Social Distancing

Chapter 8: Buy All the Toilet Paper

You may also inquire why I wasn't at the lab. I had been, for the past eight days straight. Dr. McKenna told me to take tonight off, and I was grateful for the respite.  In hindsight, I was eternally grateful, as he had the foresight that everything would soon change. So, simply put, I left the lab, found the nearest shopping center on my phone, walked over, and here I was. My feet stood planted and the rest of me froze like a moron outside an Ann Summers store. A pandemic loomed, tomorrow to be specific, but my concern was not toilet paper and bottled water, only nerves over buying a dress.

This isn't for the lab, it's for him.

I repeated the words in my head as if doing so empowered me to actually go inside.

"Excuse me Miss." A young woman opened the store front's glass door. She peeked her blonde head out the door and peered at me curiously.

How long have I been standing here? This is awkward.

My fingers fussed with the hem on my t-shirt.

"Can I help you?" I nodded silently, and she held open the door. "Come inside."

I was relieved to see that the store was empty except for us. My eyes browsed over racks and racks of clothing and I froze as an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity grew inside me.

It's for him.

"I need some help." I turned to the sales girl. "I umm, have a dinner tonight..."

"Professional or personal?" She inquired.

"Umm, the latter." I felt my cheeks burning at the admission. Unable to speak, I simply waved my hands down at my clothes. "And, as you can see, I-"

"Not a problem Miss, lovely to help you. Do you know your size?" I shook my head again. She walked further into the store, glancing over different racks, paused, then rejected a few options. I followed behind and curiously watched as her fingers flipped through the hangers.

"Are you looking for a certain style?" I looked at her as if she spoke another language.

Messy lab rat?

"Okay, no style." Her blue eyes roamed over my attire again, which was completely devoid of color. "Favorite color?"

"His favorite color is blue." That one was easy.

"That's so sweet, love." She clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I meant yours, but we can work with that. I think I have just the thing."

"Are you sure?" I ask for the fifteenth time. The light blue sweater dress hung comfortably around me with a knotted belt cinched against my waist. It had a wide scooped neckline that exposed my collar bones, but I didn't feel as exposed as I thought I would when she'd held it up. The sleeves came down to my wrists and the skirt hem softly fell right below my kneeline.

"You look lovely," she assured me for the fifteenth time, then pointed to my shoes. "As long as you don't wear those. Best if we give you flats, first date is not the time to try heels." She shoved a pair of simple black leather shoes that resembled introductory ballet slippers near my feet. I stepped in them, and smiled since they felt quite comfortable.

"I know you're here for clothes, if it were me then I'd go for a simple plait with your hair. It's long and lovely shade of brown, but I'd tie it back if it were me, so he can see your face better."

"A what?"

"Plait, here." Before I knew it, she'd swept my hair in her fingers, divided it into three sections-

Oh, she meant braid.

She tied the plait off with a rubber band and nodded in approval.

"Okay. I'll take them." I checked my watch and saw that I already ran late. "Can I wear everything out?"

"Of course." She walked over to the register, where I swiped my debit card. She smiled brightly as she handed me the receipt, then added, "let me clip the tags."

"Thanks." I leaned my arm over as she clipped the tag off the sleeve with a pair of scissors.

"Of course. Good luck, love."

As I left, I paused and stuffed my old clothes into my backpack. I glanced at my new reflection as the door shut behind me and barely recognized myself.

It's for him.