Diamonds and Toads

Coraline shot a glance over to Vivianne who looked completely immersed in Mama's words.

'How much has this man done for her?'

Mama snapped his fingers to bring Coraline's gaze back at him, "Well?"

"I do Mama," her face flushed red.

Was she actually saying it out loud in front of someone else?

Verbalizing it was like she was accepting it and even making another help her with it.

It was identical to having a revolting smell that had been under her nose for a long time. And it had now made its way through her sinus and straight through her brain.

A cough stifled through her strained throat, Mama held her shoulder, "Don't worry about it baby, I've seen worse," he let out a scoff before saying, "Believe me."

His words were the exact dose of medication Coraline needed to feel better.

She let herself cave and met Mama's eyes, "I need a husband but I don't want anything fancy," she cut herself off to itch at the side of her shoulder, "I just want to sign the paper, and that be it."

Coraline's hands fell to her sides as Mama accessed her with every inch of herself on display. It was obvious now that she came to him to fix up loose strings with her business.

"It ain't an issue to find you one but it's going to be hard to find one that wants to be secretive about it," he picked up the loose fabric off of her shoulder, "But you ain't out of luck yet, I know a guy."

Her eyebrows raised there was a high chance she'd know who he was, "What's his name?"

"Armaan Singh," a captivating grin swarmed Mama's lips, "You wouldn't know him dear."

Coraline snapped back, "And why's that?"

"Because he's not from here, no one really knows him," Mama drummed his fingers on the wood, "Can't you relate?"

It felt like a thorn pricking at Coraline's heart, not many people knew of her true origins. But it came as no surprise that a gossiper like Mama knew.

She could feel warmth from Vivianne's hand rubbing her back in comfort.

He chimed into the two's moment, "You're just in luck though, he's coming into town as a favor for me."

'In town?' Coraline envisioned how Armaan looked before asking Mama, "Visting? Is he a traveler?"

"Precisely, now don't get it twisted. He ain't a man of evil just because he sees the world more than others now."

She nodded to his words, she wasn't in the position to judge others.

"Tomorrow, come mid-day if you still want to go through with this. You have that time or you've lost your only chance. Understood?"

"Yes Mama," all she had to do was come in the afternoon and everything would be fine.

Vivianne linked arms with Coraline and the two took their leave, Mama headed down underground once more.

"Is he some sort of mole rat? Why does he go down to the basement?"

Vivianne stifled her arm, "It's a whole new world down there—hell I'd go there as many times a day if I could."

Coraline simpered at her friend, "How'd you end up over there in that place anyway?"

Vivianne's head fell back, "It's a long story."

Coraline pointed at the long walk that awaited them back. Long grass tickled at their legs the more they walked, "We got time, don't we?"

Her friend rolled her eyes, racking through her memories to formulate the story.

"My first kid isn't Howland's."

Coraline held Vivianne's arm with both hands, "Does he know?"

She nodded, "I was really messed up about it. You were still building up Saphire Greens and I barely saw you around."

Vivianne didn't know where Coraline was during those months she was building up her business. There were people she had met that Vivianne might never come across in her lifetime.

"There was no way I could call out for you when it was such a moment you were having," a glazen look covered her eyes.

The two never lost the pattern in their step—the only thing that changed was now Coraline rested her head on her friend.

"Mama spotted me crying on the pavement with the baby in my hands. No one else stopped to check up on me because the clothes I was wearing were filled with grime and filth."

Coraline could feel a guilt creep inside her. Her friend was there for her lowest but when the favor needed to be returned—where was she?

Conversing with the lowest of the lows to bring some kind of fulfillment for justice.

"She took Esmeralda from my arms and picked me up by the arm. Comforting me all the way to that tavern. I tried kicking and yelping because I thought she was some nasty creep—but I had no strength left in me."

Vivianne paused as her throat felt clogged up with all of her past emotions building up and ready to fall out with just a nudge.

"Papa couldn't know that his daughter was scavenging the streets like some woe-ridden woman. She offered me a place to rest, new clothes, and a shower. Mama took care of Esmeralda for me that day, I would've done something real bad if I heard her crying any longer."

Vivianne fell onto Coraline's shoulder this time—they were reaching the 'normal' civilization and in a few, they'd reach her home.

"Then she took me downstairs the next day, Esmeralda was in this pretty baby blue dress—I think Mama whipped it up for her overnight," she turned over to give a big smile to Coraline.

When Vivianne smiled like that it was as if getting old never had any effect on her. Like she could live as a young girl forever.

'Even if she was fifty I think she'll always be sixteen to me.'

"I don't know if it was because I was so tired but seriously it was like walking in an entirely different world," she raised her arms stretching out fingers to exaggerate the visuals, "That's when Howland locked eyes with me."

Coraline nudged at her friend for abruptly stopping, "Then what?"

"And then the rest was history," Vivanne started laughing loudly as she ran in front of Coraline so she couldn't press her for any more details.

"No fair! You ended it at the good part," Coraline burst into short races of laughter as she went to chase her friend.

Out of breath the two of them stood outside of Coraline's shared complex. On the second floor was her studio and the first floor was where she sold things to customers. Which was temporarily closed to avoid any 'messes.'

"Gah," Coraline rested her hands on her knees as sweat drenched her clothes and forehead. Her breath quickly escaped and returned as she stayed in that position, she barely lifted her head to speak, "Do you want to stay over?"

Vivianne who looked immune to the effects of exercising stood tall, her arms crossed, "Can't."

Coraline's face dropped to pouting in synchrony, "Why not?"

"Ironically enough, Howland's taking me out."

Coraline made oooing sound effects to her friend's words before being struck with realization, "I'm going to go there on my own?"

Vivianne's face strained as she let her eyes do a lunar eclipse, "Yes," her teeth were shut together as she spoke, "Please don't be late, I'm sure Armaan's a nice guy. He travels too so that means he won't really care y'know?"

Defeated Coraline looked down at her boots, "Yeah."

Vivianne gave her a hard slap to the back to straighten her out, "Don't go there looking a fool now. If you going to tell everyone you have a man then you need to dress like it too."

"Okayyy," she dragged out her y's as she pushed Vivianne to get moving, "Shoo-shoo."

Her friend was like pushing a marble stone, Vivianne fixated on Coraline who looked moments away from falling apart.

She turned around to hold Coraline close to her, "You don't have to force yourself if it's something you don't want to do."

Her hands always felt like Coraline imagined a mother's to be. So she always surrendered herself under Vivianne when she comforted her.

There were times when she even felt possessive of her, she didn't want to share the love of Vivianne's or have someone else have her admiration.

But when Howland came into the picture, she had to accept that there were things he could provide her friend that Coraline never could.

"I'll always be there for you Cory and if it comes down to it, we can work as barmaids together."

Her joke made Coraline chuckle, they used to joke how if there was no money then they'd just work as bartenders.

Coraline liked drinks and Vivianne was good with people.

She still remembered one of Vivianne's sly questions.

They were unloading boxes for her father when she turned to Coraline and asked, "If you had to make a drink for your husband," she pronounced husband with a country tinge, "What kind of flavor would it be?"

"Pomegranate."