there that will back me the fuck up should you attempt to hurt me," I warn.

"Oh, look... it's another piece of paper. How original. A goose chase. Yay."

'Check your ceiling fan.'

"Oh, this is getting ridiculous."

'Check your closet.'

"I swear, ominous voice, if it's another damn paper, please just go ahead and kill me."

I take a deep breath and fling open the closet door.

...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"