Chapter 1 #2
After three months of work, the whole place was totally transformed.
Modern light fixtures were suspended over Carrera marble counters.
Stainless steel appliances were set off by tasteful gray cupboards.
The walls were Naugatuck gray––a seasonal sensation, or so the decorator had said.
Victoria left the black and white tile floor for a vintage touch.
Rummaging under the kitchen sink, she found the toolbox that Emily, Josie and Bryn had given her as a housewarming gift.
Inside were the basic screw drivers, super glue, duct tape and a compact red saw with a flip-out blade.
All three girls swore by this handy little device.
Victoria never thought she’d use it. But tonight?
This little saw could be just the ticket.
Popping the saw into her tote, she checked the front window.
Since it was dinnertime, there weren’t many people in the square.
Victoria’s skin prickled. What would she do if she were caught in the act?
Creeping down the stairs as if someone could see her, she snuck out her back door, the tote bumping against her leg.
When she came around the corner of her building, she glanced both ways.
Nope. No one around to see her desecration.
Creeping across the street, she kept on the tiptoes of her red boots.
But how ridiculous. No one was around to hear her.
A chilly December wind swept across the square and she zipped up her red leather jacket.
The breeze sent dried leaves spinning from the liveoaks, and she jumped at the scratchy sound when they hit the walkways made of white oyster shells.
The Sweetwater Creek Rotary had set up the traditional crèche set near the gazebo.
The life-size figurines had been holiday decorations ever since Victoria could remember.
Members of the church stepped into the display as live Mary and Joseph the weekend before Christmas, along with real animals.
When she was little, her mother would never let her touch the live donkeys or sheep.
But when she wasn’t looking, Victoria would work her tiny fingers through the low fence to feel their rough coats.
The rich scent of pine lured her onto a path leading to the back. Under towering magnolia trees sat plump evergreens. This is more like it. She snapped open her saw.
One of her I-am-woman-hear me-roar moments flooded Victoria’s veins with power.
Smiling, she could picture Maisy’s surprise when she opened the shop tomorrow and was hit with this intoxicating smell.
Should she take off her jacket? No time.
Her pulse raced and her high-heeled boots sank into the pine straw as she braced herself.
Was her manicure going to hold up? Flexing her fingers, Victoria wished she’d worn gloves. The bush felt sticky when she grabbed it. But she didn’t have time to run back to her apartment. People often strolled through the square after dinner. She had to be quick.
Casting a furtive glance left and right, she gripped a branch and made her first cut. Hmm. Not bad at all. The outer bark gave easily. A thrill spiraled through her as the branch fell free. Go, Victoria!
Tossing the limb behind her, she moved to another bush.
If she spread the love around, no one would notice.
Or if they did, they might assume the Park Department had been trimming.
The heap of fragrant branches grew behind her as she worked.
Before long, sap coated her fingers. Sticky, but it smelled so good. That’s when she became distracted.
Dizzy with her success, she ripped into the next branch. Bark shot out. Pain drove into her right eye like a nail. The saw fell from her hand. She blinked and blinked. Doggone it. The eye throbbed and watered. Would she be blind? The night enclosed her.
Victoria had to go home. Somewhere in her medicine chest she had eye drops. Stooping, she felt around for her tote and the pine boughs.
With the sticky mess in her arms, she stumbled from the square.
When she reached her apartment, she dropped the fragrant branches at the back door of the shop.
Fumbling with the lock to her apartment, she was grateful for the overhead light.
Finally she fitted her key into the slot and banged through the door.
Clinging to the handrail, she made her way upstairs.
What had started as fun had become a stupid stunt.
She should have bought a real tree and asked Maisy or Darla to cut it up.
Closing the top door behind her, she used the wall as a guide to reach the bathroom.
Fumbling, she snapped on the light and strained to see herself in the mirror.
Her eye was red. That’s all she knew. Finding the bottle of drops, she squeezed a steady stream into her eye and blinked.
Nothing. The eye still hurt like heck and her hands felt coated with chewing gum. Her panic mounting, she pumped soap into one palm and washed the sticky sap from her fingers. What should she do?
Maybe she’d have to wear a black eye patch for the rest of her life.
Kids would call her Mrs. Hook. Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh.
Victoria pulled out her phone. Daddy would come in a heartbeat.
Her throat tightened as she went through all his cautionary tales.
Why had she risked this? Why hadn’t she called him so he could take care of her pathetic tree?
No way. Tucking the phone into her jacket pocket, Victoria felt her determination kick up.
Last time she was at Piggly Wiggly, she’d noticed the new urgent care center in the same strip mall.
The Sweetwater Gazette had carried an article about it.
She’d go there. No one would know and this whole accident would be a secret.
Well, unless she needed surgery.
Unless she lost her eye.
But she wasn’t going to think about that now. As it was, her friends all thought she was a drama queen. Scooping up her tote, she made her way down the stairs. Outside, she breathed in the cool night air. The panic eased a bit. She had a plan.
Unlocking her car with one click, she maneuvered herself into the front seat.
Her right eye was watering like crazy, and she wished she’d taped it shut.
The car roared to life and she managed to back out of her parking place.
Five minutes later, she was pulling into a parking lot large enough to hold ambulances and the cars of idiots like herself who’d injured themselves trying to be holiday heroes.
The woman at the front desk looked up as Victoria stumbled through the electronic door. Thank goodness the waiting room was empty. “Jingle Bell Rock” played over the sound system. She was not in a holiday mood. Christmas had just gotten her into a heap of trouble.
The entire waiting area was glassed in. Feeling like she’d been dropped into a fishbowl, she slumped into the chair across from the receptionist. No way did she want anyone seeing her on their way to pick up milk at Piggly Wiggly.
Why in heaven’s name did people make healthcare facilities with so much glass when they really should focus on larger mirrors in the ladies rooms?
Not that she wanted one tonight.
“Fill out the first page, dear.” The woman handed Victoria a clipboard. “We can take care of the rest in the room.”
“It’s my eye.” She squinted at the woman whose nametag said Audrey.
“Oh my goodness. Looks like you need to be seen right away.” Taking the clipboard gently from her hands, the woman’s expression changed––or what Victoria could see of it from her left eye.
“I sure would appreciate that, ma’am.” Grim images flooded her mind, but she would not cry. Important issues came to mind. Could they match fake eyes to your original color?
Standing up, the woman crooked a finger. “Follow me, please.”
“Thank you.” Unshed tears thickened her voice. Buck up, Victoria. Wasn’t that what her friend Josie always told her? Tonight she felt alone and desperate.
Audrey showed her to a blindingly bright room. “You can lie down right there, miss. Someone will be right with you.” She pointed to a bed with wheels.
Very slowly, she sat down and swung her legs over and up, the white paper covering crinkling under her body. Should she have taken off her boots? Mama would have a fit if she put boots on a bed at home.
“There, there. A nurse will be right with you.” Audrey clucked over her.
The bright overhead lights bounced off scary equipment hanging from the wall, giving her a headache. A nurse entered the room. “Can you turn down these lights?” Victoria asked.
The nurse came closer. “I've got this, Audrey.”
“I’ll be right back to finish registering her.” With a swish of the curtain, Audrey left.
“Hi, I’m Betsy,” the nurse said in a kind but no nonsense voice. “We need the bright lights, so we can see what’s going on.” Getting closer, Nurse Betsy studied Victoria. “So what happened?”
“I was sawing...my Christmas tree.” That came close enough. No way would she admit that she’d been vandalizing their beloved square.
“‘Tis the season,” Betsy muttered under her breath. “We get plenty of people in here who’ve fallen off ladders. So you were sawing down a tree?”
“Kind of.” Victoria couldn’t even go there.
“We used to cut our own tree,” Betsy said, making a face. “Then it got too messy.”
Your “messy” is nowhere near as messy as mine. A fresh paper sheet like the one her dentist used was draped under Victoria’s chin.
Audrey returned, pushing a laptop on a stand. “Ready for bedside registration?”
“Okay. Sure.” The holiday music playing in the background mocked her.
Holly, jolly Christmas? I don’t think so.
Betsy left the room while Audrey helped Victoria find her insurance card.
While the registration clerk typed everything up, Victoria’s mind rambled.
“I put drops in my eyes. But I couldn’t get it out. ”