The Tailor







December. Gray skies to dull the soul, a bitter wind to dry your bones. Winter has finally made her presence known to the city. People wrapped up in three layers of sweaters, gloves, six pairs of socks, hats, scarfs and thermal underwear under frozen jeans, run around to do their daily business. In this city everything is routine; get up, go to work, come home, go to bed and start all over in the morning. People could tell you where they will be in one month, everyone but Hilde . . .



"Let's see . . . It's three blocks down from the subway . . . " Says a young woman of twenty-four. She has short black hair that would turn to a deep blue if hit right by the sun. She has on a tan corduroy winter jacket that goes down to her knees. At the collar, as well as the ends of the sleeves, is an imitation of fur that is a tan color. The jacket fits her nicely, hugging her waist just right, and provides a nice comfort against the harsh winter winds. Hilde has on black boots that hide under her blue jeans. In her arms is a long white bag with a coat hanger coming out of one end. In her other hand is a piece of paper her friends gave her that has the address of a "wonderful tailor" on it.



"Hilde . . . " Says Dorothy in a syrupy voice. "You must get that dress fixed!" She says as she sips her tea.



"Is it really that bad?" She says to the blonde in the chair behind her. Hilde is on a stool in front of a large mirror. She has on a pail blue dress that sags too much in all the wrong places. Hilde sighs and she rubs her hands on the material of the dress.



"Yes." Says another blonde at her feet. This blonde's voice is a bit more tolerable than the one in the chair. "But don't worry. I think I can fix it!" She says as she cuts the air with her scissors.



"Haha . . . Funny. I am not letting you near me with anything sharp." Dorothy opens her mouth to speak when Hilde quickly turns to her. "Same goes for you!"



"Oh stop being so up tight." Says the blonde with scissors.



"I am not." Says Hilde in a child like voice.



"Yes you are." Says Dorothy as she puts her cup down on the table next to her. "That's why he left you." Hilde's eyes widen and she slowly falls to her knees, letting the pail blue dress pool around her. Her other friend kneels down with her. Hilde hugs her knees and tries not to cry.



"Dorothy!" Scolds the other blonde as she hugs Hilde. "She is still not over him!"



"In know that Relena." She refills her cup with hot tea from the teapot. "That's why I said it." She takes a sip. "She needs to get over him."



"I am over him. It . . . it's just . . . It still hurts." She says in a soft voice. "I mean . . . two years! I spent two years of my life with him. Just so he can leave me for some stupid secretary!" Hilde stands up to face Dorothy. "See, that's why you should never go out with a man with a secretary! You can't trust them!"



"Hilde . . . Hilde . . . " Says Relena in a sweet voice. She hugs her friend. "You . . . "



"You're the reason he left my dear." Says Dorothy. Hilde and Relena both glare at her. She just smiles.



"Don't you dare Dorothy!" She yells at the emotionless woman. "If he doesn't respect me for my views then to hell with him!"



"Right!" Says Dorothy in a bold voice. She stands up and grabs Hilde's hands. "To hell with him!"



"Right!" Says Relena. "To hell with men who have no respect for us!"



"Right!" Says Hilde. Her anger gone and a new feeling of power swells in her heart. "To hell to all men who think that sex should be the basics of a relationship!" Relena and Dorothy look at each other and roll their eyes. Dorothy starts to laugh.



"Hilde my dear . . . it is." Hilde's face drops and she starts to blush. Relena twirls her blonde hair with her pointer finger and looks away from Hilde, hoping she won't look to her for support. "See Hilde." Says Dorothy as she wraps an arm around her. "How long do you think, a guy can last?"



"Uh . . . "



"Right. Not very long. That is why Peter left. You will be forever an old maid if you don't "show" the man you love that you "love" him."



"But . . . " Says Hilde as she takes Dorothy's arm off her. "What if he isn't the one you love? I mean . . . I believe that you should save yourself for the man you will marry."



"Weren't going to marry Peter?" She says.



"Yes . . . but . . . I wasn't ready."



"Hilde! For the love of . . . you're almost twenty-five!" She says in frustration.



"I don't care! I will do what I want! There is a guy out there who will respect my decision!" She says not fearing of being ridiculed.



"I respect that! And so will some lucky guy Hilde. Don't listen to Dorothy. I wish I was like you. I regret my first time . . . I don't even remember his name." Relena laughs as she writes down an address on a piece of paper. "But Dorothy does have a point. You need to get over Peter. It's not the end of the world. Here." She places the paper in Hilde's hands. "You should go and see The Tailor. He is a wonderful man and will take 'good' care of you." Relena smiles at Hilde but not her usual sweet smile. This smile is hiding something. Dorothy seems to think about what Relena had just said as if there was a second meaning to it. Then her eyes light up and she clasps her hands together.



"That's right! He's a 'wonderful tailor'! He can fix you up real nice! You will be a whole new woman!"



"Right." Says Hilde in disbelief as she looks to the paper in her hands. "This is it . . . I think?" The address on the paper lead Hilde to a deep red brick building. On the door is a sign that reads "Joe's Place". No sign of a tailor shop. She turns her back to the building and rests against a railing. "Where . . . where is it?" She looks around then looks back to the paper. "This is the address . . . " She turns her head and looks up at the numbers above the door. Same numbers on the paper . . . then her eyes look down. Down to a set of stairs. They lead down to what is the basement of the building. Hilde walks around to where the stairs start. Slowly she walks down one by one till she is in front of a door that reads:



The Tailor.























"This is it!" She says. The place looks dark inside but there is a red light beside the door with a sign that reads . . . "Open". She pushes the door open and walks into a small room. There is a desk to her right, cluttered with paper and little yellow sticky notes. In front of her is a door way blocked off by a thick black curtain. There are benches with black cushions on top that line the walls to her left. A coffee table in the center of the benches, with several women's magazines scattered on it. The room its self is dimly light and has a strange smell to it . . . but it is a nice smell. Hilde walks in and closes the door. She moves the thick curtain to free her way to the other room.



"Wow . . . " The room is round with a stool in the center. On the floor is bits and pieces of cloth scattered all around. To the wall behind her is lined with mirrors that start from the floor and end at the ceiling. The mirrors wrap about half way of the room. The rest is a wood finish with four doors. All are closed but one is cracked open a bit. She moves to the center of the room, her heels clicking on the polished wood floor. "Hello?" She says. Her voice echoes throughout the room. A noise can be heard from the slightly opened door.



"Yes?" Says a man's voice. Hilde stops in her tracks as the man exits the room. He is holding a sandwich in on hand and rests the other on the doorframe. He has on black pants that fit very nicely and a white shirt that has the first three buttons undone, showing his nice toned chest. Hilde's heart jumps and a deep blush rushes to her face. He smiles at her as he sees the blush. He pushes off from the door and walks over to her. The man rolls his sleeves up and crosses his arms over his chest as he now stands in front of her. The dress . . . her friends and most importantly . . . Peter . . . are all forgotten.



"I...uh . . . I . . . " Hilde tries to think of why she is here . . . The man laughs and walks back to the room . . . giving her the first sight of his long braid. He enters the room and comes back without the sandwich.



"What do you need?" His voice is soft and Hilde almost falls as she looks into his purple eyes. This awakens her from her stupor.



"My dress!" She says in a loud voice. The man backs up and looks at her startled. "It . . . needs to be fixed." She says in a more relaxed voice. The startled look turns to a look of confusion. Hilde starts to panic. The man runs his hands in his bangs and walks back and forth in front of her. He stops in front of her again and looks her up and down.



"Really?" He shakes his head. "Ok . . . uh . . . why don't you put it on." He almost laughs at that last comment and Hilde hugs her dress close to her. "In here." He says as he opens a door for her. "By the way my name is Duo." Duo smiles at her and she returns the smile.



"Hilde." She closes the door. Duo breathes in and lets out. He walks away from the door and turns to it again only to walk away.



"Fix her dress?" He says as he rubs his chin. "How the hell am I . . . Wait." He smiles. "This might be some game. Oh well, I've done stranger things." He shudders as he remembers the 'stranger things'. "Man, the things I do for money . . . "























Ok. That is all. I hope you want me to write more. If you do then review! But be warned . . . this is NOT going to be my normal fanfic . . . ( Hence the rating . . . ^.~)