A Taste of Spring

When the other line clicked and the music stopped, Spring perked up. She nodded as she listened to what her sister store rep told her. Hanging up the phone, Spring relayed what she found out but added her little touch of sugar...to make this woman's day a little brighter.

"The shoes are there and available. What I can do is have you pay for them here, that way I can offer you a special discount for your trouble."

That perked the woman up.

"What kind of discount?" Her eyes seemed hopeful.

Spring smiled a genuine smile then. "Well...because you are our first customer on Fun-day Friday...which is rare, you get half off and...," Spring glanced down at the girl, "a pair of free yellow hair bows to wear with your tutu."

"Really?" the woman seemed confused.

Pria, her daughter was all hops and giggles as she ran to the hair bows Spring saw her looking at earlier.

Spring shrugged, "But if you'd rather pay

say. She pulled out her wallet, her confusion still showing through her eyes. She apprehensively handed over a debit card.

tutu, Spring swiped the card and handed it back. She then rang up the ballet shoes as a pickup order, quickly swiped her own card and told the woman it was a discount card, then gave the woman

you..." The woman seemed as if she was going to say something else but she just took her receipt

you, pretty lady," the girl said with a big grin. She took the bag off the counter then took

the yellow bows she placed in the girl's bag and took it the register. She rang it up and paid

said as she took the bows from her hand, "I'm surprised you haven't asked to crash on my couch. Or do you have some kind of 'arrangement' with your landlord?" She placed the bows back on the display.

my landlord," Spring said as she closed the register. She placed her receipt in her pocket then leaned her hip on the counter and picked up the magazine she had hidden

grocery shopping, which wasn't too expensive because they both ate like birds. A symptom of their upbringing,

Spring often wondered if she sold all the information she acquired to companies. An image of Sammy in a back alley whispering that her neighbor liked BDSM, to a reporter for a television network that ran ads for butt balm, flashed in her head. She let out a little

my God,

it hit the floor. When she stood