The Funny Case of Zack Valentine

Zack Valentine helped his father from sunrise to sunset. The small general store was a welcome change from the fields of his uncle’s farm. All summer long he went to help his aging uncle while his cousins went to get drunk and waste money with the ladies of the night. What good Puritans they were. Zack shook his head. It wasn’t nice to think about others that weren’t good things. So he focused on to the task at hand the list of the items that were low. Zack was counting and writing numbers He failed to hear the bell ding.

The loud cough caused him to jump up and his face quickly flushed. He turned around and there was a young woman. Her hood was up and she pulled it down only after she got his attention.

She shook her head causing her lovely coal-black hair to cascade down. Emerald eyes almost feline-like but they were her best feature. Sure she was very beautiful than the other girls, but her eyes were the most. It was so odd to see color in the ocean of blue and brown.

“Mister Valentine” She spoke. Her voice too. It was like honey or sweetest of cider.

She raised her thin eyebrow at him, and he feared that he spoke out loud. Did he offend her?

“I have been speaking to you for the last minute, but you only stare at me.” She said.

Zack flushed.

“Do I have something in my face sir?” She asked. She spoke in a monotone voice but if he was not mistaking he heard amusement?

“Apologies, Miss Black, you caught me off guard” He muttered. Miss Black placed her basket down and leaned over the counter.

“Don’t I always?” She asked.

That she did. Zack couldn’t remember when he didn’t make himself look like a fool in her presence. His heart will race and just the thought of her made him blush. Unwanted thoughts about touching her. He shook his head and clears his throat and sent a prayer to God to help him. He began to gather the wheat and other things.

She laughed suddenly that he dropped the bag. Her laugh was like a siren.

Miss Black rested her head in her hands and her eyes seemed to be a bit darker.

“Mister Valentine” She spoke.

“Yes?” He asked.

She looked down at the counter and back at him with a smile.

“You didn’t look at the list” She added. Zack flushed again and quickly gather the courage and looked at the list. He felt her eyes on him the entire time too while he gathered the items and placed them in her basket. Miss Black never spoke expected when his father was there.

His father was an outgoing and warm man. Miss Black was kind of the black sheep of the entire village of Salem. Rumors about her were always swimming by the women and girls of the village. Rumors of her hanging around the Indians or her offering food to the beggars. Even Sarah Good spoke lowly of her and Miss Black would always give her something.

He couldn't understand why they spoke about her like that