The Shop

Stories and fantasies about rainwear.
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JellyMan
Posts: 1112
Joined: June 23rd, 2019, 6:47 pm
Location: South of England

The Shop

Post by JellyMan »

Romantic.

The rain pelted down. It had come on so quickly nobody had a chance to prepare, in fact most people were caught in tee shirts and jeans. Jan ducked into a shop, not stopping to see what it was, other than the nearest doorway. Inside she could see nothing through her steamed up and wet glasses, but did her best to clear them with the hem of her already soaked white tee shirt. Inside was invitingly warm and, “what is that smell?”, she wondered, not immediately realising what it was, but recognising it as an aroma from the past. What she saw in front of her were rails of every type of raincoat imaginable; in fact rainwear was all she could see, and the shop was not small. The smell came to her now. It was the aroma of the Army & Navy shop that her mum used to take them to as children, specifically it was the area at the back of the shop where they had a round rail of plastic, nylon, rubber and all sorts of other macks. It was an area of that shop she was not too keen on, because it meant time to get a new raincoat, and there was something humiliating about being made to put on all sorts of capes, jackets and long macks in the search for the elusive find; something that was cheap and fitted and would probably not fall apart before it was grown out of. Jan had endured all manner of rainwear over the years, but each time they visited the shop, if she had to endure the endless try-ons, she always hoped to find the same mack that her mother found the very first time they had to buy one; a miniature version of a ladies trench coat in glossy black with a smooth lining.

Jan jumped as the thunder roared a few seconds after the lightning flash; it sounded like it came from the street just outside the shop. She turned away from the window and jumped again. But this time it was because of the man standing directly in front of her. He reminded her of someone. He was very short, wearing a pin-stripe suit and had a tailors tape measure draped around his neck. His face was severe, but his voice was warm and friendly, “Can I help you miss? Anything take your fancy? Would you like to try something on, maybe this one?”, his hand grasped the sleeve of a red PVC raincoat next to him, it’s shimmering surface looked inviting, especially with the rain hammering down outside.
“No, er, thank you”, she said politely, “to be honest I was just trying to get out of the rain, I’m sorry”.
“Don’t be sorry, you are most welcome to stay as long as you need, and honesty is such a beautiful thing”, he replied, then turned and walked away.

Jan was excited. All these years and this was the first time she had been asked out on a date. It seemed to be a real date, with a real boy; Steve was a very nice boy, and she couldn’t believe this was happening. She had spent many hours trying on every outfit in her wardrobe, but was unsure of what looked right, with no friends to help her. The red dress looked nice, but maybe too slutty? She was a big girl and felt that everything made her look like a huge beach ball. She didn’t like much about herself, but she did love her hair. It was long and dark, but mainly she loved it because it covered the rash that permanently adorned her face. She looked in the mirror next to her wardrobe. 22 years old and her first real date, but why? Why would Steve want to go out with her? Fat and deformed is how she saw herself.
Steve never showed up.
She finally removed the blue dress and got into her pyjamas just before midnight, still crying.

Her hand ran down the sleeve of the red mack, it felt cool and soft, then she let hEr fingers run up towards the collar and turned it out to reveal the size, ‘20 short’, perfect.
Standing in front of the mirror she let the raincoat flap open, but the fact that it was unlined felt weird against the wet tee shirt, but strangely nice on her bare arms,
“Try doing it up, you must make sure it fits”, she jumped again as the man appeared next to her suddenly.
She looked puzzled, then he stepped forward and started to button it up for her, it was a strange experience, but strangely comforting, like being dressed by a parent.
She took the belt and threaded it through the buckle, tying it off, and then stood back to check in the glass mirror once again.
She pulled her hair forward to cover the rash and for a moment tried to visualise herself as a famous movie star.
“What do you think?”, the man asked.
“Well….”
“Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more, not right miss, how silly of me, I think I have just the thing for you”, and he turned and left.
Jan did actually quite like the coat, the shiny material inside did have a slightly similar feel of the rubber lined mack she remembered having before it mysteriously disappeared one day, never to be found again.

The door bell dinged and a man entered the shop, the wind was blowing hard and he struggled to close the door behind him.
“Whooooa, that is some storm!”, he said with a slightly breathless voice. He was wearing a blue nylon cagoule and jeans. The jacket was soaked through and it was clear that the rain had run down it and onto his trousers. The wet made it shine like PVC, and he ran his hands through his hair as he pushed the hood down. Jan’s eyes widened, the man looked confident and hunky, even with his thick glasses. He looked at her and smiled. She turned away and she thinks she may have even blushed.
“Here we are miss”, the shopkeeper had returned, and he was holding a hanger from which draped a long black shiny coat.

Jan sat in the bathroom on the side of the bath. She had looked through the medicine cupboard and found nothing that would do the job, not quickly enough anyway. Certainly not quick enough to erase the memory of sodding Steve who ended up going out with Kate. She didn’t have the guts to get a knife from the kitchen, or maybe one of her father’s knives from the garage. She sobbed, and decided she was clearly as crap at committing suicide as everything else in her miserable life. 22 and never been kissed.

26 and resigned never to be in love, caught in the rain, soaked, late again and sheltering in a shop.

She was back in the Army & Navy shop. It was the identical raincoat that the little man had found; the same raincoat that she had always wanted to find again. She unbuckled the belt and undid the buttons of the red mack, then handed it to the shopkeeper, who suddenly looked perplexed as he had both his hands full with the black mack draped across one arm.
The man who had just entered stepped forward, and took the coat from her, “let me help”.
The pin-striped man nodded approval, and it allowed his to help Jan on with the new coat.
“There’s the feeling”, she thought to herself as her hands touched the smooth rubber lining of the PVC trench coat.
Jan did up the buttons and tied the belt as she had done with the red one, then surveyed herself in the mirror.
“If I may be so bold”, said the shopkeeper, “it appears to fit you perfectly miss”.
“I’ll say”, said the damp,man, who was drying his own glasses on a handkerchief at the time, “such beauty”.
“It’s a nice coat I agree”, Jan replied and she twisted to make the mack swish, “but I wouldn’t say beautiful”.
“I wasn’t talking about the raincoat”, he smiled and she fell into his eyes, even behind the thick, still slightly smeared, lenses.
26 and kissed. 26 and in love. 28 and finally found the girl of his dreams.

Jan was never comfortable with her size, not even when George told her he loved all of her, wobbly bits and all. It suited her just fine that he had confessed that he liked making love to her whilst she was wearing her black PVC raincoat, but she didn’t tell him that she liked the feel of the rubber lining against her naked skin; it was her little secret.

George and Jan went back to the raincoat shop a week later, but it was a dry cleaners. The old lady outside said it had always been a dry cleaners, ever since she could remember.

The End
cammacg
Posts: 144
Joined: August 31st, 2010, 6:31 pm

Re: The Shop

Post by cammacg »

Thank you Jelly Man, excellent story. I'd like to think there were more on the way. Well done.
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