Page 42 of Pure Silence

“Okay, here we go. Let’s start simple.” Goldie guided Day to a rack of flannel shirts. The colors weren’t great, but they looked like they’d be warm. “What about these?”

Day nodded immediately.

Goldie picked out a green-and-purple one, and then another in purple and black. He guessed an extra-large because of Day’s height, though certainly it would be baggy on him because he was so thin. He moved Day over to some T-shirts with graphic designs on them, and he tried to get him to pick some out.

Day just nodded at anything Goldie pointed out, and Goldie realized Day was saying yes to whatever he showed him, probably in an effort to get out of the store as quickly as possible. He gave up for now, and he took it upon himself to grab some T-shirts and a few long-sleeved shirts for Day in colors he thought might look nice on him.

If Day wasn’t going to shop for himself, then Goldie was going to take care of it.

He got Day to find the tag in the front of his jeans so he knew what size to buy him and then set about picking out some new pants. He got a pair of khakis and more jeans, and soon he wished he’d grabbed a cart for them as his arms were overflowing with the new wardrobe. He wanted to get Day some new shoes, and he realized he’d lost track of him.

Goldie turned around, finding Day had drifted toward the edge of the women’s section.

Day was staring at something pretty intently, and Goldie followed Day’s eye. He was surprised to see he was looking at a rack of women’s sweaters. They were the slouchy oversized kind that would be worn off the shoulder, and Day seemed particularly captivated by a pastel pink one.

Goldie gently tapped Day’s shoulder to get his attention. “You want one of those?” He pointed at the sweaters. “Those right there?”

Day shook his head, eyes wide and cheeks blushing as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. He scurried back around to Goldie’s side, but he stole a quick, longing glance back at the sweaters.

Goldie wasn’t sure if Day had some hang-ups over wearing women’s clothing because of his upbringing—presumably as it was a very religious one-—but that pink sweater was the only thing here that he’d seen Day show any genuine interest in. He grabbed the biggest size on the rack and added it to the pile in his arms.

Day’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, gesturing for Goldie to put it back.

“It’s for you,” Goldie said firmly.

Day shook his head again.

“Do you like it?”

Day hesitated, but he nodded.

“Then we’re getting it.”

Goldie didn’t want to give Day a chance to hang the pink sweater back up, so he decided to head to the register and check out. He’d already gotten plenty for Day, and he decided they could always come later for shoes.

The boots seemed to be working fine, though Goldie reasoned Day probably needed more wooly socks. There was a pack of three by the register—white, black, and gray—and Goldie tossed them into the pile of clothing he was buying.

He hadn’t thought to buy Day any underwear, but that was also something they could shop for later.

Day stood far away from the register while Goldie checked out, and that was probably for the best. Goldie didn’t want him to freak out when he saw how much the clothing had cost. Discount store or not, he’d gotten quite a bit for the young man, and he couldn’t wait to see Day in his new outfits.

Especially that pink sweater.

The way Day’s face lit up when he saw it seemed special, and Goldie wondered if there were other soft and pretty things Day wanted to wear. He was happy to encourage him, but he didn’t want to push him too hard just yet.

It could simply be that Day was curious and hadn’t been allowed to explore those feelings. Goldie didn’t mean to assume the worst about Day’s religious background, but he hadn’t exactly had the best times with his own religious family.

Goldie didn’t get around to doing much of anything until after he was out of high school because of his family’s crap, though they didn’t seem to care about the crazy way Goldie dressed back then. It reminded him of his wrestling career in a way—he could wear all the flamboyant and crazy nonsense he wanted, but there was no way he could show any interest in someone of the same sex.

He frowned at having just discovered a strange parallel between wrestling and conservative religion, and he decided to focus on happier things.

Like the stunned smile on Day’s face when Goldie handed him the big shopping bag full of clothing.

Goldie prepared himself for another tackle-hug, but he was rewarded instead with a soft kiss on his cheek and that was even better.

Arm in arm, they headed back outside into the cold to go to the grocery store. Day was still smiling, and the glitter of snow on his lashes made the moment seem magical. Goldie’s heart was full knowing that something as simple as some new clothes could make Day so happy, and it was humbling as Goldie was reminded again that there was so much in his life that he took for granted.

If nothing else, Goldie could learn to really appreciate just how lucky he was from Day.