Broken Not Shattered

Chapter One-1

Six Months Earlier

“Miss, you’re holding up the entire line. You’re gonna have to give me more money or put something back.” The young salesgirl looked at Jill with contempt and rolled her eyes at the man next in line. “This might take a while,” she said loud enough for patrons at the surrounding registers to hear. The man glared at Jill, removed his items from the counter, and brushed past the tall woman standing behind him.

Jill reddened. “Um, I’m sorry,” she stammered at the retreating man. Turning to the woman behind the counter, she repeated, “I’m sorry. I thought there was more money in here.” She held up an envelope with $150 written in neat print across the center while the other hand unconsciously twisted her hair.

“Well, apparently you were wrong. You only gave me $100, and your bill comes to $148.18. Do you wanna give me a credit card for the rest?”

“I don’t have a credit card,” Jill responded as she shuffled through the bags, pulling items out.

“No credit card,” the loud-mouthed salesgirl practically shouted, drawing more attention. “Who doesn’t carry a credit card?”

“Well, my husband, he—” Jill started and stopped mid-sentence, wondering why she felt the need to explain herself to this abrasive young woman. She certainly didn’t want the children witnessing her humiliation.

“It’s okay to put my dolly’s new dress back; she won’t mind.”

“It’s okay, honey; you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll take care of it.” Tears threatened to surface, but Jill choked them back. She would not let this woman humiliate her, especially in front of the girls.

“I’m going to have to void this order,” the salesgirl said, hitting the switch on the pole with more gusto than was necessary. The flashing light was like an arrow pointing at her, accentuating her humiliation. Her eyes remained downcast as she sorted through the items she’d pulled from her bags. She tried to do the math in her head, the whole time feeling the cashier’s eyes boring into her. Jill’s focus was on her task, and her hair cascaded around her face, blocking her vision.

“Here, that should cover it.” The woman behind her reached out, offering something to the cashier.

Jill stopped what she was doing, brushed her hair back, and lifted her eyes in the direction of the voice. She looked into the warmest brown eyes she had ever seen. The woman had a chiseled face, almost handsome, but the eyes softened her features. The look nearly brought tears to her eyes again, but instead she reacted with a shy smile.

“What do you want me to do with this?” the clerk responded, wrinkling her nose and holding up several crumpled bills.

“Stop harassing this poor woman and her children and complete her sale.” The woman’s warm eyes turned to steel when she looked at the clerk, but the warmth returned when she looked back at Jill.

“Of course, yes,” the clerk stammered and quickly started punching keys on her register.

“You might want to turn out that light.”

“Sorry, yes.” The saleswoman fumbled for the switch and flipped off the light.

“It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” she said, the authority in her voice evident.

Jill was shocked when the cashier turned to her and mumbled an apology. Jill pushed her hair behind her ear and simply smiled. She finished putting the rest of the bags in her cart and quickly left the register. She found an inconspicuous nook against the wall and gathered the girls around her. Jill watched the stranger complete her sale and turn toward the door.

“Excuse me,” Jill said softly.

The woman looked her way and smiled. Her intense brown eyes twinkled.

“I want to get your address.” Jill twisted her hair as she spoke.

With a subtle flick of her eyes, the woman motioned to the salesclerk, who was watching their exchange with interest. The stranger approached Jill, put her hand on the cart, and, without a word, led them toward the exit. Obediently, Jill followed with the girls in tow.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to act all James Bond on you back there. I just wanted to wipe that superior grin off her face. I didn’t think she needed to be involved in any more of your business.”

“Thank you so much; that was very kind of you. I want to get your name and address so I can send you the money I owe you.” Jill looked up from her groceries only once before quickly looking down again.

“Don’t worry about it. Next time you see someone in need, just pay it forward, then your debt to me will be paid in full.”

Jill looked up again and shuddered when her eyes met the kind eyes looking back at her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Jill said softly. “I’m afraid I haven’t been having the best of luck lately, and you know what they say about the kindness of strangers. You helped renew my faith in people today.”

“That’s all the payback I could ever want.” The woman paused, seeming to weigh whether she should say more. “I sensed something back there. I mean…I couldn’t help but notice that the world seems to be weighing on you, so I thought maybe I could ease it in some small way.”

“You did; thank you.” Jill unconsciously smoothed the wrinkles in her well-worn coat.

“Sorry; I’m making you uncomfortable. My friends say I should stop saying whatever comes to my mind. I didn’t mean to intrude. I should be going. I hope your day gets better.” With that, the woman turned and walked away.

“Wait,” Jill shouted before the woman could turn the corner. What in the world had gotten into her? She didn’t talk to strangers, let alone shout down the street at one. Jill unconsciously reached for the girls’ hands when the stranger turned around and walked back toward them.

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry; it’s just that I never got your name.” Jill fidgeted with her hair.

A broad smile broke across the woman’s face, and she laughed. Jill’s cheeks reddened.

“Hey, I’m sorry, it’s okay. I’m not laughing at you.” She lightly reached out and touched the arm of Jill’s coat. Jill looked down at the hand and felt herself reacting again. When was the last time someone had been so kind, someone who wanted nothing from her? She managed a smile and hoped her eyes did not betray her.

“I had a flashback from one of those stupid old TV shows.” She flashed a smile at Jill. “Do you remember the Lone Ranger? At the end, someone would always say, ‘Who was that masked man?’ Then someone else would say, ‘You don’t know who that was? That was the Lone Ranger.’ It just struck me as funny. I guess it doesn’t take much to amuse me, huh?”

“So, who is this rescuer of shoppers in distress?” Jill surprised herself with the playful comeback.

“Alex. Alex McCoy. And you are?”

“Jill,” she mumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“Jill,” she said with more force.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jill. Now you won’t have to think of me as that mysterious stranger.” Alex winked and ran her hand through her short dark hair.

“I just wanted to…well, to thank you again for your kindness. The girls and I, well, I, well, we appreciate it. Don’t we, girls?”

Two sets of eyes looked up, but said nothing.

“Shy and quiet, just like their mom, huh?”

“Um, well, this is Jenna and Trina. Say hello, girls.”

Two tiny voices muttered hello in unison. Alex knelt in front of them and introduced herself. Jill was shocked when the girls began to talk to Alex when she asked them about their dolls. She looked down at the scene, a smile parting her lips. It was nice to see the girls talking to Alex, since they were always shy and withdrawn around others.

When Alex finished the conversation with Jenna and Trina, she stood and looked at Jill. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. Jill noticed the hesitation, so she looked at Alex questioningly. When Alex still didn’t speak, Jill added, “Was there something you wanted to say?”

Alex blushed. “Well, no…it was stupid.”

“Don’t they say there are no stupid questions?” She smiled and added, “But I guess they don’t say the same about statements, so I guess you better ask a question.” What was up with her? Was she really bantering with a woman she just met?

“Okay then.” Alex laughed. “You’ve convinced me to stick with my original question. I just have to warn you, it popped into my mind out of nowhere. I’m not usually into propositioning strangers on the street.”

Alex’s eyes got big, and Jill tried not to smile at Alex’s obvious discomfort. “What is wrong with me? You would think I just learned how to speak English. I did not mean propositioning. I better leave you ladies to your day, before I say something else stupid or inappropriate.”

There was a charm about Alex’s floundering that oddly put Jill at ease. Even though Alex exuded an air of authority, Jill sensed the vulnerability underneath. Jill was curious about what question could possibly have Alex so flustered. “No, please. I believe that you’re not into propositioning strangers. I promise, we won’t be offended by your question.”

“Okay, but please don’t feel obligated in any way to say yes; it was just something that came to mind on a whim. I’m not even sure where it came from.” With a nod, Jill encouraged Alex to continue. “Well, I was on my way to the park to get some ice cream, and I wondered if you ladies would like to join me?”

Jill hesitated, knowing they needed to get home soon. At Jill’s hesitation, Alex held up her hand. “No need to say anything more. I understand in this day and age you can never be too careful.”

“No, it’s not that. We just don’t have a lot of time.” Jill looked at the girls’ hopeful faces and realized she felt the same. “But it is a beautiful Indian summer day, and ice cream season will be coming to an end soon.”

“So, is that a yes or a no?” Alex asked.

“Why not! But we can’t stay too long. Ice cream and a round on the swings, then we need to get home,” Jill said to the girls.

“All right,” they said at the same time.

“All right,” Alex mimicked, her eyes twinkling. “Let’s get your groceries in your car before we go.”

Jill pointed behind her. “We walked. We only live three blocks back in Whispering Winds.”

“I used to have a friend that lived there. I haven’t been there in years, but her apartment was really nice.”

“They’re okay. Unfortunately, the elevator rarely works, and we live on the fourth floor. I guess it beats going to the gym.”

“Hey now, what do you have against gyms?”

“I’m sorry.” Jill reached for her hair and shifted her eyes to the ground.