Day 731: 5 Minute Freewrite: Monday - Prompt: inappropriately dressed

After closing up his office on a rare Saturday work morning (see the first day's installment of The Posture of Innocence), Captain Lee clocked out into the weekend and began the walk back to his home.

On the way home, he was greeted by a comment he had never heard, not from his youngest days … no child or grandchild of Horace Fitzhugh Lee had ever been open to the charge:

“I do not think I have ever seen a more inappropriately dressed man for a day like today.”

The voice was female, and haughty – but with an edge of playfulness that dissolved into sweet familiarity as Captain Lee, stunned, turned around.

“My word, Captain Lee,” said Mrs. Magdalena Thornton, “whatever are you doing in that uniform, working today?”

Captain Lee was glad he had occasion to have turned and stared in confusion for a moment … the dark-haired, dark-eyed secretary to the commissioner of police was stunning in her weekend garb … a modest but richly colored sun dress of pink trimmed with white, and a pretty bonnet. Mrs. Thornton dressed very conservatively for work, and was still conservative, but there was plenty to suggest the glories of that ample figure to the eye that appreciated such things. To be a man of 45 and not stare in surprise and appreciation was not possible, if only for a second or so.

Captain Lee snapped himself right out of it, though.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Thornton – a break in a case happened very early this morning, and I had to go in.”

Mrs. Thornton smiled slightly.

“Must be a big one.”

“It could be the biggest yet, depending on what it is connected to. Yet there is literally nothing more I can profitably do today, so I am going home to rest now.”

“Mrs. Scott and the Lofton County Seed Saving Society are hosting a public festival at Hummingbird Park today,” Mrs. Thornton said, “and it's going to be lovely.”

“I find myself in quite a grave mood today,” Captain Lee said. “This case that has broken has brought to light a great injustice, and my heart is very heavy.”

Mrs. Thornton thought about that, a look of deep understanding coming over her face. She stepped as close as she dared to the captain … .

“If you must mourn, that is what you must do,” she said. “I'm not saying to divert yourself from that if it is your responsibility to do that. Yet there are many hours to the weekend, and you carry that load of long injustice all week because of your work with cold cases. Later on, if you feel like refreshing yourself, the event is all day.”

“Thank you,” Captain Lee said. “Perhaps I will come down later, and give some support to Mrs. Scott.”

Mrs. Thornton smiled, a sight as dazzling as the afternoon sun.

“I'd be delighted to see you there, dressed to enjoy and relax.”

Two hours later, Captain Lee eased into the festival in a white linen summer suit and matching white straw hat, and Mrs. Thornton just smiled – he was so handsome, so shy and socially awkward, but resolute, standing out in the crowd because of that unique mix of characteristics. She and Mrs. Margie Bell her cousin went and collected him, and secretly, he was glad to be walked around by them all afternoon. It had been too long since there had been a day like this for him … .