Regina Mack was shy, least that's what her family said. Regina didn't think she was shy, just afraid, of every one. It was easier just to hope nobody talked to her. She would dress plain, eat by herself and play by herself at recess. Mostly, Regina wanted to be invisible, more than anything else in the world. She had even put it on her Xmas list for the last three years. It made her siblings laugh, which was just the kind of attention she didn't want. She was often teased at school and jeered on the bus.
To get away from her brothers and sisters, Regina liked doing errands for her mother. Regina's mother relied on her most of all her children because she followed directions and was not apt to distraction. Regina was not the curious type, wanting only to complete appointed tasks without incident or attention. She was on just such an errand today. Her list read: milk, eggs, grape jelly, and capers. Regina wanted to ask about the capers but kept her peace just the same. It was the right amount of groceries to fit in her backpack.
Regina walked softly, careful not to step on any cracks. This practice kept her eyes down and keeping her from eye contact with others. It also restricted her view of the surroundings. Within another step, new concrete filled her gaze. The rest of the sidewalk in this block was new and without cracks. She wondered why and saw the reason. There was a new store that had taken over the McCarty's Feed and Grain Emporium. It had a bright blue awning and oddly scribed lettering she couldn't read until she was smack dab in front of it. It was a second or two until she was aware she'd stopped. It was difficult to see through the window due to all the lettering. She moved her head from right to left trying to take all the gold brushed lettering into her full gaze. It read, Swami Keresh Maharishi Al Fuad's Curios, Homeopathic Aids and Magical Enticements. For a girl, who was not usually curious, this was more than even she was capable of ignoring. She looked down the street to the grocers and then back to the gaudy window. What would the harm be in looking, for just a minute, then she would go straight away to the grocers.
She pushed open the heavy, glass framed door and stepped into a dimly lit entry. As the door closed behind her, a gong peeled a steely welcome and notification of her presence. The carpet was a deep, plush purple. It made Regina want to take her shoes off. She was looking down a hallway lined with glass cabinets to the left and double archways to the right. She entered to the right, stepping into a showroom full of curious objects and rows upon rows of fancy bottles and box filled shelves. She would have missed him if he hadn't moved from behind the counter.
A strange little man in a crimson, satin turban glided across the floor to take her hand. He had a funny, scrunched little face without wrinkles that made it hard to identify his age and his waist undulated oddly under his oriental robe. Regina was taken aback by his forwardness but warmed to his touch when she saw no malice in his eyes. When she realized she was staring, she averted her eyes and retrieved her hand.
"Welcome, my dear, to our grand opening. We are happy to make your acquaintance. Would you like a tour or do you know what you want, my dear?" The little man said.
Regina was a little embarrassed by the attention but he seemed harmless enough and the smell of sandalwood and cinnamon filled the air with a cozy feeling of home. She didn't know what to say since she didn't know why she had really come in the first place. She recalled the mantra of her age and said, "I don't know."
"We are extremely good at guessing our clients needs, my dear. Give me your hand again and let us see if we can deduce yours," the little man said.
Regina turned back to him, offered the hand, and said, "Are you the Swami?"
The little man smiled and said, "No. I am Anji, the Master's helper. But here, let us see what your hand has to say." Anji closed his eyes and took a deep breath that he held for what seemed minutes then released it through smiling lips.
Regina was feeling very self-conscious and had decided, as soon as she could get her hand back, she would leave. It was what he said next that kept her stone still and fully attentive.
Anji said, "You want to be invisible. Very intriguing, very imaginative but not impossible. Wait here, we shall return in a moment."
With this, he turned and was quickly out of the room in a flap of fringed, chartreuse curtains. She wondered why he kept saying, "We" when he spoke. How had he known about wanting to be invisible? She hadn't even been aware she was thinking about it. As she started to ponder this further, Anji swirled back into the room. With both hands and a bow, he presented her with a blue leather bag with a blue tie.
Regina pulled the tie and looked into the bag. I was full of shiny, white balls. At first, she thought they were glass or stone but a scent ascended from the bag to fill her nostrils with wintergreen. "Is it gum?" Regina said.
Anji raised his head and smiled, "Yes! Very perceptive."
Regina mulled the possibility for but a moment, then sighed and said, "Sorry, I can't pay for these even if they worked. Invisibility gum? Really, Mr. Anji, I'm not stupid."
"Our most sincere of apologies, we did not attempt to trick you. The gum is genuine, we assure you. And, you don't know how much the cost will be, we assure you again. Suppose you offer us the equivalent of one bottle of capers," Anji said.
Regina, for once in her life, had too many questions, but remained speechless. All she could manage was, "OK."
Regina left the store and continued on to the grocers. In a trance, she replayed the experience over and over in her mind until she was standing outside her house. She dumped the food on the counter, minus the bottle of capers and gave her mother the change. When she got to her room and closed the door, she checked her backpack for the bag of gum. It was still there. Should she try one now? No, she would save them for special occasions. Was she mad? She had to try one to see if it really worked. She pulled a gumball out of the bag and rolled it around in her hand. It was cold and hard and smelled strong of wintergreen. She sat with it there for minutes. She finally came to her senses and popped it back in the bag. School. That would be the place to test them.
The next morning she followed her usual pattern, shower, breakfast, then set out for the bus stop. She hated the bus stop. Even the little kids teased her. She had a gumball warming in her hand. Should she eat it now? Was the bus really that terrible? That was a definite, yes. She popped it in her mouth and bit down hard. By the time she got to the bus stop, she was chomping away on a cloud of wintergreen. Everyone stopped in mid sentence and stared at Regina. Tommy walker was the first to break the silence, "You got gum Regina?"
"Er, yea," She said.
Tommy smiled his best smile and asked, "Can I have some?"
Regina fished the leather bag out of her backpack and gave him one.
"Thanks Regina," Tommy said.
Then a litany of can-I-haves followed until everyone at the bus stop was viciously chewing. For the first time, since she could remember, nobody on the bus bothered her. She made it to school without incident and went to her home room. The cloud of wintergreen had not abated and she was fearful that she would be called out by Mr. Graham, her teacher.
She sat down at her seat and pushed the gum to the roof of her mouth, so she wouldn't be seen chewing. This worked fine through the pledge of allegiance until the wintergreen started to burn the roof of her mouth. She rolled it to her cheek and gave it a fierce chew.
"Regina," said Mr. Graham. "Are you chewing gum?"
She knew what was next by heart, cause it was his usual taunt before the gum hit the trash can.
"I hope you have enough for everyone, Regina," said Mr. Graham.
"Actually, I do," said Regina.
She got the bag out of her backpack and started to pass out gumballs to the whole class before Mr. Graham could think of a new way to keep them from eating in class. By the time she was through, the whole room reeked of wintergreen. They each had thanked her and she got several looks of triumph as she had bested the teacher.
When recess came several kids from her class asked her to play with them. She wasn't sure what to say since this never happened. So, she followed along. At lunch she was called over to a table full of girls from her class. They all put their gum behind their ears. Regina followed suit and had a lunch full of giggles and girl talk. Second recess was the same as the first. She was in the middle of a herd, all smelling of wintergreen. When the school day ended, her classmates all said goodbye. She thought of going to the bus but decided instead to go to the Swami Keresh Maharishi Al Fuad's Curios, Homeopathic Aids and Magical Enticements.
When she got there, she stormed into the showroom, squishing into the carpet, and waited for Anji. A tall man in a green turban stepped from behind the curtain. "Ah, Miss Regina, we have been expecting you."
Regina said, "Who are you, where is Mr. Anji and who are WE?"
"So many questions Miss Regina. Are those really the questions that brought you here?" He said.
Regina plopped the blue leather bag on the counter and said, "These don't work. At all!"
"Really, Miss Regina?" He said.
"Where is Mr. Anji? I want my money back," Regina said.
The tall man smiled and said, "I'm sorry Miss Regina, Mr. Anji can't entertain you today and we have a strict policy about refunds I'm afraid."
Regina said, "But they don't work. I didn't disappear. Not once!"
The tall man said, "Really? Didn't you though? Didn't the shy, frightened Regina disappear today? No. I don't think a refund is in order but you may have a refill."
Regina thought for a moment. She hadn't been shy or frightened all day, in fact the attention she had received had all been positive. She stepped to the counter, "Please," she said.
The tall man refilled her bag from a box high on the shelf marked in strange lettering. He smiled and handed her back the bag, "No Charge."
Regina turned to go, then stopped at the door, turned and said, "Thank you. Please tell Mr. Anji thank you as well."
The tall man smiled and said, "Of course, Miss Regina."
Regina smiled and went home.
Swami Keresh Maharishi Al Fuad spun through the curtain and said, "Did you hear Anji? You are thanked." He opened his robe and a cobra uncoiled itself from his waist and slithered up to recoiled itself on a satin divan. A voice hissed from the throat of the snake, "I don't think we will be seeing the old Regina anymore."
"Nor do I," said the Swami. "Nor do I."
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