Thieves in the Temple: A Prequel to Purple Rain

CH. 21 Smiling Faces Sometimes- The Undisputed Truth

Kid needed rubbers, at least he thought he did. He was not sure what was going to happen on Saturday with Mona but he needed to be ready just in case. He had not planned how his trip to Woolworth's was going to go. He did not bother to ask the other dudes how they got rubbers. He just walked in thinking he would buy them the same as Juicy Fruit gum or something. When he went to the liquor store to get Hennessey for his mother, no one ever said anything to him. Maybe it was because Juanita was a regular there.

Kid's skin crawled as he went down the aisle housing the women's products. He remembered seeing rubbers at the end of this aisle the last time Juanita sent him to get sanitary napkins for her. Disgusting. Why did I go down this one again? When he got to the end of the row, he expected rubbers would be somewhere on the shelf but they were not. He looked around and spotted the sky blue box behind the pharmacist's counter. When did they get put there?

How was he going to ask for them? What should he call them? It can't be that hard.

He looked up to the ceiling, rocked on his feet and took a breath. He took a quick glance around to make sure there was no one in earshot stepping up to the counter. The pharmacist in the white doctor's jacket had his reading glasses resting on top of his bald head. "May I help you, Son?"

"Umm, yeah, can I get some of those, please?" Kid pointed quickly and let his heavy, stupid arm drop back to his side.

"Some of what?" the pharmacist was irritated.

"The blue box."

"How old are you?" The pharmacist lowered his glasses to take a closer look at Kid.

The cat had Kid's tongue. Then his bones nearly escaped his body at the shrill familiar voice of Sunny Day.

"Kid, are you here getting stuff for your pop again?" She put her hand on Kid's shoulder and pushed him behind her. "I'll bet your pop sent you here to purchase some of those..." she leaned in and whispered to the pharmacist, "prophylactics." Her curly bangs swooped over her forehead. She flicked them to the side with her pinky. Baldy had her attention.

"You wait for me outside, Son," she said.  Kid obeyed, scooting down the same aisle with the women's products again, calling himself stupid again.

"Sometimes my husband doesn't have the good sense God gave a knat," Sunny smiled coyly peeping through the curls. "Can you imagine sending a boy to the store for his father's personal necessities? Let me just pay for those extra small ones." She and Baldy laughed loudly at her naughty little joke. He was kind and placed them in a brown bag for her.

Kid stood outside of Woolworth's wringing his hands. He wanted to bolt down the street home but he knew Sunny Day would find him eventually. He heard her high heels clacking toward the door. Her tight pencil skirt restricted her tall gait from taking the long strides she was used to. How could he face her? What was he going to say to Morris's mother? There was nothing to say because Sunny Day, as always, did all the talking. Kid kept his face down and did not let his eyes meet hers.

"Kid, I'll expect to see you at church on Sunday?" Clearly, she was not really making a request. She waited for him to nod. She held the bag out. He snatched it. Then she made a military style about face and strode back into the Woolworth's to get whatever she'd originally came for.

Kid shoved the brown paper bag under his sweaty armpit and sprinted down the street. The five blocks to Clinton Avenue never seemed so long.