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"Well," Daniel said as he stood, "if you don't have any other pressing questions, why don't we move you to a dressing room. They can get you some clothes and you can rest a little until your father's friend arrives."
"Sounds good," I said, and I yawned and stretched as I stood to follow Daniel. I did feel a little drained, and I wasn't really in the mood to think about all these new ideas any more for the moment.
Daniel walked in silence to a doorway in the huge wall behind us. The adjoining room had a few large, flat desks with stacks of clothes all over them. There were a couple of doorways in the far wall with people walking in and out with more clothes. Along the side walls were evenly spaced doors, most of them closed. Daniel led me up to one of the desks.
"Hey, Carey," he said to the girl who sat there folding shirts. "This is Al. He needs a room for a while."
"Hi," she said, finishing the shirt in her hands and then standing to greet me.
"Carey will show you to a room, and I'll make sure your friend is directed here when he arrives," Daniel said, holding out his hand to shake.
"Okay, thanks." I shook his hand firmly. "You've been a big help."
"It's my job and my pleasure," he replied with a slight nod and bow, and then he turned and walked quickly away.
I turned and looked at Carey. "Okay," I said. "I'm all yours."
She smiled. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear a man say that," she said. "Come on, sweetie." She walked off toward one of the open doors on the side walls and I followed her. We went in.
It was a small room, very cozy, with a low ceiling and dim light. There was a cabinet and counter along one wall with a sink, a couple of folded towels, two ceramic cups and a pitcher of water. In the back, right corner was a small bed. At the foot of the bed was a door to a small water closet, with a full-length mirror on the outside of the door. Along the wall just inside the main door were a couple of wooden chairs.
"You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to and take a nap or whatever," Carey said.
"Great." I walked past her and took a seat on the side of the soft bed.
"Are you hungry at all?" she asked.
"No, not really." I spun my feet around and reclined back onto the bed with a sigh.
"Not so fast, loverboy," Carey said. "I'm not that kind of girl."
"Damn."
"Seriously, though," she pulled a small roll from her pocket and flipped it out into a long measuring tape, "I need to get some measurements before you get too comfortable."
"Oh," I said, and I groaned back to my feet and took a step toward her.
She took the tape and measured tightly around my waist. "Okay," she said, and she stepped over to the cabinet and opened a drawer. "This size should do." She pulled out a pair of shorts and tossed them to me. They were made of soft cotton material. "You should slip those on before I get your other measurements," she said. "I don't know you that well yet."
"Right," I grinned, remembering that I was only wearing the robe. She turned back toward the door while I slipped the shorts under my robe and pulled them up. "Okay," I said.
"Great." She turned and started measuring my arms, chest, neck and legs. She was quick, making notes as she went. "Okay," she said after a minute, "let's talk about style. Are you a jeans and T-shirt guy? Slacks and buttons? Long sleeve? Short sleeve? Undershirts? Sneakers, Sandals, Wingtips? We don't have anything fancy, but we can accommodate most tastes."
"Hmmm," I said. "Well, how about undershirt, long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans and brown leather shoes. Does that sound okay?"
"Sounds perfectly attractive," she said, jotting down notes. "Anything more specific?"
"Oh, I don't know. Just, you know, something that makes me irresistible to women."
"No problem," she said. "You get comfortable and I'll be back later." She winked and smiled and turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.
The room was quiet and private and I felt more relaxed than I had so far since arriving. I returned promptly to the bed and, settling back in with a sigh, I stared up at the ceiling above the pillow. Trying to collect my thoughts, I decided to replay in my head everything I had learned so far about this place.
I was asleep in about ten seconds.
"Al?" The voice barely registered, but I stirred a little. "Mr. Hall?" It was a little louder, and I felt a hand on my arm. I opened my eyes to see Carey leaning over me. "I came back and you were asleep, you tease," she said.
"Oh," I smiled sleepily. "Sorry. I guess I dozed off for a minute."
"No," she said. "that was three hours ago."
"Oh."
"And now I have to go home," she said, "and I can't take you with me. My husband would never understand."
"Darn," I smiled.
"You have a visitor anyway," she said. "There's a David Sayer here to see you. Can he come in?"
"Oh, right." I started to sit up and she stepped back. "I'm expecting him."
"So I can show him in?"
"Sure," I said.
"Okay. I'll send him in. It was nice meeting you, Al," she smiled. "I hope you like your clothes."
"I'm sure I will, and thanks." I swung my feet around and sat up, stretching as she walked out.
"You can go on in," I heard her say, and then a giant man came through the door.
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