Moving Forward

School Shopping

Victor's POV

The next morning, after breakfast, we went school shopping. Grandfather and Sven took us into Boston.

Sven explained to us that the winters here were far different than what they were in Charleston; we were to expect a lot of snow and freezing temperatures. We would need clothes for the different seasons and some of our classes required certain uniforms.

Grandfather told us that we should take this chance to start expressing ourselves. He explained that people expressed themselves by the clothes they wore and how they styled their hair, that we all had different facets to our personality, to who we were. That by letting Gabriel choose for us, we haven't been showing the world who we are. We nodded our heads as if we understood; we didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Raschel smiled at Grandfather as she took our hands. "I'll help them, Uncle James." She promised.

She led us through the different stores. We were measured for suits and tuxes first. She copied down our measurements for later use. We spent an hour choosing the suits we wanted and having them fitted. The tuxes were easier. It seemed strange not having Gabe throwing clothes at us to try on, but it also seemed nice. Luke had two Summer suits put on rush for him and one tuxedo.

Next we went to a Western wear shop. Our riding lessons had been put on hold until we could get the gear we needed. There were no Skinny or Loose fit jeans here. We learned that regular fit with a boot cut was best for riding. You didn't want your jeans to tight or to loose. Long sleeved shirts were preferable, they protected your arms from low branches. Jackets and vests were added, along with a Cowboy hat for each of us. We were a bit unsure of ourselves, having never bought clothes without Gabe before. We were hesitant on what to choose, but Raschel would ask our opinion on every little thing. Why this shirt over that shirt? Making us think and acknowledge that there were reasons we liked it better than the other. We liked the way this one felt against our skin, we liked the color of that one. We liked the way this one fit, how that one looked. Simple things we never considered before.

Luke needed dress slacks and white dress shirts for school, along with a couple Chef's jackets, a few hair nets and dress shoes. Raschel dragged him into a specialty shop, leading him to a section that had hair clips and hair accessories made for men. It took him over twenty minutes to choose the ones he wanted. We quickly finished up the shopping we needed to do at the mall, then packed up the car and went in search of lunch.