Authors: Amanda Bolton
Vintage, modern, or something of a mix. I don’t abide by the fashion shows rules that the New Yorker’s think up. I style in a client centric way, individually. My creations are not for the masses, which is why I do not sell my line in department stores. If you want to see me or my work, you must come here to me.
Just because something looks good on a waiflike model does not mean that it will be flattering on other body types. The majority of women are not built like that and that is why that should not be the norm.
Generally, when someone comes to me for help or advice it is when there is an impending event that is meaningful to them and they want to look their very best for it.
People tend to stick with things within the realm of their comfort level. Unfortunately, that also means that they can be very old and outdated articles of clothing. For example, “blowing out a flip – flop on a pop top” doesn’t exactly command the attention of the room.
A lady should present herself as such. Much like a tiny hummingbird, delicate, graceful but elusive. The old adage,
fashion hurts
, is very true for some people. A young fashionista might choose to forego dining out for weeks to purchase a name brand quality bag, just as I had once done.
The flip side of that is that well - to - do clients, have the money, they do not seek out the high quality of products even though their money can most certainly collect it.
Her English could be a bit broken, at times. It seemed that she liked trendy music in her references. But there were times that she almost felt like she had missed something a verb or a noun maybe to complete the thought.
My favorite saying, and I’m pretty sure that I coined the phrase,
Quality Keeps
. It is just a fact of life. Honestly, I would rather pick something that the client could be happy with for twenty years over something trendy and forgettable.
“Well, Ms. Grace it has been such a pleasure to meet and sit down with you. I just couldn’t be any more grateful than I am. I just thank you,” she offered.
As they walked out to the front door, she picked up a sack from behind the cashier and handed it to her. Dayshia Fayth shook her head, thinking it was way too much to accept it from here.
But she insisted, and it would have been hurtful to Ms. Grace to not accept her gesture of kindness. So she did and as she turned to walk away with a sheepish grin covering her face, much like a child on Christmas morning.
Chapter IV – Crazy, Wild, Curly Hair
A dinner reservation was made and it was only minutes away from the limo picking them up. They were being responsible adults for a change because they knew that they would be drinking and staying out late. So they coordinated a driver service to get them back to the hotel safe and sound.
Dayshia Fayth stood before the floor length mirror, feeling a little bit queasy. She tilted her head to one side as she admired her gift from Ms. Grace. She was wearing a petite black silk and taffeta cocktail dress that flattered her body very much.
It was embellished, wholly, with minute black feathers that shimmered in the dim light. She picked long dangling earrings that were silver with clear gem stones. Her long silver necklace mirrored her plunging neckline and she looked nothing short of stunning.
All of that was great, but the very best part were her four inch spiked heeled Manolos. The craftsmanship and forward thinking design were undoubtedly on the bleeding edge of innovation in fashion. And she was a whore for a fancy pair of shoes.
Cameron stood just behind her as she turned to tie his tie. She took a brief moment and breathed him in, he smelled like Creed Adventus. Delicious! While he put his suit coat on, she grabbed her clutch and they headed out of the door.
They met in the prodigal bar of the Sympathy Hotel. The click clack of the hard tipped heels seemed to echo over the expansive marble floors. The hostess took them back to their private party on the exclusive back garden patio. The weather was very nice.
Her mother walked up and kissed both cheeks followed by a warm embrace. She introduced everyone and they sat down around an old wooden table. They had obviously ordered the first round of drinks for everyone there. There was a glass of pinot noir just in front of them.
The family seemed to be staring when they realized that she might have forgotten to mention something to them in their haste. He stared at her father’s eyebrows looking very confused. He looked over at his mother and he knew that she knew. The question was would she tell the rest of them.
He looked over at her, because he realized that he was staring inappropriately so. She could see that he was quite literally biting his lips together to either keep from speaking or laughing out loud. But the thought that was circling in his brain was,
family …..schmamly …. No, not working for you? Oh, okay.
What he didn’t know was what her father was thinking. It was best that he didn’t know that because he was wondering,
why he didn’t get a different haircut that was much shorter and manly to come and meet us with.
The group made polite conversation keeping the neutral limits that were predefined which were religion and weather mostly. As long as they followed the unwritten rules, they would most likely get along just fine.
Her sister was no less judgmental though. She was thinking,
Hmmmm …..He would be so much more flattering if he would crop that long greasy looking hair right off into the trash can.
Her step - mother asked,
“How is work going?”
It’s going pretty good …. Actually, I got to intervieeeeeee ………”she didn’t even finish her sentence before she was out talked by her own mother.
“Tisha, how is your work going?” she asked.
Oh, well thank you for asking mom. The kids are so active, most days are just a blur. Terrell is in soccer now and he has several games every Saturday.
Tyra has been doing these little ballet classes and she seems to be liking it pretty well. Bobby is so into karate, he tried to karate chop everything in the house in half. Not successfully mind you, but he tries.
Keeli, just wants to watch Peppa Pig, her favorite cartoon. And then there are the twins. They are potty training, not really, but we’re trying.
If Shane was ever home, then we would be making progress. But we all know that that is not going to happen anytime soon.
They watched on with hallow eyes, not caring in the least about the words that were coming out of her mouth. She was so immersed in her own little world that she never bothered to check on anyone else’s well - being.
Cameron reached out his thoughtful hand just under the cover of the table. And she reached right back for him. The only thing on his mind was how disrespectfully his mother had talked to her. He was not a happy man and he found himself wondering if she did that all of the time. One thing was for sure, he would be watching out for it.
Chapter V – The Tides Will Turn
Dayshia Fayth had been working up the courage for a long time to approach the conversation with her family about her relationship with Cameron.
She had not specified the parameters of their affair and allowed them to draw the conclusion that he was her friend and coworker. It was past time to let them in on the little secret between them. That they were madly in love and would be getting married in the spring.
She took a deep breath and got ready to speak, when Cameron turned her chin towards him and pressed his forefinger against her lips. He shook his head back and forth, telling her no. He didn’t want her to tell them. She looked into his eyes for a second as her forehead wrinkled. She was confused by what he had done. They had agreed on the decision.
She instantly got pissed and lost her cool. She excused herself and left the table. He followed her into the ladies room. He turned her by her shoulders and said,
“Listen to me …. I know that you are upset with me and that is fine ….. But, tonight is not the right time to do this …. It doesn’t feel right ….. More than that it feels very wrong.”
“I thought we were on the same page, I thought we were getting married. What is happening right now?” she said.
“Just come with me, let’s leave …. Let’s get out of here, right this instant?” he begged.
So he went back and said she wasn’t feeling well and needed to get her back to their hotel to lie down.
In the city it was never a good idea to go out drinking on an empty stomach. They had already consumed several and were moving on to a hole in the wall dive called Sambuca’s for some more to drink. It was a local dive, not a chain across states.
They went in to try some sex on the beach and buttery nipple drinks that they saw advertised on the front door. The shots were flowing freely and loosening things up quite nicely. And it was turning out to be a pleasant time together, despite all of the angst that had happened earlier.
They ordered soft shell crab that were fried with flakiness and were offered with a lovely ponzu sauce. They couldn’t get the tasty food into their mouths fast enough for their liking. The food was unimaginably good.
As they ate they discussed things,
“I’m so afraid that I ruined everything tonight,” she confessed.
“With who baby? Who did you ruin things for? What are you talking about?” he asked.
But his voice faded into nothingness as the server brought out the mussels with mushrooms in a fiery velvety sauce baked to precision. The conversation had to be halted for a moment while they ate.
“Hey, it’s me. I hope you know that I have your back. I want you to know that. Just want to let you know that I’m always thinking of you and what is in your best interests. You have to know that babe,” he promised.
Then a little later she said,
“Well, that’s okay. Really. Maybe I didn’t say it very good but I thought that you might talk to me and let me know how things are going. But it’s okay. I am sure everything is copasetic it just helps when I hear those words coming from you baby,” she said.
Another half hour passed and he said,
“Would you just talk to me already? For god’s sake! I can’t believe that you would leave me hanging like this. You are so friggin insensitive!”
As usual, he had no clue what she had gotten so upset about but he said,
“Baby …. I am so sorry … I do not know what came over me like that, right then? I seriously did not mean what I said to you. Haha …. Like I would really talk to you like that ... Psssshhhhhhh …. No way would I.”
“Okay then …. I forgive you. So, just talk to me damn it!” she begged.
He put his head in his hands and asked her if they could just go. He was tired of fighting and arguing but mostly he was just tired. So, they did. They went back and changed into their more comfortable clothes for bed.
They got into bed and turned a movie on. It wasn’t like them to fight like that. But with the added stress of meeting the family they were pushing themselves well beyond their comfort zones. The next morning he said,
“Good morning. I hope that you slept well. I had fun with you last night. I’ll always be here for you once the dust has settles. And if you need anything at all don’t hesitate to ask. I love you D,” he said.
That sounded much more like the fellow that she fell in love with. She knew that she needed to say the same back, but she just wasn’t ready to. It was way too much reality for such an early hour in the morning.