Cairo was only a few inches taller than her, but his personality was bold and mighty.
“I’m from the South, we hug down there,” he told her.
Nina hugged him back. “Welcome to New York!”
His face reddened instantly. “I’m happy to be here.”
“Jio told me to show you a good time, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
He hesitated. “He told me don’t get on your nerves.”
Nina chuckled. “Yep, sounds like him.”
“He told me don’t let nobody talk crazy to you or look your way too long,” Cairo spilled more and more. He was getting comfortable by the second.
“Gotta love Jio..” she nodded.
“And don’t buy no ugly shit.” He ended the checklist.
Nina paused. “I know he not talking.”
Cairo laughed, and she could see that some of his nerves loosened, which was good. They were going to have an amazing day today. She was claiming it in advance.
Nina nodded toward the boutique. “Come on, show me your taste.”
The store was filled with racks of curated vintage pieces, leather coats, silk blouses, denim, old designer bags, military jackets, sequined tops, belts, scarves, and hats.
His eyes filled with wonder and hunger as they scanned the entire store.
Nina recognized the look.It was the same thing she did when she first stepped into the warehouse on her first day as CEO.
“Have at it. Let’s see what you find. I always get lucky when I come here.”
“Is this one of those overpriced thrift stores?”
“Who cares? We got your big cousin’s card.” She winked at him and went to go find her a new jean jacket.
Thirty minutes later, she found him touching fabrics with the tips of his fingers.
“Found anything good?”
He held up a brown suede jacket from one rack and a sheer black blouse from another along with a pair of men’s trousers with a wide leg and high waist.
Nina watched quietly because his choices were interesting.
He wasn’t just grabbing labels, the young boy was building a look and a story too.
“Why these?” she asked after a while.
Cairo looked down at the pieces like he was embarrassed to explain.
“You can tell me,” she probed, genuinely wanting to know.
He hesitated before finding his voice. “The jacket feels like somebody’s father wore it in the seventies. Like he had a Cadillac and secrets.”
Nina’s eyebrows lifted. “What about the blouse?”
“That’s the daughter’s. She found it in her mama’s closet but wore it different. You know how sometimes you don’t want to be a part of your family but you still can’t help but carry pieces of them around.”
