2 September 2012
Chapter 5:
I had had the most hectic week at university with tonnes of course work that had to be done for the next week and didn't know when to squeeze it all in. Recently I had been getting bad chest pains and backache which for me were the signs of stress. I didn't want to talk to my parents about how I was feeling as they're strong believers in work and effort; of course they deeply cared about my health and happiness but I felt that telling them about it would just bombard them with more problems.
I stayed up till midnight on Thursday typing up my coursework to try and ease the load on Friday so I could rest before work the next day. It was often the thought of "Blushing Brides" that got me through the days as I imagined all the beautiful gowns and tiaras that filled it to its rim.
About a year prior to my interview we had a huge clear out of the house and I came across a box with hundreds of bridal gowns designs. Each one was signed with my name on the back and dated from when they were drawn. Some weren't too bad, considering I was very young when sketching them and I felt that continuing them may be a nice hobby, or something that could help me relax. Recently I had been trying to appreciate rest as well as hard work to balance everything out; I had seen people break down because the stress was too much for them and so I promised myself to never over do it.
Fog blanketed the skies as I steadily drove to work on the Saturday morning. Cindy rang me up at about nine o'clock asking if I could come in a bit early because she was having problems with the regular Saturday girl and was beginning to get fed up of her.
The bell chimed as I walked in shivering. It was still Autumn but the temperature had dropped in the past week and we were all feeling it. I sat down at my now familiar desk and began placing the orders. The amount we needed had risen substantially and I knew I had to crack on straight away if I had jobs to do for the other girl.
I managed to place my last order before lunch and went to go find Cindy to see what was left to do. She was stood in the front of the store chatting away to who I guessed was a mother waiting for her daughter to come out in one of the wedding dresses. I decided to sit on a small stool next to the counter so I wouldn't be in the way.
When the girl stepped from behind the pale pink curtains I couldn't believe my eyes. She looked like a princess about to step on stage; she even wore a vail and tiara. The dress was beautifully folded so that it would hug her gorgeous figure and it was completely fitted the whole way until just below her knee where it angled out like a mermaid tail. There we're layers and layers making up the part at the bottom and had perfect pleats folded into the dress. Her vail was simple and one which was shorter at the shoulders and got deeper and deeper until it finished just below her tail bone. Of course her tiara was perfect too with simple diamonds in the middle that sparkled under the fairly lights whenever she moved. Her mother was brought to tears and Cindy almost was as well, despite the fact that she had done hundreds of fittings before.
Whilst everyone jumped around with excitement I decided I would go and find something small to do before I could borrow Cindy. I tried to walk off quietly but obviously made myself seen as Cindy noticed me.
"oh Sophia! Come and see how beautiful Sarah looks in her dress. Isn't it stunning?!" "oh it's beautiful Sarah, it really compliments you. I was admiring you from a distance and kept thinking to myself that you looked just like a princess."
Sarah and I went on discussing the dress and some of the other options for a little while, but before I knew she had made up her mind and purchased the dress along with the vail and tiara. She scurried out the shop happily with her mum and thanked Cindy and I greatly.
Cindy decided to close up early considering she did so well with that sale and I felt it would be nice to treat her to an early evening meal. Cindy told me she was impressed with the way I handled my first time 'in the spotlight' as she called it and that I could soon do some fittings with her to see if I liked it. Of course I was overjoyed but knew that this either meant she was going to sack the other intern or that Maggie was still unwell.
I told my parents about my day when I arrived home and they were glad to see I was enjoying work so much. When I showed them my first pay cheque they couldn't believe how much I was earning; it wasn't a huge amount just a lot more than what I was used to and really, what I was expecting.
I put my thoughts about uni to one side and just kept thinking about how much I was loving the wedding shop. To be honest, I seemed much happier there then anywhere else and thinking about it would leave me forgetting all of my worries. I decided to go to bed quite early that night, but before I did I opened my draw and found a sketching pad and pencil and began to draw my first proper wedding dress. I checked the clock and couldn't believe an hour had passed so quickly, but I was right, drawing them did calm me down and I lost all my tension and worries I had been feeling about my law work. I slept much better dreaming of a bridal shop that I could one day call my own.
by vera©
The Wedding Shop • Opuss № I