Nadine worked behind the counter at the Giant Tiger, which in her opinion, was a crustier, smaller version of Wal-Mart. That big store’s shadow hadn’t made its way to their town yet and she hoped it never would. She did shop at the Wal-Mart in Guelph, about half an hour away, and liked to shop there, sure she did, because there was so much more stuff. Aisles and aisles of stuff. From toys to nail care to tools to car repair to movies to games to phones to, well, everything. Having all that stuff in one place was damn convenient. Even still, Nadine didn’t want one in Erin. Wal-Mart was a big store, a chain store. She knew the big stores tended to close down the little ones and she liked the little ones. She enjoyed walking down Erin’s main street in the summer with an ice cream cone in her hand, staring in the windows containing handmade furniture or summer dresses designed and stitched by a neighbour. She knew the people in town and they knew her and even though the store paid her barely more than minimum wage, she got benefits and all in all, was treated fairly. It wasn’t her dream job but with her education, what else could she hope for? Not much, that’s what. She sighed, popped the bubblegum in her mouth and took in the empty store. Not for the first time she wished she had done better in high school. She could be away right now, at university or college, smiling at boys who didn’t know a thing about John Deere tractors or argue about whether or not Ford trucks were superior to all others.

Instead, here she was, wasting her time and if she didn’t lay off the chips and candy bars, wasting her figure. Her mother told her she would end up following in her footsteps if she didn’t take her studies seriously. Like all teenagers, she thought she knew better. Nadine had a home, someone to buy her food and clothes and enough of her own money to buy some weed and booze now and again for an impromptu field party where she’d get a little buzz and let one of the jocks feel her up a little even though, truthfully, she didn’t particularly like men. It was just the thing to do in a small town. Nadine liked women because, in general, they had less hair, smelled better and for the most part, didn’t give a crap about pick-up trucks.

In high school, she had liked Hannah. A pretty blonde with subtle freckles across her nose and dimples in her cheeks that when she smiled, made Nadine go all tingly. Except Hannah left town a long time ago. She went off to university and never looked back. Nadine had heard Hannah was starting veternarian school. Damn. Hannah was pretty and smart. She snapped the bubblegum again, sighed and thought some girls had all the luck. Nadine worried she’d die in this town with a house full of cats. Nadine never understood why she always pictured cats around her in her solitude. She didn’t even like cats and didn’t think loneliness would change that. Still, she pictured herself wandering around her little home in a housecoat and slippers with cats meowing at her feet and the heavy scent of dirty kitty litter wrinkling her nose. She woke up at night from the fear of it.

The sound of the sliding doors whooshing open drew her to the present. Cold wind, the kind that bites the skin and freezes nose hairs, traveled up her arms until the doors whooshed closed. She zipped up her sweater and hugged her arms to her body. A man walked in, the hood up on his thick coat and he disappeared down an aisle. Nadine glanced at her watch and frowned. Seven hours to go. Time may fly when you’re having fun but at work, it almost seemed to move backward with how slow it progressed. Does something progress if it moves backward? She should have paid more attention in school. Then maybe she’d have an answer for such stupid questions.

The man dropped items in front of her. She flinched. She hadn’t heard him approach.

She ran the products across the scanner, beeped, and placed them in a bag. Rope, duct tape, a padlock, and chain. Incongruously, a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson.

“That’ll be $24.75, please.”

He took money out of his pocket and drew his hood back to count it. A gasp escaped her and her face flushed red. She knew it was rude and her mother, bless her kindness, had taught her better than that but she couldn’t help it. The man’s face drew the reaction from her. He was a tall man and with his head tilted down she could see the shape of his face. It didn’t look right. His bearded jaw bulged on one side and a jagged scar ran across the high part of his face, across his cheeks, over the bridge of his nose. The man seemed not to notice her gasp or if he did, he didn’t pay it any attention as his manners were apparently better than Nadine’s. Most likely though, he had gotten used to such a reaction.

He handed her the money as he lifted his head to draw the hood up. One eye socket was empty. A sunken lid the only suggestion of what had been there. With the hood up and his face in shadow, Nadine exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Nadine handed the man his change. He left the store without a word.

The next day on the local news, Nadine learned a little girl had been taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night. A massive search was being conducted and the police were looking for volunteers. Normally, Nadine avoided any volunteer work. Paid work was bad enough in her opinion. Thinking of the little girl taken in the night, she thought maybe she could spare some time if something better didn’t come along, that was. Then Nadine remembered the man in the store and more importantly, the strange items he purchased.