Chapter 3: Crawling In An Open Window

I have been sitting here for half an hour and haven t said one word to her yet. I ve just been doing one of the puzzle books that I brought in. It s something that I ve always done while waiting for customers to come in the store. Now, I feel bad because she is just sitting there doing nothing and I didn t even offer her anything.

Stay here. I ll be right back. She gives me this odd like while I get up and go into the back. I grab my backpack and head out towards my perch once more. Now what do you want? I have a few puzzle books in here and some magazines. Take your pick. All I ask of you is that when you re done put em back in my bag. She just nods her head and grabs one of the magazines from my bag.

I don t even get to pick my puzzle book before she talks to me. You don t look the kind of person that would read a music mag.

What do you mean? I really don t understand her. She doesn t even know me and she s already assuming what I am already like.

You look like you would be into gossip mags, not one about music. Great now I know I look like I have no personality or culture. Great, this day is getting better already.

Well, sorry to disappoint you. I can see her face fall a little bit before she picks it back up.

No, it s not like that. It just surprised me a little. How is it surprising? Like I said she doesn t know me. Not one bit.

Why does that surprise you? It s not like you ve known me for years and then found out about my secret obsession with music. I can t help but get a little snippy at her.

No, I haven t known you for years but I thought you were like everyone else that I ve known. People who look like you are so vain and vile. They see life through a mirror, only seeing themselves and not anyone else or the beauty right in front of them. However, what s on the inside, once you look past the beauty, is the decaying soul that rots inside the shell that is doted on.

How the hell do you respond to that? And the way that she is looking into my eyes scare me. It s like she has been there. She looks so torn and I m dying to know what happened. There is always a story, some you can find in books, some that are never shared and then there are some that just linger out there on the lips of the teller waiting to be told. I want to ask. I really do. But I can t, I have a feeling that her story is one to be left alone.

She finally looks up and smiles at me. It s as if nothing was said. So, how long have you been working here?

Um, for about two years now. This is my first real job and I like it here. It s familiar now and I couldn t see myself working anywhere else.

Well, that s pretty awesome. I hated my first job. So, how old are you? She seems really interested in me all of a sudden. It s kind of weird because no one that I ve known has ever even bothered to ask anything about me.

I just turned seventeen a couple of months ago. Why do you want to know? Something is up with her. I don t know what yet but I ll find out.

Just curious. If I m going to be working with you I have to get to know you. It would be weird spending most of my day with you and know nothing about you. She seems genuine but there is something just under the surface that I m missing. The alarm is ringing but I don t know why.

Oh, OK. I m just not used to people asking me questions. I try to give her a smile but I start to crack almost immediately and it s probably looking like a painful soft of smile instead of a happy one. So, how old are you? I tend to fidget when I ask questions. It s more out of habit then nervousness.

Oh, right. Duh. I m twenty-one and I ll be turning twenty-two in a few months. So, that makes me only four years older than you at most. She looks almost happy that there wasn t too huge of an age gap. I don t know maybe I ve been reading way too much into today.

Why do you want to work here? I mean not a lot of people want to work at a bookstore, especially with him. As I finish I point over to Tom with new Tom behind him. He s the biggest ass I ve ever met and such a jerk to all the girls that don t hang all over him. I really do hate him. I wish he would just leave or let me be without him always being a jerk.

Yeah, he is an ass but most guys are. It's like if you show them a little attention their egos explode and go into asshole mode. I think it s apart of their nature. I do know one thing, they would never be like that in front of their mothers. They would beat the shit out of em. I laugh a little because I know it s true. If my mother ever caught Glen being like that to any girl, she would beat him into a pulp. I would love to see that. But that would never happen. Not in a million years. He is a ass, however, he's not stupid.

That would be pretty funny to watch, don t you think?

She starts to giggle. It s really adorable to watch. Hell yeah, I ve already had front row tickets to that show. Absolutely hilarious. I wish I had that on tape, it would have definitely been on YouTube.

That s too bad. I would have definitely watched it. But you still haven t answered my question that I originally asked you. Her smile dies down a bit and she looks like she doesn t want to answer my question.

This is only a temporary job for me. I m just working here until I find something better. You know, not just a job but a career. Something for me to dig my feet into. She doesn t look at me while she talks. Why does she treat me as if I was someone that she has known her whole life when in reality I ve known her for two hours and a few passing minutes beyond that.

She is a puzzle. I can t even tell what kind of puzzle she is but she's one that I'm going to have to figure out.