1950s Summer

Chapter 6- Shopping

You ended up waking up late the next morning. The light from the sun was shining through your window and brightening the room and you. Alicia left a note for you. It read 'Good morning Y/N! Food downstairs. Going shopping later if you wish to join. With love, Alicia' The note made you smile. You wondered if the others had gotten a note, if she told them in person, or if she didn't invite them at all.

You got dressed in comfortable attire and headed to the kitchen to grab some food. You hadn't decided if you were going to spend the day with Alicia or lay by the beach some more today. Carol and Abby were at the table eating and Elaine was just leaving to go spend time with her future husband. They were going to have a picnic later you overheard.

You didn't see Alicia in sight, but you didn't bother to look for her. You just got some of the eggs and toast that had already been cooked, most likely by Elaine. Elaine had said that she wanted to gain the most knowledge about motherly duties since she wanted to have children soon.

You got your food and sat down at the other end of the table, away from Carol and Abby. You saw Carol glance at you, but she didn't say a word to you. Abby was the one to engage in a conversation which surprised you some.

"So are you going to come to the gathering tonight?" She said looking back and forth at you and Carol.

"Yeah, I think I might." You said with a smile.

"Are you going to go shopping with us later then too?" Carol asked like she actually wondered if you would be joining them or not.

"Well how formal is this get together?" You didn't want to show up overdressed or underdressed because it would be so embarrassing for you. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if you looked out of place. You didn't want to be considered an outcast with people you didn't even know.

"I can look through some of your clothes and see if anything fits the occasion, if you're okay with that." Carol said with a satisfied smile.

"Sure." You didn't want to sound too excited, but you knew your face had lit up just with a few words from Carol.

You were just happy that Carol offered to help you out. It was kind of her and she would know exactly if any of the clothes you packed would look alright at the get together. She knew those kinds of things.

Carol and Abby left the table before you finished eating. They didn't say where they were off to as you kept eating your breakfast. Once you were finished, you headed up to your room to relax for a bit and maybe read a book until Carol would look through your clothes.

When you walked in your room, Carol was already looking through the bag you had failed to unpack yesterday. She was picking up your shirts and skirts, examining them carefully and moving on to the next item of clothing.

She pulled out a thin skirt that was mid length. It had intricate embroidery detailing near the bottom and the waist. You had gotten it the last time you were at the house and you were pretty sure that it still fit although you didn't try it on.

"This would look amazing with a pastel top. What do you think?" She said holding the skirt up to your waist to get an overall look of the skirt on you.

"Yeah, I guess that works." You were trying to hide your smile. Carol was so close to you. One movement and your life could change, but you weren't willing to take that risk because the outcome was still so uncertain.

"So you'll come shopping with all of us later then?" She sounded excited that you were going.

"Yes." You nodded.

"Great. I'll let my mother know." And she was gone. Disappearing from your room and gliding into the hallway.

______

Age 17

You loved going shopping with Alicia and your mom. You could pretend to be a much older, wiser version of yourself. Alicia would urge you to try on as many clothes as you wished, but your mom was not as happy because if you really loved a piece of clothing that was too expensive, your mother couldn't afford to buy it for you.

You happened to be inside of a high end store that was way out of your price range, but you still tried on some clothes because Alicia was so happy to watch you come out of the dressing rooms with such a huge smile plastered across your face. It was like you turned into a little girl when you wanted to feel like an adult.

You saw a skirt that was impeccable. It was something that looked like it was to be in the cinemas. You had to try it on and you did. It happened to fit you perfectly as well. It sat just perfectly on your waist which gave you a slimming look and it was loose in all the right places. You knew your mother would never buy it for you, but you begged and pleaded anyway.

Alicia offered to buy it for you, but your mother would have none of that. Your mom did not want Alicia to pay that much for an item that you most likely would never wear. She was probably right, you wouldn't wear it often enough to get your moneys worth.

They fought in the middle of the store right then and there about it. You ended up leaving the store without the skirt.

At the end of the summer, when you were already back home in Pennsylvania, you were going to unpack your suitcase and on the top sat the skirt you had wanted wrapped nicely and neatly in tissue paper.

______

You met everyone at the front door. It turned out that everyone was going shopping except for Elaine and her fiance. On the way to the outlet mall, Carol sat in the front seat beside Alicia who drove. Abby was therefore stuck beside you in the back. Abby didn't fight it though because Alicia was Carol's mother of course, and Carol was still older than Abby, not by much, but she was still older and that's what mattered.

You walked through the shops in one big group making sure that no one was left wandering  around by themself. You popped inside a few places, but nothing seemed to stick out to you and you were dying to be in the water again.

You really didn't care about the shopping right then, you wanted to be swimming in the pond, letting the water glide over your skin and pull against you as you pushed against it. You were sort of in a daze walking around the stores, just thinking about when you would be able to slip away into the weightless water.

"You aren't enjoying this aren't you." Alicia said, snapping you out of your head. She stated it like a fact like it was completely obvious, and it made you feel bad because you didn't want to tell her it was true.

"I am enjoying this." You lied. "I love shopping. I always have." You smiled because that part wasn't a lie and lying to Alicia left a terrible feeling.

"Alright. If you want to leave, you can. I won't hold you back." Alicia winked at you and went on talking to Abby about something and left you alone to go back into your thoughts.

You were waiting outside on the sidewalk, sitting on a bench waiting for the women to walk out of one of the stores you had turned down to go inside. You were fiddling with a loose strand on your skirt you were wearing. You should have brought your book, you thought to yourself.

"Here." Carol stood in front of you holding a bag that was being showcased for you.

You grabbed the bag carefully and looked at Carol suspiciously. You reached in and lifted a light colored shirt that was made of a soft fabric. It was tailored at the waist and cut short on the arms.

"Thank you." You smiled at her. You wanted to hug her tightly and thank her a million times, not just for the shirt, but the happiness she gave you just by thinking about you.

You didn't though. You just looked at her and hoped your eyes said all that you were thinking, hoping that she understood the importance of her actions.

~AN: I hope yall are enjoying this so far, its a little different from my other stories, a bit more young feeling, but i like writing it so let me know what yall think. All feedback is welcome, just don't be blatantly rude lol