The Princess Contract

Chapter Four

          "Well, put it here and let me have a look," she replied tapping the tip of her long pink nail against the glass counter top.

          Abby did as she asked and set her grandpa's ring on the counter. For a moment Abby was taken aback by the way the ring sparkled in the light coming up through the glass. It really was quite extraordinary.

          "Well now," the woman said as she picked it up. She seemed equally mesmerized by it. "This is beautiful, where did you say you got this?"

          "I didn't," Abby replied, "but if it's important, I got it from my grandpa."

          "Any chance your grandpa is single?" She chuckled.

          "He's dead."

          "Oh, well, I guess that's a no then," she replied. She examined the ring under a magnifying glass, turning it one way and then the other. "Are you sure you want to sell this? It looks very old, some sort of family heirloom maybe?"

          "Yes ma'am, I'm sure," Abby declared. She was afraid that if she thought about it any longer she might change her mind.

          "Well then, I can give you... four hundred," the woman offered, watching Abby carefully.

          "Six," Abby countered. Mr. Matthews had seemed quite confident that the ring was worth a lot. Abby has a feeling that even at six the ring was a steal.

           "Four-fifty."

           "Nope," Abby replied, taking the ring from the woman. "Thank you for your time."

          "Wait," the woman called, causing Abby to stop halfway to the door. "Five-fifty but not a penny more."

          Abby sighed and took one last look at the ring nestled against the palm of her hand. She bit lightly on her lower lip before slapping the ring back onto the counter.

          "Okay, deal."

                                                                                                     ***

           Ten minutes later Abby left the shop with a pocket full of cash and a receipt in her hands. The bus stop was empty and instead of feeling excited about her future, she just felt empty and alone. She was tempted to go to the train station right then but there were a few things she needed from home. Abby had never had much to call her own and it didn't feel right to leave what little she had behind.

          It was late when she finally pulled the trailer door open and let herself inside. As usual it was dimly lit and smelled of alcohol, stale cigarettes and old food.

          "Where ya been?"

          Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table a bottle in one hand, a lit cigarette dangling from the other.

            "Answer me!" She shouted, her face red from a mixture of alcohol and anger.

          "Out," Abby replied, making her way towards her room.

          "Out where?"

          "Does it really matter? Since when have you even cared?"

          "I'm your mother, Abby—"

          Abby turned on her heel and glared at the woman. "Only because a piece of paper says so!" She instantly regretted her words. Not because she hadn't meant them, or because they weren't true, but because she only now noticed the gleam in her mother's eye. All the woman ever needed was a reason – any reason would do.