Christina whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I thought I was kissing you," Richard joked. He leaned in and said, "Let me try again, and you tell me if I've got it wrong."
 

Being Christina Chase
Chapter 36 - Small Town Girl
by Admiral Krunch

        The sound of grinding gears filled the cab of the old green truck as Christina attempted to shift into fourth gear. "Sorry," she said, wincing.

        "You are doing very well," Alek encouraged, "Just press all the way down on the clutch."

        Christina attempted the maneuver again. The engine revved as she paused in mid shift. Lifting her foot off the clutch, she felt the truck snap forward. "You know," Christina said as she gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, "I was kidding when I said I should drive."

        Alek laughed at his niece and said, "Tina, you should learn to drive the truck. And you are doing fine."

        Christina nodded as she continued down the dark, empty streets of Oak Grove. She was driving her uncle to the family grocery store, and the sun had yet to rise. Rounding the corner, she fumbled the truck into third gear and pulled into the alleyway behind the store. Hesitating as she stopped, she took her foot off the clutch, and the truck bucked forward and stalled out. "Maybe you should drive on the way home," Christina said as she took the keys out of the ignition and handed them to her uncle.

        Alek patted his niece on the shoulder and said, "Do not worry, Tina, you will improve."

        Christina got out of the truck and followed Alek to the back entrance to the store. As she walked through the storage area, she noticed all the boxes of inventory that had yet to be shelved. She took mental stock of all the counters to be cleaned and shelves to be arranged as she walked to the front of the store. Christina got behind the counter, opened the small safe bolted to the floor, and took out the till for the cash register.

        "I see you have everything in hand," Alek said with a grin.

        "Don't forget," Christina bragged, "I've been running a convenience store for the last month." Taking off her new coat, she hung it on the wall behind the counter. She was wearing the sweaterdress that her uncle had purchased for her the day before.

        "Do not remind me," Alek said as he went into the back.

        After a month of working nights at the Handi-Mart, Christina had become convinced that she never wanted to man a register ever again. Not only was it brutal to work alone every night, but there was something demoralizing about leaving a somewhat professional job to work in a convenience store.

        Working in her uncle's store was something else entirely. The whole morning was a parade of familiar faces; everyone seeming happy to learn that Christina Chase would be staying for the foreseeable future. Even the mindless tasks of shelving and rearranging the cans on the shelves seemed important and worthwhile. For the first time since her early days of working for Mr. Patel, Christina actually took pride in her work. Certainly there was nothing difficult in stocking or ringing up purchases, but these simple acts made Christina feel connected to the community. The grocery store was a vital part of Oak Grove, and now she was too.

        Of course it wasn't just the work that pleased Christina. She enjoyed spending time around Alek. Though the morning was filled with work and the two didn't speak much, she loved being in the man's presence. Christina had tried to prove her worth by living on her own, by having a good job, and by trying to keep Amy as her girlfriend. It all seemed foolish when she saw the way that her uncle looked at her. It never occurred to her that anyone could be proud of her for just being herself.

        Around two in the afternoon, Christina poked her head into the back room where Alek was putting away a load of goods that had just arrived. "Uncle Alek," she called, "I'm going to see Steph for my appointment, now."

        Alek stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Alright Tina," he replied.

        "Are you sure you don't need me to stay?"

        Alek came to the door and smiled at his niece. "Tina, it's alright. Take all the time you need."

        Christina pecked her uncle on the cheek and said, "You're the best boss ever." Grabbing her coat off the wall, she went to the front window and checked her hair in the mirror. She hadn't had her hair styled or cut since Thanksgiving; it was now down to her shoulder blades. What concerned Christina more than its length was the fact that she hadn't properly cared for her hair in a month, something Steph was sure to notice.

        After putting on her new coat and scarf, Christina left the store and walked to the center of town. Her ears and fingers stung as she passed through town, never once taking notice of the enormous mountain dominating the horizon. As she turned the corner onto Main Street, she heard a familiar voice, "Hey there, Christina. It's a little cold out for no hat, don't you think?"

        Christina looked up from rubbing her hands together and saw the smiling mailman making his rounds. "I think you're right Mr. Stevens," she answered. "I think I'll stop by Abby's"

        "I won't keep you then," Mr. Stevens tipped his hat. Continuing down the sidewalk he called, "It's good to have you back in town."

        Shoving her hands into her pockets, Christina told herself, "It's nice to be back." Quickening her pace, she continued through town and into Ariel Rose, Abby's clothing store. As she entered the door, Christina heard the familiar jingle of the bell mounted on the wall by the entrance.

        "Well, Christina Chase!" Abby declared as she emerged from behind her counter. "I guess the rumors were true."

        "What rumors?" Christina asked as she unbuttoned her coat.

        "That you quit your job in the city and decided to move to Oak Grove."

        "I quit?"

        "Yeah Sugar. Nina was in yesterday, and she said that you up and quit your job, even after they offered you a big raise."

        "Nina said that?" Christina asked with a hint of a smile. "Yeah, I guess that's the story. You know, there's no where else I'd rather be than here. Except," Christina added as she rubbed her hands together, "if I'm staying, I need some gloves. And a hat."

        Pointing to the meager selection of hats, Abby said, "We may not have as much as you're used to in the big city, but I'll bet there's something that will catch your eye."

        "I'm sure there is," Christina said as she went over to the hats. She added, "And you can keep the city. I never want to see a skyscraper again as long as I live." Christina ignored Abby's giggle-snort and the jangle of the door bell as she scrutinized the hats and gloves. Finding a pair of plain leather gloves was easy, but finding the right hat was going to take a while. Christina put on a knit cap that had tiny earflaps that ended in dangling yarn straps that were designed for show rather than to be tied. Casting a glance in a far mirror, Christina wasn't sure that she liked the pattern. As she examined her reflection, she felt hands on her hips, pulling her backward. Feeling herself bump into someone, she turned around and gasped, "Richard?"

        Richard Masters stood mere inches away from Christina, his hands still resting on her hips. He joked, "Have I ever told you that you look sexy in earflaps?" Before Christina could answer, Richard pulled the girl close to him and planted a kiss on her lips.

        Christina whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

        "I thought I was kissing you," Richard joked. He leaned in and said, "Let me try again, and you tell me if I've got it wrong."

        Before Richard could kiss her again, Christina pushed free and whispered, "Cut it out!"

        Again taking Christina in his arms, Richard insisted, "But I missed you."

        "Richard," Christina said, "We need to talk."

        "If it's about the hat- it's lovely."

        "No-"

        "If it's about where we're going tonight- anywhere you want."

        "Richard!"

        "Yes Princess?" he asked in his trademark suave voice.

        Christina shimmied out of his grasp and took off her hat. "Okay, just stop. I can't go out with you."

        "Why not?" Richard made a playful kissy-face at Christina, "We had a deal, remember?"

        "Look, just forget it. It was a stupid game, and I'm not playing anymore."

        Realizing that Christina was serious, Richard asked, "I don't understand. What's wrong?"

        "What's wrong, is you. My aunt and uncle want me to stay with them, and I really want to. And I'm going to stay; for a while anyway. And I really like it here."

        "I don't see the problem-"

        "The problem is that you confuse the hell out of me, and it has to stop. For the first time ever, things are working out. I like working in the store with my uncle, and I like it that Andrei and Nina are part of my life every day."

        "You can have all of that-"

        "I don't think you understand what kind of compromises I had to make. And you know, the thing is, on top of having a family again, I actually like who I am. This is who I want to be. And I can't be your girlfriend, cause if I do that, then eventually it's all going to fall apart ... and I'm not going to let that happen."

        "You do realize that nothing you said makes any sense?"

        Christina gritted her teeth and started to walk away.

        Grabbing Christina by the arm, Richard said, "Wait. What if we just give it a try?"

        Christina pulled her arm away and said, "I can't. I'm sorry." In that moment, Christina saw something she'd never seen in Richard's face before. It was defeat; defeat and genuine sadness. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

        Richard shook his head, "It's okay," he said politely, "I'm sorry to have bothered you." Turning from Christina, he headed for the door. Before leaving, he gave a friendly nod to Abby.

        Suddenly, Christina didn't feel much like shopping. She haphazardly grabbed a white hat with a puffy tassel on top and took it and the leather gloves to Abby's counter.

        "You know," Abby said as she rang up the items, "You're probably the first girl who has ever broken up with Richard Masters."

        "Abby," Christina said in a sad voice, "We were never-" Christina stopped when she realized that protesting was useless.

        "It's too bad, Sugar. You two made quite a couple at the dance. You were the talk of the town for weeks."

        Taking her new gloves and hat off the counter, Christina put them on and said, "Well, I guess the new news is that Christina Chase and Richard Masters aren't a couple."

        As Christina left the store, Abby said to herself, "I guess it is."

        Christina continued down the sidewalk, unable to appreciate the warmth afforded by her new clothes. She'd never intended to hurt Richard, but she had to put a stop to their relationship. She didn't even like admitting that the word "relationship" applied to whatever it was that they'd had.

        She tried not to think about the situation or the crushed look on Richard's face as she went into Steph's salon. The salon was empty except for Steph, who looked preoccupied with whatever was going on in her office. Christina took off her coat, hat, gloves and went into the salon. "Hey, Steph," she called, but Steph only answered by placing her finger to her lips. Keeping quiet, Christina walked next to Steph and listened to what was transpiring in the office.

        "I don't care if you already invited her!" Lisa screamed into the phone. "I don't want her coming to the wedding. You should have told me before you saw her last week. It's bad enough that you've been talking to her on the phone. No! I don't care!"

        Steph put her face to Christina's ear and whispered, "Oliver's in the dog house."

        Christina remembered Oliver, Lisa's fiancé, from the New Year's Dance. She whispered back, "What for?"

        "Talking to an old girlfriend."

        "Fine!" Lisa yelled from inside the office. "If that's how you feel, then don't bother coming over tonight!" The sound of the phone slamming down filled the room as Lisa stormed out of the office. "I can't believe him!" Lisa shouted.

        "What did he do exactly?" Christina asked.

        "What did he do?" Lisa fumed. "I found out he went to lunch with Rachael last week. And now he's saying he invited her to the wedding!"

        "Rachael?"

        "Have a seat, Blondie," Steph motioned to the salon chair. Leaning back against the counter, Steph explained, "Lisa here met Lance Corporal Buzzcut when she was working at the ski resort in Dover that one winter back in high school. He was on leave, she was manning the lift, and one thing leads to another ..."

        "Okay," Christina said, "So who's Rachael?"

        "Rachael," Lisa said explained, "Is the bitch he used to date all through school, until he left to join the Marines."

        "Right," Steph continued. "They both grew up together in Dover. Childhood sweethearts, you know how the story goes. Long story short, when Oliver left home, he asks Rachael to wait for him, and get this, she says no. So poor ol' Ollie goes overseas, broken hearted, and Rachael sows her oats all over the mountainside. That is, until he comes home on leave and meets our Lisa."

        "And I found out," Lisa continued, "That for the last month, since she found out Oliver's getting married, she's been CALLING him. And she was in town last week, and they had lunch together, and Oliver actually INVITED her to the wedding!"

        "Okay," Christina said, trying to be diplomatic, "So, he went to lunch with his ex-girlfriend and invited her to the wedding?"

        "Yes," Lisa said.

        "Well," Christina continued, "If they're talking about the wedding, and he invited her to come, I don't think it's likely that they were up to anything."

        "That's not the point!" Lisa complained.

        "Well, what is the point?"

        "The point is he should have never been talking to her to begin with! And he should have told me that he was going to have lunch with her!"

        Christina offered, "Maybe he didn't 'cause he thought you'd get upset like this?"

        "You sound just like Oliver," Lisa complained. "I've never met Rachael, I don't want to meet her, and I certainly don't want her at my wedding. And Oliver should have thought about how I would feel before he even returned her phone call."

        "Don't get me wrong," Christina said, "I'm on your side, but I think maybe you're overreacting a little here."

        Steph stood up from the counter and said, "Think of it this way Christina, how would you feel if your boyfriend was talking to one of his old flames and didn't tell you about it?"

        "Well, I guess I wouldn't be thrilled..."

        "Didn't your ex cheat on you?"

        "Yeah, but it's not like she- I mean it's not like he invited her to our wedding. They were actually fooling around. I guess you have to just trust someone if you're at the marriage phase."

        "Come on, if you found out that Richard was hanging around an old girlfriend, you wouldn't be even a little upset?"

        "Well no, especially when you consider he's NOT my boyfriend."

        "When did that happen?" Lisa asked.

        "It never happened in the first place," Christina objected. "And I just made that clear to Richard right before I got here."

        Steph asked, "You guys are busted up?"

        "No," Christina insisted, "We were never together. I just made that clear." Seeing Steph's sarcastic grin, she asked, "What?"

        "Nothing, Stretch." Steph answered. "You say you were never togerthered, then that's how it is." Grabbing the ends of Christina's hair and inspecting it, Steph joked, "I like the new look. It's sort of concentration-camp-chic. Tell me, did you just stop washing your hair for a month? You've got split ends from here to next Tuesday."

        "Things were hectic."

        Steph motioned for Christina to follow her back to the shampoo area and added, "And whatever diet you're on, stop. If you lose another five pounds, you'll have to become a runway model. Then the tabloids can gossip about your boyfriends and eating disorders."

        With a frown, Christina admitted, "Things were really hectic."

        Steph hugged Christina and said, "It's good to have you back."

        "Thanks, I missed you, too."

        "Missed you?" Steph joked as she pushed Christina into a reclining chair and fitted an apron around her neck. "Who said anything about missing you? I need you back here so I can fix you up. I don't need you running around making the world think I do shoddy work."

        Christina laughed as Steph pushed her chair back and started washing her hair in the sink.

        While Steph was attending to Christina, a woman came into the salon. Removing her long wool overcoat, she exposed the pant suit she was wearing underneath. She was dressed as though she was about to enter a high powered business meeting, not Steph's salon.

        "Can I help you?" Lisa asked from behind the counter.

        The woman's eyes took in the salon then settled on Lisa. Raising her right hand, she wiggled her fingers and said. "I need a manicure. You do nails, don't you?"

        "Sure," Lisa came out from behind the counter and led the short haired woman into the salon. Lisa had the woman seated and was already working on her right hand as Steph and Christina emerged from the back.

        Christina did an involuntary double-take when she saw the woman in the chair.

        "Local Girl," the woman exclaimed, "We just keep bumping into each other."

        Christina didn't care for the way the woman emphasized the verb "bump." She just said, "Hey," somewhat uncomfortably as Steph sat her in the salon char and snapped another apron around her.

        As Steph started manipulating Christina's hair, she asked, "You two know each other?"

        Before Christina could answer, the woman said, "We met just yesterday." Turning to Christina, the woman said, "Tell me, are you getting ready for a date tonight?"

        "Date?" Christina asked. "I'm just getting my hair done."

        "I guess you'll see your man some other night," the woman said almost dismissively.

        "I don't have a boyfriend," Christina insisted. It was bad enough she had to make this clear to her friends, now she had to profess it to strangers as well.

        Turning her attention to Lisa, the woman asked, "And how about you?"

        "This is officially a man-hating establishment," Steph joked as she started trimming the ends of Christina's long hair.

        "I don't want to talk about it," Lisa said as she started on the woman's left hand.

        "Come now sweetie," the woman said with saccharine sweetness, "This is a salon after all. If you can't talk about it here, then where can you?"

        "My fiancée..." Lisa said, still bitter from her phone conversation, "I found out that my fiancée is talking to one of his exes behind my back."

        The woman inspected the nails of her right hand and dispassionately said, "That must be nipped in the bud. You can't let a man run around unfettered. What sort of fella is he?" The woman lingered on the word "fella," as though she was making a joke that only she was in on.

        "Oliver just got out of the Marines. He's a sweet guy. And he's too trusting to see that Rachel wants to break us up."

        "A Marine? There's a place to find a few good men."

        "I don't think I've seen you in town before," Steph interjected.

        "I'm not from these parts." the woman said, stressing the words "these parts" in a derogatory fashion. "I'm in town on business."

        "What kind of business?"

        "The kind of business that has me just passing through," the woman deflected. "Listen to me," the woman said to Lisa, "You can't allow your man to run around making decisions for himself."

        Lisa asked, "How am I supposed to tell him what to do? I already tried that."

        "Silly girl," the woman said, "You can't tell a man what to do." Tapping her finger on the side of her head, she explained, "You need to plant an idea in his head, and let it grow. Eventually he'll think it was his all along. What did you say your fiancee's name was?"

        "Oliver."

        "You need to make Oliver think he doesn't want to talk to his old flame anymore."

        Though Lisa did not admit it, as she finished the woman's left hand, her brain began to entertain ways to manipulate Oliver into doing just that.

        "That seems kinda sneaky," Christina said.

        Turning to Christina, the woman said, "Life's too short, Local Girl. You need to take what you want, or someone else will."

        "My name is Christina."

        "Of course it is," the woman said as she examined the cuticles of her left hand. As she stood up she announced, "I would love to stay, but I'm due elsewhere." She stared at Lisa until the girl realized that she was waiting for her.

        "Oh right," Lisa said as she took the woman to the front counter and charged her for the manicure.

        Steph leaned against the counter across from Christina and exchanged curious looks with her as they watched the woman walk confidently out of the salon and down the sidewalk.

        "What was her deal?" Lisa said as she came back.

        "Beats me," Steph said as she leaned over to see further around the corner of her shop windows. "She'd better be careful; it's a clear day and there's no telling when a house might drop on someone like that." Looking back at Christina, Steph asked, "How do you know her?"

        "I don't know her," Christina insisted. "I was at this ski shop in Dover with my uncle yesterday, and I literally walked into her."

        "You saw her in Dover yesterday?" Lisa asked Christina.

        "Yeah."

        Looking back to the windows, Lisa added, "And now she just happens to be in town?"

        "You don't think ..." Steph started.

        "I don't know," Lisa answered. "It could have been."

        "Could have been what?" Christina asked.

        "Do you know what she looks like?" Steph asked Lisa.

        Lisa answered "No, I never met her."

        "Who?" Christina demanded. It seemed that everyone else was in on something except her.

        "Rachael," Steph explained.

        Christina asked, "Oliver's ex-girlfriend? Why on Earth would she come in here?"

        "You're kidding right?" Steph asked.

        Lisa insisted, "To spy on me. That must have been her!"

        "Oh come on," Christina dismissed. "Like she would come all the way out here to spy on Lisa?"

        Lisa and Steph both looked at Christina the way a teacher looks at a student right before explaining why he had to repeat the third grade.

        "If I was still after my ex," Steph said, "I'd spy on the competition."

        "Me too," Lisa agreed. "It had to be her. Oliver had lunch with her in Dover last week. It's too much of a coincidence. Why else was she so nasty to me?"

        "I dunno, Maybe she's just not a nice person," Christina suggested.

        Lisa again looked at Christina as If she were about to award a dunce's cap. She turned to Steph, "Did Christina not get the girl rule book in junior high?"

        Returning to Christina's hair, Steph joked, "Nah, Tina here is just filled with kind-hearted naiveté. I think it runs in the family."

        "I think you two are just paranoid," Christina complained.

        As Steph styled Christina's hair, the girls heard another person come through the front door. Nina came in, carrying her book bag over her right shoulder.

        "Hey Nina," Steph called.

        Nina waved at Steph and sat in the front lobby. She swung her bag onto the seat next to her and started rifling through it. Pulling out a white pamphlet, she started reading the fine print.

        As Steph finished blow drying Christina's hair, Christina noticed that Steph hadn't taken much length from her mane, she'd merely cleaned it up. Holding the end of her hair up a few inches, she asked Steph, "Don't you think I should trim this a bit?"

        "No," Steph said as she cleaned up. "I think long hair is your thing."

        "What's the longest you've had it?" Lisa asked.

        Letting her hair drop, Christina said, "This is it."

        "If you ask me, Blondie," Steph said, "I say you let it go a few more inches."

        "Seriously?" Calling to Nina, Christina said, "Nina, what do you think?"

        Looking up from her pamphlet, Nina asked, "What do I think about what?" Christina motioned for her to come over, and Nina put down what she was reading. Walking up to Christina's chair, she repeated, "What do I think about what?"

        "My hair," Christina explained. "Steph says I should grow it out."

        Nina ran her fingers down Christina's blonde hair and said, "If I had hair like yours, I'd let it grow."

        Looking into the mirror, Christina seriously considered what she would look like with hair that long and said, "Yeah, okay. I think you're right."

        As Christina admired her hair in the mirror, Nina interrupted, "Dad needs us back at the store when you're ready."

        "I think we're all set," Christina said as she stood up. She paid Steph at the front counter, and she and Nina made their way to the door. Stopping in the front lobby, Christina picked up Nina's backpack and picked up the pamphlet next to it. "Don't forget your bag," Christina said as she slung it over her back.

        "Thanks," Nina said. When she saw that Christina had the pamphlet, she made a reach for it, but Christina pulled it away at the last moment.

        "What's this?" she said, with a coy smile.

        "It's nothing," Nina insisted.

        Christina opened the pamphlet and started reading. "Math Olympics?" Christina asked. "Isn't that when they get the smart kids to answer questions like it's a game show or something?"

        Snatching the pamphlet out of Christina's hands, Nina said, "Just forget about it."

        "Nina, why are we forgetting about it? You're a brainiac- you'd be great at it."

        "I said forget it."

        "Why?"

        Nina stopped walking and crumpled up the pamphlet. She threw it on the ground and said, "I'm already an outcast at school! It's bad enough everyone thinks I'm a slut; I don't want to be a nerd, too."

        "I don't think being a ner- Being smart isn't a bad thing," Christina insisted.

        "You don't know what it's like," Nina cried. "I'm sure you were popular in high school. I was a nobody in junior high, but I thought high school was going to be different. Now I can't even be a nobody. It's all ruined. I'm only a freshman, and it's all ruined. I'm not going to make it worse."

        Christina hugged her cousin and said, "I wasn't popular in high school either."

        "Oh come on," Nina balked.

        "No really. Hardly anyone even knew my name."

        Nina walked away and muttered, "At least they didn't make fun of you."

        Christina paused for a moment then picked up the crumpled pamphlet. She wished there was some way she could make everything better, but she knew that high school was hard, no matter what. Still, in that moment, she felt incredibly guilty for ignoring a month's worth of her younger cousin's calls. When Christina had missed Nina's junior high school graduation, she'd promised herself that she would never let Nina down again. Clearly she had. Worse than that, she'd abandoned her. Christina knew all too well what it was like when someone you depended on disappeared. Never again, she promised herself. No matter what the future held, Nina would always be a part of Christina's life.

---

Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.
Thanks to Sephrena Miller for taking an early read.
Hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a tasty comment.
Krunch Away!