Coup De Foudre

pluie

"You give me hope and consolation, you give me strength to carry on..." -Elvis Presley

We drove for a few hours down south before we pulled into a small town that I'd never heard of before.

It was small, a population of only five-hundred.

"Can you pull up here?" you asked me, pointing to a department store. You opened the door before I'd even been able to completely park. "What do you want to eat?"

I shrugged and told you, "Anything's fine with me."

You rolled your eyes. "Fine, be that way. Come in with me then."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out.

Inside, it smelled like fish. It was stuffy - there was a lack of ventilation - and humidity was beating down on us. My skin felt sticky. My lungs needed fresh air. You picked a shitty department store, Océane, but I can't complain. It got us what we needed.

I grabbed a 7 Up bottle and a bag of plain potato chips, no name brand. They were the cheapest. "That's bad for you," you said. "Watch that take ten years out of your life."

"Screw it, it's good."

You ignored me and turned to the lady at the cash. "Got a bathroom?"

She looked up. She was an odd looking woman. She had a body shaped like a bowling pin, her face was long and narrow, and her hair looked like it had been cut in a fit of rage. "What?" she said.

"Got a bathroom?" you repeated.

"Oh." The lady picked at her nails. "Yeah, but y'all gotta buy something first."

"Not a problem," I said. I placed my two items on the counter.

You stopped me.

"Hold up. I just wanna pee. You're gonna let me pee, aren't you?"

The lady shrugged. "If you buy stuff, sure."

You furrowed your brows and crossed your arms. "That's bullshit. In that case, we'll be leaving."

Not going to lie, I was a little pissed at you. I was going to buy something anyway. I didn't see the need to fuss. "Ocean, let's just buy something. It's fine."

"No, it's not."

"Listen here little lady," the woman interrupted. "This is a family owned business, alright? I ain't gonna sit here and have you piss all over our toilets when you ain't gonna buy nothin' or do nothin' in return."

"Don't fuck with me Barb," you threatened. It was only then I'd noticed the woman's name tag. Barbara. "I could fuck you up. I could fuck up this shitty store if I wanted to. And you betcha, I could piss all over your precious fucking toilets."

"Get out of my store you little slut!" Barbara yelled. Her face had gone completely red. She was livid. "That's right," she said, her voice lower. She was trying to intimidate us. It was funny. "I said you're a slut. It's obvious with those melons of yours hanging outta your shirt like that. No bra at home, honey?"

I felt embarrassed for you, but you didn't care. You corrected your posture, shoulders back, making your breasts more prominent, if anything. You were sexy as hell. I looked away. "That's right, Barb," you said. "And you know what? I'm proud of my rack. So slut-shame all you want. I love my body. I'm fucking hot."

And you were right.

You turned around and grabbed a hair dyeing kit that was for sale. "I'll buy this. Not cause I wanna piss."

I handed Barbara my chips and pop. You tossed the dye and handed me a few bills. "Where's the bathroom?"

Barbara pointed to the to the other end of the store. "To the left."

You walked proudly and I paid. I smiled at Barb - a forced, fake kind of smile - and I walked out of the store and sat on the on the head of the car, waiting. A slight drizzle started to fall. I squinted to keep the drops out of my eyes.

Now, I don't know how long you were standing there, but when I looked up, you were staring at me with this look I couldn't quite read.

You walked over, and just when I thought you'd stop, you kept walking. Your lips were inches from mine. I could feel your breath, warm. "Let's go before you catch a cold," you whispered.