Just Another Crazy Coincidence

Chapter 09:

An assistant in the store see’s her carrying the bags and approaches her on her entry. “You can leave those by the counter is you like dear,”

Natasha knows by the look she is getting that it isn’t really an offer she is allowed to refuse, so she gives a smile and puts her shopping down at the counter while she browses, she does not need to worry about anyone stealing it because there are only two others in the store apart from the assistant and they are both old ladies who Natasha is sure she could outrun.

Natasha pushes coathangers along the racks as she looks through the clothes. There are a couple of black skirts so she takes one and slings it over her arm, and fifteen minutes later she has a peach blouse, a thin white sweater, a a striped blue and white tee. It has been a good six months since Natasha added to her wardrobe, and considering it is all second hand to begin with, none of the clothes have a great deal of life left in them. All her other sweaters (all two of them) are beginning to get holey, and she owns no skirts other than her one black one for work and one long and fraying brown one. The contents of her wardrobe can infact be fit into one small box, even with these new additions. Together, the items cost her under ten pounds, and so she is happy with them.

The rest of the walk home is not long, but her arms are getting tired and she is twice as hungry as she was when she woke up. By the time she get’s to her floor, Natasha is about ready to collapse. But when she see’s the door across from hers opening she puts on a brave face.

“Natasha,” her neighbour smiles at her “busy morning?”

Natasha forces her returned smile and shrugs, she doesn’t really want to stop and talk. She really just wants to get back home and make a tuna sandwich out of her one dollar tin and her homebrand bread.

Corey can see that Natasha is not in a chatty mood - not that this is surprising in the least. But he can also see all the black and white packaging of the food through her shopping bags and a price is sticking out of the clothing bag she has; he does not need to guess where she bought them when he see’s it. He does not intend on holding her up for long, because the last thing Corey wants to do is make her uncomfortable around him, but he has a question for her before she disappears back into her apartment not to be seen for another week, an important question because it will determine his next move in his mission to help her.

“Where do you work?”

Natasha isn’t sure why he is asking her this, maybe he just wants to be sure she actually has an income. She is not going to give him details at first, then she realises she has no one to know if something happens to her, and so she gives him the places name.

“At a pub, R&R.”

“Working tonight?”

Natasha shuffles past him and shakes her head. She wishes she was working because the Sunday rate is the best one, but this week she was not fortunate enough to get the shift. Corey gives her a goodbye wave before heading on down the hall. Natasha watches him go, a small frown on her face. She doesn’t know what to make of his interest. Part of her is uncomfortable that someone is prying into her life, and another part of her is grateful that someone is finally intervening, but that part is not as loud as the first.

As Corey gets in the elevator he pulls out his phone. He fights back the urge to call Adrianna after last night. He is pretty confident that the date went smoothly and that he successfully redeemed himself, but he can’t let himself appear too eager now, so instead he sends a message to another recently added number.

Corey

How do you feel about some Sunday sippers?