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"Sure, Mariah, what can I help you with?"
The sigh of relief wracked her body, and she finally raised her eyes from the scratched linoleum floor.
"I, um, I need to buy a gift," she rushed. I frowned. It was painfully obvious from the moment she spoke that she was lying, but she just kept going. "For Tobias, and one for Nan. I'd get one for Slade and Blake and you, too, but I have a small budget and all, and I wouldn't know what to get, anyway."
"Well," I began carefully, trying to keep the suspicion out of my voice. "That's very nice. You don't need to get Nan anything. I know that. She always said her gift was being able to give you guys a real Christmas at the ranch experience."
Mariah narrowed her eyes.
"And you know what?" I whispered conspiratorially. "She means it."
"But, I can," Mariah argued. "And I want to. Nothing big. Just, I don't know. I barely know the woman, but I know she does so much for us and doesn't get much in return."
My heart was melting, but there was still something that felt off. In that moment, she actually seemed genuine, so I moved forward as if I believed she was.
"Well," I pondered carefully. "Nan really likes her tea and her knitting. Also, her crossword puzzles. Maybe one of those things?"
"That doesn't seem like much."
"Well, maybe not to you, but besides her soaps and her Christmas party, those are the things that bring her the most joy."
"I guess I could get a book of crossword puzzles, a skein of yarn, and a tin of tea. That would be okay."
I smiled. "If it's in your budget, that would be a lovely gift. She will really appreciate that, Mariah."
"Okay." Her smile was quickly replaced with the same skittishness that had made me think she was lying. "And what about Tobias? I know you don't know him, like you do Nan, but I don't know. I just thought you might have an idea or two."
"You want to get Tobias a gift?"
She looked quickly down at the floor. "I feel really bad about what we did. It was stupid, and he's a good kid. He's been through just as much as the rest of us, if not more, and we shouldn't beat him up just because he manages to still enjoy life and have a good attitude. My grams would have said that those are things that should be celebrated about a person, not something they are hated for."
"Nan would say the same thing." I softened, suddenly understanding why the young girl wanted to buy a gift for an old woman she barely knew.
"Tobias really likes horses, superheroes, and baseball," I added, remembering an interaction I had heard between him and Slade. "Maybe some baseball cards? Or a superhero poster?"
Mariah shook her head. "We're not allowed to have things on our walls at the group home. Maybe the baseball cards. Do you think they have those here?"
"I'm sure they do. Probably near the registers. I better get back to shopping so I can get back to the ranch and help Nan get ready for the tree trimming, tonight. I'll see you there." My hands were already back on my cart, pushing forward slowly.
"See you there," Mariah repeated woodenly, turning her back to me as she started to walk away. Suddenly, she pivoted on her heel and turned to face me. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Wait." Her whisper was desperate and broken. "I lied. I mean. I didn't lie. I'm gonna get those gifts. It's just, there's something else."
Her eyes darted around the aisle, settling on the shelf behind me. I turned to look. Pregnancy tests. I looked back at her with questions in my eyes. She nodded.
"I-I have a boyfriend. A football player. And I thought he really liked me. He took me to a dance and told me he loved me. I should have known he just wanted to sleep with me. I should have at least made him wear a condom." Her chest heaved with broken sobs as she poured out the story. "And now, I'm late. And I feel so stupid, and I hate myself."
Not knowing what to say, I opened my arms, and she stepped into them. "I'm sorry that happened," I whispered, feeling confused. I still didn't know what she needed help with, why she was asking me, or what the hell I was supposed to do with an emotional teenager in the middle of a drugstore.
"So," I guessed, taking a stab in the dark. "You're pregnant?"
She shook her head against my chest and then pulled away, looking up at me. "I don't know. I came in here to buy a test, but there are so many kinds, and I don't know how I'm supposed to know which one is right. Then, I saw you, and I just panicked, and I don't know why I'm even telling you all this, but since I did, can you tell me how to pick out a freaking test?"
I blinked, turning towards the wall behind me. She was right. There were at least twenty different varieties. Plus and minus signs, one line or two. Ones that turned pink and ones that turned blue. Digital ones, and ones that worked before you were even late. Geesh. Who knew there were so many different ways to present the same information? No wonder she was overwhelmed. My own stomach was in knots, and I was probably no more qualified than she was to pick one out. Still, she had turned to me for help, and I was going to help her. Scanning the boxes, I zeroed in on a mid-priced one that claimed to have a 99% rate of accuracy. Accuracy was what we were going for here. I plucked it off the shelf and handed it to her, conveying far more confidence than I actually felt.
"This one."
She nodded and tossed it into her basket, without even looking at it. "Thank you," she whispered.
I turned to go, and, again, she stopped me. "Merry, would you? Do you think you could…stay with me while I take it? I planned to just buy it and then run next door to the ice cream parlor and take it in their bathroom."
