The Existence of Reconcilable Differences

Chapter Five

Half of the week went by and Dani was eager to begin work and she hoped to get back in the dance studio. Though Gunner's lack of communication tortured her, she held her composure whenever she saw his swift and random appearance. Hostility was prominent in the household and Dani wondered when, or if, it would ever let up.

Thursday rolled around and Dani debated with herself on whether she should wear a black pencil skirt or pinstripe slacks. Mary gently peeked her head into the room, checking to see if her goddaughter had been ready to hit the road. She had a half hour left before they had to leave, and still, she wasn't sure about what to wear.

"Pencil skirt or slacks?" Dani asked while staring at her reflection.

"Pencil skirt."

"Uh, my legs are all bruised up –" She began her excuses but Mary wasn't hearing it.

"Your legs are beautiful. Lotion them up and put that damn skirt on. We don't have much time to get down there and your breakfast is getting cold." She sighed and softened her voice. "Listen, honey, I know you're nervous but this is the first step to a new beginning."

"Yeah, you're right." Dani surrendered herself while taking deep breaths.

"Good. Put it on and get your ass downstairs." Mary placed a firm pat on her arm and sashayed out of the room.

Dani entered the kitchen wearing a cream-colored blouse, a pencil skirt that blurted out her hips, black flats, and hair pulled back into a bun – Dani looked prepared. Mary smiled with motherly love.

"Look at you, professionalism! Chow down." She ordered.

"I think I gained weight, this skirt is kinda tight..." Dani sat down slowly, being sure not to rip the skirt. Vanilla Biscotti coffee swirls traveled into her nose and she dived into the taste. Coffee with three creamers; that's all she needed.

"You'll be meeting Megan, she's the manager of the store. She's a sweet girl and you'd get along with her."

"I would hope so." Because Dani had a thing for attracting frenemies.

The building was modest – nothing like Dani imagined. In the store windows were mannequins of different sizes, petite to voluptuous which had vintage-styled dresses on. Maria's Vintage Clothing Boutique (written in gold) was plastered, gracefully, on the window. They entered the store and a few people were shopping around the three aisles. Dani didn't shop much, she wasn't much of a girly girl, but the designs were elegant and she admired the fashion. Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" unpretentiously played from the central stereo system which gave the store a vibe of traveling back in time to the 1950s.

Megan, a medium-height youthful woman with a pixie cut that made her look oh-so-sweet, arrived from the back. Decked out in the whole get-up, she proved classiness still existed; she wore a sage green floral printed swing dress and wedges that pumped up her already beefy calves. A bright bubbly smile effortlessly laid upon her face.

Mary peeled off her cat-shaped sunglasses, "Megan, my dear Megan." They air-kissed like rich women who lived off of their husbands.

"How are you?"

"I'm doing great. And you?" Her voice was friendly and easy to take in the ears. Dani glanced back at the door making sure it was still there - that it hadn't disappeared and she was trapped in a different year.

"Fabulous. This is my goddaughter, Danica."

Dani stuck out her hand but Megan ignored it and climbed in for a hug. So welcoming, Dani thought.

"She's so beautiful!" Megan turned to Mary and back at Dani, "You're so beautiful."

Dani knew they were going to get along. Mary left Dani to begin her training as a sales associate. There were six people on the morning shift: Orion, Sylvester, Joe, Megan, Angela, and Dani. The vibe of the store was light and the relationships between the co-workers seemed to have a family feeling. Dani wondered if the mask would fall off once Mary walked out the front door.