After leaving a red imprint on the tall man’s shiny white shirt, Skip continues to dig his grave by accepting the man’s handkerchief to help wipe off his hand.
“I am so sorry! I forgot I had it in my hand. And now I’m using your handkerchief. I can’t stress enough how sorry I am! Please let me pay for your laundry. Or I’ll pay you to buy a new shirt.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry if that small handkerchief isn’t very helpful after I used it to wipe off my shirt.”
Skip shakes his head rapidly, “Not at all! It’s super helpful, thank you! Now I can take out my wallet to pay you.”
The tall man stops him from reaching into his back pocket. “You really don’t have to. It’s just one shirt.”
Skip's eyes droop, “I know I may not look like it, but I’m really not that poor.”
The tall man chuckles lightly, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that. This is just a plain shirt, it’s not really a big deal.”
Skip's eyes widen as they stare straight into the shirt. The thick, white collared-shirt that looked like it was made of 100% cotton. His mind struggles to comprehend. Isn’t this something people wear when golfing after having afternoon tea time in a large villa overlooking a mountain?
Skip can smell an expensive price tag a mile away. He knows this is no simple shirt.
As they head to the check out counter, Skip offers to pay for his groceries. But the man continues to decline politely. Seeing the champagne bottle and block of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese go through the barcode scanner, Skip wonders if the tall man declined his offer because he was being polite or because he knows this will put holes in Skip’s wallet.
The unnerving guilt continues to grow. On the way out, he persists on apologizing to the man and tries to negotiate a way to pay him back. “Would you like a plant instead? Everybody has become a gardener since the pandemic started.” They exit the supermarket and continue down the street.
“Do you own plants?”
“No, no. I got an earful from my sister after I killed the plotted cactus she gave me.”
The tall man chuckles. They turn the corner and enter a condominium building.
“How could you even kill a cactus? Don’t they survive in desserts and need very little care?”
They enter the elevator and the tall man pushes the 3rd button.
“Well, I guess some people have a talent for growing plants while others have a talent for killing them.”
“Hmm… people with a talent for killing plants. I think I know what they’re called.”
The elevator bell dings. Skip looks up and sees the number ‘3’. He gets off the elevator with the tall man and proceeds on asking, “What are they called? Blue thumbs?” He giggles at his own joke.
The tall man smirks under his mask. They head to the left hall.
“I’m pretty sure they’re called children.”
Skip lets out a hearty laugh.
They both reach into their pockets to find their keys.
“Honestly though, I feel like that’s a relatively accurate definition considering the kind of person I am.”
The tall man chuckles. “Actually, I was talking about myself. But it’s good to know that I’m not alone.”
They laugh. They stop walking at the end of the hall where two doors face each other. They raise their keys towards each doorknob. They halt. They turn towards each other wide-eyed.
“You live here?” They ask simultaneously.
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