"And what are you doing?"
Martha quickly turned at the sound of August's voice. His brow was furrowed and he had a sneer on his face; she froze as she stood in front of her open closet, clutching a red dress in her hands.
"Uh... I was just looking for an outfit." She answered.
"For what?" August asked.
"The benefit. Johanna wanted me to be there tonight."
August paused, then glanced at the garment in his girlfriend's hands. After a moment, he snatched it and held it up to get a better look. It was garnet red with a flowery print, lacey accents at the sleeves, and a long flowing skirt. He then glanced over at her with a disappointed scowl. She nervously grimaced.
"You cannot wear this." He said, throwing the dress on the floor.
"Why not? I really like that one." Martha tried to argue.
"You need something classy and sophisticated, something that tells people you mean business. Something like..." He rummaged through the closet and pulled out a tight black cocktail dress with no sleeves; he also pulled out a pair of matching black sandals with buckles and high heels. "...this."
"You want me to wear that?" Martha's eyes widened in disgust; she absolutely hated that dress and she knew shoes like that would do nothing but give her blisters.
"Of course. I bought it for you and you haven't worn it yet."
"But... but this is a size three. I'm a size five. Will it even fit me?"
"Meh, we just need a little Crisco, a shoehorn, and some fishing line and we're good to go. You also need to do something with your hair and makeup."
"What's wrong with my hair?" She nervously grasped some of her hair in her hands.
"It's too bright and long. And your face is too boring, too average, too pale. What you need is mascara, eye liner, a dark lipstick, matching eye shadow, and a somewhat darker foundation and you'll be perfect."
Martha took a step back. 'I really don't like where this is going.'
"Don't you want to make a good impression on Johanna and her peers? She's expecting you to look your absolute best and you certainly don't want to tarnish Who Runway's reputation, do you?"
"No! No, of course not."
"Good." August shoved the dress and shoes into her hands. "Now get ready. Once you put on that dress, I'll do your makeup and hair for you. Got it?"
Martha sighed and headed to the bathroom. "Yes, August."
"That's a good girl." He smiled as the bathroom door shut; he grabbed a hairbrush and a pair of scissors.
At the benefit, Heather was looking everywhere for Martha, but she was nowhere to be found. Tapping her foot, she checked her wrist watch; it was almost 7:30.
"Ugh, what is keeping her?" Heather mumbled in irritation. "She should be here by now."
"Heather, where in the name of Seuss is Martha May?" Johanna asked. "She's late."
"I know, Johanna. I always knew she would be a screw up."
Heather folded her arms before heard someone approach; she looked and saw Martha May stumbling over to her and Johanna. She was wearing the black dress and heeled sandals along with some pantyhose, studded bracelets, and a large diamond necklace with her bright red hair pulled into a bun and bangs almost covering half of her eyes and her face looked almost unrecognizable; she had ash gray eye shadow, maroon lipstick, and foundation that almost made her look tan. Heather and Johanna stared at her with wide eyes, unable to find the words.
"Martha? Is that you?" Heather asked.
"Yes, it's me." Martha said, rolling her eyes.
"What the heck happened to you?" Johanna asked.
"Johanna, can we just get this over with, please? I feel like an idiot." Martha groaned with a shiver.
"...You kind of look like one, too."
"Thank you for clearing that up, Heather. I am definitely going to need a bath and a foot massage after this. These heels are killing me right now."
Johanna examined her new assistant carefully before pausing. "That makeup and hairstyle is a big 'NO' and those shoes look awfully constricting, but the dress? Not too bad, if not a little tight. That solid black color doesn't really flatter you, but you do you."
"This wasn't even my idea. It was August's." Martha grumbled.
"Okay, would you mind telling me who August is already?" Heather asked.
"My... boyfriend since college. I've been living with him for the past few years."
"Oh, really? What's he like?"
"August? Oh, well... he's a very hard worker."
"Where does he work?"
"At town hall. He's a member of the city council."
"A politician, huh?"
"Of a sort, yeah. He works so hard for us. Long, hard days at work... and he's been stressed and a bit out of it lately."
"Well, why don't you get August something special? To cheer him up. A gift, like a tie or a pen... or something."
Martha paused. "You know... that's not a bad idea. I mean, he does take care of me. He's done so much for me; I can't seem to keep track of it all. He really is my whole world... and I'm his Little Flower. That's what he calls me anyways. I honestly wouldn't be where I am now, if not for him."
Something in the way Martha talked about this man struck a chord in Johanna. She couldn't quite put a finger on it though, like a double meaning behind her words. Martha continued.
"You know, I had a little money set aside... for a rainy day. Well, a lot aside. I was planning a trip... but I guess getting him an expensive gift would be fine, too."
"There's a tie shop down the road. I saw a really good one with yellow and orange stripes on it. I think it's only about $25, maybe $30." Heather commented.
"Really? That sounds perfect, Heather." Martha breathed, putting a hand to her waist. "After this benefit, I'll go straight there, pick it up, and surprise him. It's brilliant. He's going to be over the moon about it, I just know it. I mean, who wouldn't love something like that, right? Heh, right."
That same undertone she had when she spoke about her supposed 'true love' was leaking through her words again and it piqued Johanna's curiosity. She opened her mouth to ask for more details when Martha started to struggle to breathe smoothly and calmly; this worried Johanna when she noticed her face turn pale.
"Uh, Martha? Are you okay, darlin'?" She asked. "You don't look so hot."
"What? Me? Oh, I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. It... it's just a little difficult to catch my breath." Martha weakly answered before she leaned on to a nearby table to keep her balance.
"We need to get you out of here." Johanna concluded, grabbing Martha and propping her up on her shoulder.
"Johanna, wait. What about the benefit?" Heather asked.
"The benefit can wait, Heather. It's clear that Martha needs help and she needs it now. Get over here and help me take her out of here or you're fired." Johanna demanded; Heather quickly did as she was told and led Martha to the door.
0-0-0-0-0-0
At Johanna's house, Johanna had just taken off Martha's dress. Martha collapsed onto the sofa and gasped and wheezed for air as Heather wrapped a fuzzy bathrobe around her shoulders and took off her shoes and even undid her hair and washed off her makeup.
"Thank you SO much." Martha heaved.
"No problem." Heather commented.
"Don't mention it." Johanna said, holding up the garment in disgust. "No wonder you couldn't breathe! This thing is two sizes too small!" She picked up the shoes and threw them and the dress into a hatch in another corner of the room.
"Where does shoot that lead?"
"The incinerator. I only use it for real fashion emergencies, and this was definitely an emergency."
"But, why'd you do that?" Martha asked.
"Because it's a crime against fashion, of course."
"No, not that. I mean... why'd you help me?"
Johanna paused and looked away in embarrassment before sitting next to Martha. "Because I don't want to see my employees hurt themselves for the sake of this company."
"But I thought you hated me."
"No, I don't. I value every single one of my employees, and you and Heather are no different. Look, I'm sorry for being so hard on you girls; it's just that I know you can survive working for me and even succeed at whatever if you push yourself as hard as you can. And I thought if I helped with that, then... then you would succeed. But as it turns out, it backfired and I'm sorry. I really do value everything you do for me and for this magazine; I'm just not good at properly expressing gratitude, or any other emotion for that matter."
Martha was taken aback very quickly; she certainly did not expect the great Johanna Starling to act so considerate and open towards her. For as long as she had known her boss, she always viewed her as selfish, arrogant, bossy, and full of herself. But it seems that it was all an act to cover up the insecurities she had. Johanna sighed covering her eyes; a tear trickled down her left cheek.
"Sorry, I don't do this to everyone." She said; her face turned serious as she wiped away the tear and looked at Martha and Heather. "If either of you tell anyone what you've just heard, I'll fire you both. Understand?"
"Yes, Johanna." They said in unison before all three women laughed.
"Now, Martha. I just want to know one more thing..." Johanna looked Martha in the eye. "...Why would you wear that dress to the benefit if it was too tight?"
"I-I... I didn't want to wear it." Martha explained before letting out a sigh. "...August told me to."
"Didn't you tell him 'no'?"
"I tried... but he wouldn't listen. He told me I needed to look my best in order to make a good impression on your peers."
"That's no reason to nearly strangle yourself. You could've very well fainted from lack of air if it weren't for me and Heather."
"You know, Johanna's right." Heather chimed in. "Sure, beauty can be painful sometimes. I should know, but that doesn't mean it's okay to nearly kill yourself."
"Try telling him that." Martha slumped forward and rested her chin in her hands.
Johanna stood up. "Why don't I talk to him tomorrow for you?"
Martha shot up. "What?! No! No, you can't! You have no idea what he's capable of, Johanna."
"I've handled things far worse. Trust me, he'll listen to me. Everyone listens to Johanna Starling. Just leave it to me, everything will be fine... And why don't you have the day off tomorrow?"
"The day off? No, no. You really don't have to do that."
"I know. But you deserve to rest. And when I'm done talking to him, I'll call you and tell you everything, okay?"
Martha paused and sighed. "...Okay. Thanks, Johanna."
"Any time, darlin'."