Serendipity

Chapter 6. Spaghetti Junction

Chapter Six ~ Spaghetti Junction

 

It was like having dinner with the queen.  

You couldn’t just show up in anything. You needed to look professional and a t-shirt and jeans would not cut it. I had thought about this before but after standing inside of a local dress shop for over an hour now, a t-shirt and jeans seemed to be the way to go. 

I ran my fingers along the price tag of the suit, eyeing it cautiously. There was only one dress shop in town that specialized in men’s formal wear and it was expensive. And definitely not the good kind.  

“Have you found what you’ve been looking for?” An older male, seemingly in his mid-40’s with a thinning hairline appeared from around the corner.  

“Uh, yeah,” I responded quickly, “but unfortunately, it’s not in my budget, sorry.”  

The man blinked in confusion. “You’re a fresh face aren’t you?” 

“Huh?” 

The older male placed his hands on his hips, peering down at me through his light lashes. “Everyone knows this store is way too expensive. You, however, didn’t.” 

I glanced down at my feet in guilt. “Well, it was the only shop in Clearbourough. I had no clue until now.” 

The man sighed. “Tell you what, they’re going to shut us down anyway. So, I’ll let you buy two suits for a discount fee. Twenty for both.” 

“Seriously?”  

He nodded.  

“Gee, thanks,” I told him, pulling the selected suits off the rack. “That’s very nice of you.”  

The employee waved me off. “Don’t mention it. This place is way to pricey anyway. That’s why no one comes here.”  

I nodded in agreement. “And what are you going to do when this place closes down?”  

He shrugged. “The cost of living keeps getting higher.” The man grabbed the two suits from my arms and began to walk to the back of the store where the cash register was. “Without this job, I don’t know what I’ll do. I'll Probably be laying out on the street somewhere.” 

I felt sympathetic. Dad told me never to feel sorry for other people, it only brings us down but I couldn’t help it. The man looked like a nice, friendly, caring guy and he didn’t deserve this. 

He rung up the items for me and placed the suits neatly in a plastic covering. I handed him the money in return. “Thanks, uh...” I narrowed my eyes in search of a nametag. 

“Phil.” 

“Thanks Phil, I wish you the best.” Grabbing the two hangers that held the suits, I walked out of the store and was immediately greeted by warm summer breeze smacking my face.  

Glancing down at my watch, I checked the time to see it was forty minutes after five. I had about an hour before I’d have to show up at The Samuels’ mansion at the edge of town. Deciding to take a quick walk around the block, I stored the suits in the backseat of the sedan and began strolling the streets of Clearbourough. I came across an ice cream shop and decided that now would be the perfect time for some ice cream. 

The bells attached to the door chimmed when I walked in, alerting everyone else. My eyes landed on the familiar female leaning against the window. 

Melanie’s phone was pressed to her ear and her brows were pulled together in frustration. She talked louder than she realized because I heard every word of the conversation on her end. “Yeah, okay. But--you’re not listening! I’m tired of this I…you--stop cutting me off, god dammit!”