Chapter Three:
“You have to
consider it Claire,” she told herself once more. “That you just my have
to live out your life from this point forward! You may never be able to
return from whence you came so you’d better start planning for that eventuality
and all it will entail.”
That question and whole series of
sub strata questions had been playing on her mind for over a week, a week in
which she’d not heard a word from Sam Carroll. His absence on the issue
of the pictures was not filling her with confidence, she was however grateful
for the lead on a job from him via his ex girlfriend, that at least had panned
out in her favour.
“I wonder what will happen if I
live long enough to realise myself from the future being born in the present
time I already occupy?” she mused on it a few minutes as she slipped on
the evening gown and shoes she was modelling next and emerged from the change
room finally deciding that the best conclusion she could hope from such a
question was a headache.
The painted smile in place she
moved about the six assembled women as they munched on cucumber sandwiches and
sipped tea whilst she showed off her employer’s latest creation. Five
days a week, three private showings a day, multiple clothing changes and
endless parading left her tired but a little wealthier each day.
“I want that one, but can you make
it for me in red?” asked one woman.
“One for me to, but more off the
shoulder and make mine a deep green,” voiced another.
Millicent Lewis made quick
discrete notes on a small pad she carried and just as discretely slipped it
behind her back again as Claire made several more turns of the room to a few
more orders from the remaining women who like all in a crowd fell into the herd
mentality and ordered just to keep up appearances. A glance at Claire and
the spy moved off to slip on her next outfit and so it went until mercifully
the day ended. She changed into her own dress that Alice had provided and
slumped down in one of the now vacant chairs.
“Another excellent day!” Millicent
exclaimed as she took a seat opposite Claire who was busy rubbing her
feet. “Business was good before, but never as good as this!” she
continued as her mind toted up the orders and converted that into
dollars. “And I attribute a good deal of it to you Claire as my model!”
“Thanks,” was all she could muster
at the moment and even that sounded half-hearted and somewhat sarcastic.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that to come out the way it did! I’m very grateful
for the job it’s just that I’m very tired and sore at present.”
“I understand completely it’s not
so long ago that I was exactly where you are right now.” Millicent said with a
nod.
Claire was intrigued; this was the
first time since she’d started that they’d actually talked beyond the usual job
interview banter and pleasantries of the day. Millicent was an attractive
auburn haired woman in her mid twenties with high cheekbones, a curvy figure
and a personality determined to succeed. Claire had suspected she’d been
a model but they had always played the boss/employee game until now.
“I did what you’re doing for three
years right out of High School and worked for the telephone company part
time. In my spare time I designed clothes and hawked my sketches to any
and all that would give me the time of day. Finally I had saved enough
money to start my own store, just me and my sewing machine and 18 to 20 hour
days! Geez, I even did alterations and basic sewing just so I could eat
and keep the rent current and not always in that order. I can remember
not being able to straighten my fingers for days at a time from all the sewing
I did! To this day,” she said holding up one of her fingers. “I
still can’t quite get this one to come round.”
“Oh well, the price you pay for
your dream I suppose? Slowly things improved, I was able to build a small
clientele, hire a seamstress and move to a better location. That was two
places ago and I’m not done yet and thanks to you my next move will be sooner
than I had hoped if things keep going the way they are! Speaking of
success join me for dinner my treat, the food at the Centre has got to be
getting to you by now!”
Claire readily accepted the offer
because in truth the food while nutritious lacked variety and Millicent made
good company which she desired perhaps more than the food.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Claire listened and ate waiting
for the question she knew was coming her way, one part from curiosity and the
other part from hope on Millicent’s part.
“So how did you meet Sam?” she
finally asked just as dessert arrived. Claire could have answered the way
Sam had wished, but Millicent needed to know for her on reasons all of which
had to do with Sam.
“I talked him into taking some
pin-up pictures of me and then see if he could sell them so we both could get
somewhat back on our feet,” she answered then decided to venture deeper into
the waters. “You still care a great deal for him, don’t you?”
“Beyond that, I love him, and he I
think still loves me but we have a barrier between us that Sam can’t knock
down,” Millicent said her voice quavering in upset. “Money or the lack of it on
his part!” she said tight lipped before the dam holding back her emotions burst
and out it came straight at Claire.
“How he ever took pictures of you
without and props is beyond, wait I take that back, he’s an excellent
photographer and if the camera loves you even half as much as the clothes you
model do then neither of you would need any of that stuff! It’s a strange
paradox, as I became more successful he seemed to be becoming less so and on it
went our stars going in opposite directions and soon so was our
relationship! I offered him money so he could keep going because I loved
and believed in him but he couldn’t, wouldn’t accept it, stupid jerk!
That act of kindness built the wall he couldn’t climb and finished us,” she
said tears wetting her eyes slightly as she found for control.
Claire said nothing, because she
really could offer nothing and Millicent hadn’t asked anything from her except
an ear to listen so she decided to switch the conversation.
“I have an idea for your business
that could bring about your next move sooner than you had hoped for!
Would you like to hear it?” Claire asked so confidant in the response that she
didn’t wait for an acknowledgement before launching into it.
“What do you think all those women
who buy your wonderful creations do the first minute they leave your
shop?” Claire asked letting her employer ponder the point.
“I suppose they go home thinking
about what they’ll accessorise it with,” Millicent answered after a brief
pause.
“Exactly and then they go out and
buy something, a shade of lipstick, a broach, a bracelet, earrings,
whatever. Most of those purchases are made in separate stores and not
yours and on top of that the women have to do it from memory! They don’t
even have a piece of the material to compare it to what they want. What
if all those things could be purchased from you at the time of the dress
order?” Claire stated with a smile and seeing that the wheels were
already turning inside Millicent’s head.
“I don’t know Claire that’s a lot
of extra money to be tying up in inventory that may or may not sell and its
money I don’t have at the present.”
Claire shook her head, clearly the
idea of consignment stock and new market entry points needed to be explained
further.
“You don’t pay for the
accessories, you get them on consignment from the other companies or better yet
direct from the manufacturer so the profit margin is larger.
Manufacturers don’t care who sell their products your just one more
distribution point for them, which is what they want! That’s how you
handle the cosmetics as for the higher end items namely the jewellery you can
go two routes, traditional makers or you can find and locate small companies or
even single people, who just like yourself are trying to establish themselves
in the market with high quality designs. They’ll take a much smaller
piece of your profit margin just to get their goods noticed.
“Your expense in the whole
operation might be a couple of tubes of lipstick for me so I can demonstrate
the shade with the clothes. As for the jewellery a felt lined tray of red
or green to offset the merchandise is about it. And finally the accessory
sales are paid for that day because they can be taken home then and there
unlike the dress which has to be made, all up front cost to you and paid for
later, much later! This way you create cash flow without spending really
anything! It’s more money to save for the next big move you’re planning
for!” Claire said in her best saleswoman’s voice knowing she’d hooked Millicent
with the last line.
“I do know a few people in the
jewellery business, small like me, but very good and I’m sure I could make
contact with a few cosmetics firms,” Millicent said to out loud but clearly to
herself as if Claire had just vanished from the booth they both occupied.
The rest of their conversation
didn’t amount to much as Claire’s dinner companion was lost in plans.
They still talked but one person’s mind was obviously someplace else and meant
to stay there. Claire said goodbye at the restaurant door and began the
long walk back to the Shelter her stomach full and her mind spinning with what
she’d just done and whether or not it was right.
Millicent Lewis’ name meant
nothing to Claire in the world she’d known before. “She’s just another
very talented designer who never got the break, the chance or whatever you
wanted to call it to make it big. Hell I’d love to have some of the
nightgowns she designs,” she told herself as she walked briskly along the
rapidly emptying streets. “They rival anything Gina can design and make
and her evening gowns are incredible! She probably ended using all that
talent for somebody else so they could put their label in her design!”
“And then you went and did
what you did!” she mentally yelled. “As the time travel theorists and all
the movies say ‘Don’t pollution the timeline!’ Claire mulled that over
for several minutes before coming to the scientific conclusion of, Screw
it.’ I may be stuck here forever, in fact that’s beginning to look like
the most likely outcome and I’ll be dammed if I’m going to be a poor working
girl my whole life! So Millicent makes it big, maybe I get to go along
for the ride and make it big as well! This world can be my oyster if I
want it to be and I do!” she concluded as she marched along her pace quickened
at the easy resolution to what she thought was going to be weighty
philosophical battle with herself.
Her step lost its spring as she
came within sight of her home, Alice and all the Sally Ann people had been
wonderful, more than wonderful to her but it was still a shelter and that
registered defeat in her mind. With that thought the four steps up seemed
like forty to her until she turned the corner and saw Sam sitting on the bench
she’d occupied once.
“Where the hell…” he started
to yell then cringed, the sudden realisation of where he was, hitting him like
a Bob Feller fastball. “Where have you been all night,” he began again
his voice softening and lowering as she came closer. “I’ve been here over
3 hours and that graffiti gets boring very fast!” he said gesturing to the
opposite wall. “By the way who’s the knockout blonde woman who runs
this place. Holy Moley is she a looker! I’d love to shot her
sometime, that Roman nose, classic cheekbones, piercing blue eyes, not to
mention that figure, she’s got the whole package!”
“Alice Hamilton runs the
place at night and no I don’t think she’d let you shoot her, she’s a little
uptight, it’s not her fault, it’s just they way she was raised, strict English
upbringing,” Claire said her voice lowering just in case Alice was nearby.
“English, you couldn’t tell
from her voice, she sounded normal enough, but as I was saying wow what a…”
“Sam!
Did you come here to talk to me about something?” Claire interrupted her voice
a little sharper than she would have liked it to sound, as she was tired.
Sam Carroll smiled as big a
smile as Claire thought he could! “I sold them, just The Secretary, not
the nudes, I told you you’re too good for that! And the best news, they
want more, lots more and they gave me half the money in advance and what type
of pictures they want next! It will be like shooting fish in a barrel!”
he was almost hysterical with joy as he spoke. “We need to get started
right away, I got all my stuff back, borrowed other things and bought what we
needed! I know the weekdays you can’t so that leaves us Saturday and
Sunday, they’ll be long and hard, maybe you can sleep at the studio to save
travel time or I can..”
“Sam! Calm the hell
down!” she yelled, then cringed at her faux pas before pressing on. “We
can work out the details later, just tell me one thing? How much did you get
for them?”
His moment of triumph had
arrived and Sam Carroll planned to make the most of it. He straightened
up and began.
“I showed them to several people at various
magazines and publishing places, they all expressed interest, a few made bids,
the bids grew and so did the interest via the grapevine, more bids came and suddenly
we had competing offers that didn’t stop! They love your look and your
body, totally different from anything they’ve seen before and that’s the hook
that caught and held them. Sorry I didn’t get in touch earlier, but I was
busy making us money, real money!” Sam could tell he’d pushed her as far
as he dared without reprisal, something he somehow sensed she was more than
capable of doing. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills.
“How much of that s mine?”
Claire asked her voice considerably lighter.
“All of it, all $500.00
dollars of it!” he said slapping the roll into her palm. “And that’s just
for the one set of pictures!” he said reaching into his other pocket and
pulling out an even bigger roll. “Here’s another $750.00 dollars with a
like amount coming after we finish the next set and who knows maybe more after
that, maybe much more!” he could barely contain his glee.
Claire’s eyes shifted from
one hand to the next, she didn’t know what to say for the longest time then it
came to her. “See you Saturday at 8am sharp!”
“That’s my girl,” he
answered dancing up the hall around the corner and into the street his feet
barely touching the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The remainder of the week
past in a blur. Claire purchased a small elegant and cheap hand purse for
her money and the few cosmetics she wanted along with 5 lined bound notebooks
that she promptly began to recopy her previous writings into before destroying
the originals in the Centres boiler fire. She hid the new books
underneath a loose floorboard in her room under her bed.
Millicent wasn’t the type of
person who bubbled over with thoughts; she just bubbled over with
activity! Claire’s idea had taken hold of her and by Friday she was
receiving consignment merchandise to be on offer for next week. Claire
asked and received permission to borrow some of her creations for the weekend
shoot reassuring her that it would all be in good taste and it was free
advertising to bout.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Sam!” Claire yelled and
kicked at the closed office door. “Open up my hands are full!” She tapped
her foot impatiently until she heard the footfalls racing towards the
door. “Here take these and hang them up carefully,” she said thrusting
them into his hands.
“What are these for? I
have all the clothes and props we need except for the things I asked you to ask
Millie for and this load is much too big for that!”
Claire stopped for a second
then smiled. It was the first time she’d ever heard Millicent’s name used
in the short form and the first time Sam had ever mentioned her by name.
“Millie?” Claire said raising a well-plucked
eyebrow. “Don’t you mean your ex girlfriend Samuel?” she laughed.
Sam blushed, just for second
at being caught out. He still loved Millie, only he ever called her
that.
“But pride goeth before a fall, stupid male
pride,” he thought and attempted to shrug it off with out success.
“To answer your question yes
these are Millicent’s and after we’re done you’re going to shoot me in them so
she can develop a catalogue of her creations for prospective buyers and your
name, address and telephone number will appear on the boarder of the
picture. Get it!” she smiled again and Sam’s smile confirmed to her he
had. “Alright now that that’s taken care of I’m all yours!
Where do we start?”
“They
want a Calendar series of shots, you know, a seasonal sort of thing so with my
equipment and the stuff they loaned me I’ve set up 6 stations in the
studio. We’ll shoot those, change the sets and shoot the other 6.
Then they want some glamour head shots then finally a series of theme shots
around holidays and such, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Arbour Day, Halloween, The
Fourth of July, etc. But since you’ve brought some of Millie’s stuff we
can shoot that as well, both for her and them and I’ll see what they say to
using them if they give her the plug for the clothes. How does that
sound?”
Claire smiled, her plan was
moving along without a hitch. “Ok Sam, but I want to see the finished
product before I agree,” she added warningly not wanting to sound too over
eager. She retrieved the clothes for the January shoot and headed for the
change room.
“Let’s see so far I’ve been an
Eskimo for January, knelt beside a fake Ground Hog hole for February, been
Little Bo Peep for March, worn a bikini and held an umbrella for April, lay in
a bed of strategically placed flowers for May and finally seated on chair with
my legs drawn up wearing only very short shorts and a halter top licking a fake
ice cream cone for June,” Claire mused while her feet soaked in hot water and
salts.
“Fifteen hours just flew by did
it?” Sam smiled at his worn out subject “We’ll do the other 6
tomorrow. Start at the same time if it’s ok with you?”
“Sure,” Claire yawned then realised
the time had completely been lost during the day. “Dam it Sam why didn’t
you tell me it was getting late! The shelter closed and I can’t get
in! What if they give my room away, shit!”
For a few seconds Sam didn’t know
what to say, he wasn’t sure if it was a combination of his single minded
stupidity at forgetting her predicament or on hearing that kind of language
come out of so classy a woman as Claire. His next comment confirmed it
was his stupidity! “You have more than enough money you don’t need to
live there anymore, you’re better than that place and those people.”
Claire who hand been starring at
the ceiling deciding how best to apologise to Alice pulled her feet out of the
basin, swung round and locked her fiery eyes on his and held them fixed as she
spoke.
“First of all where I live is no
concern of yours, got it! Second, those people who took me in without any
questions asked do the work nobody else in this City of Angels is willing to
do! Third, you or I nor anybody else is better than another person is;
didn’t you cover a war that fought to re-establish that right? Fuck Sam I
thought you were a little smarter than that, I don’t know why Millicent still
loves you?” Claire ended and plunked her feet back in the water to a large
splash.
“There it was again, that paradox,
the swearing, which seemed to come so natural and the…Millie still loves me!”
he thought.
“Millie still loves me?” he said
out loud.
“Yes, God knows why when you make
dickhead remarks like that. But I suppose that’s to be expected from a
man who’s too proud to accept help from the woman who loves him. You’d
rather go under and lose her than have you’re pride hurt a little. I made
that mistake and it cost me the man I loved and no I don’t want to talk about
it!”
“Come on you can stay at my place,
it’s just around the corner, it isn’t much but its better than here,” he said
retrieving a pair of small heeled sandals for her to wear. “You can have
the bed and I’ll take the sofa. Oh and one more thing! Don’t try anything
I’m a taken man you know.”
* * * * * * * * * * *
“July in a bathing suit reclining
in a chair, August in a bikini again, only this time standing next to a giant
thermometer, September in a tight sweater and equally tight skirt.
October in clingy pants raking leaves, November reclining next to a fake fire
with my skirt up at my knees and December dressed as a snow bunny with a hand
muff and blowing a kiss to the camera. One year in one weekend, not to
bad! I’m exhausted Sam as you must be?” Claire asked her feet soaking
once more.
“Not really I have the easy part,
I get to look at you all day and who could ever get tired of that!” he said
with a smile and a laugh.
“Careful or you’ll give me a swelled head to go with my
feet and I used to think being a sp… was hard,” Claire caught herself just in
time and hoped Sam wasn’t listening to her near gaff. She breathed a fast
sigh when he did respond and relaxed again. “Careful stupid!” she
mentally told herself. “Anyway I have to get going Sam,” she said pulling
her feet from the water and slipping on her low heels for the walk back to the
shelter, a walk her feet were not looking forward to. Claire gathered up
the clothes she’d borrowed from the store and turned to Sam.
“When will you have the pictures for
Millicent developed?” she asked
“Couple of days, with colour it
takes longer, you need to be very careful with the fixing solution and the
temperature so I want to be a little more alert than I am now so they come out
perfect. I’ll drop them by the Shelter for you say Wednesday or Thursday
after I develop and deliver ours.”
“Your still being a dickhead, you
know that! Man, you just don’t get it do you! Take the pictures to
Millicent after I’ve left one night, say your sorry for being..”
He cut her off there. “I know, a
dickhead!”
“Glad to see you’re finally
catching on. She’ll be thrilled; both with the pictures and that you
still care for her. Invite her to dinner and see where that leads. See
you next Saturday at 8 am again, bye Sam and thanks for all you’ve done.”
Claire said before she disappeared out the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The week blurred by, Claire
made her peace with Alice, who wasn’t upset at all. She continued to
teach her class twice a week at the Shelter making slow but steady progress
with her pupils. Just as Claire had suspected the jewellery and cosmetics
were a complete success delighting Millicent almost as much as her rekindled
romance with Sam did.
“Everybody’s happy except
you Claire!” she had to admit. “Finish your commitment with Sam and then
move on.
It’s time to get on with your
life.”
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