Us Against the World

21. The Date: Part 2

I hate shopping.

It's a few weeks until Christmas. I'm wandering by myself through a store while I wait for Aceline and Lora. Tory wheels behind me with a few clothes on her lap, calling me every now and then to give my opinion on an outfit. We're supposed to be shopping for gifts, but then Aceline let it slip that I have a date tonight and now everyone's looking for a dress that I can wear.

We haven't spoken about the work incident a couple of weeks back. I think they've all gotten tired of trying to talk to me about it, because every time they do, I shut them down. It's one of those moments in my life that I don't want to remember, but of course, it's the one that's also stored somewhere in the back of my head, only coming out when I'm finally letting loose. 

"I'm not sure what counts as museum appropriate," I hear Lora muttering from behind Tory. She rounds Tory's wheelchair and approaches me with two dresses hanging on her arm. Both of them are long and of darker shades with glittering sequins lined on the hem. They're also surprisingly in my pay range, but I'm not looking to buy a new dress when I already have some at home.

"I thought we came here to shop for others," I sigh as I gaze at my friends. They flock like hungry seagulls around the store racks, leaving me standing awkwardly in front of the undergarments section. I think they like to ignore me sometimes, but I can't say that I blame them. I'm just being a pessimist, as usual.

Or practical, I defend myself. I'm tempted to sneak away from the group, but I'd probably get lost in the maze that is Macy's. Besides, if I fall and injure myself, there'd be nobody to help me. Certainly not the vexingly happy families that laugh and walk around. No, definitely not them...

"Meera's daydreaming again," Aceline laughs, appearing next to me. She links her arm with mine and takes the box that I'm holding - the only gift that I've gotten for Chandini so far. "You're going out tonight and you're not even looking for your own dress!"

"I have dresses at home," I shrug sheepishly. "Besides, it's a bit hard to focus on me when I have my sister to think about. I love shopping for others, but I'm terrible when it comes to myself."

"That's noticeable," Tory mutters. She takes one of the dresses that Lora is holding and places it on her lap. "This one is fine. It'll suit Meera's frame and won't make her stick out so much."

"Guys, I have one at home..." I start saying but stop halfway. They won't listen to me no matter what I say and they're always quite intent on dressing me up. Sometimes I think it's because I'm the youngest of the group and I pretend to be disgruntled about it, but I can't deny that it's nice to be spoiled every once in a while.

"Is that the only thing that you're buying?" Lora asks me as we walk toward the checkout. She touches the gift that Aceline has given back to me. "Is it for you?"

"It's for my sister," I say. "She has a lot of jewelry but she keeps them in a box, so I figured it'd be a good gift to get her a jewelry box."

"Damn, sometimes I forget that Christmas is so close," Lora says. "You'd think we'd start shopping for our family." She laughs.

"My daughter didn't give me her damn list yet," Tory sighs. "Unfortunately, she takes after her father."

"How so?" I ask.

"She's simplistic," Tory explains. "She doesn't want anything if it costs me more than five dollars. I've tried to explain to her not to worry about our finances, but she's been a bit paranoid ever since my ex and I argued about it...ten years ago."

"She sounds like me," I giggle. "But you are going to get her something, right?"

"Of course!" Tory takes the bags and puts them on her lap. She waits until Aceline has ripped our receipts before she begins to wheel toward the exit. "I just have to figure out what to buy for her."