(II)
The business card brought Julia twenty minutes outside of town. It could’ve been ten, but she passed two speed checks on the way over. Both of which didn’t help her mood or hangover from last night’s unplanned binge-drinking episode with Danielle.
A quiet anger simmered in her stomach that morning because Danielle had lied the day before. She’d promised the card after their drinks, but didn’t release it to Julia until this morning.
“Oh, quit your bitching.” Danielle had moaned from Julia’s couch a few hours ago. “I don’t give this card out to everyone, you know. Just trust me, okay? And if you could grab me some Advil too, that’d be great.”
Based on the way Danielle had talked about it, Julia expected to find this store through a wardrobe or a magic tornado. The store ended up having a distinct appearance, but no magic furniture or storms hid it away. Instead, she found it snuggled between a sports bar and a bowling alley. Its walls were coral-painted brick, and a black awning with yellow letters hovered over the front door to welcome customers. It read: Madam’s Wonder Wares.
Inside, purple cloth hung across mahogany banisters, and various objects rested upon velvet cushions within glass cases. Julia glanced at the objects and furrowed her brow. She saw old toys, vintage clothes, and items she would find in a thrift store.
“Hi there, can I help you?” A woman said.
She stood like a stump and wore a ruffled magenta dress, and must’ve been four foot two. She raised her eyes to Julia and repeated her question.
“Can I help you, miss?”
“Yes… a friend gave me this address.”
The woman scratched her nose. “And?”
“Her name’s Danielle?” Julia said. “Oh, and it’s for my kitchen.”
“Oh,” the woman said with a clap. “Yes, yes. She’d just texted me about this.”
“Great,” Julia said. “Do you really have something that can help? I’m not sure what Danielle told you, but it’s pretty bad.”
“Certainly. She’d sent over some pictures, so I know exactly what we’re dealing with. One moment.”
The woman shuffled away and came back seconds later holding a glass spray bottle with a pearl-white liquid floating inside.
“Alright,” the woman said. “This one’s easy to use. Spray once in each area. Usually standing about five feet away. Then let the magic work.”
“Magic?”
“The less you ask, the better,” the woman said. “If you have any problems, there’s an emergency label on the back.” She paused and scratched her nose again, “twenty dollars.”
Lots of questions arose, but Julia didn’t have time for them. She had a date tonight and a kitchen to clean. She paid and left. Once in her car, she checked the time. 11:00 am. Perfect. She’d get home, have some lunch, and start cleaning. But when she got home, a compulsion to relax overtook her previous worry, and she put off cleaning for a few hours.