Skimming the Surface

Chapter 4- Emotional Barrage

To the right is Minka Kelly, who I envision Cynthia looking like :)

Chapter 4

Olivia

    The bell dinged clearly as Olivia pushed open the glass door into Marcy's Curios. Instantly the smell of wood and cinnamon hit her, making her smile without having to think about it. 

     "Olivia! Glad you could make it in honey. I have a few boxes that need to be unpacked in the back, and after that if you could man the bakery that would be great", called out Marcy as she scurried around the shelves, grey flyaways boucing up and down and her long pink skirt following after her as she placed knick knacks on the shelves. 

     Olivia nodded, and headed to the back. She put on the blue store apron, and looked around for the boxes. Ahh, there they were. She picked the first one up and straightened. Oookay, this is really heavy. Put some muscle into it, Olivia, she thought as her arms strained from the weight of the box. She walked carefully toward one the tables alongside the wall. Almost as if fate heard her, she felt her toe come across a wire. Without warning, she fell forward, the box flying from her hands and landing heavily on the concrete floor with a crash. She hit the ground a second later, her arms shouting in protest as she used them to break her fall. One slipped, and her elbow hit the ground with a painful thud. 

     She laid there for a second with her elbow outstretched, trying to get her brain to tell her elbow to shut up. Owww... God I hope no one heard that, she thought, her eyebrows furrowed and biting her lip because of the pain. 

     She thought too soon- Marcy came hurrying in seconds later. She saw Olivia on the floor, and clucked her tongue while bending down. "Oh honey, you've got to learn to use your feet", she said chuckling. She extended her arm, and Olivia took it, heaving herself up.

     She looked into Marcy's jolly face and kind grey eyes and felt her cheeks burning. "I do- I think that's the problem. Maybe I just have two left feet." She couldn't help but smile.

     Marcy snorted, shaking her head. "That's for sure. I don't think I've ever seen someone be so challenged to stay upright on their own two feet. It's like you're still getting used to them!" 

     Olivia smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged. "What can I say? It's like they have a mind of their own." Haha, If only she knew how close that was to the truth. 

     Marcy grinned. "That they do. Now, do you need me to help you with those boxes, or just hold you steady while you walk?", she asked winking. 

     Olivia rolled her eyes. "No thanks Marcy, I got it. That was my one fall for the day, I should be good now." She stuck her tongue out, just for good measure.

     Marcy shook her head in that good-natured, affectionate way of hers, and headed out the door. Olivia thought she heard her mutter "...girl doesn't know how to walk without hurting herself...".

     She grinned and turned back to the overturned box. That was exactly why she got this job- Marcy was an amazing person, and she made Olivia laugh everyday. Olivia used to come here everyday after school when she was little because there was nothing to do and she had no one to hang out with. It all started when one morning Aunt Mary told her to get out of the house for waking her up too early, and Olivia was just roaming the streets of the small town. She came across the curio shop, and decided to head in. As it turned out, Marcy's was a goldmine of hidden treasure- the little curio shop had everything. It embodied everything the little town did- a beachfront haven. It had hemp bracelets and necklaces, carved wooden surfboards and the plastic keychain surfboards for tourists, sunglasses, snowglobes, wooden jars and pots with the ocean painted on them, paintings hanging the walls, and tshirts and shorts. But what made it really special was the bakery Marcy had added on about five years ago. Marcy had always wanted to become a baker, and she was amazing.