Beneath the Son-in-Law’s Shadow

Store

The soft chime of the bell above the door signaled Edgar’s entrance. The store was quiet, save for the single employee behind the counter—a young man with the name “Vihaan” pinned to his chest.

Vihaan was hunched over a notebook, scribbling something down, barely acknowledging Edgar’s arrival. When he finally looked up and saw who it was, his expression immediately soured, his gaze filled with thinly veiled disdain. Without a word, Vihaan returned to his task, acting as if Edgar were invisible.

It didn’t faze Edgar. He was used to being dismissed, ignored, or looked down upon. That kind of gaze had long since lost its sting.

Keeping his head up, Edgar walked past the disinterest, toward a sleek black bag displayed on the shelf. It was the same one he’d seen online just the other day. He remembered Devyn admiring it on the website—a perfect surprise for her birthday.

He cleared his throat and called out to Vihaan, who didn’t even bother to glance up. Edgar’s voice firmed as he tried again, but was still met with silence. Only on his third attempt did Vihaan finally look up, his irritation plain as day.

“Yes?” Vihaan said, the word flat and devoid of any customer service warmth.

Edgar gestured toward the bag. “I’d like to buy this one.”

Vihaan barely glanced at the shelf. “It’s out of stock,” he replied, his tone mechanical, as though he couldn’t care less.

Edgar frowned, taken aback. “But I checked online before coming in. It’s still listed as available.”

Vihaan’s scowl deepened. “Well, you can’t believe everything you see online,” he shot back, his voice laced with condescension. “The system hasn’t been updated yet. Sorry, but it’s out of stock.” The way he said “sorry” sounded more like an insult than an apology.

Just then, a seemingly classy woman walked into the store. Vihaan's demeanor shifted instantly; his posture straightened, and his tone became polite and attentive. "Good afternoon, ma'am," he greeted her with a warm smile, completely ignoring Edgar as if he were no longer there.

Edgar felt a surge of anger and was about to turn and leave when he noticed the woman heading straight for the black handbag he had been interested in. She examined it briefly and then looked up at Vihaan. "I'd like to purchase this handbag," she said, her voice confident.

Without missing a beat, Vihaan replied, "Of course, ma'am. This bag is in stock, and I can assist you with your purchase right away."

Edgar stopped in his tracks.

His heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to remain calm. Losing his temper here wouldn’t help, and he knew it. Instead, he stepped closer, fixing Vihaan with a cold, steady gaze.

“So, it’s not out of stock,” Edgar said, his voice low but firm.

Vihaan shrugged, still smirking. “Look, man, some things are just out of your league. No need to make a scene.” His eyes flicked briefly to the elegant woman, who was now watching the exchange with mild curiosity, then back to Edgar with condescension. "You’re not the kind of person who buys something like this. Just let it go, alright?”

Edgar’s fists clenched at his sides, the sting of blatant discrimination cutting deeper than before. He had endured enough, and he wasn’t going to let this slide.

"I want to speak to your manager," Edgar demanded, his voice firm.

At that moment, another woman emerged from the back of the store, having just come from the restroom. She had overheard Edgar and approached with a concerned smile. "What can I do for you, sir?"

It turned out the store had another employee.

Edgar pointed to the black bag he had been eyeing. "I’d like to buy this bag."

Without hesitation, she responded, "Of course, I’ll assist you right away."

Before she could proceed, Vihaan scoffed and interrupted, "He can’t pay for it, Siena. Don’t waste your time."

Vihaan’s sneer deepened as he looked Edgar up and down. "Just look at him, Siena. A cheap t-shirt, no watch—he doesn’t even have a decent accessory. Why bother?"

Siena frowned at Vihaan’s harsh words, then quickly turned to Edgar with a sincere apologetic smile. "I’m sorry you had to hear that," she said. "Please allow me to help you."

“It's your choice, don't regret it.” Vihaan shook his head in frustration and continued back to his potential customer.

Edgar handed his card to Siena with a polite nod. Siena slid the card through the reader, her fingers moving swiftly. A few seconds passed, and then the reader emitted a sharp beep, flashing an error message across the screen.

Siena’s expression shifted from neutral to apologetic. “I’m sorry, sir. It looks like the payment can’t be completed with this card. Could you please check it?”

A wave of heat crept up Edgar’s neck, his face flushing with embarrassment. He felt the weight of Siena’s gaze, though her expression remained kind. “Uh, sure, let me check again,” he stammered, taking the card back quickly, his fingers slightly trembling.

As he examined the card closely, his heart sank. The logo wasn’t his—this wasn’t his card. His mind raced, and then the realization hit him like a brick. It was Omari. His brother-in-law had done it again. This wasn’t the first time Omari had pulled this stunt, swapping Edgar’s card with his own nearly-empty one whenever he needed to pay for some reckless expense.

Normally, Edgar would grit his teeth and let it go, chalking it up to family drama. But today was different. Today, that thoughtless swap had left him standing in a luxury store, card declined, humiliated in front of Siena and anyone else paying attention. The anger simmered just beneath his skin as he forced a strained smile.

“I’m sorry about that,” Edgar said, his voice tight. “There’s been a mistake. I’ll have to handle this later.”

Vihaan, catching the commotion, couldn’t resist jumping in. With a smug grin, he sauntered over and sneered, “I knew it. He doesn’t have any money. Probably came in here just to play pretend and pull some trick to get that bag. Don’t people like him have anything better to do?”

Siena shot him a warning glance, a subtle signal to stop, but Vihaan ignored her, clearly enjoying the spectacle. His laughter echoed through the store, louder and more triumphant as he watched Edgar squirm in discomfort.

Edgar felt his stomach tighten with shame. His face flushed red as he apologized profusely to Siena. “I’m really sorry for wasting your time,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze. The weight of guilt was heavy—he hated that he had let Siena down, even though it wasn’t his fault.

“I’ll be back,” Edgar said. “And when I come back, I’m going to buy that bag. I’ll make sure you’re the one who rings it up.”

Siena, her voice soft and reassuring, gently replied, “It’s okay, Mr. Edgar. These things happen. Don’t worry about it. Take care, and maybe next time things will go smoother.”

Her kindness gave Edgar a small measure of comfort, though it did little to erase the embarrassment.

As he walked toward the door, he pretended not to hear Vihaan’s final jab: “What a shameless person! He's ruined your day, see?”