Love for Sale

Eric told her to meet him where they first met: Oceania Park. She sat in the exact same spot she was playing the triangle. This time, she had no triangle, but she arrived earlier than expected. She was under the shade of a large tree bursting with green leaves. Her hair was still something of a beach-tousled mess.

In typical Nerina eccentricity, she seemed to think the weather was appropriate to wear a bikini and a thin black, chiffon maxi skirt, like she had just finished surfing or a nice morning stroll on the beach, without the bronzed tan and sandy butt a la Gisele Bündchen. Needless to say, she got a few quick stares, with women giving her curious or judging glances, men turning their heads, and two children pointing to say it was a Victoria's Secret angel that hurt her leg.

She wondered when Eric was going to show up. She looked towards the clear sky with only a few traces of clouds, like white tufts. In the distance loomed skyscrapers with glass that reflected the sky so perfectly. There was an old clock tower closer by the park that displayed the time. Well, it was only a few minutes to go until it was midday.

Eric kissed her cheek as soon as she saw her. What was she supposed to do? She had no idea if she should kiss him back like they were best friends in Rome, and say 'Ciao'. or something. She kissed him on his cheek with a little flourish. With her small understanding of Italian that she learned in Primary school, she demonstrated her knowledge.

"Ciao Bello." Hello handsome. She knew that 'bella' addressed a female subject, and 'bello' was for a male subject, in this case, Eric. She was not good at Italian. Her Australian accent was residual around the edges of her Italian. It was not jarring, but it was kind of cute.

Then, he asked about the date. She tilted her head and resumed speaking in English.

"I thought you already picked a date: today. I'm not sure what day it is though. Sorry."

So, he wanted to do something with her.

"Then, isn't that just hanging out?" Nerina asked. There was all this 'stuff' thing and other vague things that Eric was saying. 'Hanging out' was the only thing she could equate a 'date' to. In fact, they seemed to resemble each other closely.

None of the movies she watched as a child had anything like a 'date' or anything romantic within them. Then again, ten years ago her tastes were Disney, cartoons, educational films aimed at children about marine life and Australian animals. There was one movie that might have had a date in it. She remembered it vaguely. In fact, she thought of this particular film quite a bit whenever she was with Eric. It wasn't the Deep Blue. It was a particularly well-loved Disney film that she disliked when she became a mermaid herself.

"Wait, is it like when Eric takes Ariel out on the boat? And then they try and kiss?"

Nerina stayed close by Eric. She knew that he was her special person. Her fingers brushed his hand lightly, wanting to hold him.

"I don't like boats though. Can we go walking instead?"

Nerina shook her head. "I don't like The Little Mermaid, at least... Not anymore. Merpeople don't sleep in big underwater palaces like that or make friends with fish. They have to rest one hemisphere of our brain when they sleep. Sometimes a hunt can go on for days." It was interesting to note how she described her own people in such an impersonal, unconnected way. She still hadn't told Eric that she wasn't fully a mermaid. If she was, she wouldn't be seeing him like this. Clues about her past were scattered among her words.

"Life in the ocean is incredibly difficult. She's just... She just has it so easy in being human because of a magic spell, all for someone she loves." She offered no comment on liking the Hans Christian Anderson tale better. She probably disliked that story just as much. Though she wouldn't mind if she turned to sea foam when she died.

They walked out of the park and into the city. The streets were wide and clean. There were department stores with large, understated but alluring signs, and window displays that looked as spacious as her little beach house. She gave a little gasp and ran up to one of the displays like it was Christmas.

"Look at what she's wearing," She pointed to a bright fuchsia dress on the tall, sleek white mannequin, going closer to the glass. She saw her own reflection within the polished surface and imagined herself wearing those garments. There were flower printed designs on the other dress, with a skirt and top combo in similar colour, but the top had an almost psychedelic pattern of butterflies on it. It was the spring collection campaign.

"The colour wouldn't go with my hair, though."

"B-But I have no money. Eric, no, I– I have no shoes and no shirt." She resisted, trying to pull him away from it, but she was being lead into the bright, glamorous chambers of consumerism. The department store in Nerina's eyes, was not for shopping. It was for looking, like a museum or a gallery: look, and don't touch.

The security guard poised out the front like a jaguar in await paid the couple no attention, even though she did have no shoes and no shirt on.

"What is all this? I'm scared."

She saw names of many things. Clarins, NARS, Laura Mercier, Shiseido Bobbi Brown. Faces of beautiful women on gigantic, lit-up posters gazed at her like beautiful sculptures. A woman dressed in a business suit and pencil skirt, with a lovely purple scarf handed her scented paper. It read "Dior". A man gave her some oil for her hair, complimenting its colour. Nerina looked lost and distressed.

"Help. Why are people giving me stuff."