In This Place

The Beginning of the End

  "I've never known better, because every bone's tethered..."--Stephen Wilson Jr.

"Cory, this is too much. I can't let you buy this." Kris said as she gazed at herself in the mirror.

The Fjallraven down jacket looked good on her, Cory decided. She glanced at the $349 price tag.

"Sweetheart, it's going to be cold snowmobiling. Especially when I'm driving, I like to go fast. I can create a pretty lethal wind chill. Your Vegas stuff won't hold up."

"That might be true but...this is way too expensive. I'll be fine out there." Kris said as she took the jacket off. Cory shook her head. She glanced at the saleswoman hovering nearby.

"We'll take the jacket. And the insulated pants she tried on, the Helly Hansens. This balaclava—" Cory randomly plucked a balaclava off an Arc'teryx display. "—and these gloves. Boots?"

"Yes Ma'am, over here. We carry Lowas, those are probably our best for all-day warmth, they are lined with insulated Goretex Panda fleece and..."

Cory suddenly stepped back as Kris grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the saleswoman's spiel.

"Cory..." Kris said, her face serious. "I can't let you buy all of this. I just...can't."

"You can and you will." Cory softly replied. "Look, you can purchase the boots. Those Lowa Callistos over there are marked 50% off, that puts them at a little over $100, that's a good deal. If they have your size and you like how they feel, get them, okay?"

"Well..." Kris cast a wistful eye towards the clothing piled on a chair nearby. "I do hate being cold. But...it's all so expensive."

"Kris, I would pay out a million dollars to keep you warm so I don't have to listen to your mother call me and scream that I deliberately took you outside so you'd get pneumonia and die. I'm not listening to that crap. Besides...it's hard to have fun when you're freezing."

Kris looked doubtful.

"Well...okay. I'll get the boots. The only boots I have are those soft suede brown ones, you know, the ones with the fringe on the top? These look so... rugged."

Cory laughed.

"They're meant to be, they are rugged. They'll keep your feet warm."

The hovering saleswoman inched closer.

"You wish to try on the Callistos? Here, have a seat and let me measure your foot."

Kris sat down and watched the woman then looked up at Cory.

"Again, I feel like I'm in the shopping scene of Pretty Woman, the good part of it though, you know?. This is just so much, Cory."