Deceived

Source

It was the month of December. I saved up all year to gather enough money just to go shopping for clothes by December.

I was excited. It was a holiday period. I had already fantasized about the amazing clothes I would buy. My plan was to buy as many clothes as my money could buy. In fact, I was ready to change my wardrobe. I felt like I needed a change for once. One very important reason why I wanted to go shopping was to buy a sweater. In fact, that was the main reason. I wanted a really cool sweater for myself that wouldn't just be handy for the cold weather, it would also be a fashionable wear.

I woke up really early. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. I got prepared and made my way to the biggest market I knew of. Although it was a thirty-minute journey to the market, it felt like the longest journey of my life. I was so excited.

I roamed the market searching for a shop where quality clothing was sold. The market was in sections. There was a section where only food items were sold. There was also the section for clothes. It took me a while, but I found the section where clothes were being sold. The environment was very busy as sellers and buyers interacted. The thing about December is that people flock to the market so much compared to other times in the year. After much contemplation, I went into a shop. I was greeted by a very beautiful lady. She had a welcoming smile, powerful enough to calm anyone.

"You are welcome. Is there a particular kind of clothing you're looking for?", she asked.

"I want to see all the male wears you have. But first, let me see the sweaters you have" I replied.

She brought all the sweaters available to me. I checked them out one by one. I just couldn't seem to pick one. Eventually, I came across a particular sweater. It was a gray and black colored sweater. My favorite color combination. It even had a matching trouser accompanying it. This made me want it even more. I had a huge smile on my face as I gazed at the sweater. I could tell that the lady attending to me knew I was going to buy that sweater.

I had to test out the sweater before paying for it. I wore it and it felt a little bit tight.

"Is this really my size?" I thought to myself.

After contemplating, I had to seek the opinion of another person.

"Excuse me, how does it look on me? I feel like it's not my size", I said to the lady who attended to me.

"You look amazing. Of course, it's your size. For a handsome guy like you, once you wear this to go out, you would look charming to any lady." She said.

I smiled as she said those words. But I still had my doubts about the size.

"You don't have to worry about the size, sir. It fits you perfectly" said another trader who was around.

I took a good look at the sweater again. It seemed small to me, but I ignored my instincts and went with what I was told.

"Maybe it's just all in my head. They said it fits me well, and I'll go with that" I said to myself.

"How much is it?" I asked.

"It's fifteen thousand naira sir" The lady replied.

"What! Fifteen thousand for only this sweater and the trouser? It's too much" I said in shock.

"It's a high quality sweater sir. That's why the price is like that" The lady replied.

I thought for a while. Spending this amount of money on the sweater alone would cut down the amount of clothes I would be able to buy that day. But looking at how beautiful the sweater was, I decided to pay for it.

I went through other clothes they had and bought the ones I liked. My main price was the sweater. I couldn't wait to get home and show my sibling the sweater. They were going to be jealous for sure.

I got home and as soon as I put on the sweater, my siblings let out a loud laugh. They laughed so hard and mocked me.

"How could someone sell this tiny sweater to you?" My sister said as she tried to recover from her laughter.

That was when I realized that I had been sweet talked into buying something that wasn't my size. I felt instant regret. My instincts warned me, but instead, I chose to succumb to the sweet words of the lady who sold it to me.

Although I bought other clothes which were okay, I was really pained because of the sweater. It was the major thing I wanted.

Since it didn't fit me, I gifted the sweater to my little brother, who it was a perfect fit for. Perhaps what happened was for the best.