Girl Talk(Alex, Nelly)

After finishing her shower and other bathroom duties, Alex headed downstairs to the kitchen, smiling at the click-clump sound that her new boots were making on the wooden floors. She was also in a good mood because her many wounds were finally starting to go away, just the scabs on her back and the red marks on her ankles and wrists remained. Stepping into the kitchen she spotted several lumpy white bags stacked in a corner.

“Mornin’, Nelly” she said while still eyeing the bags.

“Good morning, dear. Those are for you,” replied Nelly, noticing the direction of the girl’s gaze. “We’ll get to them after breakfast. Pancakes sound good to you?” She pulled out a flapjack laden platter from the warmer and set it in the center of the table.

“They look good, Nelly, can’t wait to try one.”

“Why wait, dig in, dear.” Smiled the older woman as she brought over two cups of steaming coffee.

The two women fell into a comfortable silence as they devoured their first few bites. Having eased their hunger they felt human enough to hold a conversation.

“Nelly, do you know where Will lives? I need to get in touch with him about a few things.” Asked Alex as she took another bite of the golden cake.

“Why don’t you just give him a call? I’m pretty sure I have his number written down some place.” She gave Alex a mischievous smile, “He is a right handsome boy, isn’t he?”

Alex blushed at the statement, “I haven’t noticed,” and with that she shoved a forkful of food into her mouth. Nelly chuckled in amusement at the girl’s discomfort and continued to eat.

After breakfast, Nelly made good on her word and found William Paris’ phone number. Using the phone in the living room, she dialed the number and handed Alex the receiver, leaving the girl alone to conduct her business.

“Hello?” Alex’s heart did a flip-flop upon hearing the familiar voice on the other end.

“Um. . . Hello, Will. This here’s Alex.”

“Oh, hey there!”

“I was wondering if you could help me out. . .”

They had a polite conversation and in the end Will had agreed to meet Alex after work and take her to a place where she could target shoot. She was to meet him at five o’clock in front of Al’s Dinner.

Returning the phone to its cradle, Alex returned to the kitchen where she found Nelly finished with washing the breakfast dishes. “So are you going to show me what’s in the white sacks?”

“We’ll need to take them up to your room,” grabbing two bags and gesturing for Alex to do the same, they went upstairs to number 3. Dumping the contents of the first bag onto the bed, Nelly explained “Some of the ladies in town have noticed your clothes. As a thank you, they sent over these for you to look through and take. Some are new and some are used but hopefully you’ll find a few things to fit you.”

Alex stared at the clothes, amazed by the variety in both style and color. Picking up a red leather skirt she quietly told Nelly that there was no way she could wear one of these things. “Just pick out what you would wear, dear, the rest we’ll send back.” Before Alex could make any other objections, the woman began pouring out the contents of the other bags. Seeing no way out of it, Alex proceeded in rifling through the garments.

“Here, try this on.” suggested Nelly as she tossed Alex a black button up shirt with long sleeves that ended in a ruffle. “Simple, yet feminim plus it would look great with your boots. Reminds me of a pirate.”

Alex looked around the room for a private area to change into the shirt, “Oh, don’t be shy, I wont look.” And Nelly turned her back on the girl.

Alex quickly began disrobing and was just about to slip on the black shirt when Nelly gasped, without thinking Nelly had glanced up into the mirror above the dresser and saw the girl’s many stripes on her back. “Good heavens, child, what happened to you?”

Alex finished putting on the shirt before answering the stunned woman’s question. “I had a run in with a few unsavory animals. Now how do I look?”

Nelly eyed her suspiciously “It looks good on you, dear, but why don’t you tell me what really happened while we continue trying on clothes.”

That was all it took for the flood gates to open. Alex told the woman everything that happened to her starting with the sand storm in Mexico. By the time she had finished, Nelly sat sobbing on the bedside clutching a handkerchief to her face. “You poor thing.” She repeated over and over again.

“It’s alright, mam. I’m here with you now.” Alex folded the last of the clothing that she had decided to keep and stuffed it into one of the drawers. Patting the teary eyed woman’s back she took a seat next to her on the edge of the bed. “I’m really alright, Nelly.”

Looking up into the young girl’s emerald green eyes, Nelly dried her tears and smiled, “You’re right, dear, but would you please let me take a look at those wounds of yours to make sure none of them are infected?”

“If it will make you feel better,” muttered Alex as she lifted the back of her shirt for the woman.

Fresh tears sprang to Nelly’s eyes as she surveyed the mutilated flesh. “They seem to be healing up just fine but I’m afraid you’re going to have some nasty scarring.”

“I figured as much,” replied Alex lowering her shirt. “It’s really nothing to worry about, who’s going to see my back anyway.”

Nelly gave hear a sympathetic smile and began rebagging the remaining clothes. “You did pick you out some nice things, dear. Next we’ll do something with your hair.” having completed her task she left the room before the girl could reply to her last statement.

Alone in her room, Alex stretched out across her bed feeling both physically and emotionally exhausted. She wasn’t used to sharing personal information with people and yet she felt better at having done so. It was like a big weight had been lifted from her. “Maybe there’s something to this whole friends thing.”

While lying on the bed an idea flashed in her mind regarding the weapons. Getting up she approached the desk and retrieved a pad of paper and a pen. Quickly, before the image was gone, she began sketching a design for a “back holster” for the double gauge shot gun along with some other ideas for toting her weapons. “A pirate, huh?” she mumbled recalling Nelly’s words. “And this town is my ship” she thought finishing up her work she glanced over it before heading downstairs and out the door in search for a leather craftsman.