Window shopping gave her something to do on days when she didn't have anything else. She drove to the outdoor mall in the suburbs. It was called a "lifestyle shopping center" but it looked like the strip malls in her area of town. That's the difference between me and the people who live here, she told herself. Titles.
She didn't have much money to spend and didn't need anything from the stores there, but it gave her something to do. The drive itself was an hour round-trip. She could walk up and down the storefronts for another hour, longer still if she went into stores periodically.
She only did it twice a week, just in case the clerks noticed her. In case they saw her come in, make two laps around the store, touching all the merchandise, and leave again. Never buying anything.
Luckily, she was invisible to them. She didn't look sloppy enough to be a shoplifter, and her hair wasn't highlighted enough to be a customer who demanded one-on-one attention, a personal shopping experience in a store that didn't offer such a thing.
All of the department stores looked the same to her, and she figured she looked the same to everyone who worked there. She breezed past the perfume and cosmetics counters without being spoken to. She touched silk blouses and feathered hats, wondering how she'd look wearing them. She never tried anything on. Never took it off the hanger.
The cosmetics saleslady who stopped her was new. She hadn't seen her before, first of all, but also this lady didn't know the rules. The saleslady spoke to her. Just something general about the manufacturer, but it made her stop. She looked at the tubes of lipstick perfectly positioned in their display case. She wanted to run her hands over them, even went as far as reaching out, but changed course as the saleslady continued speaking.
Instead, she plucked out a tube of lipstick. "Maraschino cherry," the saleslady commented. "This is going to change your life."
She handed over her credit card, declined the bag, shoved the receipt in her purse, and cradled the tube in her palm. As she left the store, she felt a pep in her step. She felt certain this would change her life.
381 words
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