amount of money for something that comes very easy to me.”
She smiles, “That must be nice, but I have to go restock some things
in the front by the security guard.”
David doesn’t understand. He isn’t being threatening. If he were
a prince, she would have come away with him. If he were handsome and
behaved differently, she would have come. If he were someone else,
something else would have happened. He doesn’t want to tolerate who
he is anymore. He begins convulsing, dropping his cold remedies. David
considers the possibility that Fairfax was right about his seizures. David
tries to relax. Cool and calm David wills himself into a person who could
handle this, someone who can disturb the universe and strives for what he
wants in defiance of uncaring gods, and his convulsions stop.
At the front of the store, a male supervisor publically reprimands
Natasha as David watches, “Sela, why aren’t you in your section?” David
has gotten her in trouble. It doesn’t matter because he will save her.
Natasha gives an excuse about stocking candy, but her supervisor
doesn’t buy it. “Don’t work in anyone else’s section or I don’t know who to
hold accountable...”
In aisle eight Natasha merchandises boxes of Icy Hot. David follows
her, cold medicines in hand.
“I’m told I’m a genius. I have an IQ of 150.” David says, wondering
if this is a smart thing to do now. If she goes to his apartment, she will see
hundreds of yards of fabric which haven’t been blanket stitched together.
“You can be whoever you want. I can be someone who saves you.”
“I’m sorry; I need to go.”
“You can cosplay as any character you want,” he realizes it sounds
like he’s giving her permission to dress in costume, rather than showing
her the benefits of quitting her job and running away with him in a fairytale
style gesture.
She doesn’t respond and starts walking to the door marked
“Employees Only.” David drops all that’s in his hands and runs down the
aisle after her.
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