LeggingsRoyalescam883b@60+com

Kitty looked up as the shop bell sounded to see me rush in, totally dishevelled, dark hair half up in a bun arrangement, and half down in wispy wind curls. “Windy is it?” she enquired, deep inside a style manual.
“Getting colder too,” I offered, “Some of the girls I met earlier said snow was on the way.”
“Too early for snow,” Kitty replied busily drawing out what appeared to be a fairly adaptable design from the ones shown in the manual. “Do you think this would work like this?”
She passed me the sketch pad, I looked, the designs were not quite as the orginal designer had drawn – and had more classical overtones, for the upcoming party season.
“Hasn't Phyliss already enough stock?” I asked mentally counting up party dresses for the season ahead. Phyliss had mentioned renting them out by the night as well.
“Someone came in yesterday and wanted something like this,” Kitty said nervously, “We had nothing in stock or in her designs for this year, so I thought I might...” She looked guiltily at me, “I thought she wouldn't mind, not after sending me on that college course.”
“You'll have to show her them,” I commented, not sure what to say, my idea of party wear was much simpler, you just wore a nice pair of leggings and dolled it up with a lovely top. I fingered the fake leather front panels of my latest Fra & Flod buy.

…........................................................................................................................

“I'll stop and make you a coffee,” Kitty said quietly, “I'm too tired to argue, and I wasn't going to cut it out today anyway.”
“Right,” I said thankfully, “Got one of them frothy ones?”
“Yeah, we got some sachets left,” Kitty said from the kitchen, I heard the familiar rattle of cups. I wasn't sure how or why she'd got so good at design work, I was doing the same course on different days, and it hadn't taken me thataway. I felt a mite mean, jealous. The designs I found most appealling were ones she hadn't shown. Not similar copies, these just orignals. “You ought to show her these too!” I said as she came back in with the coffee.
“Oh, I'm not ready to show them yet,” she replied her face as red as a berry.

“Fla & Frod?” she said looking at my leggings, “Nice black contrasts! Do you know they didn't have a skirt instore last time I went in.”
“When was that?”
“A few days ago.” She admitted sipping her coffee. “Sometimes it takes you, sometimes it doesn't.”
“Hows things at home?” She looked so much better these days, so I had to ask. Was it all dying down?
“They keep at it, only I think it's not so much on the public media systems these days. Now it's just to drive me around the bend if they can. Out of home people keep on dropping comments about giving back, so I've been experimenting with psychicly telling them that it's Jubilee and it's a safe time to give back... without perhaps getting in more trouble... Which I now believe is at the heart of it all.”
…....................................................................................................

“Someone tried to tell me you were dead the other day,” she said finally, wrinkling her nose thoughtfully at an offending picture. “That you're books and poems were written by their daughter.”
“Oh I've heard that one, there is some weirdo about, it's unfortunate.”
“Do you know exactly who it is?”
“No or I'd have talked to the police.”
“Yeah, I'd have done likewise, it's just having proof.”
…..........................................................................................................................................
I went to the window to clear it, I'd been asked to dress it anew each Monday morning. Phyliss said that there I could have the choice of thee outfits in stock, as it was just a matter of dressing to impress new customers. The ones that bought already knew that their outfit could be as new or improvised as they wanted. Very few of them wanted off the peg. Although we did sell limited editions quite regularly.
“Did someone take something from you?” asked Kitty, “I mean is that what's at the heart of all this bullying?”
“Might be,” I confirmed, deep in undoing the pegs etcetera that held the dresses in such perfect positioning. “It's kinda romanic plus control factor thinking, they want to be better than you, so they pull this kind of stunt. To prove it. So far I've had nothing given back. Like you I can only hope that they're better instincts will make them do so, if only to keep them out of trouble. Which is coming... I believe.”
…...................................................................................................
“
She bustled back with a roll of deep blue fabric, “Love this stuff!” d She said happily.
“Go on, use it,” said a voice behnd her. Phyliss had come in. “I bought it ten years ago, and have never foind anything I needed it for.”
I slipped behind them both with last weeks window dressings and picked up the design sketch book, and handed it to Kitty. “Nows the time!”
“What have you got?” Phyliss chimed in, and picked the book out of her fingers.
Kitty looked amused. “I was asked about the first two designs yesterday, so I did some work, Legs likes the earlier ones, the deeply gothic ones.”
“Yes, so do I,” Phyliss said happily, “Try making up one, this college course has really been good for you. Where's yours?” She shot at me.
“I'm not sure I'm on the same course,” I confessed, I felt a bit silly, no one had shown me how to do that kind of thing.
“Well bring in your ideas next week,” Phyliss replied calmly, “We could do with an apprentice window – for a change of pace, originalty and colour for this season.”
“Outfits at half price?” suggested Kitty laughing.
“Sure like at the hairdressers,” I said. I wished I could draw. My dresses looked weird. I was more a window dresser. I'd have to tell her. I'd sort of got an idea for a nice top. Look good with leggings.,,”
….................................................................................