Chapter Two

Chapter two
-
Blinking away the bluriness, Aya glanced at her clock. 9AM. Her mind instantly rushed into panic mode. "I'm supposed to meet Kayin in an hour!" Not even bothering with breakfast, she rushed to get ready. She grabbed something random from her closet, and took the quickest shower she could manage. Sure enough, forty-five minutes later, Aya was staring at her reflection, applying make-up. For only having an hour to get ready, she was doing pretty well. She might actually have time to get some breakfast.... then she took another look at her hair. Maybe not.

Just as Aya put the last pin in her hair, the doorbell rang. "One moment!" She called, grabbed her bag and a granola bar. One last look in the mirror confirmed that this was the best she could do, and headed out the door. "Hey, Kayin, let's go." Aya said before taking a bite of her granola bar.

"Looks like someone didn't get up early enough." Her friend joked when she saw Aya eating. "Anyhow, lets get going to the tailor. I want you to see the dress. It is amazing! I'm sure you will agree."

Aya raised her eyebrows, shrugged and followed her friend. After swallowing, Aya asked where exactly the tailor was.

"It's not far, I promise."

Aya crumpled the wrapper in her hand and crammed it into her pocket. "OK... If you say so. I looked at the pictures you sent me last night. I think I know exactly what I want to do. I'm thinking pretty simplistic, but hey, simple is good, right? Anyway, I was curious, what's my budget constraint? I'd just like an idea if you don't mind..." She trailed off.

"We'll talk. I mean, with so few people, I can manage to spend a bit more on elegance. And, oh! Here's the tailor. Come on." Kayin tugged Aya's arm into a small studio. Her body had no choice but to follow.

"Hello young ladies." An old frail voice greeted them.

Aya took a good look and sized up the old man. He was bent over and used a cane to help him around. His white hair was slowly receding. He had a nice enough smile, and his teeth were in good condition. Aya was wary, but liked the old man.

While Kayin was talking with the tailor, Aya looked around the room. Wooden shelves lined one wall. They held many colors of thread and sizes of needles. She noted a few bundles of fabric scattered here and there. She tried to find a sewing machine, but no avail. While the tailor went back into the other room to fetch the dress, Aya craned her neck to see what else was in there. Though, she couldn't see anything.

"Calm down Aya!" Her friend soothed. "You'll see the dress."

The old man came back only a few seconds later with a black garment bag. "Here. Try it on and see how it fits. You can go ahead and change in there." He said and pointed to the door next to the one he came out of.

Kayin happily obliged. She grabbed the bag and rushed to the room, with a smile painted on her face.

Standing and waiting out in the shop was beginning to get uncomfortable. Aya felt the man's eyes staring at her. She shifted her weight anxiously. A bad feeling began to settle in her stomach. "So, um, how long have you been a, uh, er, tailor?" Aya asked, glancing over the room.

"Oh, many years. This shop has been passed down through many generations. I'm lucky that it stays in such good shape." He said longingly, with a look of content splashed on his face.

Aya nodded. She opened her mouth to reply, but Kayin came gliding out. The moment Aya laid eyes on her friend, she was speechless. Not only did she look wonderful, the dress also bore a striking resemblance to the one that the bride was wearing in the picture she was sent. Aya immediately ran to her friend and hugged her. "You look wonderful!"

"Thanks Aya. I knew you would agree. I don't think I could find anything better." Kayin told Aya. "It just feels like magic when I put it on. I can't wait until Tavor sees me in this." She dreamed.

Aya looked back at the tailor. He was concentrating, that Aya could tell. His eyes were squinted, his mouth set into a thin line, and he leaned forward just slightly, as if he could get a better look that way. "How does the dress fit?" He asked finally.

"Oh, perfectly. It couldn't fit any better unless I was sewn into it." Kayin gushed.

"Good." The tailor said plainly. "That's wonderful to hear. I say we have one more fitting a week before the wedding."

Kayin nodded, "Oh yes. That would be nice. Let me go change and I'll tell you when I'm free that day. OK?" With hardly a nod from the tailor, she went back into the room and changed.

Aya shifted her weight uncomfortably. She glanced over at the tailor who was muttering something to himself. Keeping herself occupied, she paced around the shop, looking more carefully at the walls.