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October 18, 2014
Sonia sat in the middle of the crowded room, trying to take it all in. She sat tall in her chair, a lightness in her heart that was evident from the grin on her face. Her chair was on a platform and had an arrangement of helium balloons tied behind it. Dani joked the arrangement made it look like Sonia was sitting on a throne in the middle of the room. The three friends decided it made better sense to give Sonia a place of prominence to sit and let everyone at the event come and find her to talk.
Sonia felt overwhelmed by the number of people who showed up. She couldn’t see them all, but the volume in the room told her it was a great turnout. I can’t believe this many people came here to show their support. Of course, the person I wish most was here, can’t be. Sonia dabbed the tears from her eyes. Both joy and sorrow overwhelmed her so often this evening, she’d stopped trying to fight the tears.
Sonia had expected her father to show up, but when her brother came too, Sonia cried tears of joy. As her father leaned in close, her nose was filled with cherry wood tobacco, a scent she always associated with her father. He admitted he gave up smoking some time ago but knew how much she loved the scent, so he still bought small amounts of it. In her mind, Sonia thought her brother smelled like body odor, but she had to amend that association when he gave her a crushing hug. He was surrounded by notes of cedar and pine, as well as the fresh notes of citrus. And Philip didn’t call her Shorty even once.
Not long after they left, Sonia could see someone near her chair, circling around but not speaking. “Hello?” Sonia said. The noise in the room was almost overwhelming, so Sonia couldn’t use any auditory clues to identify who it was.
“Sonia, it’s me, Jeremy,” came the reply.
The spicy scents of jasmine and juniper danced around him, followed by the familiar leather and pine she associated with him. Sonia could feel her cheeks flush with joy. “Jeremy! I’m so glad you came!”
“I was glad you invited me. I really wanted to be able to see you again.” Jeremy came close and put a hand on Sonia’s arm. Goosebumps broke out under his touch and her stomach flipflopped.
“That’s so sweet of you to say.” Butterflies in her stomach made it difficult to speak.
“Yeah, I wanted to let you know what happened with the police when I turned your evidence over.”
A cold chill settled over Sonia. She was curious, but wary about her former boss. “What did happen?”
“Well, thanks to you, Lawrence is looking at some jail time. A few designers he stole from are seeking compensation, so there are criminal as well as civil charges against him. His company has been dismantled and there’s a good bit of finger-pointing going on. But I wanted to let you know that what you did made a difference, and you really helped all those designers Lawrence was stealing from.”
The chill vanished and was replaced with a warm glow. Sonia cleared her throat. “Thanks for telling me, Jeremy. I can’t believe Lawrence Fashions has come to an end.”
“Yeah, I mean, I can’t get a decent reference now that the empire has fallen.”
Sonia gasped. “Oh no, I hadn’t thought about that. I’m so sorry.”
“No, that’s okay. I was just teasing. You know I wasn’t really happy there.” Jeremy’s voice trailed off. He leaned closer and Sonia could smell cedar as he did so. “I missed you, most of all.”
A lumped formed in Sonia’s throat, and she swallowed hard before saying, “Lunch must have been lonely.”
“It was more than that.”
“Oh!” Sonia’s cheeks grew warm. Is he telling me he really likes me?
“I hope I can see you again, Sonia.”
Sonia licked her lips and answered, “I’d really like that.” Warmth was pooling in the pit of her stomach and her hands were damp with sweat.
Jeremy leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek, which gave Sonia a pleasant jolt of electricity. I hope I get to smell more Drakkar Noir soon. “Take care.”
Jeremy squeezed her arm as he said, “You can count on it.”
A voice stood out from the crowd, “There’s the woman who made all this happen.” The woman drew close to Sonia’s chair, allowing Sonia to get a whiff of baby powder, which brought back of rush of memories from her college days.
“Mari! You came!”
“You bet I did. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” Mari’s voice grew soft and quiet. “I worried about you. I wondered what you would really do after you left fashion design. And here you are, a big success.”
Sonia blushed. “I’m not a success yet.”
“I’ve heard people talk. You have deals with so many people! Bridal shops, wedding planners, boutiques... with so many people singing your praises, you can’t help but be a success.” Mari leaned in and gave Sonia a hug. While she had her face close to Sonia, she said softly, “I’m so sorry to hear about your mother.”
A tear trickled down her face. The worst of the sorrow, which swamped her and left her feeling breathless, had passed. “Today is really bittersweet. I got a chance to tell my mother about this company and even get her a sample. I got her blessing to make this company a success. It means the world to know she approves of what I am doing here.”
Mari leaned in for another hug and Sonia gripped her tight. Sonia could hear what faintly sounded like a doorbell, but she only wanted to talk to Mari and find out what she was up to.
“Tell me what you are doing, Mari, so I can celebrate your success.”
Coming Soon
Dani’s story in Resplendent