Page 160 of One More Kiss
Tori
ALL DURING MYSPARE TIME on the weekdays, and all weekend. That’s how much time I spent with Phoenix. Nervousness seemed to control my body, but it seemed like he knew. Every time he sensed my anxiety, he would grasp my hand or touch my arm and a calmness would wash over me.
Each day during the weekend, Phoenix brought a dowry and it consisted of seafood. How he knew my parents’ loved seafood was beyond me. The first day was crawfish. My mom loved it and ate every morsel. She didn’t share with the rest of my brothers and sisters and chose to keep it all to herself. The second day was rock claw crabs. Even I didn’t know my mother loved that kind of food. She hoarded it all to herself, leaving none for the rest of the family.
On Sunday, Phoenix graced my family with homemade peanut butter toffee. Apparently, his grandmother made them for my family because she knew how much Phoenix wanted to be around me. This time, my mom shared the snack with the rest of the family because there was too much for her to hoard. It took one weekend for my family to be smitten. And for poor people, that’s not too bad. He must’ve known we didn’t have much food in the house because that’s the only gifts he came bearing.
This week, we had an entire week off. It was something to do with school being on break. I hated it because I didn’t think I’d get to see Phoenix as often as I’d like. It was literally the best part of my day, going into the school and looking for his blonde-tipped hair. It always gave me butterflies when he’d catch me looking and smile. Gosh, this boy was getting underneath my skin fast. If I wasn’t careful, I’d lose my heart entirely.
We didn’t have much left of school, I wanted to make the most of our time together, especially since Phoenix was leaving for boot camp this summer. That was another subject we hadn’t broached yet, his leaving. I wondered if this was going to get cut off or if we’d have a long-distance relationship.
I shook my head and tried to focus on reality since my mom seemed to be talking to me and I had no clue what she was saying.
“What?” I asked.
She huffed as if irritated by my lack of hearing. “I asked if you were going to homecoming this weekend, and if you had a dress yet?”
I worried my lip by biting it. “I was hoping to have a dress by now. Phoenix asked me and I said yes, but I didn’t think the whole thing through. I don’t know what to do.”
I threw my head into my hands and groaned. I knew I was going to make Phoenix the laughingstock of the whole school. Just a few days left, and I still had nothing to wear for the dance. What would he think of me? I told him it wasn’t good for me to go with him, but he wouldn’t listen.
“You know I don’t have the money to buy a dress, right?” My mom said, even though I knew she didn’t.
“I know,” I said, “Can we go to the thrift store? I might be able to find something there that’s affordable. I’ve been saving a little bit money.”
My mom’s eyes widened as soon as I admitted about the money I’d saved. It seemed like she didn’t expect me to have money at all. My dad had a habit of going through our change, so I learned to hide mine behind my books. No-one ever suspected. That’s also where I hid my diary.
“We can go, but you might not find anything,” she said, “make sure you have enough money. I honestly don’t have enough. The cost of living is just too high to pay for anything else.”
Her eyes were down cast as she made the last statement. I could feel the pain behind my mom’s words. I always suspected she wanted to give us more than she could afford, but never could. My dad worked, but he didn’t bring in enough money to take care of so many of us.
“Okay. Let me go grab the money and then we could go,” I said before sprinting to my room.
I hurriedly moved my books aside and took out the change before placing everything back the way it was. I didn’t want anything to look suspicious, otherwise, I’d have to find another hiding place. I ran back to the living room where my mom stood holding her purse. The thing was beat up, the strap barely hung on her shoulder. I instantly felt bad for my mom because she also deserved to have nice things too. I have never seen her splurge on herself, not once.
She smiled as I walked up to her. “Let’s go.”
What I didn’t notice was Clarissa sitting on the couch behind my mom. I squealed when I caught sight of her, running and giving her a hug. “I feel like you’re always working. We never get to spend time together.”
Clarissa responded, hugging me, “I do girl, but I know you’re looking for a dress and I wanted to be part of the fun shopping trip.”
“Thank you,” I said, “This means a lot.”
“Okay girls, let’s go,” My mom repeated as if we didn’t hear her the first time.
We hurried into the blue and white striped van, which had rusted spots on the floor of the vehicle. You had to watch your step when getting inside, otherwise, a person could fall through. That was another thing my parents couldn’t afford. But I couldn’t fault them that, cars were expensive. I strapped the frayed seatbelt over my torso and waited for my mom to pull out of the driveway.
The thrift store was three streets away. Honestly, we could’ve walked but I guess my mom didn’t want to. I didn’t even think to offer to walk, that’s how excited I was about leaving the house and spending time with my mom and Clarissa.
The store was jam-packed with all sorts of goodies. The saying was totally true about someone else’s junk was someone else’s treasure. We always found treasure in the thrift stores. I also knew that no matter what I picked, I would find something for me. It was that cheap. We perused the isles. My mom was on one side and Clarissa, and I was on the other. She would hold up a dress and I’d shake my head no, and then I’d hold up one and she would do the same.
Clarissa didn’t hold any dress up. I could see her eyes glancing around as if trying to find something nice for me to wear.
It seemed like none of us could find anything for me until the owner decided to interrupt our shopping. We’d known Mrs. Tanner for the longest time. She would always put aside things for my family because she knew how much we struggled. She was also one of the nicest ladies you could ever meet.
“Hi, girls,” Mrs. Tanner greeted, “What’s on the list for today? Just browsing? Or are you looking for some more books?”
She knew how much I loved books, but today wasn’t about reading, it was about a dress.
