Chapter 8: Little Wolf, Big Mall
1169 Words
Candy was thrilled when he took her out that day.
The trip to the nearest shopping mall was planned for the afternoon. Later, Jason noticed her nervousness as they pulled into the parking lot. It was a weekday, so the place wasn’t too crowded. Still, all the people around bothered Candy. He could tell by the way that she moved in the van’s passenger seat.
They managed to find a decent parking spot near the entrance to the mall. Jason felt she would be better off inside the mall. He didn’t want to spend much time in the lot.
In most cases, Candy would rather be outside, but this place was too confused for her. She’d been in public many times, but always controlled environments, for the most part, where she was closely watched. Out here, anything could happen.
Jason opened the door as she unbuckled herself. Candy slipped out of the passenger seat by herself. This time she even closed the door and waited in silence as Jason locked it.
Before Jason turned to face her, he felt a small hand reach out and grab his arm. He spun around to see Candy hold him tight as she watched a group of teenagers emerge from the mall. All of them were fueled by hormones and excitement. They chattered nonstop on their way to the other side of the parking lot. After a few seconds, Jason felt the grip lessen.
“Can I hold your arm until we are inside, Jason?” Candy asked him. The noise had bothered her. Would it get any better once they were inside the mall?
“Of course, Candy,” Jason told her. The rule only applied to any contact he might initiate. However, this was the first time she’d reached out and touched anyone, as far as he knew. Jason made a mental note to file it in the report he’d write later.
Candy had a sweatshirt with a hood on it. Jason had her pull the hood up as they walked through the parking lot. They received a few curious glances, but not too many. She was small, but only a few inches shorter than he. He waited until they were through the door to tell her to put the hood down. Anyone who would sneer at a mixed-race couple would be less likely to do it inside the mall.
He felt her hand drop from his arm once they were through the glass doors. For reasons he didn’t quite understand, Candy felt relaxed inside a building if group of people were involved. When she wanted solitude, it was always outside by herself. But, if there were too many people around, she would look for some place indoors.
“Oh,” is all she could say as her dark eyes lit up at the mall interior.
Candy stood in place and looked as the display of color and commerce hit her full force. This was much more of a sensory overload than any other places he’d taken her. How she responded would tailor the trip to Louisville.
She stayed close to him as they walked through the mall. Candy already knew how she had to behave, as Jason went over the rules with her on the trip to the mall. No starring at people for very long. No picking up things unless she’d first asked. In addition, never take interest in any of the children she might encounter.
The last was very difficult for her. Candy was fascinated by children and would watch TV shows about them for hours when she was allowed. TV was restricted, as the staff didn’t want to overload her with too much information. Given the choice of what to watch, it would always have something to do with children.
Jason knew where a discount-clothing store was located and walked her gently to it down the concourse. Soft music played from the audio system as people went from one store to the next. It wasn’t a very busy day, which was why he planned the trip on this particular weekday. Jason let her walk one pace in front of him so he could observe her reactions to the mall and the people in it. So far, she’d behaved better than he expected.
Candy spotted a kiosk dealer who sold men’s ties and walked over to him. Jason, curious as to what attracted her, followed close behind. She walked over to the display of silk ties and looked at each one. With concerted effort, she fought the urge and didn’t grab any of them.
“Looking for something special?” the vendor was a man who appeared to be from the Middle East. She was his only customer, so Candy got all the attention.
“Can I touch one?” she asked him.
“Of course,” he told her as the vendor brought out a rack for her to handle. Candy gripped a tie with her fingers and felt it. Jason, still watching her closely, smiled as she saw the look of pleasure in her face.
“This is very soft,” she told the vendor. “Are they all this soft?”
“Most of them,” he informed her. “I have some made of a finer grade of silk. If you would like to see one, let me know.”
“No,” she told him and returned the tie to the man. Jason could see her work to remember what she was supposed to say next.
“Thank you very much,” she told him and walked back to Jason.
“Did I do good?” Candy asked him.
“Very good,” he told her. “It’s not so hard when you work at it, is it?” Inside, he was delighted Candy had interacted with someone she’d never met and didn’t need supervision.
The trip to the clothing store was much easier. Jason showed his credentials to the manager who found them a special room for Candy to try on clothes. They’d dealt with the company before, so there was already an arrangement. The manager took them a selection of what Jason thought best for her. He ran a security chain across the back room so no one would disturb them. They lucked out, as it was a slow day. All Jason had to do was give her the clothes to try on and wait by the changing room. After an hour, they had several outfits she could wear on the street.
“No dresses?” the manager asked him as he rang up their order.
“Not for the time being,” Jason replied. Loose fitting pants were the best thing for Candy until she was better adjusted to being around groups of people.
- Writer
