It couldn’t have been more than an hour when Gina roused to the knock on her door. Wondering if Eileen had come to deliver another herbal remedy for her heartache, she opened to reveal Beth, a bottle in each hand and a cookie tin tucked under her arm.
“This sounded like a double barrel night on the phone,” she said.
Gina burst into tears. Call it stress, call it a nervous breakdown—seeing Josh’s updated status was the final stick that sent the pile toppling. “He’s getting married,” she sobbed, snatching a paper towel off the roll to blow her nose.
Beth set her supplies down, enveloping Gina in a hug. The gesture made her stiffen. Eileen, for all her warmth and fussing, didn’t hug her. It had been well over a year since she’d experienced anything so wonderful. She allowed herself to relax into it. Beth didn’t let her go until the sobs slowed to intermittent sniffles.
“Oh, hun.” She gently pulled away, her expression full of sympathy. “Maybe I should have brought three bottles.”
Gina gave a watery laugh. “No, two is more than enough.” Her body wouldn’t thank her for another night of wine, but desperate times called for full lush moments.
Beth gave her a pat. “I’ll grab the cups. Want to queue up some more Gilmore Girls, or talk?”
“Maybe a bit of both,” said Gina.
They ended up talking more than watching, Beth carrying most of the conversation. She told Gina how she’d once wanted to be an author and the hell out of Beaverton, but this town had a way of sucking the ambition right out of you. She never connected with any of the locals and had settled nicely into spinsterhood, a topic that made Gina cringe at how harshly she judged Beth for her pink sequins and kitty statues. The more wine they drank, the more guilty she felt for not giving the woman a chance sooner, considering how much of their tastes aligned. That wasn’t Beth’s fault, who had been one of the few people who remained openly friendly toward Gina since her arrival. No, Gina had closed herself off, constantly on guard after everything that happened with Josh.
The hours ticked on by, until Gina finally fell into a doze, Beth leaning on her shoulder. It was almost peaceful, if not for a persistent itch she couldn’t seem to ease. She would periodically wake up and scratch her face, her arms, her neck, even her back, to little or no relief. The itch finally ceased close to dawn, letting Gina fully fall asleep.
She dreamed of Eileen, straightening the racks of T-shirts. Harry, she called, come out here, love, I need a model for our latest addition! She held up a ‘I came to Beaverton and all I got was this lousy shirt’ tee. A man grunted from the next room. The shuffling sound of footsteps preceded ‘Harry’, who parted the curtain to enter the Emporium. A six-foot sasquatch emerged, covered in thick, graying brown fur, brushed out to a glossy sheen. On his face was a well-groomed mustache, curling into loops.
The sasquatch twirled his mustache with a hairy paw, appearing put out. Really, dear, must I stoop so low?
Eileen scowled at the hairy fellow. You will if you want a roof over your head, you fuzzy lout. Now get over here for a photo opp.
Gina watched Harry drag himself over, feeling like a voyeur. She caught a glimpse of another sasquatch across from her, long gleaming fur the same color as her hair. She froze, turning back to stare at the creature, dread creeping over her. There was something wrong with it, she was sure, something that made her instincts scream. It took far too long to notice the gilt frame surrounding the sasquatch. A mirror; she was looking into a mirror.
She woke with a start, gasping for breath. What the hell kind of dream was that? Obviously that five o’clock jibe was getting to her in the worst way, though in the light of day, she could laugh about it. Gina stretched, feeling a little hot after another night snuggled up on the couch beside Beth. Her friend stirred, blinking blearily into the sunlight pouring through the window.
“Wha’ times’it,” she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She dropped her hands, smacking her lips when she glanced at Gina. Beth startled, scrambling to the far side of the couch. “Holy Jesus!”
A silver of dread crept over her. “What’s the matter with you?”
Beth stared at her. “Gina?” There was a note of disbelief in her voice that made Gina start shaking. She needed to look in a mirror or touch her face to confirm her skin hadn’t melted off in the middle of the night.
No, no, no, don’t do it, she’s just messing with you. Except Gina had not told Beth about the incident with Jackie, despite their lengthy conversation last night. It was something she wanted to write off as a petty, cruel joke, nothing more. Gina lifted a hand to her face and froze. Short brown hair covered the back of her hand and arm.
“Ahhh!” Gina fell off the couch, scrambling for the bathroom. What was happening? What was happening!
“Gina, wait!” Beth called after her, seemingly over her initial reaction after she saw Gina’s panic.
That wasn’t enough to slow her down. Gina ran full tilt into the bathroom, catching herself on the sink to peer at her face. Her fur-covered face.
She screamed. Beth caught up to her, shoving Gina’s face against her shoulder to muffle the screech. “Easy, hun, calm down. We will figure this out.”
“Figure this out!” Gina’s squawk of outrage was muffled by Beth’s sweater. “What is happening to me!!” She stared at the hair in despair, a fine coat that covered every inch of her face and neck except for her lips and eyes. Panic flitted through her like the beating wingtips of a trapped bird. “Make it stop, make it stop.”
Beth backed up a step. “Sweetheart, did you ingest any drugs or strange substances recently?”
“What? No! Just tea. And Eileen’s herbal remedy for a stomachache. I’m not on drugs!” Gina tried to quell her outrage, aware that Beth was only trying to get to the bottom of her situation.
“I know, I’m just asking, hun. I’m going to drive you to the hospital.” Beth held up her hands in a placating gesture. “Maybe bring that herbal remedy Eileen gave you?”
Gina vigorously shook her head. “No, no, I don’t want to leave the house. I can’t go out like this. I don’t care what we do, shear it, shave it, wax it off. I will not be seen like this.”
Beth scooted around her, poking around her bathroom drawers. “Well, all you have is this little razor,” she said, holding up Gina’s skimpy pink plastic razor. It would accomplish nothing against this growth. A hopeless feeling welled up inside her.
“That’s how I got into this situation in the first place,” she sniffed. “It really did grow back thicker.”
“That’s a myth!” Beth nibbled her lip. “Maybe Eileen still has her husband’s shaving kit?”
“That’s brilliant,” said Gina, hugging Beth before she thought better of it. Beth jerked in surprise before giving Gina an awkward pat to the back of her head.
“So soft,” Beth whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing!” Beth followed Gina to the door.
Gina hesitated a moment. “You don’t think Eileen will freak out that I look like this, will she?”
Beth raised a brow. “The woman runs a Big Foot Emporium.”
“True,” said Gina. The urge to creep downstairs like a creature emerging from the depths was strong, but with Beth on her heels, she descended like a person, surprised to see Eileen out and about in the shop despite the early hour. By some miracle, the front window shades were still down, blocking the view of anyone who might happen to pass on the street.
“Eileen! I need your help,” said Gina, bracing herself as the old woman looked up to see her face. Eileen didn’t blink. Instead, she turned a puzzled expression on Beth.
“I didn’t know you spent the night, dearie.”
Gina’s bafflement was only matched by Beth’s. Eileen didn’t react to Gina’s appearance whatsoever, hobbling out from the racks to behind the counter.
“Eileen? Do . . . do you see my face?” Gina touched her cheek, shocked anew by the soft short fur against the naked pads of her fingers.
Eileen glanced at her. “Of course, dear. It’s a lovely face.”
Was her landlord secretly blind? Gina’s disbelief was quickly fading to nerves when Eileen lifted a vintage looking pistol from behind the counter and aimed it at Beth.
“What are you doing?” Gina shrieked, jumping in front of her friend. Putting herself between Beth and a possibly loaded handgun was the epitome of stupid, but Eileen immediately jerked the barrel upward, aiming at the ceiling.
“She has to go, dearie. I won’t have any blabbermouths interfering with business,” said Eileen.
Gina gaped at her, confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Behind her, Beth let out a soft gasp, gently prying the unlabeled bottle out of Gina’s tense fingers. “Did . . . did you somehow do this to her?”
Eileen squinted at the two of them. “Beth, I’ve always liked you. You’re a quiet, nice girl, but I won’t hesitate to blow your head off.”
“No!” Gina shouted, trying to think through the tangle of thoughts. Nothing made sense. How could Beth even think Eileen did this to her? How would she do this to her? “Somebody better explain right now, or I’m running out that door.” She might die of mortification if someone didn’t shoot her furry butt first, but she would do it if it meant keeping Beth safe.
Eileen sighed, gently placing the gun on the counter. “I told you to come work for me, dearie. It would have gone so much smoother if you let me indoctrinate you properly instead of this sneaking around bull pucky.”
Gina stared at her, jaw slack. “Oh my god, you did do this to me. How? Why?” A tremor entered her voice.
“It’s an old family recipe. Don’t cry, please,” pleaded Eileen. “It’s not so bad.”
“I’m not crying, I’m pissed off,” Gina snapped. “I’m covered in fucking fur!”
Beth peeked around her shoulder. “Is this what happened to your husband?”
Eileen’s mouth puckered as if she’d swallowed a lemon. “That rat bastard slept with half the town. I had to do something to shorten his leash. Turns out most ladies aren’t into hirsute fellas.”
Gina clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified by the implications. Beth squeezed her elbow. “Why would you do this to Gina? She did nothing to you!”
Eileen’s sour expression shifted to one of pity. “No, of course not. Gina’s a sweet girl. That’s why I did this.”
“Sure ya did,” grumbled Beth.
“I admit, it worked faster than I thought it would,” said Eileen, gnawing the inside of her cheek. “Did you try to shave or something?”
“That’s superstitious nonsense,” Beth snarled. “All of this is nonsense!”
Gina couldn’t agree more. “I’m afraid I don’t follow this line of logic,” she said, shocked by her calm tone. She must have snapped. Any moment now she’d start pounding her chest and climbing the shelves.
Her maniacal landlord pressed a fist over her heart, the picture of a kind old lady. Lies! “I did it for both of us, Gina. You were so lost when you came here. Broken. I did my best to give you a home, the help you get back on your feet, but every time you got close to fixing your life, you sabotaged yourself. You were rudderless. Unable to move on and find a purpose.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “And, well, ever since Harry got himself up and hit by one of them eighteen-wheelers, the Emporium has been struggling. No sightings mean no tourists. We need a Big Foot to be sighted, to reel them in.”
Now Beth was gaping at her. “You manufactured your own sasquatch?”
Eileen sneered. “Sasquatch and Big Foot are not the same!”
“How does that matter?” Beth snapped. She risked stepping out from behind Gina. “I’m taking her to the hospital. There has to be a way to reverse this bullshit.”
Gina didn’t know how to respond. Her mind was a riot after Eileen’s speech. Because the old nutter was completely right. She was lost, so very, very lost. Even now, a year later, a Facebook post sent her spiraling into a drunken tailspin. What did she have to go back to? No one in this town would hire her before she sprouted a hair suit. Everyone, except the two people in this room, sneered down at her. Her parents never listened to her and thought she was wasting her life. Her ex had firmly moved on and probably never thought of her, unlike Gina, who thought of Josh far too often.
Tears soaked her face, matting the hair on her cheeks. “How does this possibly benefit both of us? You get rich, and I pass out from heat exhaustion in the summer.” No one would want her now.
Eileen planted her hands on the counter, the gun between them. “Fair wages. Free living space. Full benefits. All holidays off. Honestly, you only need to poke your head out occasionally to keep interest going.”
Gina stared at her. Was she really considering this? Shit, full benefits was better than any job she’d held in the last decade. “Dental included?”
Beth startled next to her. “You’re not seriously considering this?”
“Of course,” said Eileen. “I’ll even turn on the Net, twenty-four seven. And your new living space will have central air to keep you nice and cool, no matter the time of year.”
The offer sounded too good to be true. Gina hesitated.
Really, what did she have to lose?