He couldn't go to Katie's work in her body because everyone expected Katie to be away on her business trip. Austin decided he would take this opportunity to spend some time with Katie's best friend, Maria, so he could learn how Katie talked about him behind closed doors. He picked out one of Katie's sweaters and a pair of jeans, an outfit that was vaguely similar to what Austin was accustomed to wearing.
Katie's apartment was in a different building, so Austin took the elevator down and then walked outside. The warm air blew through Katie's long blonde hair. He realized he had never been outside with long hair before. The air blowing through his hair felt strange and he struggled to get it out of his face without looking foolish.
When Austin made it to Maria's apartment, he was surprised to see that Maria had company. She was sitting with another girl in her living room, a cute Finish girl who was not much taller than Austin's new body. Even Austin's female body reacted to the sight of the girl. She looked like a porcelain, Nordic goddess.
“Katie!” said Maria. “What are you doing here?”
Maria had a thick Puerto Rican accent, but her English was still very clear. The thought reminded Austin that he was now in the body of a second generation Italian immigrant. Katie didn't talk about her family and heritage much, but Austin knew that being Italian was important to her.
"My business trip was cancelled at the last minute and I knew you would be around. Who is your friend?" Austin asked.
"Amy is my friend from work. We were just about to leave to go shopping at the mall. You should join us!" said Maria.
Before Austin could respond, Maria and Amy shuffled him out of the door and towards their car. Austin accepted the fact that he was going to experience a girl's shopping trip for the first time.
