Deranged Smile - Chapter 5
The Haunting of Watermill Valley - Chapter 5
She hadn't asked for the pink Volkswagen Beetle, but apparently that was what she would be driving until she bought her replacement car. She hated pink.
Gianna and Amelia stood together in front of the orange-and-blue fabric awning of the car dealership. Behind them, the smack-snap! of an orange tube man flapping in the wind seemed to taunt Amelia. He danced during her time of misfortune, a deranged smile painted on his air-filled face as he surveyed the rows of mismatched vehicles.
"Thanks, Gianna," Amelia said, leaning on the door of the pink abomination. "I don't know how I can repay you and Noah. I mean, we were friends a long time ago, and I didn’t exactly do much to stay in touch. I never expected to see you again, let alone need help from you like this. It really means a lot that you are here for me anyway."
"It's okay," Gianna said. "I can't imagine what it must be like to be all alone, unexpectedly, in a new place where you hardly know anyone. Right after a car wreck that totaled all your stuff. And right after a breakup. I mean, it’s just terrible. We’re in a position to help, so of course we want to!"
"Yeah," Amelia said. Somehow, Gianna's sympathy didn't make her feel better. It was worse. "I would invite you over for dinner or something, but the table bit the dust in the wreck. If you give me a few months, maybe I can get a new one."
“You don’t need to thank us. This is what friends do.”
Amelia’s mind was spinning. She needed to find a job immediately so she could keep paying the mortgage. Right now, she had about twenty dollars to her name. It was enough to make her feel dizzy and nauseous.
"Are you all right?" Gianna tilted her head with concern. "You don't look so good."
Amelia's eyes snapped down to her hand. She had been gripping the base of the side-view mirror so hard that her knuckles had turned white. "I’m fine. I’ve just been through a lot over the past few days." She rubbed her tight neck muscles.
"But I have a question for you. You've been a homeowner for a while. Can you think of any reason why there would be slimy stuff in my shower?"
Gianna's face pinched in confusion. "Slimy stuff?"
"Yeah," Amelia said, feeling more foolish the more she said about it out loud. "This morning, I tried to have a shower but I slipped on some kind of goop on the shower floor." Her fingers touched the back of her head. "I actually hurt my head on the floor a bit. And there’s a lump."
The look on Gianna's face was pure horror and concern. "Oh no! Are you all right? You need to have a doctor look at you!"
"No. No doctors are needed." Amelia tried to laugh it off. "I'm really okay. I just want to know what would cause that. I have no idea if it's something that came out of the showerhead or the drain or what. I don't remember seeing anything like that back when we toured the place. Then later, when I went to go look at it, it was gone."
"I have no idea," Gianna said. "The only slimy stuff I find in the bathroom is my kid's boogers on the walls." She laughed. "But when things start to get moldy they can be slimy. Maybe you have some mold starting to grow in there? Try a white vinegar wash and see if that doesn't clear it up."
Amelia nodded. "Thanks. That's a great tip. I have a lot to learn about having my own place."
Gianna was quiet for a moment as she passed her purple quilted purse from one arm to the other. "You know you can always sell that house again. You left a lot of things behind. And it's okay to admit that you miss home. Without Erik, is there really any reason to stay?"
“What?”
Gianna’s face took on a startled look as if she'd said more than she meant to. "I mean, of course, we love having you around. It's just...I know how I would feel if that happened to me. I wouldn't want to live in the place that was supposed to be my love nest if the dude took off."
A stinging sensation hit the corner of Amelia's eyes as she mentally listed the things she had given up to move. But rather than wanting to go back, it just made her want to dig in her heels more. If she went back, she'd have to admit defeat. She'd have to come back ashamed and tell all those people what happened with Erik, or at least see the abject pity in their eyes when they heard it through the rumor mill.
She might not get her old job back. Her scholarship for her master's degree? Forfeit. Things couldn't be the same now. Besides, she couldn't afford to do all the house-selling tasks. She'd barely afforded this move and she couldn't afford to take a loss on a sale right now.
And beyond that, she needed time to soul search. To consider how she let herself get into this mess over a guy. Her life had been completely derailed by him and she'd let it happen. She needed to search herself and pull out the cause by the root before she moved on to her next stage in life. Because if she didn't? Some new Erik could do his to her all over again.
She would have gone to a therapist if she could have afforded it. But, seeing as she was uninsured and a hundred dollars per week wasn't in the budget, it seemed like the next best thing to reclaim her dignity was proving that she could rebuild her life in a brand-new town.
Clearing her throat, Amelia brought herself back to the present. "I'm determined to make it work," she said, forcing herself to smile. She pulled out a tube of strawberry lip balm and applied it. Somehow, the usually pleasant aroma was nauseating to her now. "I might have come here because of Erik, but I'm going to stay because of me." She closed the lid on the lip balm with a definitive snap.
Gianna smiled, but there was still that look of grave concern that lingered in her eyes. "Well, you worked in a cafe or something before, right? We have a cute one here called The Bluebell that might be hiring. I know the owner and she's a real sweet lady. Maybe you could check that out?"
"Thanks!" Amelia said, brightening at the prospect of getting one thing checked off her list. "I think I'll go there next. I'm ready to stop being unemployed as soon as possible."
"We're good friends. I'll call her up and let her know you're coming." Gianna slid her eyes over the pink car and laughed. "But I think she won't have any trouble spotting you."
Amelia waited for Gianna to drive off before surrendering completely to the nausea that had been building. She let out a long, low moan. Maybe she did have a concussion from the fall. That could make you sick, right? If it kept on like this for much longer, she would see the doctor. But she would wait as long as she could.
She ran over to the curb just in time to throw up all over the asphalt. Closing her eyes in the grips of the sickness, she saw the face of the pale, angry woman from her dream. The vision lorded over the back of her eyelids, an unforgettable imprint.
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