[Download] "Town Center (Short Story)" by Shenandoah # Book PDF Kindle ePub Free

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eBook details

• Title: Town Center (Short Story)
• Author : Shenandoah
• Release Date : January 22, 2009
• Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
• Pages : * pages
• Size : 57 KB

Description

Out of place. That was Martin Rafferty's first thought as he entered, by a side door, the shopping mall he'd visited only two or three times, though for many years he had lived just a few miles away. He did not belong here among the wandering teenagers and purposeful housewives on this ordinary afternoon, and in truth no one, at least for the first few minutes, seemed to notice him in his expensive double-breasted suit, tasteful striped tie, polished black wing-tips. Everyone else in the mall seemed so casual, clearly accustomed to the bright lights and bright colors, every window display beckoning with its gaudy arrangement of merchandise; at some of the store-fronts, sales people loitered, smiling hopefully at everyone who passed. Martin came from the side entrance into the main thoroughfare of the mall and stood for a moment, blinking. Must he really go through with this? Should he have sent his young secretary, Angela, on this errand as so many successful, middle-aged men of his type reputedly did? No one need ever know, he thought. Most important, his wife would never know. He stood there as the shoppers flowed past him in both directions, stood with his mouth clenched against the urge to flee. After a moment of this, Martin told himself to stop being ridiculous. He turned in one direction, scanned a row of stores and saw nothing he recognized, then pivoted the other way and, in the far distance, saw a familiar name. Macy's. One of the anchor stores in this mall, called Town Center, and for all he knew every mall in the Atlanta area had a Macy's, at least in the affluent northern suburbs. His wife Millicent shopped there often, he knew; Macy's sacks and gift boxes were a familiar sight in his home. Good. Macy's it would be, then. He would slip in, make his purchase, slip out again and get home by 6:00 or 6:30 with a sense of accomplishment that would fortify him through the rest of the evening. Today was his wife's birthday and, after all, her request had been so modest: a bottle of perfume. "But we really should stop exchanging gifts at birthdays, at Christmas," she'd said. "You're too busy for shopping, and neither of us needs anything...." He had smiled, nodding. Pretending to agree. So the gift would be all the more of a surprise, and, moreover, it would mean something, his trekking to Town Center Mall after a busy work day, choosing the perfume and having it gift-wrapped and bearing this small treasure home to Millicent. It would mean he was a good husband, Martin supposed. Martin Rafferty strove to be good at anything he did.

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