“Please at least give me a try,” she said. “You won’t have to pay me for the first two weeks. That will give me time to learn what I need to know, then afterward, if you don’t think I’m right for the job, I’ll walk away. No complaints…” Her words trailed off when she could think of nothing more to say.
The apprehension stitched to Colette’s face softened, and her voice lost its crispness.
“You remind me of myself when I started in this industry. Hungry for the opportunity, willing to do anything.” She smiled, not with a slight upturn of her lip as she had done earlier but a genuine smile, one that was rounded out and full of warmth.
“I was younger than you, only seventeen, and new to this country. Herb Goldman took a chance on me. It was my first job and I didn’t know a thing about modeling, but he took me in and taught me the business. If not for Herb, I wouldn’t have this shop. Perhaps it’s time for me to repay his kindness.”
She held out her hand and walked toward Suzanna. “You will have two weeks to prove yourself, and I will pay you a fair wage. In return, you must promise to buy yourself a decent pair of shoes.”
——————
SUZANNA WAS NOT SCHEDULED TO start work until the following Monday, and now that Gregg had his car back she had more free time than she wanted, so she spent the remainder of the week trying to keep busy. For the first four days she scuttled up and down the staircase carting the summer furnishings to the attic and bringing down the heavier drapes and warmer blankets. Once that was done, she cleaned the house top to bottom, vacuuming every nook and cranny, sweeping away lost buttons, bits of thread, and a shoelace that once belonged to a sneaker. She polished the furniture to a shine and spritzed the bathroom mirror until it was so crystal clear a person could see beyond themselves.
On Thursday afternoon as she was cleaning the mirror for a third time, she caught sight of her reflection and saw a strange shadow in the blue of her eyes. She bent forward, took a closer look, and discovered it gone. Concerned that it could be the shadow of her past, she decided the house was clean enough. After she’d emptied the pail and tossed the cleaning rags in the laundry basket, she settled at the kitchen table across from Ida and told her about needing new shoes.
“I’m hoping you can see your way clear to lend me a bit of money,” she said. “Just until I get my first paycheck. I can pay you back then.”
“Sorry, but no,” Ida replied, her voice sounding resolute, even though a smile was tugging the corners of her mouth. “I won’t lend you the money, but I will take you shopping and buy you shoes.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can pay you back—”
Ida folded her arms across her chest and gave a stubborn nod. “I know perfectly well what I have to do and don’t have to do; this is something I want to do.”
“I know you want to, but you need that money to cover expenses and—”
“I’ve got extra this month; sort of like a windfall that came my way.”
“Windfall? What kind of windfall?” Suzanna asked suspiciously.
Ida hemmed and hawed for a few moments then said, “I received an extra check from Social Security. Some kind of bonus.”
“Really?” The sound of doubt was still threaded through Suzanna’s voice. “Odd, you’ve not mentioned this so-called bonus before.”
Ida folded and then refolded the dish towel she’d been holding. “Oh, didn’t I? It must have slipped my mind. Anyway, it’s enough for us to have ourselves a nice shopping day tomorrow,”
“Well, okay. But I still plan on paying you back.”
“We’ll see.” Ida smiled, folded the dish towel one last time, slid it into the drawer, then left the kitchen.
The next morning as soon as Annie was out the door and on her way to school, they left for Barston. With the sweltering heat of September now gone, the morning was cool enough for Suzanna to wear her jeans and the sweater she’d borrowed from Ida. At 9:30, when the watchman unlocked the front door of Major’s Department Store, they were waiting at the entrance.
Their first stop was the second-floor shoe department. After trying on several pairs of pointy-toed flats and a number of high-heeled pumps, she decided on a pair of stilettos made of a leather that was as soft and smooth as a calf’s underbelly. Suzanna slid them onto her feet, then stood and walked across carpet to test her balance. After several trips back and forth, she smiled and gave a nod.
Ida waved the salesman over. “We’ll take these and the pointy-toed flats.”
“Not both,” Suzanna hissed as she hurriedly buckled the strap of her sandal. With one foot still shoeless, she looked up at Ida and shook her head, but by then the clerk had walked off with both pairs of shoes and the charge card.
“I can’t afford them both,” she said in a desperate-sounding whisper.
“You don’t have to afford anything. Those shoes are a gift.”
“No, I intend to pay you back just as soon—”
“Your granddaddy told me to never look a gift horse in the mouth, and I’m giving you the same advice. Now, that’s the end of it. I won’t listen to another word about you paying me anything. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve already given me ten times what those shoes are worth.”
“I haven’t given you a dime,” Suzanna argued.
“Money’s not the only means of paying a person.”
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand—”
“That’s because you’re not as old as me. When you get to be my age, you can see the value of things a lot more clearly. I believe I’m doing exactly what your granddaddy would want
