Moose and Goose

Chapter Two

"Well, look who decided to show up. I was certain that we'd have to perform a search party to find you," a petite girl says to Judith. She has a brown sugar complexion and jet black hair styled to match Twiggy's. She's leaning her left hip to their wooden table with her arms folded across her chest. "Who's this?"

"Hi to you too, Kacey. This is Mary Hendricks," she introduces her to the spacious room of her ethnic club mates, throwing her left arm over the newcomer's shoulder. "Mary, this is Kacey, William, Anthony, and – well, La'Shawna is running late."

"She's powdering her nose," Kacey informs them. She watches Anthony and William approach her with welcoming grins.

"It's nice to meet you." The tall and lighter-toned member, Anthony, extends his right hand toward her. She glances at his short mess of curls, and then she places her right hand in his. "Everyone calls me Big A."

"Stop showing off. No one calls you that." He rolls his eyes at Kacey.

Mary glances at Judith, who's shaking her head as if to inform her that Anthony's lying, and she smiles. When they shake hands, he returns to his place at the table and continues examining a striped lavender strip of wrapping paper with measuring tape.

"Hey." William extends his left hand, and when she places hers in his palm, he carries her knuckles to his pouty lips. She swoons at the kiss he lays on her hand, and his smile grows.

"Hey," she forces herself to say through the butterflies in her stomach. They return their arms to their sides.

"Okay, well, as I said, you'll love it here." Judy pats her back then walks around the right end of the table to help Anthony.

The door creaks open with a statuesque woman stepping in. Her feathered, raven-colored hair falls to her waist like a waterfall that complements her midnight complexion. She forms a confused expression when she notices the new girl with William.

"Hello?" Mary turns her head to look over her shoulder, and Judith lifts her chin to see as well.

"Hi," she greets their president before the words can exit Judy's parted lips. She turns her body to face her, having to crane her head back to stare upward at her more so than with Anthony or William. "I just got here. My name's Mary Hendricks. I saw the signs posted in the courtyard about needing new members, so here I am."

"Oh." She blows out a heavy breath that relaxes her tensed shoulders. William strolls toward the end of the table between Kacey and Judy. "It's nice to meet you. My name's La'Shawna and if you have any questions about us or what we're working on, just ask me; I'm the president."

"Judy actually told me on the way in, but I definitely will," she says. La'Shawna walks towards the end across from William, and Mary fills the gap next to Judith.

"Okay, so for the new girl, what're we currently working on," she asks her group. Kacey resumes taping wrapping paper over a small, square-shaped box with William's help.

"Well, three weeks ago, we went to the children's hospital not far from here and found out that over ten kids will be there for their birthdays," Judy informs her without looking away from the ruler in her hands. "So, here we are, wrapping presents for them."

"That's really nice," Mary says. She looks at the box across from her that Kacey's working on, then at La'Shawna. "Where'd you get the gifts from?"

"They were donated," Kacey chimes in before her president can respond. "My Dad owns a store up the road, and he donates different things to us whenever we need them."

"Here." Judith sets the measuring stick on the wrapping paper. Then she gently guides Mary into her place. "Each side has to be a foot long for the next gift. No longer, no shorter."