Memories Revisited Closing Up Shop
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Memories Revisited: A Scrapbooking Store free porn video
Memories Revisited: A Scrapbooking Store
By Heather St. Claire
Diane McMasters took off her scarf and coat and hung them up in the
stockroom of her new scrapbooking store, Memories Revisited. It was a
crisp, bright early November day. Diane loved the holidays; she was
already looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas: the decorations,
the gifts, the time with family, and most important of all, the
opportunity to give thanks.
Just a few weeks earlier, Diane had purchased the failing store located
in the Twin Pines Mall. She was 51 years old and had never owned a
business in her life. But she loved scrapbooking and crafts of all kinds
and she looked forward to helping people realize their dreams. For most,
it would be as simple as finding the right paper and embellishments to
make their scrapbook uniquely theirs; for a few, it would take some
extra magic. Diane was looking forward to providing that magic.
She had only been open a few minutes?her coffee maker had just finished
its daily work and she hadn't had a chance to pour a cup--when her first
customer walked through the front door. Sheila Stone looked to be about
Diane's age. She was well-dressed, in a white winter coat with large
black buttons and knee-high leather boots. Her long red hair was
expertly styled, and her makeup was perfect. She carried a Macy's
shopping bag that appeared to be overstuffed with papers.
Diane invited Sheila to join her for a cup of coffee. Within minutes,
the two women were chatting like old friends. Part of it was the easy
intimacy that allows women to form bonds more quickly than men; part of
it was Diane's special magic.
"I understand that you will put together scrapbooks for people, as well
as selling supplies?" Sheila asked hopefully.
"That's true...but people usually find it's more fun to do it
themselves."
"I'm sure it would be, but I just don't have time. Ever since Craig
died, it's been so tough to keep up with my teaching schedule, spend
time with Jessie, and keep the house up." She fought back a tear.
Diane put her hand on Sheila's arm. "I'm sorry, hon," she said softly.
"I'm glad to help out."
"Thank you," Sheila said, dabbing at the corner of her eye with a
tissue. "Can you tell me about cost? Not that price is an object?Craig
left us pretty well off."
"Oh, the fee varies?it depends on the materials I use, the size of the
book, and how much time it takes. But I can assure you it will be within
your budget. Now, please, tell me about the book. You said it's for your
son?"
"That's right. Jessie's 16th birthday is coming up soon, and the poor
boy has been so depressed lately. It's been more than a year since his
father died, and he misses him terribly, as do I, but he just doesn't
seem to be pulling out of his funk at all. He's so sensitive, feels
things so deeply, I think it's just been extra difficult for him." She
set her coffee cup down, paused, closed her eyes for a long moment, and
then continued: "And there's what happened the other day."
"What was that, dear?"
"Jessie and I were talking after I got home, just like we do every day,
when out of the blue he asked me if he had been a mistake. He wanted to
know why there was only a two-year gap between his older brothers, but
an 11-year gap before he came along. I chuckled and said, no, that was
just how long it took me to convince his father to try for a girl. As
soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't, so I quickly added, which is the
truth, that I couldn't love him any more if he had been a girl. Even
though I really did want a girl...it's probably the one empty place in
my heart that's never been filled." She looked wistful and paused again.
"Jessie looked at me with a sad expression and said, 'That's funny mom,
because I've always wished I had been a girl.' As soon as the words were
out of his mouth, he got a stricken look on his face and rushed out of
the room. He's refused to talk about it since." Sheila sighed deeply,
"So anyway, I'm hoping that a nice book telling the story of his life
will help to boost his self-esteem. He's such a good young man, so kind,
so smart...I just wish he could see how wonderful he is, how blessed we
all have been."
Diane took Sheila's hands in hers. "Don't you worry dear. This will be a
very special book...for both of you."
The rest of the day sped by; Diane had been pleased by the way she had
been able to get the store's business back on track so quickly. She
didn't need to make a fortune, but she better not lose a lot of money,
or her husband might start objecting to what he called 'her little
hobby.' Once she was able to hang up the 'CLOSED' sign, she went into
the storeroom to start on the special project for Sheila and Jessie. She
was glad her husband was away on a hunting trip for the weekend; this
one would keep her there well into the night. Diane opened a hidden
panel in the storeroom wall and withdrew a toolkit, a large selection of
paper and embellishments, and a special scrapbook. She emptied the
contents of the shopping bag Sheila had brought her onto a work table,
reviewed them, and started to work.
She began with one of the ultrasounds of Jessie when he had been inside
his mother. Diane spotted a tell-tale squiggle between his legs and said
to herself, 'This will be easy enough to fix,' and reached for a special
eraser. She added a photo of a visibly pregnant Sheila to the page.
Although there was a smile on her face, there was a sadness in her eyes
that was obvious to Diane; a little retouching would take care of that.
Diane found a page whose pink border declared: "It's a GIRL!" She glued
a birth announcement for Jessica Stone, six pounds eight ounces (the
male Jessie had weighed seven pounds, nine ounces) to the page, along
with a photo of a joyous Craig Stone holding his newborn daughter. She
put a sticker reading "Daddy's Little Girl" under the photo, and knew
that the special bond between father and daughter was going to be a
major theme of this book, just as much as the ties binding mother and
daughter together.
Some items needed manual retouching (often it was as simple as replacing
the "e" on the end of Jessie with a "ca," sometimes it was more
elaborate) but many changed as soon as Diane touched them. Many others
that hadn't existed in the bag Sheila had brought to the store simply
appeared as they were needed. The pictures entered the book rapidly now:
the little girl's arrival home in her pink nursery, filled with stuffed
animals and dolls; her first steps; her first birthday party, looking so
pretty with pink ribbons in her hair and a coordinating pink dress;
Easter at age three, with mother and daughter in their first matching
dresses; trick or treating through the years (she favored Disney
characters?Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella); and pictures of her
playing with her favorite dolls in her bedroom, a girl's paradise with
its mountain of stuffed animals and canopy bed.
Then the "Off to School" section began. There was little Jessica waving
her parents good-bye on her first day of Kindergarten; all packed for
her first sleepover at a friends' house; her first craft projects; her
first grade report card; and more birthday parties, including a very
special seven-year-old's party with a princess theme.
The outstanding science projects that Jessie had created for school
fairs were still there, but it was obvious that this girl did more than
just study. She played sports (not well enough to be a star; she was a
scrappy softball middle infielder and a faithful reserve in basketball),
sang in the church's children's choir, and amazingly, acted in school
and community plays. Of all the new items that came out of the bag as
she worked, the acting photos, handbills and tickets were the greatest
surprise to Diane when they appeared. She realized that Jessie had been
a painfully shy boy; but Jessica had clearly been an adventuresome girl.
Now here she was at age 10, flower girl at her oldest brother Daniel's
wedding; and soon she was entering her high school years, years filled
with joy and achievements. She had left the sports behind, except for
club sports, but she sang in the school choir and continued to act in
plays, as well as writing for the school newspaper (and maintaining her
4.0 GPA, of course).
Even Diane couldn't keep sorrow out of these pages entirely. Here were
Jessica and her mother in their black mourning dresses at her father's
funeral, with her two older brothers offering both women a strong
shoulder to cry on. There was no doubt that Jessica would always miss
her daddy, but it appeared her more outgoing nature and wider circle of
friends helped her cope with the loss far better than the lonely,
withdrawn Jessie had.
Diane left some blank pages bordered with the words "Sweet Sixteen" to
provide space for a record of the girl's milestone birthday. Sheila
Stone had made it clear that she was going to go all out to give her
precious girl a memorable day, hadn't she?
When Sheila picked up the book a few days later, she leafed through the
pages with delight. "Oh, Diane," she said. "This book is gorgeous.
Jessica will love it. She will absolutely love it."
"I'm glad," said a smiling Diane.
"So what do I owe you?"
"No charge, sweetie."
"What do you mean, no charge? This book must have taken you hours to
complete, not to mention the materials. I don't understand?"
Diane said, "Sometimes it's not necessary to understand. Your happiness,
and Jessica's, is payment enough for me. Oh...and I have something else
for you. My friend Tania in the salon in this mall is offering a great
special on mother-daughter makeovers. Here's a coupon. I really hope
you'll give her a try."
A still-astonished Sheila said, "Thanks...thanks, I will. We will. See
you again, I promise."
Diane stood in the doorway of her store and waved goodbye to Sheila
Stone. She hoped Sheila and Jessica would go to see Tania soon. She had
met several wonderful people in this mall, including Gwen, the absolute
dear who ran that clothing store for plus-size gals. Yes, Diane thought,
I've found a wonderful second home in this mall.
Angelica
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