Chapter 9: Three Rings, Rented Gowns, And A Scream
"Hello, customer."
Theo was greeted warmly as he stepped into the wide, high-ceilinged store, golden light spilling down across the polished floor.
"I’m looking for rings. I’d like three, preferably below five hundred dollars."
The lady smiled, though she looked at him strangely.
"This is a department store, sir. The cheapest you can get anything here for is a thousand dollars, and those really aren’t advisable. If you tell me your budget, I could recommend these really nice engraved rings, three thousand dollars each."
She was already moving toward the glass shelf to pull out a piece when Theo stopped her.
"No, thank you. I’ll take the thousand-dollar ones."
’The least I can do for them is give them a wedding ring. I can rent wedding dresses too, then hand the landlady whatever’s left, since I owe her anyway.’
He took a deep breath.
"Please. The cheapest ones you have. Three of them."
The lady looked disappointed as she picked out three of the thousand-dollar rings and boxed them one by one. She slipped the boxes into a simple little bag and handed it over, and Theo paid, the crisp bills leaving his hand faster than he liked, and headed out.
In the same district, he stepped into a gown shop.
"Good afternoon, customer. Would you like to buy a wedding gown, or rent one?"
The space was smaller than the ring store. Gowns hung over headless mannequins, some displayed behind the glass, others standing inside the room, tended by attendants who moved between them with pins and tape.
"Rent. Three wedding gowns."
Of the ladies tending the gowns, one held a measuring tape, another was smoothing out a particular dress, and the third stood right in front of Theo. All of them paused to look at him oddly.
He chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"Actually, three of my friends are getting married. This is my gift to them."
He quickly brought out Thaleria’s phone and scrolled through her gallery. Luckily, there were pictures she’d taken of herself and her friends inside the house. He showed them, and only then did the odd looks soften.
The lady attending him said, "Going by how they look, I can guess their sizes, and then I should be able to suggest the best dresses. Please, follow me."
Theo followed her into the inner store, where a whole crowd of dressed mannequins waited, row on row, like dolled-up ladies gathered on a wide circular platform for some ball.
"This one will be nice."
She picked out an off-shoulder gown, then a half-collared one with a lacy body from the shoulders up, then one that sat modestly over the bust and flowed down like a princess’s gown.
They were perfect choices, and Theo liked them. Then came the part where the prices were named.
’I’ve already spent three thousand out of twelve thousand. These better not break my neck.’
The lady spoke with a pleasant smile.
"These are premium materials. To buy would run about seven thousand dollars. For rental, though, we could do a fair nine hundred for twenty-four hours. Go past that, and the fee climbs by a hundred for every twenty-four hours after."
Theo was silent for a moment, then said politely,
"Can’t we meet at six hundred? Please."
The lady answered, still smiling.
"I could pick something worth six hundred for you, if you’d like that?"
Theo was torn. He really liked the dresses, and they were beautiful. These ladies had never been married, had never known what it felt like to wear a dress like this. This one time they would, and whatever the circumstances behind it, he wanted to give them the best of it if he could.
He exhaled.
"Alright. I’ll pay for the three."
The attendant smiled and began packaging the dresses, folding each one down into a garment bag with a care that made them look worth every dollar.
When Theo left the shop, he had two bags in his hands, smaller ones hooked over his wrists, and one slung around his neck. That was how he made his way home, jumping from bus to bus with a wedding shop’s worth of lace balanced on his shoulders.
The neighbors in his building kept complimenting him as he walked to his room.
"Ah, you must’ve cashed out big today."
"The wardrobe change was long overdue, bro. Honestly, I was tired of seeing you in the same clothes. Was even wondering if I should hand you some of mine..."
’The hell?’
Theo could only react internally. Instead of stopping at his room, he climbed up to the landlady’s rooftop. Panting, he set the bags down on the bench outside, the lace shifting inside them as they settled.
At the sound of something dropping, the door opened, and a lady with pale blue hair stepped out.
She moved slowly, leaning against the doorframe, watching Theo like a little girl too hesitant to greet a stranger.
The moment Theo noticed her, he stood and bowed politely.
"Hello. I’m Theolyne." He scratched the back of his neck shyly. "I guess Thaleria told you about it... nice to meet you."
She just stood there, staring at him like a frightened child. Even as he tried to approach, she only stepped back, her hands drawing in tight against her chest, her shoulders folding inward.
Theo took another hesitant step forward. At that, she dropped to her knees, clutched at her hair, and screamed like a child.
"Hahhhhhhhhhnhhhhh"
Thaleria ran out and immediately hugged her.
"It’s okay, it’s okay, Sesan. It’s okay, he’s not gonna hurt you. He’s our husband-to-be."
She trembled in Thaleria’s arms for a while before she calmed and was escorted inside. After a while, Thaleria came back out to find Theo pacing the rooftop, kicking at the ground, the scream still ringing in his ears.
She watched him for a moment, and then her gaze drifted to the bench. A surprised look climbed slowly across her face.
"Theo? What are these?"
Theo hurried over to the bench.
"I sold some of my things and got a bit more money, and since this is your first marriage, I wanted to make sure you at least wore a wedding dress. You guys don’t deserve the kind of life you were handed, but there’s nothing we can do about that. We can only fill the moments we do have with our best try at happiness."
She stared at the wedding dress, then at Theo, and back again, as if she didn’t quite trust what she was seeing.
"This is... you didn’t have to do this, Theo."
Theo chuckled, scratching the back of his neck again.
"I know, right... but I couldn’t stop myself once the thought came in. It just felt like the right thing to do."
He smiled shyly and added,
"I also got the money for the church, so we can move on with the wedding as soon as you want."
Thaleria’s gaze fell to the ground, and she was silent for a moment.
"I feel so sorry. It feels like we’re robbing you of something."
Theo smiled.
"I agreed to it anyway. I’m responsible for my own decision."
Thaleria raised her head, a curious expression forming on her face.
"And why? Why did you?"
Theo’s gaze turned distant as an unpleasant memory surfaced, and he let it rise for a second before pushing it back down.
"I know what it feels like to have something ripped away from you by force. Truth is, if you’d asked me this a week ago, I probably would’ve said no. But now, being able to relate so much to that kind of helplessness, and not being able to do anything about it, sucks. You needed help. And I wanted to help you."
"And that’s why you’d throw your life away for us?"
Theo giggled.
"No, I’m not doing that. I think I’m making good use of my life, taking care of three beautiful, powerful women. I think it’s a very good decision."
Thaleria kept staring at him, then shook her head.
"I think you’re too kind."
She sighed.
"It might take a while, but I’m sure Estea and Sesan will open up to you." She glanced at the bags of dresses. "Thank you, Theo. We should do the marriage tonight, since it’s not too late. I’ll call the church. Will you get ready too?"
Theo nodded, and after a while, left the rooftop for his apartment.