CONTINUING... surprises & chnages (Part139f)

CONTINUING... surprises & changes (Part 139f)

When we reached the foot of the stairway I reached out and tapped her shoulder. I startled her but quickly said I wanted to go take a quick look at the clothes the manager had told me about earlier. She didn’t protest and followed me up the stairs. The main floor was laid out into three basic areas. The Junior sized female clothes were  on the right as you reached the top with the  women’s misses sized clothes on the left. The mens clothes were all the way in the back. I was familiar with the Villager products and knew they were in the misses section so I turned left. It was obvious where the new display was going as there were numerous boxes piled up in the aisle. We walked back to where they were and upon first viewing I liked what I saw. There was a rust colored corderoy pants suit along with a print blouse Upon closer look the print appeared to be of autumn leaves. My mind went into overdrive at that point. I still had to tell Elle about the new car and there was nothing for her. I knew that a few items of clothing wouldn’t offset a car but at least it was something just for her. I quickly looked at the price tags. As I said, I was familiar with the Villager name and knew they were quality goods... and a bit pricey. The total for the three items was over $40. Even with that I decided to buy them.

After picking out the sizes I needed for Elle I turned to Joanie who was patiently standing there and asked if she and Lena had taken a peek at any clothes in the junior section. She smiled and pointed to the blouse she was wearing. Then I prodded her a bit and asked if she’d seen anything that she really liked. I could tell from the look on her face that she had. I asked her to show me but she didn’t want to. Asking why, she said it was too expensive. I won’t say I demanded to see it but she, reluctantly, walked over to pull a plaid jumper off a rack. Not unexpectedly, she was embarrassed as she held it up in front of her. When I told her to go try it on she stood there with this look of shock on her face. I waved her towards the dressing area but she just stood there. I walked up to her, put my hands on her shoulders and turned her around.

When she walked out I wasn’t impressed. Not yet fully developed on her top side, she did have a nice figure but it was hidden. It was obvious that it was too big. I asked if she knew what size it was and she indicated that she hadn’t looked. I went up and looked down the back for the tag... size 11. Even though Elle didn’t have much in way of junior sized clothes I did know enough that she was either a size nine or possibly a size 7. I then went over to the rack and pulled out a size 7 and handed it to her. By then she really didn’t want to continue but I made a face and asked her ”Please?“

What a difference! She now had a figure. The outfit was perfect for her even though the hem was a bit higher than the new skirt she’d been wearing. I guided her to a full length mirror on a pillar that was nearby. Still noticeably uncomfortable, I did detect a bit of a smile when she turned around. I still had the size 9 in my hands and quickly looked at he price... about $25. It was wool and when I looked closely I could see it was fully lined. It definitely wasn’t something she’d be wearing for a few months but, like the outfit I’d just bought for it was a Fall offering. When she took if off and returned I asked if I could ask her a really personal question. She just stood there in sort of a a panic. Finally she nodded an OK. I asked when was the last time she’d bought or received any clothes that she really wanted. She sort of wrinkled up her brow and said she didn’t know. I prodded her a bit throwing in some hints like birthdays and Christmas. I clearly remember her shaking her head from side to side. I can honestly say that I felt sorry for her so I said that the jumper was hers. Then she blurted out a loud ”NO!“ along with something about the price.

When I went to pay for the things I’d chosen for Elle, the jumper was included. When I was doing it she was as animated as I’d ever seen her (not that I’d seen all that much). When we got to the car, with her on the passenger side, she wanted to know why I was doing this for her. It wasn’t a question I was prepared for so told her the truth... that I saw a lot of potential in her and wanted her to have a good chance for succeeding. It was obvious to me that there was some doubt in her mind. That doubt was what triggered me to tell her about what Trish and I’d done for Laura in loaning her the money to get work appropriate clothes. That got her attention. I told her that I’d bring Laura over the next morning to tell her about it herself. That news seemed to ease her mind a bit but not all the way. It was when we got to her street that she asked me to stop the car and that she wanted to walk the rest of the way. She was back to being uneasy again and I mentioned it. She let out a sigh and said she wasn’t sure her father would approve her choices, especially the shortness of the skirts. I do remember laughing at that. I had to tell her how Laura had overcome that same situation by bringing her clothes to work and changing there. I was sure she didn’t believe that part so, with a big smile, I said ”Just you wait until we talk with Laura!“ and then added a ”Good luck“ as she got out of the car.    

To be continued...