“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “We’ll find you something.”
“Sure we will,” Susanna said, a glint in her eye that I found vaguely menacing. “In fact, let’s all go shopping right now.”
Dimly, I was aware that I was being made the butt of some joke, but I couldn’t imagine what it might be. That is, until I caught sight of the store Susanna and Liz were leading me to, and stopped in my tracks.
“What’s the matter, Ella?” Susanna crooned. “Afraid to corrupt your delicate sensibilities?”
The store in front of us was called See You LateXXX, and hosted a number of scantily clad mannequins in the window. I realized I was gaping, and forced myself to close my mouth. “I didn’t expect . . .” I began, then caught sight of Susanna and Liz’s delighted faces. I didn’t want to give them more reason to think of me as a prude. “It’s fine,” I said. “Should we go in?”
Inside, I had a hard time finding a safe place to rest my eyes. It seemed like wherever I looked, there was a penis, either in the form of a dildo or a decorative balloon. I felt lightheaded.
A bored-looking girl with hot pink hair barely glanced at us as we walked in. “Let me know if you have any questions,” she intoned. Susanna and Liz ignored her.
“Come on,” Susanna demanded, grabbing me by the arm and marching deeper into the store toward a rack of costumes. Immediately, to my shock, she and Liz began to undress, right there in the middle of the store. I looked around, expecting the girl at the counter to tell them to knock it off, but she didn’t give us a second look. The handful of other customers in the store stared, and Susanna and Liz preened, aware that all eyes were on them. They each squeezed into impossibly tight, cheap-looking dresses, exclaiming over their own reflections as they struck various poses.
Finally, they turned to me. “Well?” Liz said. “Aren’t you going to pick something?”
Desperately, I cast my eyes around for something—anything—I could bear to put on. There was no way I could wear anything like the dresses my bandmates were wearing. Finally, my eye fell on a black catsuit. Perfect. At least everything would be covered. Quickly, I grabbed it off the rack. “I’ll be right back,” I mumbled, and Susanna and Liz’s gleeful laughter followed me into the dressing room.
It was a struggle to get into the catsuit, but eventually I managed it. Doubtfully, I surveyed my reflection in the mirror. In the back of my mind lurked the thought that I was extremely grateful my father couldn’t see me now. What would he say if he could? Probably I told you so. I was beginning to think that he was right, that I wasn’t as ready to go out on my own as I’d previously thought.
With a shock, I noticed that the catsuit had a zipper in the crotch. Heat flooded my face as I realized the probable purpose. There was no way I could ever wear this in public, not in a million years.
“Well? Are you going to come out, or what?” Susanna’s voice disrupted the haze of misery I was caught in.
“I don’t . . . think this is right,” I said. “I’m going to look for something else.” Before I could start the laborious process of undressing, Susanna and Liz forced themselves in.
“Don’t be such a priss,” Susanna said. She and Liz grabbed me by the hands and pulled me out into the store. The plastic encasing my legs rubbed uncomfortably against itself, creating an unpleasant squeaking sound.
A gleeful grin danced across Susanna’s face as she regarded me. “Is that . . .?” She stepped toward me, pulling a hood that I hadn’t noticed over the top of my head. A hood that zipped closed in the front. “It is!” she shrieked, drawing stares. “It’s a gimp suit!”
Liz doubled over in laughter, and I felt my face flame. I wasn’t quite sure what a gimp suit was, but I knew enough from their reaction to be embarrassed. Turning, I fled back into the dressing room. In my haste to free myself, I banged my elbow hard against the wall. Tears sprung to my eyes, and I quickly dashed them away.
Finally back in my own, safe clothes, I emerged from the dressing room. Susanna and Liz were still snickering amongst themselves, and I pretended not to notice. “I don’t think there’s anything here for me,” I said, trying to force my voice to sound as casual as possible. “I think I’m just going to . . . walk around. Explore a little.”
Liz, at least, had the good grace to look a little abashed. “Are you sure?” she asked. I nodded.
“I’ve never been to DC before,” I said. “I should check it out while I have the chance.” With that, I fled from the store, not slowing until I judged myself to be a safe distance away.