Chapter 9 - Shame And Embarrassment.

In the boutique once again Vincent was greeted with condescending eyes. He could not only see it, he could also feel it; deep resentment resting in the heart of the staff as they saw him strolling behind Marie.

"Hey, who let you in here?" One internal security guard hallowed in a thunderous tone at Vincent who paused like a man frozen in time. 

"He's with me." Marie said, touching Vincent by the shoulder. A mere touch from her was enough to make him melt inside. 

"But Madame, look at his dressing. He looks like a street urchin. Why would you let him here?" The security guard's eyes were still focused on Vincent.

"Because this is a boutique and I can bring anyone I want inside here," she said, her tone like a fiery sword made from the coldness of ice.

"No, you don't—”

"If you have further complaints you should take it up with my mother."

The security guard kept quite and decided to leave, but he gave one look at Vincent that made his blood freeze. 

Vincent has decided in his mind that apart from old men, security guards were now one of his new genre of men to fear and be uncomfortable with. In the past few days, he has been maltreated and insulted by not just one, not two, but several security guards. 

"If I am harassed by anymore security guards today, I swear I am going to die." He jokes aloud, making Marie giggle.

"Wow, I wonder just how much problems you've gotten yourself into to be this skeptical and wary of them." She said to him, her eyes were as green as every garden he had seen, and as he looked at it, he imagined that somewhere there a flower might just pop out and he would not be surprised. She was that beautiful.

"Oh,” he immediately snapped out of his beauty induced trance. "Quite a lot to tell that I don't like security guard."

She giggled once more. Her laughter was music to his ears. He could listen to it all day.

"Well, don't worry about any of that for now. This is my mom's boutique. The staff will do anything I tell them to just as long as you don't cause any trouble and get what you intend to get."

"Of course I will not.” He said crossing his heart with one hand. 

"Okay, I am afraid I have to go now, Vincent," she said. "I intend to go see my mom. She is usually copped up in her office somewhere at the highest floor and probably would stay there and starve if I do not get her something to eat. She is such a workaholic." 

"Fare well then," he said.

She extended her hand to him as a gesture. He held it, looking at her eyes and kissing it. She giggled once more. The scene caused the workers around them to look at Vincent with so much scorn. 

She walked away in a slow and soft fashion, turning back every now and then to spare a look at the tall handsome but almost rag wearing man she had brought in her mom's boutique.

Vincent was sure that he was inlove. His heart beat so fast that he thought that he might die if it continued to do so. This was different from what he felt when he was with Rory. In his life, he could count the number of girls that have treated him good irrespective of his class and how he dressed, and they would surely round up at two. Only her and another girl from six to seven years ago when he was in High school.

He could have stayed there staring at the space that she had left just before him, but all of a sudden he was reminded that he was at a boutique that he wouldn't have been let in if it was not for a girl when the voice of a staff blasted far Into his ears.

"Get out of the way urchin!" The staff said, wheeling past him with a cart.

"Oh, sorry," he said in a rushed tone.

"Say sorry to yourself."

Well that was it; one minute he was being treated like a prince by a woman whom he could easily refer to as some fairy-like princess, the next moment he was being treated as trash again. That was the cycle of his life now, and he really couldn't complain. He had learnt to live with it. 

He moved on with his life towards rows of clothes and other items one is sure to find in a boutique. His eyes danced around the place. There were just so much he could buy, and the most exciting thing about it, was that he had the money for it. 

He went on a shopping spree, taking everything that caught his eyes, putting them on his cart, and repeating the cycle in every row of goods he went to till he was finally satisfied.

He took it to the counter. The attendant looked at him as well with terrifying glares, but that he was so used to now that he did not let it bother him.

"Okay sir, the entire cost of your goods rounds up to 250,000 dollars" the cashier said, staring at him blankly, waiting to see where he would bring the money from.

He dipped his hands into his pocket to bring out the premium card that was afforded to him and did not find it, prompting the cashier to look at him questionably with her eyebrows raised. He checked his other pocket and winded up with the same results.

"I am sorry, I can't seem to find my card." He said, staring back at the cashier.

"What! What do you mean by that?" She thundered at him.

"I cannot find—"

"Shut up! Does this place look like your regular garrage sale to you? How on earth can you come here, looking so dirty, take for yourself a number of items that you know you cannot afford, just to make a joke? Or were you going to steal them? Tell me, you disgusting piece of shit before I call the security!" 

He knew this time he really had messed up. He really had forgotten to take the card with him and wondered how he could get out of this particular mess.

The voice of the cashier was heard by Marie who walked up to them, wondering what might be going on especially when she saw that Vincent was involved.

"What's going on?" She asked in a soft tone.

"Can you imagine that this urchin had the guts to come here, taking stuff with no means of payment?" 

"Vincent!" Marie exclaimed, surprised. "Is this true?"

He did not say a word and even refused to look her in the eye. He had truly embarrassed himself in front of everyone plus her.

"Okay," she said with her voice hushed and her words concise. "I would pay for this. Just make sure it does not happen again. I do not want my mom to know about this."

The cashier stared at Vincent with disgust, thinking about how his plan had worked as Marie paid for him.