The Perfect Angel

Chapter 7: The Dress and Other Distracting Things

 “We don’t have anything else to do.” She simply replied. She strolled in with Jeremy behind her and was instantly attracted by the bright colors. There was no one else in the store and Janice didn’t see a sales clerk. She shrugged it off. 

There were racks of yellows and greens, not much of winter colors. Jeremy plopped himself down in a small cushion seat in the corner and warily watched Janice float through the store. He admired the way the skirt of her dress moved with her nimble legs and how she smiled secretly to herself. He didn’t forget to notice how she held herself up in those heels she had on.

             Suddenly a door slammed inside the store. The two missionaries turned their heads to the counter where the slam came from. A bunch of boxes magically started to float from behind a floral curtain. A small pair of hands held to bottom box. “Do you need help?” Janice spoke up. The boxes jostled as if the person holding them jumped back. They each ran over to grab the boxes from being dropped and carried them out of the person’s hands.

 “Oh, sorry!” Behind the boxes, a small woman hid. She was an elderly woman, too old to be carrying the heavy boxes.

“No, no! It’s okay!” Janice told her. The old woman dropped her box on the ground by an empty rack and took the others and placed them on top.

“Oh! We haven’t had customers in ages! Can I help you with anything?” The lady rushed as she tucked a grey hair into her messy bun. Janice wondered about the ‘we’ part in her sentence. Was there someone else working here? What were they doing instead of helping this old woman carry the heavy boxes?

“Oh, we’re just looking.” Janice told the woman.

“Well, if you need any help just give me a holler!” The woman smiled at the two teens before shuffling back behind the counter. Jeremy sat back down in the cushion chair while Janice went back to her place by the racks.

            Janice saw a small color change in the corner of her eye. She moved towards it and pulled a dress off the rack.

The dress was a smooth material and came with a peachy ribbon. It was a crème color and was sleeve-less. The bust area was smooth and clean. It was a short length that shouldn’t be worn in the winter. But looking at this dress, Janice knew it would be worth it.

 Janice held it up to her body. She loved the soft material under her fingers as she trailed her hand down the body of the dress. Janice took the dress to the counter, trying to find the woman. “Is there a dressing room?” She asked once she spotted the lady bent over by the register. 

“Over there in the corner by your boyfriend. Behind the flower curtain.” She waved Janice over without looking at her. Janice blushed at the woman’s assumption. She nodded and moved toward the changing room. Of course it was the most obvious curtain with the wild neon colors pressed against the brown wooden walls. Janice almost laughed at her obliviousness. 

“I’m going to try this on.” She told Jeremy. He nodded and yawned. She slipped into the small room and slid the curtain in front of her. She stripped off her original dress and stepped into the new one. It was a perfect fit and hugged her body attractively. The bottom of the dress ended a few inches before the knee. Janice knew it would be a long time before she could wear this dress.

She admired herself in the mirror for a second before a loud crash and a low grunt came from outside. Janice rushed out of the room, with the dress still on, and found the old lady on the ground. Jeremy knelt next to her, making sure she was okay.

“I’m fine.” The woman laughed. Janice knew it was dangerous for a woman of her age to fall. Maybe she broke something!

 “Are you sure?” Janice asked. The lady nodded and took Jeremy’s hand. She was pulled to her feet and she dusted off her clothes.