Cilantro, Bo.CILANTRO
Bo: You still in thepharmacy?
Yes
“Ms. Blake,” the technician said. I shoved my phone into my purse when I stood up. Martha’s eyes followed me all the way to the window. The technician laid the white paper bag on the counter. “Do you have anyquestions.”
“No.”
She rang me up and I paid without a word. When I turned around, Ms. Greyson was at the end of the aisle, looking at the over-the-counters. I took a breath and went to escape down another aisle, but before I could round the corner, Martha cleared herthroat.
“Is this bad?” She tapped her finger on the red block numbers flashing on the blood pressuremachine.
“It looksfine.”
“That’s not hypertensive?” She jabbed her finger over the topnumber.
“No, you’refine.”
“Hmmm.”
Ms. Greyson was still staring at the antacid tablets, and I took a step toward the shampooaisle.
“Hannah,” Martha said. “I haven’t seen you at churchlately.”
I eye rolled on a huff before spinning around with a smile. “I’ve beenbusy.”
“So I’veheard…”
Are you kidding me?The nerve of some people never ceases to amaze me, but, again. In a small town, everyone thinks they have a right to tell you how you need to live yourlife.
“It’s making your daddy look awful bad.” She pushed up and rolled her sleeve down. “Running around with the likes of thatboy.”
I wanted to tell her that I knew she kept a bottle of whiskey underneath the counter at the Bait and Tackle. I wanted to tell her I knew she was the reason my first-grade teacher ended up divorced—because she was having an affair with the husband. But there was no point. I’ve learned it’s most often times those with a guilty conscious that point out other’s faults. “I’ll keep that in mind,Martha.”
The wrinkles around her mouth deepened when she frowned, and I spun around, walking down the hair care aisle. Right when I reached the end of the walkway, Ms. Greyson rounded the corner. I froze when her eyes landed on me. “Well, hello,Hannah.”
“Hi.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she dug a fist into one of her hips. “Dangnabbit, boy.” She shook her head. “What’s he gone and done didnow?”
Even his grandma could admit he was bad for me, so why couldn’t I? “Oh,nothing.”
“I know that look, and I saw you tryin’ to make your great escape over there, not that I blame you, Martha’s about as dimwitted as a fruit fly.” She sighed. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, he up and ran off to Nashville without as much as tellin’ me. Phoned me and said he had some singing shindig.” She rolled her eyes. “He told me it was just some singing gig. I found out the real truth from the waitress at Ruby’s. I bet it’s ‘cause he’s afraid he’s gonna fail. Never did have much faith inhimself.”
“Oh.”
“Poor thing, don’t let it hurt you too bad. He’s immature. Don’t realize what he does to people.” She patted my shoulder. “But he does care about you, I can promise you that.” She frowned. “He’ll be back around when he comeshome.”
Doris was only trying to help, I’m sure, but what she had just said to me caused me to realize it would be best if I kept my distance from Noah. I was in no place to be worried about a guy, no position to place my already bleeding heart on a silver platter. I couldn’t handle any more uncertainty when everything in my life was souncertain.
Thankfully, I heard Bo calling me from the aisle over. “I…” I shifted on my feet and held the prescription up. “I gotta go.” I turned around and walked back to the pharmacy where Bo was waiting. I glanced in the buggy and he didn’t have half of what I told him to get. I reached in and grabbed a head of cabbage. “What isthis?”
“Uh,lettuce.”
“Wow.” I dropped it into the cart and grabbed the handle. “Comeon.”
“What’s yourdeal?”
