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By @Madison
He arrives ten minutes later
In a silver car I vaguely recognize
From the supermarket parking lot.
I see him pull up
Out the window the door.
I sling my purse over my shoulder
Wave at Snow White
And the nurse who saw me off
Before walking out the door.
Thank God the windows of Levi’s car are tinted
As to keep the nurse from seeing
That the driver inside
Is most definitely not my mother.
When I climb into the passenger seat
Levi turns the radio down
Before looking over at me.
His eyes hold a sort of softness
Not the pathetic kind
That I see when people find out why I live with my aunt
Nor the kind
That many use to mask disappointment.
No
This seems genuine
Sweet
A bit like the nurse who gave me water.
In that moment
I’m thankful for Levi, too.
I buckle my seatbelt
Just before he opens his mouth.
Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything about where I asked him to pick me up from
Instead
He asks a much more obvious, respectful question.
“So, where to?”
I surprise myself
With my reply.
“Not home.”
This answer seems to surprise Levi, too
Causing him to give me a startled look
Wide eyes curious.
I lean back in the seat
Trying not to look into those eyes too much.
“Not yet, anyway.”
He nods.
Even if he doesn’t understand
He at least pretends to.
“Where would you rather go, then?” he asks.
I think about this.
What
If anything
Would make me feel better?
I answer with the first thing that comes to mind.
“Culpepper’s, maybe?”
He chuckles
Flashing his crooked grin
With a sense of solemnity
That is foreign to me.
“If there’s anywhere I know the directions to, it’s there.”
I grin back
Trying to mirror the feeling.
“Good.”
Without another word
He puts the car in reverse
And we head to Culpepper’s drugstore.
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