Chapter 25: Violet

“Violet!” I heard my name yelled across the store. Amy started to run down the empty aisle toward me. “You’re back so soon. And look at you! You look a million times better! Do you like your outfit?” She gave me a quick hug and looked at me.

“Hi! Yes, I love everything. I look like a normal person now.”

“What brings you back? Anything I can help with?”

I handed her my list. “I am renting out a cabin and need some things to make it homier.”

“I love decorating! Let’s go!” She b-lined through the aisles as she looked at the list. “Let’s start in the kitchen department and work our way around.”

Amy was on a mission, she tossed things into my cart, only seldomly asked if I liked a design on a plate or which style of silverware I preferred.

“Oh my god, you have to get this coffee maker. It’s amazing and makes one cup of coffee at a time and all you need are these little pods to put into it.”

“Sure.” I laughed at her. She was like a madwoman going through the store. In no time she marked off all the things I would need for the kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. She even got me all of the cleaning supplies I would need. Including something called a Swiffer. I wouldn’t need a bucket of water or a mop, everything was included. She piled my cart up with everything that I needed and then some. The one thing that I absolutely loved was the bedspread she got me with matching sheets and pillowcases. The sheets were a deep purple, and the bedspread was a black satin that had a black design that would only show when the light hit it.

“I think that’s all you need.” She grabbed a box off the shelf. “These are those pods you will need for your coffee maker.” She threw them into the cart.

We walked to the front. “Thank you for your help again. I know you probably have other things to do.”

“Are you kidding helping you shop has been the highlight of my week, these last two days. And what are friends for!” She gave me a hug. “Next time, text me when you are coming, and I’ll be ready for you.”

“Ok, I will.” I said, not really sure how to text but, I’m sure I could figure it out. Ed was at the cash register again.

“You’re back so soon.” He smiled at me.

“What can I say, I’m addicted.”

“Welcome to the club.” He laughed as he scanned my items and stuck them into bags. He was careful to wrap the dishware before sticking it into a bag. Some items were too big to fit into a bag, so he put them directly into my cart. Amy even convinced me to get a small flat screen tv and something called a fire stick. I watched as Ed packed up my cart with all my items.

“Total is nine thirty-six fifty-two.”

“Ouch, haha.” I said as I pulled out some bills from my pocket and handed them over to him.

“I’ve seen worse.” He said as he pressed the screen and got me my change. “Have yourself a nice day.”

“Thank you, and you too!” I pushed my cart through the parking lot and loaded up the back of my jeep. There was so much stuff piled up that I had to place the television in the back seat to make room for everything else.

I hopped in and made my way back to the hotel. I just needed to pack my things and I could go to my new home. It was going to be a long day of cleaning, but I had a place of my own. I pulled in front of my motel room and started throwing things into the bags that I had from my first visit to Target. I did a sweep of the hotel room making sure I didn’t forget anything. I had all my toiletries in a bag as well as all my clothes and shoes. I grabbed the duffle bag from where it was hiding and added it to the pile of bags next to the door.

Once I was satisfied that everything was packed away, I hauled the bags to the jeep and shoved them onto the back seat and on the floor. There was little to no room in the back, and I had to make do with what space I had. I shoved the duffle bag under the driver’s seat to ensure that it was at least partially hidden. I hopped back into the Jeep and drove the short distance to the office.

I entered and the little bell rang that hung above the door. The same man, Madge called Eric, leaned against the counter and doodled on a sheet of paper. He glanced up from his drawing and stared at me with wide eyes. He didn’t say a thing.

“Hi.” I said to him and pulled out the room key from my pocket.

“Uh, hi.”

“I just wanted to hand in my room key. I found another place to stay so I don’t need the room for the night after all.” I said to him and tossed the key onto the counter next to him. Eric jumped back as if I was throwing a grenade at him.

“Uh, ok.” He looked down at the key but didn’t make a move to pick it up.

“Don’t worry about a refund, you can keep it for the night.” I turned and walked out the door. “Have a nice day.” I jumped into the Jeep and could see him still standing there and looked at me as I backed up and started to make my way to the cabin. My cabin. This was the first time in a long time that I felt there was a possibility in my future. And I was excited to see what that possibility had in store.