Day 9: Wham Bram Thank You Ma'am

"Right, well," Joyce said, temporarily incensed, "guess I'll get going." She gathered up her heap of makeup apron, sweater, and oversized purse, and made her way outside of our little kiosk. She lingered, though, straightening up a few bottles of fingernail polish. Luckily "Bram" was still chatting intently with the pharmacist.

"Listen, Eva, dear," Joyce started, staring hard at the bottles of fingernail polish. "You'd do well to find yourself a good man. You're young now, but..." she let her voice trail off. Joyce and I had been chummy ever since I started working at the drug store a few weeks ago, but hadn't ever really had a heart to heart before. "Anyway, you should give that fellow a chance. Talk to him a little. He really is sweet on you." She finally looked up at me from the fingernail polish, and was grinning. "And such dimples! Is he ever a cute one!"

I felt my face flush as I nodded my head. "Sure is, Joyce," I admitted. "Have a good night!"

"See you tomorrow, dear," she said, shuffling off.

I was fairly sure I understood what she was getting at, though. I started straightening the makeup brushes and compacts, picking up where Joyce had left off with the fingernail polish. Catching the attention of someone who could... well, let's say, someone who was a good catch. Well, that was something not to be shrugged off. Or was it? It all depended on how well you could keep a man, as they say. And I knew next to nothing about that. So perhaps it was better to avoid this situation altogether, rather than risk losing---

"Well, hello again, Eva," a familiar voice broke me out of my reverie.

"You must be Bram," I said, somewhat flatly, figuring that circumventing the coy approach would help speed along the inevitable. If I was going to be led on, at least I wouldn't let it go on and on.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, without missing a beat. "I was hoping you could help me with something."

A pause.

"Yes?" I asked. The obvious route would have been to ask if he needed more lipstick for his girlfriend, but I suspected it was a setup in order for him to deny having a girlfriend at all.

"I, uh..." I seem to have caught him off guard, or at least temporarily. "Well, Eva, I was wondering if you could recommend a nice restaurant. And if you'd join me there for dinner on Friday."

He was grinning. And very sure of himself. I felt one hundred percent the opposite -- nervous, embarrassed, and certain that this was all a trick, and that at the next moment Joyce would come shuffling back cackling at what an idiot I'd been. Everyone would know that--

"...Eva?" Bram asked, sounding slightly concerned.

Nothing had happened. It was still just Bram standing in front of me at the makeup counter, although now looking slightly worried. Worried that I might say no! How strange!

"Sorry, uh, yes. Sure, I'll go." I had no idea what to say.

"Really? That's great!" Bram actually seemed excited.

My mind was absolutely blank. Hadn't he asked me another question that I was still supposed to answer? For a brief second, my mind darted back to the woods. Oh, no -- what was I getting myself into?

"So, you think of a restaurant you'd like to go to. Any place at all. And I'll pick you up on Friday, say, seven o'clock?" His excitement really was charming.

"Yes, okay. I mean, no, I... get off at eight o'clock on Friday."

"Great! Eight it is. I'll pick you up here." He reached over the counter and took my hand -- oh, no, not the woods -- just to shake it vigorously. "Thank you, Eva," he said, and left.

I was in shock. Fortunately it was a slow day for the makeup counter, because I was barely able to speak with the few customers who did come by. I was consumed by snapshot images - impressions, really - of the woods. Just as quickly as they surfaced I buried them again. I hadn't even thought of the woods in such a long time, but if they could be dredged up again so easily... I shuddered. I barely knew Bram, but I would be absolutely mortified - terrified - if he so much as suspected anything like that had ever happened to me. I was relieved to think that he'd be picking me up from the pharmacy, but if things went well he'd eventually have to meet my family, and---!

My attention was averted for a second as someone nearby knocked over a couple of cereal boxes from a display. I wanted to slap myself in the face for being so insane, but my thoughts were racing and I couldn't make them stop. I checked the clock - ten minutes until close. I had to get out of there. I put up the "Be Right Back!" sign and packed my bags.

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Word count: 842