The Online Job - Chapter 5

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Nathan walked into the store with Tara feeling better than he had since his encounter with Dennis. His attention was now drawn to the items in the store. He never realized just how interested he was in these clothes on display. He had seen this store many times but never seen it the way that he was seeing it now. There were racks and racks of dresses, skirts, blouses, jeans, and pants, and they were of all sorts of colors and materials. For some reason, he didn’t understand why, but he was so excited by the selection.

There wasn’t any formal wear that he could see, it was all casual and everyday wear. He was following Tara through some racks of skirts and then she turned down another row where there seemed to be just blouses. There were displays of whatever item was on the racks in that section. On the walls, there were more displays of mostly jeans and shoes, and Tara was walking towards a salesperson whom she greeted by name.

Hi Tiffany, how are you doing? The young lady looked to be in her mid twenty’s and called back, “Oh hi Tara, I didn’t expect to see you here in the middle of the week. Our out-of-school summer sale doesn’t start until Saturday. I’m sure that you will want to be here then as all our summer items will be 10% off and all of the winter clothes will be 20% and some 30% off.

What are you doing in here now anyway?” Tara looked at me smiling and then turned back to her and said she was looking for a blouse. From Nathan that was standing beside her added a green one the color of her eyes.

Tiffany thought that was so cute that a boy would buy a girl a blouse, and led them to a rack a few steps away. As they were walking she asked, “Tara your a size 7 correct?” Tara spoke up and told her that it wasn’t for her, but for Natti here. The salesperson was a little surprised at first, but then just accepted that and looked at Natti. Then in a playful tone asked if he knew his size, and continued saying that he looked like a size 6. Both of the teens confided that they didn’t know his size and then Tiffany said well then let’s start there.

They reached the racks that held just about every sort of blouse that you could ever imagine and started their hunt. One after another was picked up and discussed, compared with Tara’s eyes, held up to Natti’s chest, and then put back for one reason or another. Then the one that was hiding in plain sight just appeared as out of nowhere. It was the perfect color and style. It was soft and silky feeling with generous sleeves that were cuffed just past the elbows with long cuffs adorned with 5 cloth-covered buttons.

Tara was insistent that Natti try it on, and on their way there Tara was quick to grab a camisole that was also in a light green color and made out of a similar material if not the same. They took it and both went into the dressing room not even thinking anything amiss. Nathan or Natti was the first to speak up as Tara locked the door, “Do you think that it’s okay for the both of us to be in here at the same time?”

Tara thought about that for a moment, and then replied, “Oh of course I do it all the time with my friends.” Then she caught on to what Natti was referring to with him not being a girl adding that she didn’t think there would be anything wrong with it. She continued telling him to take the jersey off and put on the camisole. She noticed as he was slipping it over his head that his underarms were bare of hair as was his chest.

Then he put on the blouse and she looked at him realizing just how much his face resembled a girl’s face. He was straightening the blouse and then looked in the mirror. He asked if she thought it would look better tucked in. The blouse didn’t have any tails so it could be worn out, but he would have to pull his pants up quite a lot to actually tuck it in. Then as they were both standing side by side looking at it in the mirror Natti said, “Now I need to purchase a skirt, and I’ll bet it would really look good, but then I would for sure have to tuck it in.”

Tara stood there looking in the mirror with Natti, and suddenly asked him when he planned to wear it? He replied well I think I have enough to get some shoes and a purse and I saw the prices of the skirts in the store and I think I might be able to purchase them all and wear them tomorrow. Her face showed that she was thinking of something and then said, let’s just pick out what you like here and I’ll have Tiffany hold on to it and we can come back on Saturday and get them at a discount.

You know that you will need more than just shoes and a skirt. You will also have to have a pair of hoses and then you will also need some panties. If you get a skirt you will need to have underwear that will compliment your clothes. Boys' underwear just won’t do it for you. I’ll come back with you on Saturday, and we can make a day of it. Natti looked at her and then asked, well what about Dennis, I mean I don’t want to get beat up.

She just smiled and said, “You let me worry about Mr. Hartman. I have something that I can control him with. Now let’s go and get you a nice white pleated skirt, I know I saw one out there that would be perfect.”

So together they returned out to the store and Tara picked up a cute white skirt. They quickly returned to the dressing room and she had Natti go in and try it on and then come out and show her. When Natti stepped out she saw that not only were his underarms shaved, but also his legs. The skirt hung down to just above mid-thigh and she thought he was really cute in the skirt. She announced to him that she was going to go and pick up the same blouse that he had to choose and also a skirt just like his.

Then she said that when they went to school on Monday that they would match. Tara marveled at her excitement of dressing Natti as she was now calling him all the time. She choose clothes in her size and as she did so she queried Natti about him shaving. He told her that he did it last night. He didn’t really know why, he just felt like he should shave his underarms and legs, and then he added that he didn’t have any hair on his chest but he was wondering about his arms.

He asked her if he should shave his arms as well. Tara replied that after they left here they could stop by the drug store on their way out and they could pick up a depilatory cream that would be better than shaving his arms. That way the hair would fall out and not grow back so quickly.

They made their choices and Tara gave them to Tiffany and she said that she would hold them and have them for her when she came back on Saturday. They left and walked across the mall to a drugstore on the other side. She showed Natti which creams he should use and told him that there might be a little burning. If it burned too much don’t continue to use it and they would try a different brand. The ones that burn the most are usually the ones that work the best.

They also picked out a face cream and she showed him which shampoos and conditioner worked the best. “Now I say it works the best but that is for me, but it gives us a starting point.” With that, she gave him the purchases and told him to pay for them that she needed to make a phone call and that she would wait for him outside. Natti got into the line and the purchases came to close to $40.00, but he would make at least that back tonight, and he still had $80.00 in his account. Tara said that he needed it so he didn't mind paying for them.

As he walked back out he thought that only a couple of days before he thought she was an airhead, but she was really very smart. He realized that he had been prejudiced against her and he noted that he wouldn't think about others in that way ever again. He needed to respect everyone and respect their actions before making judgments about anyone. As he approached her she just finished her call and she stood and walked over to him telling him that her mother was coming and they would meet right here.

Mrs. Morgan walked out of a cellphone store holding a small bag and greeted us. Tara talked to her asking her if she found what she was looking for. The three of them stood there talking and she related that there were so many designs to choose from for her new case. She opened up her purse and took out her cellphone and it was now in a new case.

It was a shiny pink with small roses all over it. Tara remarked how pretty it was and then her mother mentioned that she could remove the outer case and change it with the other ones that she bought. She held out the bag to Tara and she opened it up and pulled out a shiny black one that had geometrical shapes in pink, light green, and soft turquoise color. There were more, and she told us that all she had to do was to remove the outer case and change it with another one whenever she wanted to go with her mood. Natti was amazed at the varied designs, but the one that he liked the best was one that changed color as you moved it around.

He picked it out commenting that he liked the holographic effect on this one the best. Tara kind of giggled and sportingly said, "Oh Natti I can see how you would like that one the best." Mrs. Morgan asked them if they had bought anything, and Tara told her that there was going to be a sale on this weekend so we just picked out a few items and that the store was going to hold them for us. Then she looked at the bag she was holding so you picked up some items from the drug store? Natti told her that Tara chose a few items for him like shampoo, conditioner, hair removing cream, and various face and body lotions. She looked at him, and then at Tara with a questioning look on her face.

When they got back to the car it was still a little early and Mrs. Morgan told Natti that she would drop him off at his house first but he needed to give her the directions. As Tara and Natti piled into the back seat he thanked her and she headed to his house with him directing her. On the way, Tara was talking to her mother and to Natti at the same time, "Oh mother you should see the lovely blouse that Natti picked out. He says it's the color of my eyes and I think he is correct.

It's a U-neck and has a full collar. That will be good for him as his hair can rest on the collar and not on the blouse itself." I added that the sleeves are full and cut just past the elbows with very long cuffs that extend about halfway down the forearms. Mrs. Morgan said that it does sound attractive. Tara then added that she was getting one just like it so that we would match when we went to school on Monday.

She pulled up in front of his house and he thanked her again for giving them a ride to the mall, and for dropping him off at his house. As Natti got out Tara transferred to the front seat and told him not to tell anyone at school what we were planning on for Monday. She grabbed both of his hands and squeezed them telling him just how much fun she had this afternoon and then turned and got back into the car. As they pulled away she wave out the window and Natti returned the wave before heading into the house carrying his bag of goodies.

After they pulled away Tara’s mom asked her what she was doing taking me shopping? Tara replied that he wanted to get a blouse, but he had never been shopping before so she thought she would help. Then Mrs. Morgan continued, “Well Tara he really isn’t in your circle of friends and I was just curious, I mean it’s not every day that you take a boy shopping for women’s clothes for himself.” Tara told her mother, “Oh mom it’s just so different, and I’m getting very tired of the boys at school.

I mean they all want to posture like they are trying to be the biggest and baddest. It’s just refreshing to find a boy that doesn’t want to beat someone up, constantly bragging about himself, and well-treating me like I’m an equal. You know I don’t think there is anything wrong with boys wearing girls' clothes. I mean girls do it all the time. ”

Her mother did know that and she did have that nephew, Richard and he crossed dress, and he did go out. When he went out dressed some people could or already knew that he was a male, and strange no one cared. But they did live in Miami and this was just a suburb. In some suburbs, the only thing that told you were in Miami was that road sign just before “Fiddlers Crab-shack.” The small town was pretty much gone now, but it was better. You were exposed to different cultures and different people. Just look in the mall.

It reflects areas all around the town. She even prospered due to more people coming into the area. She and her husband’s real estate office is 4 times larger than when they started 15 years ago.

As they drove Tara continued to talk to her mother, “Mom, I would appreciate your help. I know that Dennis threatened to beat up Natti because I was taking him shopping this afternoon. That means that he considers that he has some sort of ownership of me, and at least has the right to control who I see and who I’m friends with. That is probably why none of the other boys will ask me out. I want it stopped but I don’t want anything to happen to Natti.

We are just friends but if my friendship with him gets him hurt we could be held partly responsible. I’ve had it with Dennis Hartman and I’ve made up my mind this afternoon. I’ve been thinking about it for some time now. If I tell him I don’t want to see him anymore then he might retaliate against Natti thinking he could change my mind by hurting Natti. Isn’t there anything you can do, like call Mrs. Hartman or something?”

Mrs. Morgan was just pulling into the drive and turned to her daughter thinking how well she had thought this through. She considered just how forethinking she was in looking into the future and weighing all the possibilities. “Of course, I’ll call her just as soon as we get inside. I agree with your decision about not wanting to be with just one young man”, she said as they both got out of the car and carried their packages and purses with them.

Once inside Mrs. Morgan put away her purse and Tara joined her in the kitchen. She checked for messages on the house phone and not see any picked up her cell. Tara grabbed some water out of the fridge and sat at the bar on a stool. Mrs. Morgan stood next to her and told Tara, now stay here in case I need any information on who did and said what.

She said that she didn’t know how Mrs. Hartman might respond and that she didn’t think she was very cosmopolitan. That was her catch-all for people that might not be very understanding of how the world is in this day and age.

She scrolled through her contacts and finding the correct one she pushed the green dot and waited. When someone answered she began, “Oh hello Nan, this is Olivia Morgan, Tara’s mom. I think we might have a situation that we need to address. Today at school it seems your son made some threats to a friend of Tara’s and she isn’t happy about the situation. It seems Dennis has all the students believing that Tara and he are exclusive.

Yes, I do know that they do see a lot of each other, and due to Dennis threatening the other students they won’t approach Tara. Oh, I’m not talking about girls, but Tara is a pretty girl and the only one that asks her out is Dennis. Now Tara has only just started dating this year and the only one that she has seen is Dennis. She has related to me that she thinks that Dennis may try to harm one of her new friends. Why yes it is a boy, but there is no reason that she can’t see other boys.

Also since she has relayed to me her concerns I think that they need to not see one another. Tara has also expressed her desire to not see Dennis any longer, at least for a while. Well yes, she could have told Dennis but she doesn’t think he would listen to her, and we don’t want anyone hurt due to your son’s possessive feelings toward Tara.”

Mrs. Morgan listened for a couple of minutes and continued, “Yes I agree, but I do think Tara needs to be able to see other people without them being threatened with physical violence. Why yes according to Tara like I told you Dennis threatened one of her friends.” She then listened to the other mother. It was just a few seconds, then began again, “So we don’t have to worry that her little friend won’t be hurt by Dennis or any of his friends at school?” There was another pause and she said suggested, “Fine Tara is right here and I’m going to put you on speaker.” Olivia pushed the phone screen and laid it down on the counter.

Tara spoke beginning, “Mrs. Hartman, this is Tara and I just want to be sure that Dennis or any of the crowd of boys that he runs around with will not hurt anyone that I talk to or decide to see or date. I heard from the boy that he threatened today and from 7 other people, that Dennis threatened him with physical violence.

You do know that the school does have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence.” Mrs. Hartman then said rather defensively that Dennis would never do such a thing. Tara told her that he would and he did. She then added that was why none of the other boys would even talk to her. Tara looked at her mother while still talking, saying to Mrs. Hartman I believe that Dennis has been controlling her social life by implying to other students that if they interacted with her that he would hurt them or in his words pound them.

There was a silence for a moment and then Mrs. Hartman guardedly replied that yes she had heard Dennis use those words on occasion, and then added, “Tara I want to thank you very much for bringing this to my attention. I’m sorry if Dennis has caused you any sense of worry. I’ll talk to Dennis this afternoon, and then Mr. Hartman and I will both speak with him later on this evening.” They then made their goodbyes and Mrs. Hartman ended the connection.

Tara slipped off of the stool and smiled at her mother told her thanks and leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before skipping and walking out of the room announcing that she was going to do her homework for her Sunday school class.