Love in the City

Chapter 6

            The exotic aroma of imported perfumes attracted the attentions of wealthy female shoppers. They gathered around the various display cases in groups of four or five. Bryce Lassiter smiled in amusement as he watched them.

"Mark," he called to a clerk at the next counter, "would you see if you can assist those ladies?" The sandy-haired young man wordlessly nodded and stepped towards the clusters of exited females. Bryce allowed his thoughts to drift to the upcoming dinner that evening. His mom had insisted that the entire family attend the meal. Bryce still had no clue who the esteemed man was. He smiled as he thought how much work his mom had put into the dinner. She had even had the food catered. I wonder if Mom did anything like this when she and Dad were dating...

"How much is this watch?" a childish voice broke through his thoughts. Bryce grinned at the thin, dark haired boy. He leaned down and studied the gleaming gold and pearl coated timepiece clutched in the child's sweaty palm.

"That watch is marked at $180, but..." he noted the boy's crestfallen face, "I believe it might actually be on sale. Let me check. If I may ask, who are you getting it for?"

"My older sister. She takes care of me, 'cuz we don't have any parents. She has a job somewhere, but I don't know what it is. She won't tell me. Anyway, it's her birthday next week, and I got a job running errands for people and I saved up almost a hundred dollars to buy her a really nice present."

Bryce smiled at the exuberance audible in the boy's voice. He pretended to study the register screen in front of him. "That is very thoughtful of you. Hmmm... yes, the watch is on sale. A fifty percent sale in fact! The grand total, with tax and everything, amounts up to $90 even."

"Yes!" the child pumped his fist in the air. "That means that I have enough to get her some flowers too!"

"I'm sure she will love flowers!" Bryce nodded his head vigorously. Yellow roses.... Melanie's favorite... He blinked his eyes at the sting of tears. The handsome, young fellow slowly counted out five tens, a twenty, three fives and the final five dollars in five, crisp, one dollar bills. The boy looked a little distraught to part with all his hard-earned cash, but a smile lit up his face as Bryce handed him the watch in a fancy, gold case.

Bryce studied the face of the boy. Childish, yet it possesses a maturity seldom seen on even the face of an adult... "What is your name," he asked.

"Enrico, and I'm nine years old." The bearer of the name in question offered the last information voluntarily.

"Wow, you are almost grown up!" Bryce laughed.

"Yep, when I am an adult, I am going to earn the money, so my sister won't have to work. Then we will live together always! My sister isn't happy. I don't know why, but I want to see her happy again."

Bryce nodded slowly. "I'm sure you will take care of her very well. She is quite lucky to have a brother like you."

Enrico grinned with pride. "You're real nice, mister! Say, what's your name?"

What is my name... Mr. Lassiter? "Bryce...call me Bryce."

"Bryce," the child repeated. "Nice name. I gotta go home and hide this before she comes home."

Bryce waved at the diminutive child as he hurried out of the store. Smiling to himself, he pulled the other half of the $180 out of his own pocket and placed it in the cash register. Why did I do that? It was just another kid... no, it wasn't just another kid. A random kid would be willing to spend a hundred bucks on his sister. There was something special about that kid. I wonder who he was...

"Mr. Lassiter, would you come to my office please?" Bryce looked up startled. Mr. Daniels leaned over the counter and stared intently at Bryce.

"Uh... yes, sir. Of course, sir!" You aren't in the Marines anymore. You don't have to say 'sir' after every word now. Your time ended two years ago! Bryce, get ahold of yourself! He's not gonna kill you... for whatever you did... He stopped his mental chiding when he entered his boss's elegant office. Mr. Daniels closed the heavy mahogany door. Oh, boy... that's not a good sign. The older man slowly turned around, a sheepish grin on his face. "I didn't want the other clerks to hear this, because, well... frankly I am embarrassed."

Bryce just looked at him blankly. Wait... he's not mad? Mr. Daniels scratched the back of his neck and stared at a painting on the far wall behind his massive desk. Finally, he glanced at Bryce nervously.

"You see, I... uh... have a date tonight with a woman, and I don't know which suit to wear." He pointed first to a grey pinstripe suit, and then to a shiny, navy-blue suit of an unidentifiable material. Bryce cringed internally when he saw it. He glanced up at his boss and noted the worried expression on his face. He has a date? At his age? What is with these people? First my mom, then my boss! Is it normal to date when you're this old? Wouldn't that be funny if...

ka-ching...lightbulb...

"Mr. Daniels, what is your date's name?" The man froze and stared at Bryce with a mixture of anxiety and concern on his face. He averted his gaze to the floor before answering.

"Uh... I believe her name is...."