The grocery store was located not too far into town, but since it was near the historic part of the town center, parking was always tough to find. I opted to pay for a spot in one of the lots nearby, trudging the block or so to the market.

“Oh it’s near the plaza,” Casimir remarked, glancing around at the sites. His smile widened as he examined all of the old buildings and I remembered him telling Zola that one of his hobbies was exploring old architecture.

This town will be like Disneyland for him. “Yeah, the plaza is where they hold the main events for the Harvest festival each year,” I said.

“I love all of the bright colors of these buildings,” he murmured, stopping to examine the windows of one shop. “It’s nice to walk through here every day, always something new to see.”

I smiled and nodded, continuing our approach to the market. Once we reached the familiar storefront I found myself hesitating at the doors, glancing inside quickly before entering. The market was its usual busy self for a Sunday, with tourists and locals wandering up and down the aisle, all shopping for the essentials. The owners had set up a small section of the store with tables and chairs, mostly so you could relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or eat some of their prepared food before heading out to explore the town. It was Len’s favorite place to hang out to avoid work but I saw no sign of him, which was fine by me. I grabbed a basket and looked over at Casimir.

“Shall we divide and conquer?” I asked, pulling the list from my pocket.

“Roger, roger,” Casimir responded. He gestured for me to hand him the list, then folded it in half, tearing it and returning the top part of the list to me. I was amused by his efficiency.

“See you in a few.”

As we parted ways I glanced over at the checkout stand. Irma, one of my favorite cashiers, was on duty. She saw me and waved.

“Diana! Come through my line on your way out,” she called, winking at me.

“Yours is the only one open,” I joked, gesturing at the second empty register. Irma made a face and returned to her customer. I think I might have set a record for shopping as I walked briskly down the tiny isles of our local market. The selection was better and cheaper in the next town over, but Grandpa liked to support his neighbors whenever possible. I ran into Casimir a few times as he wandered the store, familiarizing himself with the layout. I felt a little bad I wasn’t showing him around, but on the other hand, he was smart enough to figure out where the spaghetti sauce was located on his own. I arrived at the checkout before Casimir and stood there for a few minutes, letting others cut the line in front of me as I waited. Eventually, the small hoard of customers receded and Irma beckoned me over to her register.

“I’m not ready yet,” I said, heaving the overflowing basket onto the counter. I looked over my shoulder trying to see if Casimir was anywhere close to finished.

“Don’t worry about it,” Irma said, shrugging. “The rush has left, we should be good until the next ferry.”

I smiled at her as I gave her outfit the once over. Today she was wearing a black knit top that was two sizes too big, layered with a teal tank top that matched her hair perfectly. Irma’s brightly dyed hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, complete with several plastic barrettes to tame any stray strands. She was tall and skinny, with large sleepy eyes, a thick nose, and even thicker lips. I always told her how much I envied her lips and she swore it was all makeup, but I didn’t believe her. Irma had a plethora of piercings and tattoos and in my humble opinion, she was one of the coolest people I knew in town. I saw her every Farmer’s Market, selling her photography and art pieces in a small booth. I would always try to sneak away to talk art stuff with her, and she even offered to sell some of my paintings in her booth. Sadly I was too embarrassed by my work to even give her the chance to look at a painting, let alone sell one. Irma leaned over the counter, her sweater falling off one of her shoulders, revealing a tattoo of a skull surrounded by camelia flowers.

“So, how are you doing?” She began, staring up at me.

“Hanging in there, you know,” I replied, throwing up my hands slightly. Irma knew I had trouble sleeping as she was the one who taught me how to cover my under-eye bruises.

She pursed her deep red lips, nodding slowly. “Good, good. You just missed Len, he’ll be sad he didn’t catch you.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling a rush of relief. Unconsciously my shoulders sagged and I let out a sigh.

“He’s got it bad for you Diana,” Irma said, raising an eyebrow at me. “What happened on your date? Don’t tell me you did it on your first time out?”

I nearly choked, my eyes scanning around us wildly, hoping no one heard Irma’s flippant comment about my sex life.

“Irma, no!” I cried out, blushing. A tourist approached the counter and asked for directions to the historic church, Irma told him, and returned her attention to me.

“Have you been avoiding him recently? Do you want me to tell him to f-off?” Irma said bluntly.

“I’ll be okay,” I said, only slightly lying. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Casimir approaching, his basket full and a case of soda under one arm. “Got everything?” I asked, scanning his haul as he placed it next to mine on the counter.

“I think so,” he said, checking his list one last time. “Oh shoot, I forgot the ginger candy. What is that?”

“Oh, that’s only grandpa’s favorite thing ever,” I answered, my eyes wandering across the store. “The gift shop has a little candy display, it’s usually over there.” I began to move towards the spot but Casimir shook his head at me.

“I can get it,” he insisted. “You can start ringing up everything, I’ll be right back.”

I watched him jog off, a small smile crossing my face. Irma also watched him go, I could sense her curiosity and a small hint of lust.

Oh boy, I thought. Irma had begun ringing up my items but stopped to watch Casimir for a moment longer, she threw her head back at me, arching her eyebrows as she grinned.

“Oh my gosh, he’s so cute,” she mocked whispered. “Where did he come from and is he single?” Irma never cared much who overheard her. I glanced nervously over at Casimir, who was returning with a bag of candy.

“I thought you were dating April!?” I said, mildly shocked.

Irma made a face. “We’re on a break right now.”

“I can not keep up with you two,” I groaned.

“Yes, it’s all very torrid and dramatic with us.”

Casimir returned at that moment, placing the candy on the pile. Irma eyed me silently glancing between myself and Casimir suggestively. I pursed my lips and shook my head slowly, hoping Casimir didn’t notice our silent exchange.

Irma rolled her eyes at me and then focused her gaze on Casimir. “Hi, you new in town? Or just visiting?”

“Oh, um, I’m new in town,” he replied as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Casimir, this is Irma,” I said, gesturing at her nametag. Irma smiled because she was getting the introduction she wanted. “Irma, this is Casimir, he works out on the farm with Grandpa.”

“No way, where is he living?”

“The farmhouse,” I muttered, knowing I was in for a world of teasing later on.

“That’s cool,” Irma responded, her eyes glittering in amusement. “Welcome to Mandeville. If you ever want a guided tour or need to know the best spots to hang out, feel free to hit me up.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Casimir responded, smiling politely.

A group of customers fell into line behind us and Irma quickly finished ringing up our order, waving goodbye as we exited the store.

Casimir had two arms full of bags as we walked down the street, insisting on carrying the bulk of our haul. I had only a small bag of lighter items and a case of soda to carry, which didn’t bother me that much.

“Are you two friends?” Casimir asked as we neared the parking lot.

“Who? Me and Irma?” I said. I was growing more excited the farther we got from the store. I couldn’t believe I had avoided running into Len. “We’re casual friends I guess? We don’t really hang out much but we have fun talking.”

Casimir nodded, his ponytail bobbing slightly as he moved. I suddenly felt nervous as he smiled at me again. Irma’s question about Casimit’s love life began repeating in my head.

He’s cute is he single?

I realized suddenly I had no idea if he was single. Casimir and I didn’t speak to each other much besides the occasional “good morning” or “excuse me” in the hall. As we began loading the groceries into the back of the truck I wondered if I should just ask. I was flip-flopping on my decision to ask about Casimir’s love life when I heard him call my name.

“Diana, ready to go?” he called out, now standing at the open driverside door. I jumped into action, mumbling an apology as I ran to my side. As I trotted around the truck I took a moment to enjoy the cool breeze coming in off of the lake, smiling as I watched the sun glisten off the top of the water. Even the parking lot in our town was scenic and I loved it. I climbed into the truck on the passenger’s side and buckle my seatbelt, ready to go. A minute or so passed and I was confused. I glanced out the driverside window to look at Casimir who was standing there, a serious expression on his face.

“Casimir, are you okay?” I asked.

He turned quickly to face me, jumping into the truck with lightning speed. “Yes, yes! Sorry about that,” he said with a soft chuckle. I was curious as to what distracted him but soon found myself lost in my thoughts. I was still debating telling him what Irma had said. I was super curious to know more about this new boy so I bit the bullet and opened my mouth.

“You know Irma, she thinks you’re cute,” I said, letting that comment hang for a moment. “She wants to know if you’re single.” I felt my face grow hot as I awaited Casimir’s answer.

“Oh, wow,” he mumbled, letting out a nervous cough. I decided not to tell him about the dozen or so girls at school who had also asked me if he was single. I leaned back into the seat of the truck, trying to gauge Casimir’s reaction from the corner of my eye.

“You okay?” I pressed.

“How about we see what’s on the radio?” Casimir deflected, reaching for the knob.

The sounds of classic rock filled the cab and the young man’s face brightened. “Oh! I love this song,” he said a little too loudly.

I wasn’t convinced but I could get a read on his actual feelings. I slumped down in my seat chiding myself for asking.

He’s never mentioned a girlfriend, I thought to myself. In fact, I don’t know if he even likes girls. Way to assume, Diana. I took one more glance at Casimir, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, his eyes firmly set ahead. It was clear I had made him nervous. I should have just kept my big mouth shut.

We didn’t talk the rest of the drive home, but thankfully the ride wasn’t long. Once we had returned to the farmhouse I jumped out of the truck, eager to put away all of the groceries and go find Grandpa. With Casimir’s help, we finished quickly and I escaped out into the orchard. I wanted to tell Grandpa we had finished shopping and possibly help him with any preparations for the Farmers' Market next weekend. I swapped my shoes for work boots and was heading down the path toward the orchard when I got a text. I glanced at the notice briefly, surprised it was from Irma.

Irma: Hey, do you think it’s alright if I get Casimir’s number?

I paused in my response because I wasn’t even sure if Casimir had a cell phone. I texted a quick, ‘let me ask’ before nearly tripping and almost dropping my phone onto the dirt path. I cursed and looked down at what I stumbled over, tucking my phone back into my jeans pocket. In the middle of the path was a tree root, which wouldn’t be unusual except there was not a single tree nearby. I was staring quizzically down at the small intruder when I heard my name being called. I looked up to see my Grandpa heading down the path towards me, a wooden crate under his arm.

“Grandpa! Come look at this,” I called, waving at him.

“What is it?”

“There is a root or something just poking out in the middle of the path,” I explain, gesturing down near my feet.

“What root?” he asked, following the direction of my arm.

I looked back down, only to find that the root had vanished. A cold chill ran down my body as I stood there, suddenly unsure of myself. I rubbed my eyes, mumbling and wondering if perhaps I imagined the root, as a lack of sleep did terrible things to my memories.

Grandpa smiled at me as he held out the wooden box in his arms. “Do you think you can freshen up the paint on this box before the market?”

I glanced at the crate, a display piece we used to hold extra apples that we sold at the farmers' market. I had painted the name of the farm on the wooden slats a few years ago and it was badly in need of a touch-up.

“Sure, happy to help,” I mumbled.

“I’ll just leave it in the new studio,” Grandpa told me brightly. He must have noticed I was distracted because he asked, “Are you okay?”

I forced a smile on my face as I looked up at him, “Of course.”

I didn’t want to tell my grandfather my fears, that perhaps my lack of sleep may be affecting my health yet again. I couldn’t take another round of doctor visits that resulted in inconclusive and expensive test results.

Grandpa wrapped his arm around my shoulder, giving me a reassuring hug before we walked the rest of the way to the art studio together.