“What about this?” she asked.
“Well, I can’t really tell what they look like just from seeing them on the hangers…”
“Good point. I’ll try them on. Come.”
She scurried off while looking over her shoulder, expecting me to follow. When she got to the fitting rooms, I hit the brakes and positioned myself around the corner, waiting for her to come back out.
Once she reappeared, she was a sight to behold. The top she had picked out was dark red, tight-fitting and short enough to show off her naked belly. I actually smiled. This wasn’t the kind of look you’re going for if you’re trying to blend in. This was an outfit worn by someone who’s trying to attract attention.
“Very nice. Looks lovely on you.” I said, making Alisha smile before she spun around to go try on more items.
Shirts, shorts, blouses, tops, skirts and jeans – she tried on a bunch of outfits and looked amazing in every one. The things she picked out made me think about the work we had done over the past several weeks. Confidence had been the key word, the thing I had tried to build in her. I had tried to instill in her the thought that she was an attractive, confident woman. These clothes definitely seemed made to be worn by someone who fit that description. Could it be that the therapy was working?
This little shopping spree put me in a really good mood. Alisha too was beaming and held my hand, squeezing it excitedly as the cashier bagged all the stuff she’d picked, and I happily paid for the whole set.
“Hungry. Food?” she said as we walked on through the mall.
“Yep. Sub?” I replied and steered us in the direction of the delicious smell coming from one of the vendors near the aisle.
We bought a sub each and sat down in a vacant booth.
“So, how do you feel about your purchases today?” I inquired, obviously knowing the answer, but I wanted her to keep talking about how much she liked her new clothes.
“They’re awesome. I’m gonna try them on again when we get home. This blazer, by the way…”
She reached into the bag and pulled out a black blazer with a deep cut. It was really nice and fit her frame perfectly. It was also the kind of thing usually worn by adults rather than by young teens, so I thought it actually made her look a bit more grown up. She quickly slipped it on.
“I got this one because it makes me look classy, like Mom.”
“You look very much like her.” I said with a smile.
“Oh, and I also got this – you didn’t see this yet…”
She pulled out an item from the bag; a black bra with tiger-like stripes. Then, through some kind of magic trick that only women know how to do, she unbuttoned her blouse completely and took off the bra she was wearing before putting on the new one – all while sitting right there in the open where any passer-by could see her!
I mean… she was still wearing the blazer, so it’s not like she was completely naked… And we were sitting in a stall in the corner, so only people who walked past the glass partition outside the shop would actually be able to see anything. Nobody raised alarm, so I assumed nobody had seen what I had: my daughter’s naked chest underneath that open blazer, exposed for several seconds while she took off her old bra and put on the new one.