“And we’ll get ribbons for your hair and…” He paused and glanced at her. She seemed unfazed by his comment, so he continued. “Maybe we’ll get you some hair, too. In case yours doesn’t grow back.” He chuckled at himself. “Heck, we can get you a stack of wigs. If you wake up and feel blonde, boom! You’re a blonde. Feeling sassy and want to be a redhead? Well, there ya go. Slip it on and instantly you got attitude. Or maybe you want to be dark and mysterious? We’ll get you a brunette wig. Maybe one cut short like a pixie or a pageboy.” He glanced at her and smiled. “You could rock that look.”
She pointed to a sign and he stopped. He bent low and followed her arm. It was a road sign. “Do you know that street?” He looked at her and in the dim light he saw her eyes widen as she thrust her arm out. “What is it, Patty?”
Trevor picked her up and carried her toward the sign. He studied her face as she tilted her head and stared at the metal placard. “This?” He lifted her tiny body up and she ran her hand along the surface. She turned to him and smiled.
“Wait…green? Is that it? You like green?” He set her back down and she smiled at him again. “Okay then. We’ll find you a green wig. You can be a punk rocker if you want.” He tugged at her and they walked across the street.
Trevor stopped at a storefront and tried to see into the darkened building. “Oh, baby girl…have I got a surprise for you.”
He led her up to the entrance and pushed at the shattered front door. It crunched on the broken glass and he stepped cautiously inside. “Hello?”
Trevor froze and listened carefully. He could just make out her rapid breathing, so he lifted her and carried her over the shattered glass and into the darkened interior. “Every little girl needs a makeover once in a while.”
He set her down carefully on the counter and turned to look at the short aisles. “This used to be a ladies’ store. They got hair sprays and dyes and makeup and…” He turned and held a finger up. “You wait right here. I’ll be just over there.”
He cautiously stepped to the first aisle, his eyes staying on her. She swung her legs like a normal child, and he let the breath out that he had been holding.
Trevor pulled out his lighter and lit it, giving him a small flame to see by. He smiled as he pulled a few items from a hook then turned back to her. “How about we try something here?” He held up an eye liner pencil.
She sat patiently, staring at him as he drew her eyebrows back. He opened a dark purple lipstick and added color to her mouth. He stepped back and in the dwindling light and nodded at his work. He grabbed the closest mirror and wiped it across his shirt front, smearing the dust away.
He held it up, letting her see her reflection. “This is you.”
Her eyes widened. She stared at the reflection then at him. Slowly she raised her hand and traced the colors on the glass.
“Do you like it?” He winced as she continued to stare. “I’m no Picasso.” He sighed and lowered the mirror. “Sorry, kiddo.”
Patricia snatched the mirror from his hand and held it up again, staring at her reflection. Trevor waited, hoping she didn’t do something violent. “I don’t guess this means that you DO like it?”
He glanced around the shop just to be sure they hadn’t attracted unwanted attention. He turned back to her and nodded. “Baby girl, you rock the goth look. You already have the skin tone for it.”
She looked at him; slowly a smile formed.
“So, you do like it?” He nodded harder and held his fingers up in the rocker’s horns. “I’m gonna have to teach you about this.”
He lifted her from the counter and set her on the floor. “If I could find you a black leather jacket…maybe a spiked dog collar, you’d be all set for a Kiss concert.”
She reached out and took his hand again. “You ready to go?” He slipped the lipstick and eye liner into his jacket pocket and hefted his bag again. “That was a short girls’ night out.”
The pair strode out into the darkening evening and Trevor led her to the highway and over to the nicer side of town. “I know the nice people lived way over on the other side.” He slowed his gait and bit at his lip. “That’s where Donna is now. We weren’t married for long…if you can even call it a marriage.” He glanced at her, but she only stared into the distance. “Simon gave her to me. Said nobody else would want her because she was…well, she was a bigger woman.” He shook his head. “She seemed nice at first but then she got mean. She didn’t want to hear about Lacey or you or…” He stopped and stared at her. “I didn’t mean you, I meant…”
She continued walking, pulling at his arm. Trevor fell back into step and caught up with her. “Do you know where we’re going? Because I don’t.” He chuckled and looked up at the moon in the sky.
Patricia paused and squeezed his hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
She turned wide eyes to him and tugged him quickly, pulling him to the other side of the street. She ducked into a building and bent low, her eyes peering into the darkness. Trevor bent over and stared at her. “What
