Free Picture Not Perfect by Lois Lavrisa Page A

interior of Leonardo’s and a history of the store. The backside had a stamp from the Marshall House.
    “Just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll be glad to take your order,” I said.
    “Can you give me a few more minutes?” she said as she looked at the wall of pictures.
    I figured she was finished with small talk. The back door buzzer sounded. I ignored it. Then my phone buzzed. I looked at the caller id. It was my brother.
    I texted him: What?
    He texted back: Open back door.
    I texted back:  No can do. I’m working.
    The buzzer went off again.
    Then he texted: emergency
    Rats. “Would you excuse me a sec?”  I said to the lady customer.
    “Hmm. Sure,” she said, sounding distracted a she studied the pictures.
    I locked the register, and put the tip jar under the counter then I jogged through the kitchen to the back door. Looking through the peephole, I saw my twin brother, Theodore. He was my mirror image; slim build, six feet tall, curly black hair, olive toned skin and chocolate brown eyes.
    After unlatching the locks, I opened the door. His bike leaned against the brick wall adjacent to the door.
    “Listen, I could get in big trouble. What’s the emergency?” I asked.
    “I need twenty bucks, I’m kind of short this month and I really want to take Vicky to the movie. You know the vampire one.”
    “That is not an emergency.”
    “To me it is.”
    “Anyway the movie is horrible. I’ll give you money not to go.”
    “Yeah, I can’t stand it either. But she sure gets cozy with me after seeing that lead actor.” Theodore winked.
    My wallet had exactly twenty dollars in it, and it was going toward my prom fund.
    “It starts in thirty minutes, and I promised her. But I’m tapped out with all the prom stuff I had to pay for,” Theodore said.
    “I’m broke and I need the money for prom.”
    “C’mon, please, you’ll get it back tomorrow. Promise.” He motioned across his heart.
    “You better.” I raised an eyebrow.
    He was always tugging at my heartstrings, and I usually gave in. I pulled out my wallet and handed him my twenty. Perhaps my being born a minute of ahead of him gave me a big brother protective complex. On the other hand, maybe I was just a sucker.
    I put my now empty wallet back into my pocket. Just then, my stomach growled. Thankfully, my one free meal per shift of a sandwich and chips was waiting for me in the fridge.
    “Thanks, bro,” Theodore said. Then he hopped on his bike.
    “Don’t forget, pay it back,” I said to him as he rode off. With that twenty and my next check I’d be able to afford prom.
    Within seconds, I heard purring. I looked down and saw Leo, the grey striped stray cat the employees had sort of adopted. Leo liked to be petted behind his ears. “Hey buddy, you having a good night?”
    He tilted his head and then licked my hand.
    I went into a storage closet and got a scoop of dry cat food from the bag we set aside for Leo. I emptied the scoop into the bowl we kept outside the back door. Leo rubbed against my leg, let out a soft meow then went to town on the food. I shut and locked the back door then washed my hands.
    Nearing the register, I looked around and noticed that the lady, who had been in here earlier, had left.
    The front door bells jangled again.
    “Hi, Timmy, I love the hat,” Gabrielle said as she strolled in. “What does Tim ICG mean?”
    Stupid paper hat. “It’s the initials for Ice Cream Guy. I thought that would get people talking to me, like you just did.”
    “Hmm, why don’t you just put ‘Tim cute boyfriend’ on it?”
    “Right, and on yours I’d write ‘hot chick.’” My heart seemed to be sprinting. The common reaction I had whenever I was around her. Gabrielle was tall with long blonde hair and gorgeous big green eyes. “I thought you were busy tonight with your debutante meeting?”
    “Huh?” her eyebrows scrunched. Then she cleared her throat. “Oh, yes.  That was cancelled. Father decided that I