Salvation by Aeon Igni Read Free Book Online

heart and I wished I could wrap my arms around him, comforting him as his kindness had comforted me.

Chapter 8
     
    After I returned to work, l ife went back to normal. I briefly wondered what the captain had done without me, because it always seemed as though there were piles of translation documents to do.
    True to his word, the week after I got back on my feet the captain told me we would go shopping at the next port.
    I was nervous about stepping off the ship, but even more nervous about going shopping with the captain. With all of the good food I'd been eating, it was getting harder for me to hide my curves as it was. I bound myself with two bindings just to be on the safe side.
    The captain, Jeremiah , and I all climbed in to a jeep-like four-wheel transport. This was the first time I had seen it, and it reminded me of how large the cargo bay actually was. I wondered briefly what other things might be hidden there.
    The captain drove us a short way to a street lined with small wooden buildings. It reminded me of the movies I'd seen about the Wild West. The street wasn't terribly busy, and there weren't any more motorized transports besides ours.
    T he captain drove slowly to avoid hitting people, who walked in the street as if unafraid that any vehicles would be coming through. I noticed that their clothing was more modern than the Wild West clothing I had seen in the movies, especially for the women. Many wore pants or knee length skirts, and not a single one was carrying a parasol.
    Finally, the captain stopped in front of a building where the sign read : Silver Linings - Clothes for Birth, Death, and Everything In-Between.
    "All right, Simmons," the captain said , clapping a hand on my shoulder. "This is the best damn tailor on this side of the galaxy. He will take care of everything you need."
    The tailor beamed and then eyed my small frame as he led us to the back of the store. I gawked because it looked as though we had stepped into a different world.
    The fabrics at the front of the store had all been simple cottons, wools, and linens like the townspeople were wearing. But the fabrics here were some of the finest I had ever seen. Two walls were covered floor to ceiling with brightly colored and lacy fabrics that I knew were for women's dresses, although I had never owned anything so fine. I felt a brief pang in my chest as I looked at them.
    The captain and Jeremiah both laughed as they watched me gawking at the women's clothing, and even the corner's of the tailor's mouth turned up.
    "If you want to cut a swell with the ladies, lad, we're going to need to make you some better clothes than that getup you've got on." The tailor pointed to a round step in the center of the room. "All right, Simmons, is it? Strip."
    "What?" I gasped.
    "Take off your clothes, boy," he said impatiently. "I need to get you measured up."
    "You-you can't do that through my clothes?"
    The captain's brows furrowed. "There's no need for modesty here, Simmons. No one can see you but us."
    "I have a skin condition. I don't want to take off my clothes in front of anyone."
    "Good grief, Simmons, do you have to be a pain in the ass about everything?" The captain sounded thoroughly exasperated. "All right, I'm through with this. I'm going to get a beer with Jeremiah right next door." He looked at me pointedly. "Don't go anywhere, we'll be back for you." He looked at the tailor and said, "Just do what you can and keep an eye on him."
    He turned swiftly , and Jeremiah winked at me before following him.
    The tailor nodded , grabbing his measuring tape and pencil. I could tell he also wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible.
    When they were gone, the tailor turned to me, all business. My panic must have shown on my face, because he stopped and put his hands on his hips. "I'm not going to chase you around the shop, girl," he said sternly. "I expect you to hold still and we'll get this over with."
    I gasped, but stood still, not sure whether to run