Reluctant Shopping

[Gita]

I have let Marti convince me this is a good idea, and so she leads me through aisles of women’s clothing in a store the size of a cow pasture. I am unable to focus on any one thing because so many other things are vying for my attention, as if skirts or pants could clamor.

I am no good at shopping -- a traitor to my gender, I suppose -- but I try to act normal, and I mimic the expressions of other shoppers: thoughtful, eager, decisive or blasé.

I escape into a circular rack of dresses, pressing my way to the interior where they form a cave around me, and I inhale the scents left behind by other shoppers who have tried them on.

I rub my face lightly against the fabrics, some silky, others cottony, discerning faint musky traces of perspiration, vanilla, and Obsession.

I only emerge (feeling a little turned on) when I hear Marti calling my name, and I let myself be led to our next destination, a hideous, phobia-inducing shoe emporium.

[Mike Handley]

Excellent, my dear. Not a wasted word or phrase. Jamie nailed it. This could well be the perfect six.

[Teresa]

Levi is right, "Your senses and sensibilities hum..." I enjoyed how you made this such a sensual experience and for giving me new ideas. Rack hiding sounds like as much fun now as it was when I was a kid. This is well-written...of course.

[Jamie Hogan]

I think if I were teaching a class on what it means to create a scene - character, environment, motivations, senses, innuendo, and the rest of it - I would put this in front of the students, give them two minutes to read it, and then simply ask if there are any questions.

[Gita]

Thanks all and especially to BRITTANY for telling me she's a rack-hider, too.

[Brittany]

I started hiding in the center of racks at an early age, and quite honestly never stopped! This is indeed delicious and arousing as Bill said.
The size of a cow pasture was PERFECT!

[Stephen Torelli]

It's the season, but what a tough task it is to shop.

[Bill Floyd]

Ah, you made something delicious (and arousing) out of what is to me one of life's most irritating errands. Only during Christmas season do I engage in any serious shopping (outside of the CD or book store) so I always try to notice the other people & put some life into the merchandise. With any luck I come up with something as good as this.

[Cath Barton]

I smell them... Enjoyed that Gita

[Sandra Davies]

Now that would turn me off -as would the whole shopping experience, the rest of which I thoroughly identify with - thank god for on-line shopping!
I liked 'store the size of a cow pasture' - in fact the whole of the first sentence was superb.

[Michael Brown]

Loved the little parenthetical remark. Only you, my love, would think of including that one. The whole piece with all its sensations is marvelous.
You are just getting too good at this.