At the Town Hall, Linda crossed over Main Street to turn back in the direction of the beach. She passed the sheriff’s office, where the sheriff and his young deputy kept a close eye on everyone and everything in town, and then Minnie & Frank’s Grocery.
She crossed back over the
side street to reach her own block. Glancing into Mike and David’s store windows, she noticed that
their antique shop was still very dark inside—the green tinting on its windows
made it appear even darker.
At her shop she unlocked
the door. Each morning as she turned on the lights for the day, she experienced a warm feeling of
belonging rush through her. She was happy that she had moved to Oasis, even
though she had to force herself to overlook all the weird occurrences in town
and to think of them as part of the town’s own special uniqueness.
On Sundays many tourists
and residents frequented Linda’s shop to sample her homemade coffee and
pastries while lingering to socialize. She loved it when her store was full of people
and she could hear the sound of their happy laughter, which helped to wipe away
the shadows that haunted her in the evenings. This Sunday she had missed the
morning services at church because of the constant stream of tourists who kept wandering
into her store.
Later that day Shana came
in, bringing sandwiches with her. “I figured that the only reason you would miss church and all
the gossip was if you were too busy,” said Shana, “and I was right. Look at
you, knee deep in books.” She sat on the floor beside Linda, setting up their
lunch on a blanket. Linda was busy unpacking boxes of books, which she then
sorted through on the floor. “This has been my only quiet time today without tourists.”Her long, usually silky dark hair was messy around her small heart shaped face
from her long day of bending over boxes of books and serving demanding
tourists.
“Come sit down so that we
can eat and talk,” said Shana. “I’ll tell you what everyone had said this
morning.” Shana knew that she couldn’t resist a good gossip session. Linda sat
down and waited patiently to hear what had transpired at church.
“I discovered that only
the young shop-owners of Oasis
have been invited to the party, and not the old-timers,” continued Shana
as she munched on her sandwich. “Mike and David had found out that Judy, Gregg,
and Ryan have also been invited. Maybe only the people who reside in the apartment
complex have been invited…but I don’t know what the possible reason could be.”
“I’ve always told you that
this town was peculiar. Please come along with Todd and me on Friday night. Louise had asked Todd if he could also pick her up. I won’t feel comfortable with
you going alone.” Linda sat on the floor staring at Shana, feeling too nervous
and edgy about the upcoming party to eat anything.
“That’s fine with me.
Everyone else is going in groups. Mike and David are getting a ride with Tom
and Edward, while Ryan, Judy, and Gregg are meeting us at the house after they
get off from work at the hotel,” said Shana. “I’d rather go with you anyway.”
“Then it’s all settled.” Linda
decided as she continued to sort through her books.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
asked Shana. “I ate all of mine already.”
“I’ll eat once I’m done
with this mess.”
After they finished chatting,
Shana left to go home.
Linda worked straight
through the afternoon, placing all the books on the shelves. Feeling exhausted
she went home, had dinner with her cats as company, and retired early with them
for the night in her bed.
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