Page 22 of Corporate Escapades

“She’s right, Paris,” interjected Vic. “You don’t need all that fancy stuff. You’ll look great no matter what. And remember, no stealing,” he added with a mischievous grin.

“Really, Vic? You just need to rub salt in my wounds, don’t you?” griped Paris. “Why are you so mean to me? In retrospect, I should be the one who’s picking on you, since our issues began in college when you caused us to miss our spring break flight to Cozumel.”

“Let’s not dig up old wounds,” said Chase. “It won’t help the current situation.”

“I agree with Chase,” said Mya. “It doesn’t matter who did what back when. We need to focus on the here and now.”

Paris didn’t have any further strength to argue with Mya. She hadn’t slept at all since arriving at her new place. She’d be thankful if she made it through the humiliation of her first day in the mailroom, as she was certain several people would be laughing at her situation. Finishing her last bite of muffin, she pushed away from the table and said, “Let’s get this horror show started.”

“Yes,” replied Vic. “What a suitable statement.” He joined Paris at the door, and they all shuffled outside. Looking at Chase and Mya, he asked, “Whose car are we taking?”

“We, my friend, are taking the bus,” replied Chase. “Them’s be the rules your mom provided. She wants you to try it out.”

“I’ve never taken the bus before,” mewled Paris.

Vic, rolling his eyes at her, said, “Well then, this’ll be a treat.”

Marching up the block, they headed for the nearest bus stop. The bus appeared on time and arrived in less than fifteen minutes. The ride, however, seemed to take forever. People were packing themselves in to every seat. The bus smelled like tuna fish, and it made Paris feel ill. She wasn’t a fan of tuna under regular circumstances.

The second the bus stopped, Paris hopped up and led the group off. She wasn’t excited about shopping at Andretti’s, but she enjoyed buying new things. It was a struggle for her to accept that she’d lost everything. She didn’t think she could feel any lower, which made her want to spend money. It was how she comforted herself.

“Paris,” said Mya, “let’s go. You can’t stand here and stare at the store all day. We have to go inside, get what you need, and get home so we can unpack and get you to the office.”

Cringing, Paris said, “I don’t even want to think about work.” Mya reached out and grabbed her hand. Paris tried to pull it away, but Mya didn’t let go. She yanked Paris along as she moved toward the entrance to the store.

The inside of the big box store was nothing like the stores Paris was accustomed to. The lights were garish, and there were people everywhere. The store was half-grocery, which was convenient, to say the least. Luckily, it included a liquor section.

“Here we are,” said Mya.

“Vic and I will pick up the food for both of you since it’ll most likely take you longer to find toiletries and clothing,” said Chase.

“Okay. Make sure you get an assortment of fruit, some yogurt, granola, almond milk, salad, and veggies,” requested Paris

“Yes, Mya gave me a list of items already,” replied Chase. “We’ve got you covered.” Turning to Vic, he said, “I gave Mya your toiletry list. If you think of anything else, shoot her a text.”

Paris watched Vic nod his understanding. He didn’t look too happy either. It had been a long time since Mya had shopped with her, but she had always known what Paris liked. Apparently, their babysitters knew what they were doing. She cringed at the thought. They were adults who had been assigned babysitters.

“Okay,” said Mya, “you two hit grocery and clothing, and we’ll hit clothing and toiletries. See you in an hour.” Grabbing two carts, she headed them toward the women’s clothing department. “Paris, I’m leaving you to find clothing while I pick up your makeup and other toiletries. Be sure to get all the essentials, plus business attire and leisure. Oh, and for heaven’s sake, be sure to buy practical shoes. You’ll be walking a lot.”

“Wait, I don’t know how I feel about you picking up my hair and makeup items without me,” she protested. “I want to know what I’m getting.”

“If you come with me to makeup, you won’t get the rest of the items you need in time. We have one hour. Besides, I used to do your hair and makeup all the time, or have you forgotten? I know this store, and I know what you need. Trust me.”

“I don’t trust you. I don’t even like you,” Paris replied.

Mya shook her head. “For the life of me, I don’t know how you can be so cold.” Walking away, she left Paris to fend for herself.

As Mya disappeared, Paris felt a slight panic coming on. She didn’t even know where the women’s clothing was located within the massive store. Reaching out, she fingered the cart handle, leery about the germs.

“It won’t bite you, princess,” said Vic. Snickering, as he wandered off with his own cart.

Paris sighed. She thought he’d already left. Reaching out, she rested her open hands on the edge of the handle and pushed ahead. Noticing the jewelry counter, she headed in that direction first.

As she perused the jewelry cases, the price tags provided her with a nagging reminder she was on a very strict budget. She had been wearing her diamond stud earrings and diamond heart necklace yesterday when everything changed. They would have to make up most of her jewelry collection for the time being, but perhaps a couple of inexpensive costume pieces wouldn’t be so bad.

As Paris looked, she saw something she felt she needed. A string of white pearls. She didn’t own pearls. Looking at the different options, she found a small set for sixty-five dollars. It even came with a pair of stud earrings. “I’ll take those,” she said to the clerk. The woman wrapped the items up for her and put a tag on the package so that the checkout clerk would know what to ring up.

Moving on, she put her emotions aside and grabbed each item on her list as if it were normal for her to be shopping in such a generic store. She knew the situation was temporary, so she went for comfort and versatility rather than a statement. She looked at the items as if they were her favorite brands, which sent a thrill of adrenaline through her body as she shopped.

---