Shoeshopper part 1

Part 1:

Estella is going shoe shopping with a friend. She doesn’t like it because the last time she went to a store the shoe sales lady kept looking at her weirdly while she couldn’t get the shoes on. Her paraplegic body causes things to not be the same as other women. Her friend was planning to go and invited her out. ‘I will help you’ she said. ‘So you don’t have to be embarrassed.’

Fine Estella thought to herself. Let’s just try it again. Her friend picked her up at her house and the drove to a big city with a lot of stores. Her friend is a tall woman who is pretty strong and fit. Most men are a bit intimated by her so they usually stay out of the way when they are together. They parked the car in a parking garage underneath a big shopping mall. Her friend takes Estellas wheelchair out the car and prepares it for Estella to make a transfer to. Estella drags her legs out the car with her feet close to The footplate of her wheelchair and makes a transfer. Her friend noticed her skirt wasn’t properly covering her butt so she says something about it. Estella panicked slightly and looks around in the parking lot if nobody is looking. She tried to pull the fabric of the skirt to where it should be but doing it seated down makes it hard. Her friend offers to help.Estella pushes herself up and her friend bends over her and pulls the fabric of the skirt behind her butt with both hands. ‘I got your back’ her friend says. And she takes her handbag out the car and closes the doors. The two ladies move to the elevator of the parking garage and Estella pushes the button of the elevator. A few seconds later the door opens and a man is standing in it.

As the elevators is spacious enough estella and her friend join the man. ‘Hello’ he says and Estella says ‘I hope you don’t mind’. Her friend adds ‘ ofcourse not, there is enough space here’. The man smiles and puts his mask on. ‘I forgot my mask in the car’ her friend says. The elevator arrives on the 3rd floor. The door opens and Estella rolls out, the man follows and her friend says ‘ I will be right back, wait here’. Estella rolls towards a bench close to the elevator to not draw too much attention when she stand in the mall by herself. She takes a mask out of her bag and quickly puts it on. The man who was with her in the elevator has walked into a store and 2 minutes later he comes out holding a few bags. 

He spots Estella and the benches and walks towards her. She notice him smiling with his eyes. ‘You are the world’s quickest shopper’ referring to the many bags he is holding. He sits downs on a bench and laughs. ‘My wife and daughter are shopping, I’m just here as a bag holder’ he says. Estella giggles. He knows he friend is a few floors doen at the car. He says ‘and you ladies are here for a shopping day?’ And she says ‘no, I hate shopping but I need shoes. My friend dragged me here’. ‘That sucks, so we’re both not here for fun’ he says. ‘I’m just going into one store, fit shoes and be out of here. Estella says and points towards the shoe store in the corner of the mall. Her phone vibrates between her legs, where she puts her phone. She takes it out and picks up. Her friend says she run into an old boyfriend and suggests Estella to start looking into the shoe store. ‘ I Will but don’t take too long! She replies and hangs up. ‘My friend is taking a bit longer so I’m on my own for now’ she says to the man. His friendly eyes seem to understand her friend isn’t coming back soon. Estella checks her purse and drops a pack of bubble gum. He reaches it for her and their hands touch as she reaches out for it too. He grabs it and gives it back. He notices her hands and toe nails are the same red color. ‘you can lovely hands’ he says. And her cheeks turn a bit red. ‘thanks. Well I’m not waiting for my friend anymore so I’m going to fit some shoes by myself’ she says lightly irritated. ‘Do you need help?’ He replies. ‘That’s the reason My friend was here with me’ she says. The man stands up and takes all the bags with him. ‘Good luck, I’m taking these bags down to my car, if I see your friend I will tell her to come and help you’ he says. ‘That’s kind, thank you, good luck with holding bags today’ she replies.

The man walks towards the elevator and Estella rolls towards the store.

The man watches the time on his wrist while struggling holding all the bags. On floor -2 he gets out and walks to his car. He opens it and puts the bags in the trunk. As he closes the car, the notices a woman and a men in the car next to his. On the backseat he sees the woman making up and down movements in the men’s crotch. He quickly looks away and looks around if nobody is walking by. The parking garage seems empty of people and just filled with cars. The walks towards the car and knocks on the window. The two people inside panic and the man covers his crotch with his hands as the woman looks up. Through the window they see a man standing and 20 seconds long nobody moves. The woman is Estellas friend the man knows for sure now. She opens the window while fixing her bra strap and pull the hair out of her face. ‘What do you want!’ Estellas friend says very irritated. ‘I notice a bag here on the floor, is it yours?’ He bends over, picks up the bag and brings it up to the window. ‘Yes, that’s mine, pervert, now go!’ She grabs the bag out of his hands and she closes the window. The man walks away to the elevator. 

He goes back to the 3rd floor and doubts a bit on what he should do. He found himself in a weird situation. He notices his wife and daughter are waving and he walks towards them. ‘Where are the bags dad?’ His daughter aks him. ‘ in the car sweety ’he replies. His wife suggests the go to the 4rd floor and try to find lingerie. ‘why don’t you go to the movies or go shoe shopping for yourself’ His wife says. ‘Don’t worry about me, you go, I will meet you in two hours here at Starbucks.’ He replies. His wife and daughter get in the elevator and he walks towards the shoe store. He walks in and a shoe sales lady is asking if he is looking for something. He realizes he is. ‘I’m looking for a girl in a wheelchair, have you seen here?’ He replies. ‘Yes, she is upstairs, she is trying on shoes sir, the elevator is in the left corner of the store’ she points out. He thanks her and walks to the elevator. He doesn’t know what he is doing but it feels like a rush. He gets out on the next floor and sees The girl in the wheelchair nowhere.

He walks around and notices a handbag he saw before on a sofa next to the fitting room. The whole floor is empty of people. ‘Hello?’ He says and he hears someone struggling behind the curtain of one of the dressing-rooms. Estellas face pops up behind from the curtain. ‘Oh hello, wait minute’ she replies.