Friday morning, after eating breakfast and giving Sherwat a quick walk, Derek and Joe headed out.
“First stop in the near-new shop,” Derek said as they made their way to the main highway into the downtown area.
Given that Joe was wearing the best clothes that he owned, a worn pair of jeans and a heavy sweatshirt he’d gotten at a drop-in place a couple of weeks before meeting Derek, that made sense to him.
They were at the shop when the doors opened at nine. By nine-thirty Joe had tried on several pairs of jeans, found two that fit, and had chosen two button-down shirts. At Derek’s insistence, he also picked up two turtlenecks to wear under the shirts, as well as packs of briefs and socks. They decided the underwear must have been overstock from a clothing store that the manager had dona
