Laws Of Siblinghood

Chapter 2

In the morning, I left early for the bookstore. Carmen was going to drop Ray off to school then go to work. Dad was going to work on his own. I had the whole house to myself. It was so empty.

Sometimes, I loved being alone in the house. Other days, I hated being alone. I hated this house, this neighborhood and most importantly, I hated myself. I hated myself for doing nothing. All my college and school friends were doing something. What was I doing?

I walked over to the bookstore. The few things I liked about my house was that it was at walking distance from the bookstore. The store was already open which meant that Ms. Green, the owner was already there. I stepped in and found her dusting some of the shelves.

"Good morning, Mrs. Green. What are you up to?" I asked.

She smiled at me. There was something about her that was always very lively. She had pale skin and straight blonde hair. She had green eyes that complimented her oval shaped face. She was a bit taller than Carmen, maybe 5'6. She was in her late thirties.

"Good morning, Zack. I was just dusting. Could you wipe the dust from the books in the History section? No one ever buys history books anymore," she said sadly.

"I'll go wipe the dust 'cause that's what I get paid for," I winked at her. "When I'm done, I'm pretty sure that someone's going to buy a book."

"Over confident," Ms. Green shook her head. "We'll see."

The bookstore was old. It was owned by Ms. Green's dad who passed it on to her when she passed college. Ms. Green renovated the place but left signs of her father in little bits and corners. I was pretty sure I was the only person out of the Green family to notice that.

I used to visit the store as a kid, back when Steven Green, Ms. Green's dad still owned the place. He was a strict man but loved the kids who took care of books. He gave me a candy for every time I bought a book. I loved the little candies so much, sometimes I bought a book just so I could get Mr. Green's candy.

The history section was almost empty. The aisles were filled with books and no one to read. I picked up a book and wiped the dust off it. I continued to do that in silence. Some customers came but no one entered the history section. 

An hour later, I was done with wiping off the books. I went to the counter where Ms. Green was just leaving.

"I'm done," I said.

"That's great. I need to leave the store for a while. It's my niece's birthday," she said and looked around her desk.

She looked up at me with tense eyes.

"Do you know what a fourteen year old girl would like for a birthday present?" She asked.

I laughed. "I was raised by a single father. I have no sisters. What do I know of fourteen year old girls?"

"Don't you have any friends who are girls?" Ms. Green asked me.

"I have friends who are girls. When I was fourteen, I didn't."

"You're of no help," Ms. Green said irritated.

I put a hand on my chest dramatically. "That is offending."