Chapter 11 - THE BOARDROOM OF POLISHED WORDS
Mercer & Reed’s board met on the top floor.
The room overlooked the city through glass walls.
Mom arrived wearing the same black coat.
A receptionist offered to take it.
She refused.
“I was judged in this coat. It can stay.”
The board chair, Margaret Mercer, was Charles Mercer’s granddaughter.
She began with an apology.
Mom listened.
Then she asked, “What changes after the apology?”
Margaret presented a proposal.
The store would update the plaque, create a temporary exhibition, and host a private luncheon.
Mom looked toward Lucille on the screen.
“Temporary?”
“Six months, with possible extension.”
“You preserved Charles’s name for forty-one years.”
Margaret folded her hands.
“The exhibition schedule is complex.”
“So was constructing twelve gowns.”
A labor historian explained that the records supported permanent attribution.
Sophie presented the production cards.
Hannah showed the photograph and payroll books.
Lucille held up her notebook.
Margaret’s lawyer questioned whether every handwritten entry could be authenticated.
Lucille leaned toward the camera.
“You authenticated Charles’s name without asking any of us.”
The room went silent.
The families requested no ownership claim over the physical garments.
They asked for permanent attribution, public access to the archive, and preservation of the workers’ oral histories.
Mom added one more request.
“A training fund.”
“For whom?” Margaret asked.
“Young people who can sew but cannot afford design school.”
The board chair appeared surprised.
“You are asking for a scholarship?”
“No. Scholarships often pay schools. I want paid apprenticeships. People should not work for exposure while others profit from their hands.”
Sophie lowered her eyes, hiding a smile.
Margaret requested time to consider.
Mom rose.
“You have had forty-one years.”
Outside the boardroom, she looked exhausted.
“Was I too harsh?” she asked.
“No.”
“I used to be kinder.”
“You used to be easier to ignore.”
May you like
She laughed.
“That may be the same thing.”
