As they finished breakfast, Beauty’s mother, Mrs. Hill, got up to fetch something from the fridge.
Opening the door, she peered inside.
She sighed and closed it with a slight frown.
“It looks like we’re out of a few things,” she said, glancing over at Beauty.
“I was thinking about going to the grocery store today. Do you mind going instead? I have a few things to take care of around the house.”
Beauty nodded readily, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“Sure, I can go. I was planning to run a few errands today anyway.”
A few errands or maybe a therapeutic walk to get her emotions in check.
First about her high school reunion invitation and now.
Her little cousin who just got engaged.
Mrs. Hill smiled back to her daughter, appreciative.
“Thanks honey. Just make sure to take your umbrella with you. It’s looking cloudy out there, and I wouldn’t want you to get caught in the rain. You have a thing for colds you know.”
Beauty glanced out the window and saw the gray clouds gathering, heavy and low.
“I guess you are right, I’ll make sure to grab it,” Beauty replied, finishing her coffee.
Afterward she gathered the plates to clear the table, her mind went back to the invitation upstairs waiting for her to decide.
“I have to talk to Jessie about that first”.
She thought.
After stacking the dishes in the sink, she returned to her room, planning to check on some things for work.
She settled at her desk, logging into her computer.
The first thing that came up was the school invitation mailbox.
Her heart started racing at the sight of it again.
“Oh please I need to breathe!”
Beauty groaned in frustration.
She ignored the mail and logged into her company’s website to stay updated.
After a while, she glanced at the time, then the cloud outside the window.
It has gotten a bit darker.
She realized that she should get going if she wanted to beat the rain.
She quickly shut down her computer down and headed to her closet, choosing a simple outfit.
A pair of comfortable jeans, a plain purple blouse, and her favorite sneakers.
She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail.
Gazing at her mirror reflection she thought maybe to apply a little lip gloss and mascara.
Who knows some guy might like you and….
She cuts off the voice in the head.
Sadly, she grabbed her phone, her keys, and purse before heading downstairs.
“Beauty!”
Her mom called from inside the room.
“The list is in the kitchen!”
“Okay!”
Beauty replied and walked straight into the kitchen.
She quickly checked the grocery list her mother had left on the counter.
Eggs, milk, bread, vegetables, and a few other essentials.
Beauty slipped the list into her pocket and was about to grab her umbrella from the stand near the door when her phone buzzed with a text.
Distracted, she picked it up from her purse.
It was a Text from Jessie.
“Girl, I will visit!”
Jessie's always there to lighten her mood.
“I don't have cramps, just made that up…but will be glad if you do visit”.
She texted back quickly, then headed out the door, forgetting the umbrella entirely.
Half way, she sneezed and suddenly felt the air cooler on her skin accompanied by a hint of moisture, the kind that often precedes rain.
She glanced up at the sky, they appear even clouds darker and more threatening for a rainfall.
“Wait a minute, I forgot my umbrella!”
She turned around.
“I have gone far, should I go back?”
She hesitated for a moment but then shrugged it off.
It hadn’t started raining yet, and she was already halfway to the grocery store.
It was just a short trip.
She headed down the street, the thought of facing her old classmates came back to torment her once more.
Finally, Beauty reached the entrance of the grocery store.
The automatic doors instantly slid open, and she was greeted by the cool blast of the air conditioner in the store.
Grabbing a shopping cart, she started down the first aisle, the list in one hand.
The store was filled with an unusual morning crowd.
She wondered if there was a national holiday or something.
Last time she checked there were no upcoming holidays in that present week.
Beauty wandered through the aisles, searching carefully and ticking off items on her mother’s list.
She was almost done when she heard some excited murmurs of some groups of women nearby.
Curiosity got the best of her, and she glanced towards the direction, only to see several of them giggling loudly, their eyes glued to someone just out of sight.
“Is that really him?”
One of them whispered, holding up her phone for a picture.
“I can't believe he's here!”
“I thought he'd never shop in a place like this!”
Another added, her voice filled with excitement.
“He’s even more handsome in person.”
The third concluded.
Beauty wasn't interested in some IDOL worship from the looks of it. The person must be a celebrity and also a man.
Suddenly, she got a glimpse of a tall figure.
That height reminded her of someone she hoped not to meet at a moment like this.
Immediately the crowd parted for a moment and she saw him clear.
It was Mr. Bruno?!
Beauty froze, her breath catching in her throat.
She had to hope for an uneventful grocery run, not a run-in with her crush! Worse, her boss when she is supposed to be at work!
She can’t let him see her like this dressed in such ugly baggy jeans and a plain top.
She should have listened to that voice in her head and applied a little lip gloss!
She quickly ducked behind a display of canned goods, peering out to see if she could sneak away unnoticed.
Her heart pounded in her chest, trying to avoid any potential encounters.
She made her way to the opposite end of the aisle, she hoped he wouldn’t see her.
From her hiding spot, she watched as Bruno answered the women’s questions, smiling politely as they asked for selfies and autographs.
She held her breath, praying he wouldn’t glance in her direction.