Page 22 of Brews and Banishments
“Me?”
“How are you?”
Maria frowned, and she suddenly looked ten times older than she really was. Wrinkles appeared around her lips, crinkling around her almond shaped eyes, rippling across her forehead. And, on the top of her head, Daisy spotted a few sleek streaks of grey.
“You know,” she said again, though it wasn’t much of an answer. “I’m well.” Maria shrugged before glancing over her shoulder at the grocery. “You know.”
Daisy tried to smile but could hardly feel it on her own face.
“Did you guys go to The Wilted Garden?” Maria asked, pointing towards their cups. “How busy did it look?”
Tessa shrugged. “As it normally is, I suppose. Are you heading there soon?”
“In the next five minutes, probably.”
“Busy day,” Daisy said.
Maria smiled. “Sometimes, it’s easier to be busy than anything else.”
“Sounds tiring.”
“More than you know,” Maria blurted. It was the first real thing she’d said, and the smile that took over her face afterwards seemed to say that she wasn’t planning on being honest about her feelings anytime soon. “Well, I should -”
Woosh!
A gust of wind carried itself through downtown before surging around them at the bench. The surrounding trees and bushes ruffled and creaked, stray leaves flying through the air in a whirlwind. Maria raised her hand to her face as her braid got whipped back and forth.
“Blessed be!” Tessa exclaimed as she held onto her cup with all her might. “What a breeze! If I was any smaller, it would’ve carried me away.”
Daisy lightly laughed. “You’ve got a leaf in your hair,” she muttered, reaching over to yank it out from within her short and spiky hair.
Maria was about to start walking away when she stepped, and something crinkled beneath her shoe. She lifted her leg, placing her heel against the bench beside Daisy. Reaching forward, Maria plucked a square card from her shoe, her brow furrowed as she flipped it over curiously.
“How funny,” Maria said, though there wasn’t a smile on her face. “It’s a scratch off ticket.”
“Like for the lottery?” Tessa asked.
Maria nodded. “Would you like it? I don’t normally play.”
“It’s yours,” Daisy suddenly blurted. “Fair and square.” Reaching into her pocket, Daisy pulled out a shiny quarter. “Why don’t you scratch it?”
“That seems a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?”
Daisy shrugged. “What’s the harm in trying?”
“Go on, Maria,” Tessa encouraged. “You never know!”
Maria glanced between them before the corner of her lip perked up.
Daisy watched as she eagerly scratched off the numbers, glancing at the key at the very top to understand what it all meant. A warmth flooded through Daisy’s chest, the deep untouched sadness she felt before slowly creeping out of her. Tessa was right before she ever realized it. Finding the smallest bit of joy or happiness in the world was, perhaps, the best thing for Maria at that moment. The pain would always be there, a fact that Daisy was very aware of. But, fortunately for the both of them, that didn’t mean it always needed to be there.
It was as easy as scratching off a lottery ticket.
“Well, that can’t be right,” Maria suddenly said as she held the card up. She lowered it again, her finger following the numbers and her lips moving as she read it over. “T-That’s just silly.”
“What is?” Daisy asked. “Did you win something?”
Maria shrugged. “This seems to say I won a hundred thousand dollars. But,” she paused, her eyes wide and cheeks quickly growing flushed, “that can’t be right. Right?”
