Chapter 2 - THE GOWN BEHIND GLASS
The gown was long and elegant, with a fitted waist, narrow sleeves, a high collar, and covered buttons descending the back in a flawless line.
A brass plaque read:
MERCER & REED HERITAGE COLLECTION
FALL 1984
ONE OF ONE
Mom approached the case.
Her cane shifted, and I caught her elbow.
She lifted one bent finger and pressed it against the glass.
Her eyes filled.
“Mom?”
She studied the collar, the buttons, and a small section of the skirt.
“The right hem is deeper.”
“What?”
“One-eighth of an inch. We corrected it after the last fitting.”
“We?”
Before she answered, a manager approached.
He wore a charcoal suit and a polished smile that contained no warmth.
“Can I help you?”
“We’re only looking,” I said.
His attention stayed on Mom.
“The gown is part of our heritage collection. It cannot be handled.”
“We haven’t touched it.”
“We have received concerns from staff.”
“What concerns?”
His eyes moved briefly toward Mom’s old purse.
“My mother is looking at a dress.”
“Of course.”
He did not leave.
A security guard joined him.
Mom finally turned.
“I am not stealing your gown.”
The manager’s smile tightened.
“I did not say that.”
“You looked at my purse.”
The guard lowered his eyes.
A second manager arrived carrying a tablet. The first leaned toward her and whispered.
I caught fragments.
“Lingering.”
“Distressed.”
“Possible confusion.”
Three employees now surrounded an elderly woman with a cane.
I moved closer to her.
“We can go.”
“No.”
The firmness startled all of us.
Mom faced the display.
“I need to see the inside of the collar.”
“That will not be possible,” the manager said.
“Only for a moment.”
“Garments are not removed for customers.”
“I am not a customer.”
The female manager softened her voice.
“Perhaps your son should take you home.”
Mom straightened as much as her spine allowed.
“I know how that gown was made.”
The manager sighed.
“The design history is available online.”
“No. The left shoulder was cut twice because the first satin panel had a flaw. The buttons cover wooden forms because the supplier sent the wrong size. There is reinforcement beneath the waist seam.”
The managers stared.
Mom pointed toward the hem.
“And the right side is deeper.”
The male manager’s patience broke.
“That is enough. You need to step away.”
Humiliation crossed Mom’s face.
She lowered her hand.
“Take me home,” she whispered.
May you like
Before I could answer, a young voice came from behind the managers.
“Wait.”
