Through the Years

Lois decided she was going to meander down Dearborn Street...again. She loved wandering in and out of the beautiful art galleries and handmade jewelry shops. She'd been down here a lot lately. A gorgeous piece of jewelry had caught her eye and she was having a hard time resisting it. She visited it regularly. It looked so good on her, she had to admit. Unfortunately, it would mean a month of working overtime and probably two weeks without food in order to purchase it. But she could visit it and pine over it as much as she wanted. That was free!

She parked her car near the end of the downtown section and walked into what she considered to be perfect quaintness in timeless reality. Sometimes her own brain stumped her, because while she totally agreed with that, she was very sure she had no idea where that had come from. Whistling a little diddy her friend Gary had annoyingly permanently stuck in her head thru years of working together, she entered one of the art galleries. This one was her favorite. It always showcased artists who were so beyond anything she could have possibly thought up. Today it had paintings that actually changed depending on where the light was focused on it. Spotlights hung over every frame with a flip switch to turn them on and off and watch the waterfall actually flow ever downward, and then...flip...stop in freeze-frame. She wandered the shop flipping and unflipping, going back to pieces she really enjoyed again and again. She spent hours in this shop today; her tummy suddenly began to grumble loudly at the lack of attention it had received.

She loved the open-air eateries on Dearborn Street. She practically bounced down the sidewalk in joy. Which one would be lucky enough to receive her attention today? No...she stopped, actually stopped, in mid-stride. Which one would she be blessed enough to feast at today. Each one was well worth the time and money spent. Each one had a perfect seat for her to watch other people shopping and enjoying themselves and each other. She loved to make up lives for each person. That woman over there, young and attractive, perhaps 22 years old, had just received a promotion with a new office. Impeccably dressed, she wanted nothing more than to purchase that beautiful beach-view painting with the colorful Adirondack chairs and pink and green flip flops in the sand; grey and white sea gulls standing on the arms of the chairs looked out at the vastness of the blue and white ocean. Lois liked that one, too. It had a pristine white frame. It spoke to her. Each day it said something different, depending on her mood, but it spoke to her.

That exasperated woman over there with the two children was talking on the phone with her mom. The baby in the stroller was sucking on a pacifier, wide-eyed and bouncy, he made the stroller leap backwards and forwards in an off-balance way, causing mom to stumble occasionally. The toddler beside her was screaming, tears running down her fat cheeks, alternately pointing at the store they were in front of and her slobbery, drippy mouth. Her little fingers slimed with spittle and snot, she was anywhere but here and wanted desperately to be in there. Mom juggled the cell phone and the stroller, begging Grandma to please meet her at Roasters as quickly as possible, couldn't she hear the kids? Or maybe she was talking to her ex-husband, demanding the child support, because how could she possibly buy little Ella ice cream on the paltry income she made as a receptionist. It was all his fault she had to try to get back into the working world...

Ah, now just to her left was a handsome young soldier boy looking stately in his army fatigues. Tall and proud, he had his arms spread wide as an older woman ran eagerly into his embrace. Obviously, this was Mom celebrating her son's return from active duty. A tear formed in Lois' eye as she watched the young man pick her up and twirl her around with a giant smile on both of their faces. Joyous laughter filled the air and the people in the immediate area grinned from ear to ear. What is it about war that brings out the best in people?

After enjoying the reunion from afar for several minutes, Lois looked to her right. A tall gallant man in his 60's snuck up behind his wife. His hands tucked behind him, obviously hiding something that he was about to surprise her with. Very easy on the eyes with short grey hair and brilliant blue eyes which she could see from here, his mischievous smile drew Lois further into their story. He loved her beyond life itself. He quickly wrapped his arms around the joy of his life, and produced a small brightly wrapped box. Startled, she laughed easily. She looked shyly into his eyes and took the box from his hands. Turning around to face him, her smile radiated like the sun. There were no two people who belonged together more than these two. She unwrapped the box and pulled out....Lois quickly stood up, causing the chair she was sitting in to fly backwards into the planter behind her. The little cafe table rocked as she slapped a ten dollar bill on it and hastily gathered her belongings. clumsily stumbling out onto the sidewalk, she dashed down the street. She ran as fast as she could. Slamming thru the shop door, she glared at the empty spot in the display case.

"NO!" She ran to the case and placed her hands on the glass, her head dipping forward, her eyes landed on that horrible empty spot. Her spot. It was gone. Empty. Missing.

"I'm sorry, Lois. I couldn't hold it indefinitely for you. Looking at it doesn't pay the bills, my friend." Emily came from the back room.

She truly was sorry, Lois could tell by the sound of her voice. She had sold it. Her piece. Her beautiful necklace. Gone. She slid down to a squat, her hands tracing the glass side, her face as close as it could get. The spot was so...empty. Just like her heart. Next time, she would work the overtime and go the extra days without food. She wouldn't let it get away again.