A Simple Life: Chapter 77 (Patreon)

I am not sure how long I am standing there when I hear a quiet shuffle behind me.  Looking back I see Winona leaning with her back against the wall about twenty feet away, cleaning her glasses as casual as could be.  I don’t know how long she’d been standing there waiting for me but clearly at least a couple of minutes.

When she notices me notice her she slips her glasses on and asks.  “You cool Sprout?”

I approach her, my head bowed.  “I-I’m sorry.”

She smiles.  “You don’t need to keep apologizing.  You didn’t do anything wrong.”  With a soft stroke of my hair she leans closer.  “Better now?”

I nod.  “That was…a lot.  I-I don’t do well with crowds.”

“And here I was hamming it up like an attention whore.”

“No!  I l-loved it!”  I giggle.  “It was so funny.  You d-didn’t do anything wrong either.  I just…I just need to get b-better at that.”

“No hurry.”  Her hand finds its way to rub my shoulder.  “Still coming up to the shop with us?”

“I’d like to.”  I say.

“But?”

“But…I’m going to need some time alone.”  I whisper.  “I-I-It’s not that I don’t like being with you!”

“It’s cool Sprout.  I get it.  Russel needs his recharge time too.”  She says.  “How about this.  Come up with us then take a hike up the hill.  Take all the time you need.  You said you were going to scout around for good shots.  That was quick thinking by the way.”

“Yeah!  I-I’d like that.”

“Well alright then.  Let’s go.”

Winona takes my hand and holds it tightly before leading me back to the truck.  She didn’t care who saw us hand-in-hand.  More precisely, she was proud to be seen with me.  And boy oh boy was I proud to be seen with her!  My head up, my shoulders square, I walk beside her like a preening pure bred being lead down the aisle for best in show.  Winona looks over at me and look back, and we both laugh.

“Wanna drive?”  She asks as we approach the truck.

“Um, I c-can’t drive manual.”

“We’ll have to fix that.”  She leaves me at the passenger door then hurries around and unlocks the truck.  We hop in and soon are on our way.  “I just gotta stop off and pick up some cleaning supplies at the hardware store.”

“Oh!  Um.  W-We’ve got a big sale on right now, if you don’t mind the store brand.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mm hm.”  I nod.  “Plus the hardware store’s not open for another hour.”

She shrugs.  “Sounds good.”

We drive to my work and easily find a spot in the nearly empty lot.  The store had only opened fifteen minutes ago so it was mostly just the early bird gray hairs.  I thought I might actually pop with happiness as I enter the store and notice the heads of my coworkers turn at our entrance.  Winona grabs a basket and we start for the cleaning aisle.

“Avery.  You don’t work today.”

I look to see the manager approaching.  “Hi B-Brenda.  I’m j-just shopping.”

“Oh.  Usually never see you in here on your days off.”  She turns to Winona.

“Um, th-this is m-my…um…”

“Girlfriend.”  Winona steps forward and offers a hand.  The pair of them shake.  “Nice to meet ya Brenda.”

“Girlfriend.”  I whisper with a smile.

“Avery!”  Brenda laughs.  “You’ve been keeping secrets.”

“Yeah.”  I giggle.

“This guy, always so quiet.  Well you look after this guy, huh?”  Brenda steps back, hands on her hips as she looks back and forth between us looking genuinely happy for me.  “I don’t know what I’d do around here without him.”

“He’s in good hands.”  Winona says.

After a bit more friendly chit-chat we carry on and pick up a general cleaner and one another for the washroom along with some heavy duty paper towels, rags, and a couple of scrubbing pads.  As we peruse the options I occasionally catch my coworkers sneaking peeks down the aisle, probably in disbelief that I’d gotten such a great girl.  They weren’t alone.  Just being with Winona, watching her go about the most ordinary things, I am in awe of her effortless coolness and beauty.

We are coming back down the next aisle over when a shampoo catches Winona’s eye.  As she looks over the hair product my gaze was locked on something else.  Something across the aisle.  Something I’d stocked just recently.  Something that stirred inside of me a deep shame…but also a fascination that even after all this time I could not shake.  I had been teased mercilessly about them for years and yet…and yet…  I look left.  I look right.  When I see nobody looking I tug at Winona’s sleeve.

“Daddy?”  I whisper.

This gets Winona’s attention in a heartbeat!  Forgetting all about shampoo her head snaps my way as an approving smile grows.  “What is it baby girl?”  She asks, keeping her voice low so as not to embarrass me with my pet name.

“Um.”  I had no sooner gathered my gumption when it was evaporating again.  “Um…”

“Go ahead.”  She touches my arm.  “What is it?”

“Um.”  I point at the nylons across the aisle.  With my cheeks burning and my voice so quiet as to barely be audible I ask. “C-C-Can y-you…b-buy me…um…”

“Of course!”  She turns and starts to look over the rows and columns of pantyhose.  “Of course.”  Setting down the basket she slides an arm around my shoulder and pulls her close to her side, almost like she was protecting me.  Even if she wasn’t I sure felt protected.

Pressing in tight to her side I whisper.  “I w-w-want the sheer ones.  On the bottom row.”  How many times had I held those exact hose in my hands trying to gather the courage to buy them?  Too many to count.  And every time my courage had failed me.

“Mmm, very nice.”  She gets down to a knee and looks at my choice.  “What’s your size my girl?”

“I…”  Again I glance left and right, my heart pounding fast.  With nobody looking I allow my voice to go a little higher and softer.  “I d-don’t know.”

She gives me a look.  “With that waist?  I think you’re a small.”

I let out a little gasp as she pulls a package from the hook and tosses it in the basket.  This was really happening!  My very own nylons!

“Ooo, these white stockings are cute.”  She grabs another package and tosses it in with the first.  I giggle and sort of shuffle in place with contained excitement.  “You’ve got some sheer and some white, might as well throw a black one in here.  How about a pattern?  You want hearts or dots?”

“He he he!  Um, d-dots please.  Dots.”

A third set is added to the rest.  Winona stands and picks up the basket and turns to face me.  With a smile that touched my heart she reaches up and gently touches my jaw.  “Anything else?”

“No.”  I shake my head.  “Th-Thank you, D-Daddy.”

“Anytime baby girl.”  She gives me a single tender kiss.  “Anytime at all.”

Fawning over her more than ever I follow her to checkout barely looking at anything else but her.  From habit, and just to be helpful, I bag as the cashier rings the stuff through.  The nylons are put through as easy as could be.  They were simply nylons after all.  Something we sold everyday.  But to me the purchase was monumental.  I hide my giddiness as best as I can as I slip the items into the bag.  Ohhhh, what would they feel like on my skin!?

Winona makes the purchase and soon we are heading for the door.

“Hey!  Enjoy your day off Avery.”

“Thank you Brenda!  I will!”

Chapter 78