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Banner By -  @grochinov-

"Love can accomplish all things. Things that are most impossible become easy where love is at work." - St. Therese of Lisieux

I ran around the bridal shop like a chicken with its head cut off.

Clients were screaming, rushing to the different racks, grabbing my priceless dresses. Bags were being ripped and fights were breaking out. My head was spinning as I rushed to help as many people as I could in the shortest time possible. My mother, meanwhile, stood elegantly at the cash register, coolly ushering customers through the door after their purchases. She was the calm in the storm.

"We are never doing a Hell week ever again!" I growled at Kylie, immediately regretting my words. Hopefully, she didn't take it personally—the stress of everything was finally making me snap and I needed to blow off steam.

Kylie's hands flew over her head as she tried to help a young skinny bride into a flowing wedding gown. The long graceful lace sleeves hugged the girl's skin, and her face beamed with love and joy. Clara sent an exhausted half smile my way, her eyes drooping with sleep deprivation. I couldn't wait for this week to be over so I could give her the well-needed rest she deserved. She had been my right-hand-woman for a while and I needed to pay her back.

Turning away from the happy scene, I walked over to my mother and placed my hands on her arm. "How are the numbers?" I asked, squeezing slightly, I whispered in her ear, "Are we done yet?" She ignored me, smiling gracefully as she helped another customer rebag her veil as best she could. I stepped to the side, letting her lean over the counter to fiddle with the stuck zipper, and took a moment to glance around the frantic shop while I waited for her to respond.

Every year, Little White Dress Bridal held a sale where we sold gowns at ridiculously low prices, and women couldn't help but jump on the opportunity to get their wedding gown for under 1,000 bucks. This was called Hell Week. Since it was hard to get in the store, hard to get out of the store, but it was like a sin to not come. I tried counting the people in the store, and realized we were only fifteen minutes away from closing time. There were still too many people; this had to violate some sort of fire code.

"We are ahead by almost ten thousand dollars. Erin, we've done amazing this Hell Week. We just need to make it through the last few minutes." My mother gave me a smile, followed by a quick hug and a peck on my cheek before rushing to the phone by the check stand, holding it close to her mouth to make a store-wide announcement. "I'm sorry to announce that we will be closing in ten minutes. Please make your final selections and head over to our register. We appreciate having you here, and thank you for spending another lovely Hell Week with us here at Little White Dress Bridal."

She hung up the phone and focused on the customer waiting patiently at the counter. The bride beamed as my mother took the dress and punched the numbers into the register, double checking to make sure they were right, and handed the dress back to its new owner.

"Thank you for shopping with us here; please don't hesitate to come back in if you ever need any help with alterations or anything." My mother flashed a smile that conveyed both her weariness and her love for her job. I hated that smile. To me, that smile meant she was under a lot of stress and she was trying to cover it all up. I saw right through it, knowing that it wasn't the true vibrant smile she had when my father was still alive. I missed my father so much. He and I had been so close when I was younger.

When I looked around the bridal shop I saw memories of my father always helping young women find their perfect dress. I used to love coming in here and help picking out the gowns for the girls. Whenever the bride chose to buy the gown I had chosen for her, my father would then take me out for ice cream. Sometimes I would get two in one day.

As I grew older, I was allowed to help my mother with the alterations. She was the one who taught me how to sew. There were so many memories of this place that sometimes in a moment of quiet, I'd sit behind the cash register and just look out over the many filled pedestals, caught up in the daydreams of my past.

I tried to keep the shop just as my father had wanted it. From the flowers in the fancy vases to the blue in the wallpaper, everything was exactly the way he had envisioned it.

My mother made another announcement telling the customers that the store was now closed, and I suppressed my thoughts and returned to the final moments of our sale. A few employees rushed to lock the door, only opening it for customers as they left the store.

After finishing the final few transactions, my mother turned around and pulled me into a hug. I smiled, as I returned it, squeezing just as tightly.

"Time for our end of Hell Week huddle." I pulled away to brush some of the hair from her face and grabbed my clipboard from the counter before hopping down the steps to the middle of the wide-open main room. As I went, I made note of the dresses pulled out of their protective bags, and the veils that were thrown over shelves. The whole store was destroyed.

"Congratulations guys!" I shouted, drawing everybody's attention towards me. I smiled as I looked around the room, noting how relieved everyone was to be finally finished with this stressful week. "You guys all have done so amazing, plus a little birdy told me we are way ahead on our numbers from last year. With that news, I'd love to send you home early. So go home, get your well-deserved rest and I will see you all Monday. Thank you for all you do and great job this week!" I waved as they rushed to grab their bags and go home. Clara grabbed me after making her way down the stairs, pulling me close as her fingers danced through my hair.

"I'll help you clean up," she whispered as she pulled away. Relieved I didn't have to handle this disaster alone, I mouthed a thank you before getting to work on returning all the sample dresses back on the racks. Clara fluttered about, straightening the chairs and checking for any damage to store items, as my mother checked inventory by running through all the dresses we had left.

It took us hours to pull the shop into something resembling order. I had finished putting all the gowns away, Clara had finished the tidying up the sales floor, and together we helped my mother finish with inventory. I had pulled a rack onto the sales floor as I sat on a pedestal, reading the numbers back to my mother.

"7-8-4-23-12" I read from the tiny little tag, each number meaning something different in our labeling system.

My mother let out a sharp sigh and rolled her eyes, peering down from her seat on the couch. The clipboard tucked neatly on her lap. "Are we done yet?" Her elegant facade faded away.

Clara chuckled from the other end of the seat.

"Oh dear, Clara, do I wish." My mother answered her own question.

"Honestly, after Hell Week every year, I feel like I could never look at another wedding dress and be perfectly happy in my life," I teased, placing the final dress back on the rack. Pushing it back into the storage slot, I met my helpers back in the main room. "Do you guys want to go out and get drinks? Margaritas on me." I smiled, brushing dust from my black dress.

"Oh well, why not," Clara confirmed as both ladies shrugged and grabbed their coats from the hangers.

"Let me just run up and grab my wallet. I will get yours for you, Mom." I headed upstairs to the office and grabbed my things. As I turned off the lights, I was sucked into the darkness of the upstairs, and I retreated hastily back down to where Clara and my mother were waiting. After locking the doors and saying good-night to the shop, we trooped down the street towards a local bar Clara and I visited frequently.

The weather nipped at our necks, causing me to pull my jacket up as I fought the frosty air. When we reached the bar, we pushed our way through the main door, heading down a long flight of stairs and into the blues club below.

A waitress appeared, setting some food menus on the table. She quickly took our drink orders before buzzing to another table. I watched as the girl tugged at some of her hair while an older couple talked. She seemed disengaged and uninterested in anything to do with this place.

My body felt so exhausted and my attention had been lost in a pit of my own thoughts. I couldn't help but think about all the work we had put into the shop this week. I never realized how much my father actually did for the business until becoming the proud new owner four years ago when I turned eighteen. Now twenty-two, I found myself still struggling to make sure everything ran smoothly. Everything else in my life had been put on the back burner. I had few friends, having sacrificed all high school friendships to the shop, with the exception of Clara. I considered her to be my best friend, and I hoped she thought of me the same way-- not just as her boss.

"Erin!" Clara yelled. I brought myself back to the club and smiled at her, pretending to pay attention. Through the sultry tones of the saxophone blazing in the room, the sad looking waitress weaved over to our table with our drinks and took our order before disappearing again.

"Sorry." I yawned. "I'm just really tired and I'm ready to eat." I looked around the room, my eyes catching those of a blond man leaning by himself at the bar with a whiskey in hand. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, like a tiny bug caught under a microscope, but I couldn't look away. He looked so handsome but even that couldn't compensate for the way he hung around awkwardly.

"Erin, he is so checking you out," Clara teased, taking a sip of her martini.

"No, he isn't," I protested, panicking. I grabbed the margarita gulping at the sour liquid. The salt sticking to the back of my throat, the tequila burning on its way down, causing me to put my drink down in a coughing fit. I forced my eyes away from the man and back to my mother, who was giving me one of those know-it-all looks.

"Erin, when is the last time you've been on a date?" she asked, "Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't think people should be picking up dates in a bar, but it's been so long. You really need to get back out there. What are you going to do, die without ever getting married? That's ridiculous, you are the owner of Manhattan's biggest bridal shop." She glanced back at the man. His eyes were still on our table. "He is kind of cute. Just give this a shot and this is me talking as your friend, not your mother. If I was talking as your mother I'd be telling you to button up your dress and get your ass home." She laughed, taking another sip of her drink.

Suddenly, the blond man stood up from the bar and headed towards us. He must have known we were talking about him. My heart jumped into my throat. I quickly glanced down at the black dress I was wearing, my mother's words ringing in my ears. I fixed my top frantically, staring in panic as he approached.

"I don't need a man, mom," I cursed under my breath before he reached our table. Clara waved at him, smiling as she slid closer to my mother to make room for the stranger.

"What a beautiful trio we have here." He took a seat directly beside me, causing me to inhale his deep cologne. I wanted to choke. He was too close for my liking, but something about the scent tickled my nostrils. It wasn't the worst cologne I had ever smelled.

"Hi, I'm Clara," my friend beamed. "This is Erin, and that's Erin's mother, Evelyn."

I wanted to smack her in the head. If they were trying to help me get a guy, she probably shouldn't have pointed out that I was getting drinks with my mother.

This whole situation suddenly seemed all like one of those scenes from one of those dusty books you pick off the shelf in the Romance section of a bookstore. It was overdone and I was over it. I just wanted to have a few drinks, then go home and go to bed. This entire situation made me feel uncomfortable like I was an outsider watching the plot move on without me.

He leaned in close to me and I found myself pushing closer to Clara. The comfortable atmosphere of our table turned awkward with the strangers' presence.

"Richard," he said, smiling. His voice was strong and slightly gruff, giving him a confident air that had Clara drooling as she took him in. "Can I buy you all another drink?" Without waiting for our response, he waved for a waitress to head over to our table and ordered us another round of drinks. I took another sip of my margarita and realized it was almost full. Confused, I looked around the table and saw that everybody had barely touched their drinks. Why was he ordering us new ones?

A couple of servers headed towards our table and placed our orders on the table. Richard grabbed his drink, sloshing it around in the square glass before taking a sip.

"So what are some pretty girls like you doing out here alone tonight?" he asked us, but it felt like his eyes never left mine. I tugged at my long hair, tucking the thin strands behind my ear. No response came to mind and I wasn't sure I should be the one to answer the question. My mouth had fallen open.

"Uh..." I began before Clara cut me off.

"Well, we all work at a bridal shop down the road called Little White Dress Bridal—actually, Erin here runs it. It's a shop that her father started, and she has been in charge since." I slapped her in the thigh under the table, giving her a death glare.

"Chill," I mouthed. She rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Richard.

I collected myself and decided to take the conversation into my own hands. "Anyways, what are you doing alone in a bar on a Friday night?" my previous thoughts were wrong. Clara did not have this under control.

"Just out looking to see if there is anybody worth my night." He winked, sending chills down my spine. I took a sip of the drink I had purchased myself. The ice was beginning to melt and the alcohol was slowly getting watered down.

"So you're hoe-hopping?" I asked casually. He looked taken aback by my comment.

"Erin!" my mother reprimanded. I looked at my companions to realize I was the only one who knew what he was doing. He was on the hunt for some woman to go back to his apartment with him—why else would he be out by himself in a bar on a Friday night?

"What, am I the only one thinking that?" I shrugged, eyeballing the man sitting next to me. I could tell he had stiffened up a little my comment, but he quickly jumped back into the hunt.

"I wouldn't call you lovely ladies hoes. We are just talking; doesn't mean anything needs to come of it. You all seemed fun, but I can leave if you would like." He was smooth. His words hung in the air like fishing line, and my mom and friend were hooked. He placed his hand on the edge of the table before he began to move from the spot next to me.

"No, no, no! Sorry, please don't mind her. You can stay!" Clara pleaded. He sat back down, this time a little further away from me. A small smile grew on my face when I realized that I couldn't quite smell his cologne anymore.

------ A little While Later ------

After finishing my third margarita, I decided it was time to get the bill. Clara and Richard had been chatting across the table for over an hour. My mother and I cut in occasionally, but watching my friend try to hook up with a strange creep had become pretty boring. I waved for the waitress to bring us the check.

"Clara, I'm sorry but I have to go home. I have tons of ordering to do for the shop tomorrow to stock up on all the dresses we sold this week." The waitress brought the bill to the table and I quickly handed her some cash to cover it all. "Mom? Are you staying to hang out?" I asked.

She shook her head no, letting out a yawn. "I'm the oldest one at this party, so I guess it's time for me to be heading on my way as well."

I smiled at her before pushing Richard to move over so I could scoot out of the booth. "You be safe, Clara." I winked as Richard sat down beside her, slowly putting his arm around the seat behind her, his fingers tracing her shoulder.

"Aw, you guys are no fun," she teased. "I'll text you in the morning, Erin. Good night, Evelyn." She waved us off as she dove back into the conversation with Richard. I shook my head and headed up the stairs with my mother, grabbing our jackets as we headed out into the cold Manhattan air.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" I asked once we were out on the sidewalk.

She shook her head. "I'm gonna get a cab—would you like to split one?" I nodded my head, watching as she took a step closer to the street, waving her hand violently at the next yellow cab to drive by. Quickly the driver shot to the side of the road and we both hopped in.

"I hope Clara is all right. I didn't like that guy," I said.

"We noticed," my mother groaned.

"Well, that's what he was doing! He was hoe-hopping." I laughed, throwing my hands in the air.

The cab driver pulled in front of my mother's building. "See-yah Momma, I'll let you know the info on the dresses tomorrow."

"Erin, you really should just enjoy a Saturday to yourself. Maybe try to get a date. You should give this 'hoe hopping' a try." She smiled before closing the door.

While the driver pulled away, I watched the busy streets as people were out with their friends. Maybe I did need to find someone. It really had been three years since I've been out on a date, and I was getting lonelier by the minute. Looking out over the stars, I began to wonder if I would ever find love for myself.