Sincerity
Legacy Name: Sincerity

Great Aunt Dori was like no other lady who had come out of the Great Depression. She still wore flower clips in her curly white hair and sun dresses in fun summer patterns. The children who came to her sweet shop to spend allowance money all thought she was beautiful and told her so quite often, earning a free square of chewy caramel or a little sheet of lemon drops.

She could not contain her excitement when she got the letter from Cinder.

Dear Auntie Dori:

Winchester College has accepted me. Can you believe it? I'm going to the finest photography school in the country! Best of all, I'll be able to come and visit you every day. Mama tells me you are needing someone to help mind the shop and I hope you'll let me be that someone. I have been in love with your dear little shop ever since my first visit. I have so many ideas to make it an even more wonderful place. Do tell me you'll let me come to work for you.

Sincerely,

Cinder

They had been pen pals for almost as long as Cinder could hold a pen. Even as a child, the girl had talent. She drew her own inky borders around the edges of the lined paper, creating flowers, hearts, and geometric patterns. Dori proudly displayed these in a little walnut frame behind the counter, pointing them out to older customers, bragging up the little grand-niece who would surely have a gallery of her own someday.

Of course Aunt Dori had been glad to hire Cinder. With all her classes, Cinder could only work a part-time position, but Dori made up for it by insisting Cinder keep any tips that came their way. After all, it had been Cinder's idea to use the picture window as an addition for a little cafe and Dori's customer base had tripled in a little over a month. She had even been able to hire a barista, a sweet girl with a warm voice and quick fingers who could take complicated drink orders that went right over poor Dori's head.

Cinder's photographs were displayed on almost every available inch of wall space, despite the girl's protests that they weren't really that good. Colorful shots of the underside of a tube slide and a swingset full of laughing children frequently drew compliments from visitors, assuring Dori that such protests were a sign of modesty without a gram of truth.

Dori wiped the spotless counter as her eyes settled on her precious grand-niece. Life would be perfect if only that boy would come around a little less frequently. Dori sighed as she saw Cinder slip a pink slip of paper beneath the boy's usual latte.

Adam sipped his drink, feigning great interest in the 100 Greatest Panoramic Photos book he had open before him on the faux marble table. The little bookshelf with pretty coffee table books had been another of Cinder's good ideas, a way to entice writers and graphic artists to plop down and work a while rather than taking their drinks to go. He had seen the placement of the note but there was no way he would hint at his eagerness to read it.

He followed Cinder's every move, admiring the way her body swayed as she wiped down a table here and refilled a napkin holder there. The girl wasn't just an artist, she was a work of art. Adam considered himself the tortured artist always trying to capture her beauty just right in his mind but always failing. He took great care never to let her catch him staring. He wouldn't let her believe he was another sorry flop just looking for wham, bam, thank you ma'am.

Besides, he liked a little mystery.

It had been so amusing, their first conversation. She had caught his eye from the street and he could not resist entering the shop though at the time the establishment had no offerings for a college sophomore without a sweet tooth. An impatient dentist with dead fish breath had seen to it he lost all interest in candy at a young age. He had purchased a small sack of chocolate pecan clusters and made it a point to linger. Cinder noticed his sideways glances at last. He smiled that mischievous grin he had so often been told could melt hearts.

"I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?"

She blushed. "Sincerity. Most people call me Cinder or Cin."

He put a hand to his face, pondering the subtle splotch of pink that gradually returned to pale white as his eyes traveled down her neck. "You don't look like much of a sinner to me. I haven't known many bad girls who wear pink."

She muttered something about filling orders and disappeared in the back. He secretly congratulated himself on such a slamming success. The girl was attracted to him, no doubt. He would allow her this bit of maidenly shyness. She would return in a moment, regretting her decision to let such a catch get away.

The tray she carried was full of strawberry bonbons. His unshakable confidence quivered just a bit. She really did have orders to fill.

"Was there something else you wanted?"

He could not be caught fumbling for words. "I was just admiring the decor. The owner really has an artist's eye. These photographs, for instance. They're not what you'll find hanging in any chain restaurant."

"They're mine. I took them over at Cliffton Park on the first day of summer. I wanted to capture the atmosphere of joy."

He nodded, his respect for her growing with every word. True fellow artists were rare and this girl was no pretender, clearly. "They're exquisite. You should think about entering the art crawl in September."

He let her see him passing out candy to the local kids playing in the street for lack of real grass. Not every child's family could afford to make daily trips to Cliffton Park on the other side of town. These kids made do with what they had and looked up to the oddball college guy who would hand out something as good as chocolate pecan clusters without even demanding a dollar. Adam's friends would eagerly shove him into the faux marble fountain on campus if his witty tongue touched the wrong nerve but the primary school kids loved him.

The note was brief and cutesy, the eyes dotted with little red hearts.

Your eyes sparkle like the indigo ocean at high tide.

Cinder kept insisting she was not a poet but Adam would eagerly argue against any cretin who claimed the same. His note was more suggestive, of course. Something about the push and pull of the ocean that he forgot as soon as the paper was folded. He tucked it beneath his tip, pausing in the street to watch her through the glass. He was rewarded with another of her customary blushes.

Cinder agonized over choosing just the right gift for Valentine's Day. She stood in the greeting card store just two doors down from Auntie's shop, picking up a frog prince with "I'm So Hoppy I Met You" printed on his chest, only to put the plush down. Not good enough. She needed something that really expressed how she felt.

Adam was like no boy she had ever met. He was charming and witty, even if he could be a bit of a tool at times. They had exchanged Christmas presents, cheap little gifts without much meaning but the little polished rock sitting on Cinder's dorm room desk meant the world to her. The word Sincerity was carved into its otherwise smooth gray surface.

She finally decided on a teddy bear with the colors of a panda. It clutched a plush pink heart with "I Love You" stitched in flowery white letters. Since there was no toy that exclaimed "I Love Everything About You And Your Artistry And I Want To Spend The Rest Of My Life With You In A Little Studio By The Sea" she had to settle for the bear.

She didn't even have to ask for Adam's order at this point. She flounced over to his table, plopping down the bear and the latte with a wide grin. "Happy Valentine's Day. I spent almost an hour picking out just the right one."

He stared hard at the cup, taking a cautious sip. "Mmmm, you did get it just right. Do you know how few can properly balance the subtle aroma of vanilla with the tang of mocha? Your talents never cease to amaze, my little sinner."

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "Not the drink, dolt. Your gift. I wanted an animal with the cutest eyes possible because yours are so irresistible."

He picked up the bear and set it back down, frowning. "Thanks, but...it's a little childish, don't you think?"

Cinder shrugged. "I did the best I could with this overly commercialized holiday. Maybe next year I'll buy your Valentine's gift around Halloween and save it. Nothing says romance like a chainsaw-wielding zombie with its head cut off."

Adam smirked, holding out a hand as she attempted to take the bear back. "No, I want it." There was a little too much eagerness in his voice, almost betraying his true delight. "I mean, it came from you. That makes it better than an army of plush zombies, with or without heads." He hesitated, then went on. "In fact, I was thinking you could come to my place tonight. I'll even make you a homemade dinner."

Cinder's heart skipped a beat. "Alright! What's your address?"

"I'll text you. I'm not on campus but I am nearby. You know what? Why don't I give you my spare key, in case you beat me home. I don't want you sitting in the hall, getting hit on by every loser on my floor. Too many members of the lonely hearts club in that lot."

The rest of her shift could not pass quickly enough. Cinder was truly skipping up the street as she sought out the building where Adam lived. The hallway smelled slightly of stale Doritos but even this could not affect Cinder's happiness as she stopped before Door 2B and let herself in.

The TV volume was on low. Plastic bags of Chinese food sat on Adam's coffee table, their sides bragging that they were the best home cooking in town. Cinder's giggle caught in her throat at the sight that awaited her on the couch.

Adam lay with his head on a flattened goose down pillow, clutching the panda bear as if he would never let go. He woke with a start as she gently took a seat beside him.

"Syn! I was just...I didn't expect you quite this soon." He looked down at the bear and for once he was the one blushing. "I really am glad you got it for me. Every time I see it, I think of you."

It was the most sincere thing he'd ever said to her. She leaned in to kiss him and for once she didn't mind in the least that her face was red.