As she raised her arm, the interior lining of her brown coat shifted. For a fraction of a second, I saw the stitching inside the collar. It was a very specific, intricate gold thread pattern in the shape of a subtle diamond. My breath hitched. I had spent hours studying the Calloway & Co. archival manuals for my management exam. That was a zero-run stitch. The brand hadn't used that stitching technique since the late nineteen-eighties because it was too expensive to produce.
Before I could process what that meant, Elise lunged forward.
“Don’t touch that!” Elise hissed sharply, swatting her hand in the air near the woman’s arm. “Do you have any idea how much that dress costs? If you get grease on that silk, you’ll be working for the rest of your miserable life to pay it off.”
The elderly woman pulled her hand back. The calm demeanor finally cracked, replaced by a look of profound disappointment. She looked directly into Elise’s eyes.
“Why are you treating me like this?” the woman asked softly.
“Because I know exactly who shops here,” Elise replied confidently, tilting her chin up. “And I know who doesn't. I am protecting this brand from people like you.”
“You’re making a serious mistake,” the old woman warned, her voice suddenly carrying a weight that made the hairs on my arms stand up.
“A mistake?” Elise let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “You walked into the wrong store. Leave now, before I call building security to physically drag you out to the curb.”
I couldn't take it anymore.
Every instinct told me to stay quiet. I needed my paycheck on Friday. Maya’s inhaler refill was going to cost two hundred dollars. My rent was due in four days. But looking at the elderly woman standing there, being verbally battered just because of her coat, I saw my own grandmother. I saw every person who had ever been made to feel small by someone with a little bit of power.
“That’s enough,” I said loudly.
The silence that followed was deafening. Elise slowly turned her head, staring at me as if I had just grown a second head.
I walked across the marble floor, my heels clicking, until I was standing between Elise and the elderly woman. I turned my back to my boss and looked at the woman in the brown coat.
“I am so sorry, ma’am,” I said, keeping my voice steady, though my hands were trembling. “My name is Harper. Please, take all the time you need. If you’d like, I can show you the Azure collection in the back. We have some beautiful pieces that I think you’d appreciate.”
The elderly woman looked at me, her eyes softening. She studied my face for a long moment, reading my nametag.
“Harper,” Elise’s voice came from behind me, low, venomous, and shaking with rage. “Step into the back office. Now.”
I didn't move. “I am assisting a client, Elise.”
“She is not a client!” Elise snapped. “And you are done. Give me your keys. You are suspended pending immediate termination. Get your things and get out of my store.”
The finality of the words hit me like a physical blow. Suspended. Fired. The walls of the boutique suddenly felt like they were closing in. Maya’s face flashed in my mind. The medical bills. The empty fridge. I had just ruined my life.
The elderly woman reached out and gently touched my arm. Her fingers were warm.
“You shouldn't have done that for me, Harper,” she whispered.
“Nobody deserves to be spoken to like that,” I replied, my voice cracking slightly.
I unclipped my heavy set of manager keys from my belt and placed them gently on the nearest glass display case. Without looking at Elise, I walked to the back hallway, grabbed my cheap raincoat from my locker, and walked out the back employee exit into the alley.
The cold Chicago rain hit my face, mixing with the tears of panic that finally spilled over. I walked quickly down the alley, wrapping my coat tightly around myself, trying to figure out how I was going to survive this.