Vaiden Durant was a young black man from New Orleans who worked in a haberdashery as a shipping and receiving clerk but hoped to work his way up to sales associate and eventually designer. Unfortunately, his colorblindness was a major impediment to his designer dreams, but he did not let that dampen his ardor. His arch-nemesis was an apprentice cobbler at a rival store, who stole a position there that Durant believes was rightfully his. Vaiden has a crush on a regular customer who is nonbinary but lacks the courage to ask them out, not least of which because he wants to get their pronouns right. He was a terrible dancer but was good at coming up with excuses when out with his friends so nobody knows. This is especially hard for Vaiden as he is afraid of disappointing his uncle, legendary soft-shoe maestro Jimmy “Jazz Legs” Durant.

  • Like what you see? Purchase a print or ebook version!
Advertisement