I was lost as a goose when it came to picking out a pair of high heel shoes that would match the gown I'd picked out. Thankfully my aunt was there to help. It took her just under fifteen minutes to pick out a pair of coral pink shoes that went well with the dress. And as kind of an after thought she tossed in a pair of pink flip-flops. Once those two items were in hand, we made our way to one of the checker stands. The sales woman, a woman who seemed to be in her mid fifties, a woman who had salt and pepper colored hair just smiled and scanned each item. My eyes almost popped out of my head as I saw how much each item cost.

“Okay.” She said, still smiling. No doubt she gets paid a commission. “Your grand total comes to three hundred dollars and fifty three cents.” She said as her nimble fingers glided across the keyboard. “Would that be cash, debit, credit or would you be putting it on your store card today?” She asked.

A soft, low whistling sound escaped my lips as I peered toward my aunt who just shrugged her shoulders. Smiling a little she removed her purse straps from her shoulder and placed her fire red purse down upon the provided table. She unzipped the purse and reached in and pulled out her black leather wallet. A few seconds later she was pulling out a small, plastic card that was gold in color.

“Like I said, girl. Sixteen birthdays.” She said smiling. “That's only the first four. I still gotta make up for twelve more.” She added, still smiling. The sales woman raised an eyebrow. I'm sure she wanted to say something. Instead she said nothing and with her nimble fingers she entered the information that had been printed on the front of the card before flipping it over and entering the information that had been imprinted on the back. After a few tense minutes a paper receipt that seemed a mile long came zooming out of the small black printer that was located right beside the computer. The sales woman tore the paper out and handed it to my aunt.

“Thank you two lovely ladies for shopping with us today. Here is your receipt.” She said as she placed the items in a big plastic band and handed the items to me. “Have a nice evening and please come back to see us.”

“Thank you.” I said smiling as I reached out and took the bag from the sales woman. A few minutes later Aunt Cat and I were walking back down the concourse of the mall. With each step I took, the more I noticed that for a small, rustic mall located in the heart of the Delta. The mall sure seemed to be teeming with life. As we walked we passed Diamond Jim's Arcade which I'm going to assume is the last of a dying breed. Then we passed a Books a Billion, a chain of small, discount regional bookstores that always seem to find a home in the small, rustic malls of America. I was tempted to step in and ask the sales clerk to see if they had a copy of Chronicles of Sea Breeze in stock. Chronicles of Sea Breeze was an Isakai inspired novella that had been written by my cousin. Who I'm told was like me, I also heard she was working on a sequel called Chronicles of Sea Breeze: The Battle of Sand Hill. And a spin off called Chronicles of Sea Breeze: Side Stories.

“Hey Aunt Cat.” I said pointing toward the bookstore. “Do you think we have enough time to swing inside that book store and see if they have a copy of Chronicles of Sea Breeze in stock?” I asked as I pointed toward the bookstore.

“Honey.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “We are already pressed for time. I don't think we have time to pop into that bookstore and look for that book. We still need to get you fitted for a brat.” Aunt Cat paused and then she rolled her eyes. “Then again I suppose if you hurry we can squeeze everything in.”

“I'll be right back!” I said as I dashed in. I was lucky. I'd managed to snag the last copy they had. The total for the book came to twenty two dollars and thirty seven cents. I paid in cash and rushed out with my new book and smiled as I jumped in front of Aunt Cat who looked like she wanted to box my ears.

“That only took fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes we don't have.” She said as she reached down and pulled me down the mall. I wanted to say something but Aunt Cat seemed to be in one of her rare foul moods. She often became snappy when she was hungry. And judging by the way she was acting she must have been famished. A few minutes later she was pulling into a very old looking Victorian Secrets one that looked like it had seen better days.

“Good evening ladies.” A kind saleswoman said as we entered the shop. “How may I help you?”

“My niece is kind of a late bloomer.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “And she volunteered for our town's dunking booth. And her bikini kind of flat on her. I was wondering if you might have some breast forms or something. And she needs a bra too. Three matching bra and panty sets.” Aunt Cat said. In a very brusque tone of voice.

“Oh okay!” The saleswoman blinked as she peered toward me and my Aunt Cat. “Is there a price range we should say in?” She asked.

“We don't want to spend too much. Because according to her doctor she might bloom soon. She is just a late bloomer. Something that looks real, feels real and can get wet.” Aunt Cat stated.

“Okay..” The saleswoman then shifted her attention away from Aunt Cat and toward me.

I blinked and blinked again.

Thirty three minutes later I was the proud owner of four bras, one was white, one was pink, one was red and the last one was yellow and four matching panties. I also had some breast foams that would give me a solid ' C ' Cup bust. It was then I reminded Aunt Cat I needed another outfit for my dinner date with the Stoners. Aunt Cat blinked and sighed and dragged me back to Belk's.

This time she handled the dress, I could tell hunger was starting to gnaw on her like a hungry dog gnaws on a bone. It was scary how well she knew my size, without saying a word she picked out a flattering cocktail dress that was black in color and added some black heels. And a pair of black stockings.

“Were going semi-formal here because I want that bitch to see you as a woman and not a confused little boy dressing like a woman.” She said with a grin. “Also I know you’re sweet on her son. So I'm going to clue you in on something girl. Boys love a girl in a little black dress. This dress is semi-formal, but it's also short enough to be a bit risque and a bit flirty. Add in heels and you will have that boy eating out of the palm of your hand.” She said grinning. “And when I get done styling your hair and doing your make-up. George Stoner will be following behind you like a love sick puppy and that fox of a mom of his will be catching flies in her open mouth.”

I blinked and blinked again. Unsure what to say.

“Just be sure to use a condom your first time.”

I blinked and blinked again. Very unsure what to say.

“Aunt Cat.” I said, taking a deep breath.

“Oh come off it girl. I've seen the way you look at George Stoner. And you're young, you can afford to flirt and have fun. In fact I want you to flirt and have fun with all the Delta boys. Just be sure he uses a condom before he slips it into you.” Aunt Cat said, smirking.

I felt my cheeks turn a beat red. I could not believe we were having this conversation here and now. I mean I expected to have this conversation at some point in time. I was beyond shocked that Aunt Cat would bring this subject up now, and in public of all places!

“Anyway we'll talk more over dinner.” Aunt Cat said with a small smile as she reached up and pulled me toward the nearest cash register. The woman behind the stand was the same woman from before.

“Back again I see.” Her eyes then traveled toward the pile of clothing that Aunt Cat held in her hand. “More shopping?” She asked as she started to ring the items up.

“Yes, we forgot a few things..” Aunt Cat's eyes then went wide as saucer plates as she snapped her fingers together. “Could you throw in a basic make-up kit too? Just something simple. My niece is just starting to experiment with make-up and she is still quite the novice.”

“Sure..” The saleswoman said a little taken back at the request. “We have several kits already put together. Should I keep it within a certain price range?” She asked as she scanned each item.

“Just the basic kit, nothing too fancy, just something that contains the most basic of items.” Aunt Cat said with a shrug of her shoulders.

The woman nodded her head and smiled and then she did something that totally surprised me, she stepped away from the check stand and walked toward the make-up counter. She returned a few moments later with a brown, leather case. She smiled and scanned the barcode. A seconds later the total popped up on the screen. “Okay your total is one hundred and sixty five dollars and eighteen cents.”

Once more aunt Cat paid for everything using uncle Sidney credit card. A few moments later a paper receipt was handed to me along with two large shopping bags. Aunt Cat smiled and whistled a little tune as she then led me out of Belks.

“All in all.” She said as she made our way toward the Piccadilly that was located at the front of the mall. For those who don't know. Piccadilly is a cafeteria that is known for serving southern favorites. They are best known for their fried chicken, a stable at any southern table. It also seemed it was the only place in the mall that served hot food. The Greenville mall, being a rustic mall, lacked a food court.

“All in all what?” I asked as I peered toward Aunt Cat.

“All in all its been a good day.”

And I had to agree with her. It had really been a good day. Well to wrap this chapter up. Aunt Cat and I had a lovely dinner. She got the chopped steak with french style green beans and mashed potatoes that seemed to be drowned in gravy. And I got the chicken tender meal, that included five huge chicken tenders that had been breaded and fried to southern perfection. My sides included a side of collar greens and black eye peas. And around four, homemade yeast rolls. We both had tea to drink, sweetened of course. A peaceful silence had fallen between Aunt Cat and I and it lasted till we were halfway through our dinner.

“Hailey.” Aunt Cat said, taking a deep breath. “I didn't mean to embarrass you earlier with our little talk. But as a woman you need to know these things. Just because you can't get pregnant does not mean you can't practice safe sex.”

“Right.” I said, flushing a little.

“Plus with you being a special kind of girl. You need to be extra careful.” Aunt Cat as she finished off her sweet tea.

“Can we please talk about something else!” I said with a little too much pepper. And that is how this chapter comes to an end. Aunt Cat and I finished our dinner and she let me drive back home. Though as I drove us home. I started to wonder about the text that woman was sending and about Roy Percy warning. Something at the back of my mind was telling me that Lavender Stoner was cunning as a fox and had powerful allies. And also part of me wanted to know why my heart had settled on her son. The same boy who had bullied me in my youth. Of course the course of true love never ran straight as the old country song would say.