Suspicion

"I have never been great with people." Diaz didn't wait to start her narration. Her opening statement was rather confusing since it was her that made the first step that led them here. "I hope that I don't sound too scary but it's better if I tell you the truth about me so that if you decide to leave you can leave too." Her eyes got watery.

Davis never understood how people thought saying that they hope they don't sound scary or crazy helps the situation. He always thought that the best thing to do was just say whatever you wanted to say.

"Okay, now that sounds scary already." He added a laugh.

"Ow look, we are here. You wanted to be taken to a boutique, well suit yourself but I highly suggest otherwise." Diaz pointed at the glass-walled store next to them with both her arms open leaving her bike held by her body. She left her bike on its stand and led Davis into the store.

The strangest thing that Davis noticed was that this was the only place in the entire city that did not have any people inside. Based on the advancements observed in the city, it was easy for Davis to assume that everyone ordered clothes and they were delivered to them instead of going to the store.

He was welcomed by the doorbell hung on the door and noticed that the store was not that big compared to the population of Tenei.

"The ball is on your court now." Diaz stepped aside and paved way for Davis to pass.

He looked around but all he could see was old people's clothes. He went from aisle to aisle looking for clothes that he would be comfortable with but the more he walked the more Diaz laughed and the more he met with funny-looking clothes.

He set his eyes on an aisle that had suits and thought maybe he should check that aisle out. That could have at least been his breakthrough. He set his eyes on a beige suit and immediately pictured himself in it. It was good enough for a start. He took it to the changing area. All Diaz was doing was laughing and giggling like she was hiding something.

"You keep laughing, I am settled." He told her as he closed the curtains to try the suit on.

The problem was that he had not spotted any shirts to go with the suit. He tried the jacket on first and noticed that it was too buggy. He felt like he had just thrown a pile of laundry onto himself. It was disappointing. He failed to understand how the arms fit his arm's length appropriately but the space between his skin and the jacket would only have been suitable if he was a magician. At least he would roll more tricks up his sleeves.

The first button was hanging way past his last rib. Everything about that jacket was screaming old people. He understood the meaning of a dying man clutches at a straw. He only saw what his eyes wanted him to see. The truth about this store was that only old people could come to shop there. Maybe Diaz just brought him to the wrong store.

He did not give up hope yet, he chose to try the trousers, maybe they would fit and he would not have just walked more than a mile for nothing. He removed the jacket and put it aside. He removed the trousers from the hanger and noticed that there were still other pieces of clothing underneath. He saw a cummerbund and a waistcoat. These were clear indications that he was in a store for old people.

However, he couldn't let Diaz' laughs win. He wanted to at least get out of this place with a piece of clothing. Not only for her but for the sake of getting a job quickly which meant that he would soon be stable and able to fly back. He had to try the trouser or go back to the aisles and look for better clothing to fit.

He put the trouser on. He was heavily disappointed. The trousers were buggy as well and had a knife-edge crease to add to the embarrassing features. The picture that he had in his mind of how he looked in the beige suit was nothing close to half the embarrassment he was looking at in the mirror.

He opened the curtain in great disappointment. Diaz gave out a laugh so loud that for a second she ran out of breath. Her eyes even teared and she was almost falling to the ground. Davis closed back the red curtain and removed the trouser in haste and rage. He did not even wish to find another cloth to try on. He was fed up.

To be honest he was a little mad at Diaz because he felt like she did it on purpose. The reason he couldn't get all mad was because, if you can remember she had warned him about the boutique in the city.

He dashed out of the dressing area with anger. Diaz was still laughing. He left her there and went straight to the cashier to ask if they had an aisle that had clothes for younger people. The cashier looked at him in a funny manner.

"I don't like you little boys coming to my shop. Everybody is always asking why the clothes don't fit. I am tired of questions. I never forced anyone into my store and if you don't like the cloth you can leave." The old woman then coughed. Her coarse old voice would suggest that her teeth were falling off.

Davis could not understand why she had gotten arrogant and rude. "I am sorry." That was all he said. He wanted nothing more from that place. Maybe that's what Diaz meant the entire day by 'see for yourself'. He hadn't given her a reason to get angry and that made him wonder why she became agitated.

He gave Diaz a signal with her fingers to suggest that they should leave. He returned the suit where he found it and they left.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing me to the store where old man Mouche buys his clothes." Davis initiated the conversation as Diaz pulled her bike.

"You said you wanted to head to the boutique and I brought you to the only boutique in Tenei."

"What!" Davis was surprised. "Where do you buy your clothes then?"

"We don't. Everyone here has a stylist who does that for us, we only describe what we want. That adds to the reasons I find you mysterious. You are definitely not from around here."

"But you knew that I wanted to buy clothes, why did you bring me all this way."

"Did you tell me what you wanted to do with the boutique?"

"Okay, that's a fair point."

"Yes. I knew you wanted clothes but I had to prove my suspicions about you. Where are you from, stranger?" She was back to that.

"Where can I find a stylist? And why are there no buses in Tenei." He was evading the question to buy him time to formulate his lie.

"I'll take you to mine. It's a health policy, stranger. In Tenei everybody is forced to walk as a form of exercise or buy a car. And stop evading my questions." She stood in front of him so that he had to stand.

"Why don't you continue with your story since you had already started." Perfect throw Davis.

"Ow, yeah. Let me go first."