On a freezing cold morning.
Belle went to Zevulon's house as usual.
To her surprise, Zevulon's door was already open. The courtyard that she had tidied up the day before was not as messy as she would usually find it to be. It seemed like he had deliberately sorted out the place. It looked immaculately clean and neat.
No sooner had Belle pushed through the door that she heard the sounds of someone rifling through something.
Was Mr. Tangger already awake?
Zevulon would usually have a drink or two before bed and would not get up until noon. Usually around that time, he would still be in dreamland.
"Dory, you're here! Quick! I need help with my outfit," Zevulon said excitedly when he saw her. He seemed to have been waiting for her.
Belle was stunned.
At that time, in Zevulon's room, his closet door was wide open and there were clothes strewn all over his bed.
Zevulon had a suit in his hand while checking himself in the mirror, clearly looking none too pleased.
Belle dragged her eyes across the selection of clothes. The clothes that were strewn on the bed were mostly wrinkled, while those in his closet had seen better days. There were even some shirts that had black stains on them.
Strictly speaking, none of his clothes were decent.
It was just that.
Zevulon was acting a little out of character that day.
Why would a person who usually did not care about his appearance, be up so Tristany, wondering what clothes to wear? Did he have a special occasion he needed to attend?
She raised her head and looked at Zevulon. She realised that his aged face was aglow. His grey eyes were especially bright right then.
Humans definitely glowed when met with good news!
The first thing that came to her mind when she saw his face was that he did have a special occasion he needed to attend.
"Mr. Tangger, all of these clothes are a little old-fashioned. They clearly do not suit you," Belle said in a very professional tone, smiling.
"Really?" Zevulon's face was immediately filled with disappointment.
Belle really wanted to laugh. She was amused by Zevulon's reaction when she told him that his clothes were a little old-fashioned.
"Mr. Tangger, you can make a complete turnaround to your entire wardrobe whenever you want, but I'm just wondering, why is there a need to pick out an outfit today?" Belle held back her laughter, tilted her head, looked at him carefully, and asked casually.
Zevulon's face turned red. He seemed a little off that day.
"It's nothing really. I have a friend coming over today. I might be old, but I still want to look presentable," he said indifferently.
Try as he might sound indifferent, there was a hint of excitement in his voice.
"I see." Belle nodded as if she suddenly realized something. "So, that's what it is."
But did Mr. Tangger have friends? Was his friend a man or a woman? She was sure she had never seen his friend before!
"Dory, I'm going to give you a day off today, but you will have to accompany me to the store to pick out a new outfit," Zenvulon said in a pleading tone as he gathered all of the clothes on his bed in one fell swoop and chucked them back into his closet.
Delighted, Belle said, "Mr. Tangger, this friend of yours must not be an ordinary one."
"Nah, definitely an ordinary friend." He hedged, not admitting to anything.
Belle found it strange that he would go through all these hassles just for an ordinary friend. She refused to believe his words. She thought about it before she asked again.
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