Welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Each morning I spend fifteen minutes writing on a singular story line. Each morning starts with the last line of the previous day. The goal is to get a (very) rough draft out of the simple story idea and to avoid letting the story idea languish in limbo forever, actually writing it out. This is the third year I have done this writing experiment and each year I learn just a little bit about myself and the way I write as well as creating a framework for the story. But without further ado…
Day 56: Gwen nodded. “I think we should go in, I just don’t know what we will find. It was pretty hard to find that dress.”
Gwen nodded. “I think we should go in, I just don’t know what we will find. It was pretty hard to find that dress.”
Margaret shrugged. “Then we will go in, look and if we find nothing, dismiss it from our list of places to routinely shop. It will just be a place you occasionally find something you like and not the place where you got THAT dress.”
She smiled and Gwen couldn’t help smiling back. She followed Margaret to the store and they went in. The selection in the store was different from their on-line shop and Gwen actually thought she preferred the on-line version. Here there were different items, but the selection was not as broad. There were many sizes of the same item, but fewer items over all to choose from.
She did find that some of the same problems arose in the store as they did on-line. She would find something she liked the color of, but the cut would be all wrong for her. Likewise when she found a cut that flattered her, it didn’t come in a color she could wear. Gwen pulled a blouse from the rack and shook her head. This would have been a nice look on her, but it came in a strange yellow green that she knew would make her look jaundiced.
“Is there anyone who can wear this color?” She mused.
“They are few and far between,” Margaret said. “I am not one of them, although I must admit, I am somewhat relieved by that.”
They went through the store and Gwen found nothing suited to her taste. They left without purchasing anything.
“And that can now be checked off of the list,” Margaret said. She shook her head. “I know it isn’t meant for someone my age but they made some rather …interesting choices in their selections.”
“I think the selection is better on line,” Gwen said. “There were more options when I found the dress.”
“That brings some relief,” Margaret took out her list. “I think we might be able to check off a few of the necessary items if we go that direction.” She pointed off to the right. Gwen nodded and trusted Margaret knew where things were. This shopping center was designed like an outdoor mall, the stores grouped into sections that Gwen was certain made sense to someone. She supposed with frequent visitations she would get used to how things were arranged. She just didn’t know how often her visitations would be. Shopping had a limited appeal to her and was generally something she did only when she actually needed something.
When she did need something like the dress and it’s accompanying elements, she tended to treat it more like a treasure hunt rather than a shopping excursion. She tracked down the items she wanted and then purchased them. It was one of the reasons Lisa didn’t like shopping with her. Lisa had to go into every store to see what they had and if anything appealed. Often she would come home loaded with bags, none of them containing the one item that she went out to purchase. It was why Gwen tended to shop on line, hunting down the individual items she wanted and picking them up. Then when she went shopping with Lisa, she could pick up something extra if she wanted or just be a sounding board as Lisa tried on dozens of outfits.
As they continued through the outdoor shopping center, Gwen was pleased to see her grandmother did not feel the need to go into every shop. She had a list and an idea of where she wanted to go. Those were the stores she focused on.
Ten til Midnight 