a fly on a dressing room wall

                “Where was the last place you remember having it?

                “I don’t know! I didn’t even know I had it….you must have left it in there when you gave me my purse back.”

                I couldn’t believe I had lost Megan’s camera. Her BRAND NEW camera. The one she had bought to film an audition on. The role was made for her. The character only had a few lines but she was memorable. Beautiful and sarcastic, carefree.  After thirty-two takes, her audition was flawless.

                “I can’t believe you lost it…..Oh my God, Sam, how the hell could you do this? It was perfect! I had finally gotten it right. I can’t do it again! You have to remember where you went today. Every. Single. Store.”

                “Okay…..First I went to Walmart to get cat food. Left my purse in the car. From there I went to Macy’s. Oh my God, I forgot! Remember that dress you almost got for Olivia’s wedding last summer? The one with the turquoise and orange? It’s ON SALE for like, twenty-two bucks. “

                “Did you buy it for me?”

                “No.”

                Megan stared at me, her arms crossed in front of her. “Then I don’t care.”

“Anyways, I couldn’t find anything I liked there…..isn’t it weird how when you have money to spend you can’t find anything you want to buy but when you don’t you want everything you see?”

                “Sam!  Focus! Where did you go next?”

                “Sorry. Okay….sorry. So I went to American Eagle and got a hoodie for like twelve bucks and then I went to Target.”

                “Did you try anything on” Megan asked.

                “Yes, and nothing fit right.”

                We drove to Target. I prayed her camera was there, knowing my future happiness depended on it. I distinctly remembered how long Megan had pouted when the heel on a fifty dollar pair of boots broke. Every time we saw anybody wearing a similar pair she re-lived how much she ‘loved’ them. “See how good they look on her? They go with everythinggg,” she would say. “Comfy too….” She was relentless, complaining until spring rolled around and everybody stopped wearing her boots.

                I knew losing her camera was worse and it crossed my mind that if we didn’t find it I might not have the luxury of listening to her whining ever again. I was sweating as we ran past the racks of bathing suits and flowing maxi dresses towards the dressing rooms in the back of the store. “Hi! I was in here earlier and I lost a camera. Have you found anything?” I asked

                The girl behind the counter stared at me blankly. “Ummmm, I don’t know. I just got here.” Her dark brown eyes were dull and bored and her pale skin looked lifeless against her jet black hair. “You can go look if you want.”

                Megan ran past the service desk and carts filled with rejected clothing. “Which one were you in?” she asked.

                “This one.”

                The dressing room was a disaster.  Shirts and jackets were hanging up on the hooks, inside out. More clothes were on the floor. “I would be so pissed if I worked here and people did this to me,” I said.

                Megan agreed, nodding as she sifted through the pile of swimwear and tank tops in the corner. “Yes, oh my God! Thank God!” It was there, hiding under a striped sundress and a skimpy black one-piece.

                “It’s on….” Megan said, scrutinizing the camera’s small screen. “How do I get to the main menu?” She fiddled with the buttons until the screen went black and the giggling started. “What is this?” she asked.

                “I can’t believe how much weight I’ve gained since last summer!” a young girl exclaimed.

                “Shut up! You’re soooo skinny!” said another girl in the distance.

                “No, I swear. I tried on this dress I bought last summer and it is so friggin’ tight I can’t even zip it.”

                “Whatever, you’re crazy,” her friend said. “Ugh. This looks so bad! I can never wear long skirts…”

                “Let me see.” We heard the simultaneous click of two dressing room doors opening. “Oh yeah….I see what you mean! Definitely. No.”

                “FYI. I got that shirt you’re wearing last week and it’s already falling apart,” the other girl said.

                The doors clicked again and there was silence.

                Megan and I looked at each other. “Those poor girls are so worried about their weight,” she said.

                I laughed. “They sound just like we did when we were in high school.”

                All of a sudden we heard a baby screaming. “Shhhhh, sssshhhhh. It’s okay,” a woman cooed. “Let Mama try on some clothes.”

                “Mama, Mama, Mama!!!” a toddler yelled, clapping his hands.

                “Oh Eve, it’s okay,” the woman said soothingly.

                “Mama!!”

                “Jackson! Sit down!” she said sharply. “Please.”

                “I’m booooooreeeeeddddd!” he yelled.

                “Here. Why don’t you show your sister the pictures in this book.”

                She sighed heavily, her exhaustion and frustration apparent.

                “This is a cat. This is a dog. This is a fish. This is bear. This is a bunny rabbit. This is a….Mama! What is this?” the little boy said.

                “That. That is a cow,” the woman said. Her patience had returned.

                 “This is a cow. Mama?”

                “Yes, Jackson?”

                “You should get that one. You look pretty!”

                
                  The red light on the camera faded out and the screen went completely blank. The battery was dead.

                Megan and I smiled at each other, giggling like the two girls in the beginning of the recording. “Weird,” I said and she laughed.