Alice's Umbrella

Chapter 5: You Again

"I'll be with you in a second!" I called from the kitchen in the back.

Mr. Floyd asked me to finish up the dishes. I happily obliged, but then I was slapped with an ounce of nervousness at the fact that I had to leave Elliott in the store without him in my sight. It was New York. I was afraid that some stranger would barge in and kidnap him. But I did shake it off eventually and told Elliott to shout for me if he got scared. And knowing my son, almost nothing scared him.

"Hi!"

My head shot up at the sound of my son's bright voice.

"Hi!" I heard another voice. A little girl, I guessed.

I quickly wiped my hands on the dishrag and hurried to the counter.

And then I saw her. Alaska?

"Umm, hi there." I blinked. She turned to look at me. Her eyes widened.

•

Could it be him?

Henry?

"I'm sorry. That's my son there." He walked around to meet us.

Henry was married?

He looked different. His hair was a little more longer than I remembered. Bags under his eyes, stubble covered his jaw. He wore a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. His son was a mirror image of him.

"Oh, that's okay." I waved it off.

He nodded. Then cleared his throat and smiled. "What are your names?"

I wasn't quite sure that he remembered me. I opened and closed my mouth a few times. Alice beat me to it.

"I'm Alice Young," she said, bravely stepping forward. "And this is my mommy." She gestured to me. Henry chuckled.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Alice Young. I'm Henry Matthews, and this is my son, Elliott. Now, may I ask what your lovely mother's name is?"

"Oh...um, Alaska." I smiled at him. I stepped forward to somewhat awkwardly shake his hand.

He did so heartily. Then he placed his hands on his hips.

"Just like the state, yes?" He winked at me with a grin. I blushed a little bit.

I nodded. "Yes."

He shot me another smile. "So what can I do for you today?"

"My mom's looking for a job," Alice blurted.

"Alice!" I said in embarrassment. I looked up at Henry apologetically.

•

She was even more beautiful than I remembered. Alaska had a black coat and light blue jeans which completed her fair skin very well. She still looked perfect like how I always remembered her.

I was just about to say something when Mr. Floyd came into the room.

"Looking for a job, eh? Well you've come to the right place." He nodded toward the door. He smiled at Alaska. "We could use an extra set of hands around here. Henry's son is almost old enough to work here. And my oldest daughter just got married and moved out to Wisconsin of all places, so we're a little short staffed at the moment."

My eyes moved over to Alaska, who looked flattered and surprised. "I-Are you serious?" She stuttered, forgetting all formalities.

Mr. Floyd laughed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Okay," she breathed out. "Umm...is there an application I should fill out?" Alaska began to rummage around her bag for a pen, I assumed. Mr. Floyd was shaking his head.

"Nah. We're not too formal here. It's technically a family business, but I figure we can make an exception in your case." He winked. "Besides, you're certainly the most promising applicant so far. The last kid who came in was wearing black eyeliner and a pentagram necklace."

I snorted at the memory. Mr. Floyd and I were the first to see the young man. I silently thanked God that Elliott was at school at the time.

"So when can you start?" I wondered.

"Uh, anytime really. Actually, the sooner the better. I'm somewhat...desperate at the moment." Her eyes traveled to Alice, who had gotten uninterested with the conversation and plopped down onto the floor next to Elliott, nose deep in a book.

"How does tomorrow sound? Can you be here around 9:00? I can have Henry show you the ropes and whatnot." Mr. Floyd grinned.

"Yeah! Sure. That's perfect." Alaska nodded with a big, roseate smile.

"Perfect! That's settled then. Now," he began, "can I get you girls something to eat?"