Aurora (#1)

s i x t e e n

"Seafood's good." I told him.

"Good. Tell your address and I'll pick you up."

"You or your chauffeur?" I laughed lightly.

"My chauffeur but that's not the point. I'll still be there." He laughed.

"I don't know. Maybe I want to go on a date with your chauffeur instead." I joked.

"I don't think you'd want to do that."

"And why not?"

"Because he's married and has kids. Didn't think you want that kinda baggage." He chuckled.

"Hmm you're right. I guess I have to settle for second best." I giggled.

"I guess you will." He sighed dramatically. "So where shall I pick you up from?"

"Pick me up at Aldea. I don't really want you to have to meet my parents." I laughed.

"Okay then. Aldea at five just so we can get to the place I've booked on time." He said.

"See you then." I said goodbye and cut the line. I didn't have any fancy dresses, or any that were suitable for that matter. I sighed and jumped into the shower. I changed into jeans and a top before tying my Chucks and shrugging on a jacket. I stuffed my purse and phone in my rucksack before leaving the house and locking up after me.

I needed to find the nearest thrift shop. Luckily for me it was just a few blocks away. I had never needed to go to a thrift shop before but desperate times called for desperate measures.

I browsed through the dresses my size and found a few that seemed decent and were within my budget. I went to the changing rooms to try them on. I found the perfect dress when I tried on a short baby pink dress that had a sweetheart neckline and lace sleeves and also covered the top of my chest. The back had been cut out in the shape of a heart and the bust had pads so I didn't need to wear a bra.

I was just going to wear my black Chucks with the dress because I didn't want to spend more money than I had to. I gave my dress to the cashier to pay when she said, "This dress in on a deal. You get a free pair of shoes with this because whoever donated this wanted it to be a set." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Let me get the shoes for you."

She went to the store cupboard behind her and came out with a pair of silver pumps. "This is a size seven, I'm not sure if it will fit you since you're so small." She smiled.

"I'm a size seven so that's good." I smiled.

"Alrighty then." The total came up to twenty dollars. I decided that since I was doing some shopping I might as well stock up my fridge with food. I went to find the local supermarket but instead found a nice fruit and vegetable market. The price of the food was cheaper than supermarket produce so I bought two weeks worth of food. I had stocked up on apple, bananas, and a few vegetables I could cook with. One woman was selling homemade pasta sauce for only fifty four cents,  and had even thrown in a free packet of penne pasta with that.

The atmosphere of the market was light and cheery, I felt myself relax and enjoy myself amidst the crowd. There were even a few buskers. I clapped along to their songs and even joined in with other people. I walked slowly through the market, taking in the smells and the noises. I saw a stall which held handmade jewellery. The woman looked up as she saw me approaching.

"Hello dear." She smiled.

"Hi." I replied, looking at the necklaces that hung from the top of the stall. Each necklace was completely different from the next. There were no two same necklaces. "These are beautiful." I breathed.