hesitate to give that up. It is one of the few links I have to my past."
"Oh, is that what you're worried about?" Elise gave herself another mental shake and tried to concoct a story on the spot. She wasn't a convincing liar so she tried evasion. "You don't need any money, Reed. I'll buy you a few things and you can find a way to pay me back later, okay?"
"Well...it is true this attire is cursed uncomfortable, but I insist on paying you back some way. Perhaps I could work off the debt by overseeing some of the work here, or doing some bookkeeping for you." Reed's face was so earnest Elise almost laughed.
"Yeah. Sure. You bet."
*******
Reed walked through what Elis e called the mall, making a conscious effort to keep his mouth from falling open in awe or craning his neck like a country bumpkin. The trip into town had become more and more amazing as they got into the heavily populated areas, and everything from what he now knew to be traffic lights to billboards elicited an explosion of questions.
When a thing called a 727 glided across the sky, Elise seemed to read his mind. Before he had the chance to choke out, "What in the name of God...?" she pulled the car to the side of the road and gave him a brief and simple description of an airplane. She mentioned a couple brothers named Wright, then she launched into an explanation of why, even though it seems impossible to the average person, air flight is not at all amazing, and once the fundamentals are understood it's quite simple. Then she smiled great big and told him that that particular plane was a Boeing 727, and to remember that.
He was astonished, then disbelieving. He waited for a punchline. Elise just nodded and eased the car back into the traffic. He filed away a dozen questions to ask her when he had less to absorb.
Now he could see he had more to cope with than he bargained for. He did not want to embarrass Elise or make a fool of himself, so as they strolled through the mall he fixed a blasé look on his face and tried to give the impression that he had been there hundreds of times.
Elise busily explained malls and how all large cities had them. While he tried to keep his face expressionless, she grinned and knocked her shoulder into his arm, making him sidestep awkwardly. With a delighted giggle, she said, "That's better. I was beginning to think you were taking your new surroundings for granted."
Reed readjusted his blasé expression. "I was trying not to embarrass you," he said, but she just continued to grin at him. He hooked his thumbs into his pockets, as he had seen other men do, and continued strolling along.
They swung into what Elise called a department store and headed toward the men's department.
Reed spent the next hour or so accepting or rejecting each selection, then trying on what was left. He self-consciously suffered through choosing small clothes with Elise in attendance. He adamantly refused, though, to even try on, let alone purchase, any style of short trousers.
Their next trip was to the shoe department, where Elise waved away his first selections and ordered him to try on a pair of well-padded Reeboks.
He slipped his feet into the shoes and took a few tentative steps. Never had he worn anything so comfortable. He felt as if he walked on pillows, and proceeded to tell Elise until she jabbed him in the ribs, indicating with a tilt of her head the young salesman who peered up at him through squinted eyes.
Elise was obviously enjoying herself immensely, and she picked out a pair of dress shoes for him as well. He grumbled a bit that they weren't as comfortable as the other ones, but she nodded to the sales clerk and whipped out what she called a "charge card."
She led him out of the store in a different direction, but before they got too far he was brought up short by another amazing sight.
What appeared to be a staircase stood, or rather moved, in front of him. Elise
"Oh, is that what you're worried about?" Elise gave herself another mental shake and tried to concoct a story on the spot. She wasn't a convincing liar so she tried evasion. "You don't need any money, Reed. I'll buy you a few things and you can find a way to pay me back later, okay?"
"Well...it is true this attire is cursed uncomfortable, but I insist on paying you back some way. Perhaps I could work off the debt by overseeing some of the work here, or doing some bookkeeping for you." Reed's face was so earnest Elise almost laughed.
"Yeah. Sure. You bet."
*******
Reed walked through what Elis e called the mall, making a conscious effort to keep his mouth from falling open in awe or craning his neck like a country bumpkin. The trip into town had become more and more amazing as they got into the heavily populated areas, and everything from what he now knew to be traffic lights to billboards elicited an explosion of questions.
When a thing called a 727 glided across the sky, Elise seemed to read his mind. Before he had the chance to choke out, "What in the name of God...?" she pulled the car to the side of the road and gave him a brief and simple description of an airplane. She mentioned a couple brothers named Wright, then she launched into an explanation of why, even though it seems impossible to the average person, air flight is not at all amazing, and once the fundamentals are understood it's quite simple. Then she smiled great big and told him that that particular plane was a Boeing 727, and to remember that.
He was astonished, then disbelieving. He waited for a punchline. Elise just nodded and eased the car back into the traffic. He filed away a dozen questions to ask her when he had less to absorb.
Now he could see he had more to cope with than he bargained for. He did not want to embarrass Elise or make a fool of himself, so as they strolled through the mall he fixed a blasé look on his face and tried to give the impression that he had been there hundreds of times.
Elise busily explained malls and how all large cities had them. While he tried to keep his face expressionless, she grinned and knocked her shoulder into his arm, making him sidestep awkwardly. With a delighted giggle, she said, "That's better. I was beginning to think you were taking your new surroundings for granted."
Reed readjusted his blasé expression. "I was trying not to embarrass you," he said, but she just continued to grin at him. He hooked his thumbs into his pockets, as he had seen other men do, and continued strolling along.
They swung into what Elise called a department store and headed toward the men's department.
Reed spent the next hour or so accepting or rejecting each selection, then trying on what was left. He self-consciously suffered through choosing small clothes with Elise in attendance. He adamantly refused, though, to even try on, let alone purchase, any style of short trousers.
Their next trip was to the shoe department, where Elise waved away his first selections and ordered him to try on a pair of well-padded Reeboks.
He slipped his feet into the shoes and took a few tentative steps. Never had he worn anything so comfortable. He felt as if he walked on pillows, and proceeded to tell Elise until she jabbed him in the ribs, indicating with a tilt of her head the young salesman who peered up at him through squinted eyes.
Elise was obviously enjoying herself immensely, and she picked out a pair of dress shoes for him as well. He grumbled a bit that they weren't as comfortable as the other ones, but she nodded to the sales clerk and whipped out what she called a "charge card."
She led him out of the store in a different direction, but before they got too far he was brought up short by another amazing sight.
What appeared to be a staircase stood, or rather moved, in front of him. Elise
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