Life As I Know It

“Miriam!” “Yes!” I turned suddenly to see my friend with her hand on her hip “Aren’t you listening to a word I’m saying?” I smiled a crooked smile and said “frankly my dear… no” “Ah! What is wrong with you”? “Nothing” “Yes there’s something wrong. We just passed Neiman’s and you didn’t even glance.” “Oh, did we? When?” “Somewhere in between… what’s with you? I sigh one of those horrible sighs that reaches into your heart and makes it skip a beat “I don’t know. It’s a mixture of hormones or my past reaching into my present. My present making me feel jaded, my future being a blur. Or the lunch we just ate that gave me heartburn. Take your pick” She laughs, “You need serious shop therapy and I know exactly what will do the trick” so she swings me around and we head straight to the vintage shop I love. She drags me through the rows of 1950’s dresses, art deco pieces, and old tacky furniture. I drag my feet through the store not showing interest in anything. I’m having one of those days wh...

I rummaged around through the racks looking for a dress for a special occasion. And that’s when I saw it; the most beautiful 1950’s vintage yellow silk dress. It was a one-shoulder dress with a bow cascading over the shoulder with exquisite crystal beading around the waistline. I tried it on to find that it looked even more amazing on. Perfect fit, tailor made just for me. My fashion side would have bought it in an instant but my cynical side thought I could find something better and less pricey. So I put it back on the rack, promising myself that if I didn’t find anything else I liked I would come back and buy this dress. After many tight silk pencil dresses, itchy chiffon dresses, too bright colored gowns, and non-flattering out fits I found myself a bit disappointed. I had yet to find something to wear. A bit defeated and very much ashamed of the time wasted, I found myself traveling to the first store. And as I desperately searched the racks, I observed a girl getting out of the ...