I looked through the rest of my closet and found an old, stretchy knit dress from college. It would have to do for now—I needed to get to work.
That afternoon, I got a text from Ellie.
Hey, lady, I finally have a night off! Ready for Handmaid’s Tale?
I replied:New idea—how about shopping? I can’t fit into any of my clothes anymore!I sent a crying emoji.
Absolutely!
Great! Meet me here at the office at 5:30? I found a cute looking shop at Van Ness and 17th we can check out.
Twenty minutes later, Ellie and I were browsing the racks at a maternity boutique. I really had no idea where to begin. My current leggings and sweats were fine for the weekends—I mostly needed stuff for work.
Ellie’s sister had had a baby the year before, and she’d offered Ellie some advice to pass along—focus on staples. I picked out a pair of dressy slacks with a stretchy waistband and faux buttons and zippers—some of those in different shades would be good. Ellie nabbed a few flowy blouses that would help hide my growing stomach. Next, we looked at stretchy sundresses, since summer was coming and it was going to start getting hot—but weboth knew to watch out for the crazy San Francisco winds that popped up any time of year, so we also added a few cardigans to our pile. Finally, we grabbed one pair each of maternity jeans and shorts.
“Well, I’m not sure my bank account can take much more, so this is probably a good place to stop,” I said.
“I think you have some good variety here. You can mix and match and have plenty of different outfits for work,” Ellie agreed.
After I tried everything on, Ellie helped me carry my pile to the checkout counter. I grimaced when the saleswoman announced my total, but I didn’t feel like I had much choice—I couldn’t walk out my door naked, now, could I? I inserted my card into the chip reader and tapped my fingers against the counter as we waited for it to process. Suddenly, the machine gave an angry beep.
“Sorry,” the woman said. “Mind trying again?”
I removed and then reinserted my card, but the unpleasant buzzer sounded again.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but your card has been declined.”
I frowned. “Declined?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but can you please try it one more time?” I asked.
She gave me a strained smile. “Sure. Why don’t I type in the number this time, in case it’s a problem with the chip.” She typed quickly. Then, “Nope. Still declining.” She handed my card back and glanced at the shopping bags piled high with clothes. Heat filled my face.
“I’m sorry, let me log in to my account and try to figure this out,” I said, stepping to the side. “Just a minute.”
The woman moved my bags off to the side and greeted the next customer in line as I opened my credit card app and logged in.
A cold sweat broke out all over my body when I caught sight of my balance.
A few days before, it had been about three hundred dollars, but now I was staring at a number that was well over eight thousand.
“Everything okay?” whispered Ellie.
“Wha … how …” I felt lightheaded. “What the hell?” I nearly dropped my phone as my hands started shaking.
“What is it?” Ellie asked, concern painting her face.
“There’s no way I’ve spent this much money in the last few days—or ever.” I held the phone out for Ellie.
Her eyes went wide as she saw the figure. “Let’s check your recent transactions.” I watched as she tapped and scrolled a bit—then her jaw fell open. “Holy crap! In the past week you have charges from a liquor store, a strip club, an adult toy store, and a marijuana dispensary.” She handed my phone back. “Honey, I think your credit card number has been stolen.”
“Oh my God … oh my God. What am I going to do?” My hands were shaking even more.
“Don’t worry, Savvy, we can figure this out.” She led me to a plush bench near the fitting rooms. “You stay here.”
Ellie got back in line. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched her pay for my clothes. A few minutes later, she came back with the shopping bags.
