Carolina North

It was 6:30 AM on a quiet, Sunday morning.

The room smelled of cigarette smoke, cheap whiskey, and the open canister of beef jerky sticks on the counter. My body was present behind the register of the highway-robbery general store, but my mind was elsewhere.

I flipped open the book I had been reading and sighed as I read over the same words and phrases as before. Although they swam for meaning, I could not juncture a reason for reading the book again in the first place. No matter how beautiful it had been the first time, I knew that it would never feel the same to me. The same went for many of the beautiful things in life.

The only exception I had ever come across walked through the door of the mart three minutes later. The bell above the door chimed at 6:33, and I turned to face more than I had ever expected.

She was extravagant in her careless demeanor. Her hair was long and the color of what I imagined to be ten-karat gold. She wore a yellow dress and a daisy behind her ear, and I swore I had never seen anyone quite as lovely.

I gently sat my book to the side and braced myself at the counter, watching as her long legs carried her toward the back of the store. Her golden hair reached her waist and bounced as she maneuvered through the isles, examining the inventory as she went. The yellow dress touched just a few inches above her knees. Slender arms branched from beneath the shallow neckline.

I swallowed the knot in my throat and waited as she continued to move throughout the store with grace and ease; her eyes never once glancing my way.

The clock on the wall behind me ticked to the rhythm of her steps; my heartbeat harmonizing softly. It was several minutes of listening for the ticks and thumps of my surroundings before she approached my position at the counter, and her cerulean blue eyes finally met my own.

I could not help but stare, my mind struggling to find the correct words to say. My eyes had never beheld such perfection, and I found it difficult to focus on anything but.

"This is all I need," she said softly, her voice a falsetto of elegance among the stale wind.

Quickly, I shook away my ignorance and felt my heart warm at the sight of her breathtaking smile. "Sorry," I replied quietly, and I stole several nervous glances as I rang up the items she had placed on the counter.

As I bagged her can of ravioli, bottled water, flashlight, batteries, and package of Skittles, I noticed that her gaze had been steady on me the entire time.

I cleared my throat and kept my eyes on her porcelain face. "It will be $8.75."

The corners of her salmon lips lifted slightly, and she reached for her purse. I had not expected her to say anything more.

Yet as I placed her crumpled bills in the register, her voice danced through my mind again. "Do you like your job?" The question was unexpected and soft, and I glanced up to meet that smile.

I shrugged, remembering how many hours I had spent asking myself the exact same thing. Finally, I answered, "Who does?" and I stifled a light laugh.

She laughed back, the sound sweeter than anything I had ever heard. "Well, I'm Carolina North," she said quietly, and her name instantly rang through my ears, "and I would be honored if you would run away with me."

I paused, her words repeating in my mind. I did not know, then, what she was implying. But I realized, for the first time, how desperately I had been wanting an escape. "Now?" I asked shyly.

Her nod was the only answer I received, and the look on her face let me know how serious she really was.

I glanced around the empty store, knowing how terribly angry my boss would be to leave his business unattended. Then again, what did I really have to lose? It was the craziest decision I had ever made in my life, but the only dare I had willingly decided to take.

"Sure," I smiled at the beauty standing before me, and felt my heart lift at my own words. I slowly took the name tag off of my gray t-shirt and placed it on the counter, my body tense as I rounded the corner and followed her outside.

I agreed to run away with Carolina North because I had absolutely nothing better to do with my life.

And all I knew was her name.