Charity's Shadow III

Sorry, but I miscalculated how many installments there are in this story. There will be a few more. I'll try to post them a little faster. Thanks for your patience.

Charity's Shadow III

The next morning, Edna was unlocking the doors before seven o'clock when he crossed the street. “Good morning, Ben.”

“Good morning, Edna. Are you having a good morning?”

“Absolutely lovely. I work with flowers. How can anything go wrong for me? Oh, I’m glad you’re here a few minutes early. I need to run to the corner market and make some change for the register. Will you accept the morning delivery for me?”

“Of course.”

Edna stirred through the store a moment, and then stepped into the street and around the corner. After a moment, the bell rang, and Ben discovered the delivery girl. She was tall and slender, with shoulder length brown hair, and a tempting smile. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and she laughed often. She was every bit as lovely as Edna described.

“Hi, my name is Ben.”

She looked him over and said, “Howya Ben? My name is Chasity. Are you new here?”

Ben smiled warmly. “It’s my second day.” He was motivated by her smile and shapely figure, so he dug deep for courage and commented, “Edna said she hired me so I could meet the pretty girl who came by every morning. That has to be you, right?”

Chasity returned his smile. “How sweet of Edna. She’s the greatest. So, she wanted us to meet? Wow. I wonder how she knew I wasn’t dating anyone?”

Ben followed up on that topic. “So, you are currently single?”

“Single? If you mean not married, then absolutely. If you mean not dating, then unfortunately, I mean absolutely. But a week or so ago I lost my boyfriend.”

“Oh, it’s only been a week?”

“Yes. He was such a bore. Always talking about himself. He was a know-it-all, too.”

“I hate that type.”

“I wonder how Edna knew I lost my boyfriend?”

“I donno. But somehow she did.”

“So, what about you? Are you dating anyone?”

Ben flashed red again. “Me? Not a chance. I haven’t had any dates in several years.”

“Oh?”

Her interest caused him to explain. “Well, I only just graduated from college a few months ago. I was so busy with my studies that I had little time for other things.” His face flushed again. “I even still live with my mother.”

She began to twist a curl of her long hair in her fingers. “Well, that’s okay. Especially if you were going to school. It’s not as if you are some metal head bleeding his parents dry. Right? So, what were you studying?”

“Museology.”

“Come again?”

“Museum Curation.”

She slightly cocked her head sideways. “I’m sorry. Try again.”

Ben smiled softly. “Museum administration.”

Chasity eyed him warily. “I see. I didn’t realize that such a degree existed.”

“Well, it’s the nerd option that most people don’t take.”

She watched him dully. “Well, at least you have a plan, right?”

“That’s right. How about you?”

“Me? I don’t have a plan. I just live for the weekend.”

That peaked Ben’s interest. “Ah, a weekender? That doesn’t get you into trouble?”

“As often as possible!” She looked him over. “You and I aren’t a perfect match, but do you want to go out this weekend?” She reached for his hand and wrote her phone number on his palm. “Call me this afternoon.”

“Uh, sure. Why not? I don’t have any plans. Besides, it’ll make Edna happy.”

She winked at him and collected her empty delivery cartons. “Making Edna happy is what it’s all about.” She turned and began to walk away from him. “Until it’s time to make me happy.” His eyes followed her as she made her way out the door. She gave him a show for his efforts.