"How much?" Vicki asked excitedly, afraid to move from her spot.
"For the dress?" Cindy asked.
"No, all of it, the trunk the contents, everything." Vicki's heart was pounding inside of her chest. Henry's hair. This could actually be Henry's baby hair..how could it still be here? Mummies, just like mummies, Vicki thought..
"Well, goodness, I hadn't really thought I'd ever sell it..hmm, let me think." Vicki was antsy. She must have all of it!
"Look whatever you want, I'll pay it." Vicki didn't want to seem desperate but she was. She could have a part of Henry's history. He would be overwhelmed, she was herself.
"It's not about price, Vicki, it's about love right?" The woman smiled strangely at Vicki and Coreen.
"Tell you what, you take everything with you today. You bring me a check tomorrow for say, 500.00? How's that?" She was helping Vicki out of the dress as she talked.
Vicki and Coreen looked at each other quizzically. 500.00? That's all??
"That doesn't seem like much for a family heirloom." Now Vicki was pissed because she thought she had become excited for nothing. The dress was beautiful, but more than that she wanted it to be Elizabeth's. It could have been a potato sack for all she cared, just that it was once worn by Henry's mother was enough for her.
"Honey, I'm getting old. I'll soon retire, I have no use for this dress." She said neatly tucking the dress in the trunk. Coreen was helping Vicki redress and neither of them were taking their eyes off of Cindy.
"Don't you have someone to pass this off to?" Vicki was suspicious now as well as pissed and hurt. Boy, women can change emotions faster than Texas weather.
"No, I'm the last. I've just been here waiting." She was leading them out of the door of the shop.
"Waiting for what?" Cindy had the trunk on a special cart, she had already placed it outside of the door, on the sidewalk.
"Waiting for another family member to find it. Good luck Vicki, you'll be a beautiful bride." With that she closed the door and turned her sign around to say Closed.
Vicki and Coreen stared at the door for what seemed like minutes. Coreen spoke first.
"We've seen a lot of weird things, but this..this was pretty weird huh?"
"Yes, it was. Come on, let's get this loaded and to your house. I can't put it at mine." Vicki started dragging it toward her SUV. She was really thankful today that Henry had purchased this car for her. The trunk would have never fit in a taxi.
It was heavy, but Vicki could handle it with Coreen's help. After they shut the back door, Vicki grabbed Coreen's arm.
"Hey! I never told her my name..How did she know that?" Vicki had just realized that Cindy had called her by her name, more than once.
"And what did she mean, "waiting for another family member" Do you think she knows about Henry?" Vicki was a little panicked now. She knew enough to know that stranger things had happened.
They both turned back to the shop and to their utter shock, there was no shop...only boarded up windows.
"What the hell??"