What Could Have Been

(Toadstools Pt. 1)

The day was finally coming to a close. I only had one appointment left with one of my regulars, an old spirited widow named Ms. Marshall, then it was time to buy groceries and head home for the night. I was sitting in my cushy chair, staring at the multitude of spiders above me working diligently on weaving their silky webs on the corners of my ceiling. Normally, I'd tell them to make it somewheres else to avoid frightening a client, but I wasn't really in the mood to tell them not to. I was still trying to recover from my mortification. Walter's appointment has ended hours ago, but I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Worse yet, he said he'd like to come back to work on choosing the right path for his future. It didn't matter that he was a nice guy, especially considering I stuck my... Well, you already know what happened. I know I was exaggerating the situation slightly, but I felt like a total clumsy moron. I can only pray to some silent gods that he doesn't think of my as some sort of brainless, moronic-
I covered my face with my hands and groaned, trying to get the thought out of my brain. Just one more appointment, I told myself. Just one more before I can leave.
A knocking on my door broke the silence and snapped me back into reality. I looked over at the door as it slowly opened, Tey standing behind it. I immediately felt embarrassed again. I hadn't even left my room since what happened earlier. Hadn't even explained the situation.
"Ms. Marshall's dog got sick, so she isn't going to make it to her appointment. You can head home early today if you want." She poked her head in, leaning against the doorway.
"Oh, are you sure?"
Usually Tey asked if I could help out a bit even during situations like this, since she usually needed the help. It wasn't like her.
That's when it hit me. She probably thought I had a date with that guy or something and that I'd want to see him afterwards.
"Wait, Tey! About earlier, I-I'm not..." I stopped, trying to gather myself before offering and explanation.
She tilted her head for a moment, puzzled, but then I noticed how her eyes lit up, and she started barking laughing. My face heated up like a thousand suns. My sister had an intuition like no other, as if she could read my mind. Only problem was I couldn't tell what was going on in hers.
"Mal, I know what happened earlier was an accident," She said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Hell, I had to leave so I wouldn't laugh and cause a scene. It was so damn-" She looked up at me and my very unamused expression, then cleared her throat and changed her tone.
"Well, uh, the point is, I figured you'd be embarrassed and since things are going smoothly around here tonight, you can get yourself home an hour early."
Thank god she didn't keep talking about what happened earlier. I smiled, "Oh, well... Thank you. You didn't have to do that." Even though she didn't always say the right thing at first, I was so grateful to have a sister like her.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Have a good night, Mal!" She pulled her head back out and shut the door.
"You too!" I called back, hoping she heard me through the wooden door. I sighed, a sense of relief washing over me. Then, I started getting some of my things together. My purse, my books, my phone and my keys. All the items I kept in my room away from customers. I didn't need to worry about the spiders. They could fend for themselves, so they were going to stay here. Besides, they'd be eaten alive at my home. I picked up my phone, checking for any calls or texts I could have by some outlandish chance have missed. None, which meant things were fine at home. Thank God.
The door clicked open, causing me to jump as Tey put her mouth through the slender opening. All I could see was a sliver of her face.
"Also, forgot to mention. Mr. Webb will be coming in next week around the same time he did today. Remember to behave yourself." I saw her mischievous grin form on her face , followed by a wink. "You're too cheeky for your own good." I said as I rolled my eyes, returning to purse and neatly packing up my belongings. Tey shut the door as abruptly as she had opened it, and I could hear her cackling from the other side. I shook my head, laughing quietly so she couldn't hear. What a jackass.