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Bridal Boy Synopsis The story of how the route I took on my walk home from school opened the door to an amazing career opportunity and ultimately mapped out my entire life. Based very loosely on a true story. (I'd love to know what you think to my first piece for Fictionmania, feel free to leave a review after reading). Being a creature of habit, for the five or so years I was in high school I always walked the same route to and from school each day. The journey took about 20 minutes on average and more often than not, I'd be making the walk on my own, as all my friends at the time lived on the other side of town. I didn't mind this though, I actually quite enjoyed having the time to myself, time to contemplate the meaning of life and to take in the fresh morning air, and in the summer months, the afternoon sunshine. The walk wasn't quite as nice in the winter of course, or when it rained, but after a few months of making the walk, I could have easily found my way to school blindfolded. If I had walked to school blindfolded though, I would have missed out on the twice daily highlight of my journey, getting to walk past my favourite shop, Naomi Bridal. You may think this is a strange highlight for a school boy to have on his walk to school, and I have to admit it confused me for a while too. But I defy anyone, male or female, to walk down a high street, and not be drawn to the beautiful window display of a bridal shop. If you walk or drive past a bridal shop window, your attention is immediately taken, every time, and it lingers for longer than it would do if you were passing any other kind of shop window. Next time you see a bridal shop it will happen to you too, I guarantee it. I have lived in the same small town all my life, and there has only ever been one bridal shop in it, Naomi Bridal. I had of course never been inside, why would I have done? Come to think of it, at the time I don't think I knew anyone else who had been a customer of Naomi Bridal, family or friends. But it was there, a staple of the town, and everyone presumed it would be there until the end of time, just incase you needed it. So during my walk to and from school, Naomi Bridal would take my attention for a few moments, twice a day, every day. It was never more than a few seconds each time, but these few seconds would be the highlight of my walk, and sometimes the highlight of my whole day. Through my regular observations, I noticed a number of things. Firstly, on a Friday, sometime between the morning walk and the afternoon walk, the window display would change; a new dress was moved to centre stage. I also spotted the discount sale at the end of each summer, with generous reductions on what I could only imagine were last season's designs. And the shop would also close for two weeks in December, most likely so all the staff could enjoy their Christmas. After a couple of years of walking past, one day I decided to stop at the window, allowing myself slightly longer than usual to see the display. I didn't stop for too long, I was aware that it wasn't a particularly good look for a boy, to be seen peering through the window of a bridal shop, but I enjoyed the extra time nonetheless. I rarely saw anyone inside and I had no idea who Naomi actually was, if there really was a woman called Naomi working there. No one else knew about my fascination for the shop, walking past was just a nice moment for me each day, something to look forward to while I was making my way through the school day. My story starts on one Friday afternoon in May. After a week of rain, the sun had finally come out, and I was in no real rush to get home. I had said goodbye to my friends, wished them a good weekend, and was now looking forward to seeing the latest display in Naomi's window, it being a Friday. But when I got there, instead of a beautiful new display to admire, I had the unusual sight of a woman in the window, her back to me, struggling with a mannequin. I was a little disappointed I would not now get to see the new display until Monday morning, so after my usual few seconds of starring at the half empty window, I would be on my way. But then suddenly, while I was stood there, the woman turned round. She had seen me, and not only that, she acknowledged my presence with a smile. I smiled back and then turned to leave, not wanting to make the situation awkward for us both. But as soon as I did this, I heard a knock on the window. The woman, still holding the mannequin, was waving at me, gesturing for me to go into the shop. It took a few moments to sink in. I looked around and there was no one else there, she was definitely signalling to me. What could she possibly want with me? Was she going to tell me to stop spying on her shop? Was she the Mum of a friend, or a friend of my Mum? She waved at me a second time, leaving me in no doubt that it was me she wanted to see, so I turned to the door and hesitantly pushed it open, stepping into my favourite shop for the first time. As I entered the shop, I was met by a wall of beautiful whiteness. It was magnificent. Each side of the shop had a row of dresses hanging up, dozens of them. There was comfortable seating in the middle of the room and large mirrors attached to each wall. There was a changing room with curtain drawn across in one of the back corners, the room was impeccably clean of course, it was well-lit, and it even smelt incredible. I didn't have long to take it all in though as soon the woman emerged from the window and joined me in the shop, she was still holding the mannequin. "Hi there!" She sounded enthusiastic in her greeting. "I'm Naomi." She smiled. " I saw you looking in the window just then, well, to tell you the truth, I see you looking in the window every day, so I thought it was about time I introduced myself. Plus I could do with some help. And you name is...?" I'm sure I blushed with embarrassment. I'd been rumbled. I had never seen her before, but she had seen me several times. She didn't seem to mind though, so when she stuck out her hand to shake, I shook it. "I'm Alex" I replied, a slight nervousness in my voice. "And I'm sorry for looking in, I just think your window displays are fantastic.." "Oh don't be silly, there's no need to apologise! My displays are to be enjoyed, I'm glad you like them." I was immediately reassured by Naomi's response. She was well presented, smartly dressed in a white blouse and knee length navy skirt. She was much older than me of course, mid to late 40s perhaps, and she spoke clearly and confidently; there was a certain comfort in her voice. So quite soon, my embarrassment and nervousness had disappeared. "You said you needed my help?" I asked, now with a little confidence in my voice. "Oh yes! Well I'm half way through doing the window display as no doubt you have noticed, and as my assistant Jenny had to go home early... well it's just me at the moment. The display is a two person job you see, so I was wondering if you'd like to help me?" I couldn't believe it. All these days of admiring the shop's window displays and now I was being asked to help create one. "Sure, ok. I'll help" My response was prompt and polite, I didn't want to sound too keen though, more like a friend agreeing to help another friend with a favour. "Excellent. Ok, well you hold on to this, and bring it through to the window, we'll get it into position then I'll find the dress I want to use." Handing me the mannequin, which was only a couple of inches shorter than my own height, Naomi lead the way behind the screen and into the shop window. I looked through the window for a second, out at the street where I had been walking just a few minutes ago. I kept my fingers crossed that no one I knew would walk past and see me; that would take a bit of explaining later. There was already a beautiful dress on display, so as instructed, I stood the second mannequin next to it. There was a small mark on the floor to show where it should go, to make sure it was equidistant from each side wall, and also the back screen and the window. I didn't need telling this was where my mannequin should go. "Very good. Ok, you stay here and I'll go get the dress!" Naomi disappeared, leaving me alone in the window with the first display dress and the undressed mannequin. She was gone for no more than a minute, but to me it felt much longer. I felt quite awkward, standing in the window on my own. A couple of people walked past the shop while I was waiting, but thankfully they were no one I knew. They both noticed me though, one even smiled as she passed. I wondered what she was thinking; no doubt it was something along the lines of 'What on earth is that boy doing in the window of the dress shop?!' I found myself asking myself the very same question. After what felt like an age, Naomi finally returned with her chosen dress. It was a different style to the one already on display, which makes sense as you don't really want two identical dresses in the same window. While the first dress was a simple and rather traditional gown, (what I'd later learn later to be an 'A-line gown') the second was pure Princess, something Cinderella would have worn on her big day. The skirt was huge and floaty, even just carrying it into position was a challenge. I began to see how this was a two-person job. Between us, we spent the next few minutes dressing the mannequin in this amazing dress. At various points I was on my hands and knees, puffing out the petticoats and smoothing the skirt. Naomi concentrated on the bodice and the straps, before running outside to check on our progress. While she was out there she directed me through the window with a variety of hand signals, and finally, when she was satisfied with what we had done, she gave me the thumbs up to tell me we had finished. "Thanks for the help Alex, you were really good at that!" Naomi came back into the shop as I was leaving the window area. "No problem" I replied, still not quite believing I had actually done what I had just done. "What do you think to the dress?" Naomi added. "I bet you've never been as close as that to a wedding dress before, well, now you're on the other side of the glass!" She smiled, playfully giggling a little. "It's beautiful" I replied, blushing a little from being put unexpectedly on the spot. "I mean, I see them through the window every day, but seeing them up close...." I didn't finish my sentence. Naomi smiled and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Well thank you again for the help Alex, I would have really struggled without you. Usually Jenny stays late on a Friday but she had to dash off, it's difficult to get everything done when you're on your own." "It was my pleasure" I smiled." Is there anything else you need help with? I'm in no rush to get home, my parents wont be home for another few hours and all I'd be doing is watching tv... so if you need any more help, I really don't mind." Making the offer sounded like the polite thing to do, although I didn't expect it would be accepted. "Well I was going to do one other thing this afternoon, but I'm not sure you'd want to help me with that, so I can leave it until tomorrow when Jenny's back in." "Ok, well whatever it is, I'm happy to help." I insisted. Naomi smirked and laughed a little to herself. "Oh I'm not sure you you'd be saying that if I told you what it was!" "Honestly, whatever it is, I'll be happy to help!" I made my final offer and waited, hands in my pockets, for Naomi's reply. I imagined she needed some boxes moving, some paperwork shredded, a boring task compared to the window dresses we had just done, but nothing I couldn't handle. "Very well, follow me!" Naomi smiled as she led the way through the shop and to a room at the back. The room was a little cluttered, lots of paperwork and some magazines spread across an old wooden desk, and hanging on each wall were several more dresses, all in protective covers. Other than the chair at the desk, there was nowhere else to sit, but in the centre of the room was a small podium, only large enough for one person to stand on. In one corner there was a drawn curtain, presumably there so someone could change in private. "So what would you like me to do?" I asked, my eye drawn to the paperwork laid out on the desk. Naomi was now on the other side of the room, lifting one of the dresses off its hangar. "Well I usually spend the last hour of the day working on some of the dresses, making adjustments, alterations, that kind of thing. It's easier to do this with the bride whose dress it is here with me of course, but they obviously can't be here all the time, so Jenny usually stands in while I do the work." By now I was sat in the chair at the desk, but had turned it round to face Naomi. "Stand in? What do you mean?" I asked, slightly puzzled. "What does Jenny do when she's helping you?" Naomi giggled. "She wears the dress! She stands on the podium and holds still while I work my magic with a needle and thread. I do major changes on a sewing machine, but when we get down to the more delicate work, adjusting hemlines and what not, I prefer to work with a model. With this dress though, I'm now at this stage where I'm only really removing a few pins and checking everything is perfect for my bride, it's 99% finished already." "Oh..." I began to blush a little again. I had been so na?ve. "Could you not use a mannequin?" "It's not the same. As good as my mannequins are, you don't get any movement. I need to know the dress hangs correctly when I'm finished, that it moves with a swish. And anyway, my two mannequins are both in the shop window!" Naomi looked at me and smiled, both of us knew where this was heading, but she waited for me to ask the obvious question. So I asked it. "So you want me to wear the dress?!" "Well of course!" Naomi giggled again, she couldn't help but laugh at my awkwardness. "You did tell me you'd be happy to help, whatever it is!" Winking at me, she held the dress out in front of her for me to see. It was another incredibly beautiful dress, long, full, perfect white with intricate detail across the bodice. It had off the shoulder straps and fastened up the back with an arrangement of beautiful white ribbon. I stood still, no doubt still blushing. I didn't know what to say. Was she joking, or was she for real? I had seen literally hundreds of dresses in Naomi's shop window, but not once had I ever imagined wearing one of them myself. Of course I had wondered what it was like for the woman on her wedding day, wearing something so beautiful... but I had never pictured myself in a dress. "Erm..." I muttered. Naomi stopped smiling and giggling and returned to her more serious, comforting tone of voice. "It's fine Alex, I'm only teasing you really. You don't have to wear the dress, I just found it funny you agreed to help me with something before finding out what it was!" Naomi paused to hang the dress back up on the wall behind her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you wear it. Jenny can help me when she's back in tomorrow, it can wait." Naomi smiled and then turned her attention away from me, and to closing the window at the back of the room, the sun had gone in so it was a little cooler now. "I'll do it" I replied without thinking. "What was that Alex?" Naomi turned back to me. Whether she really didn't hear me the first time, I have no idea. "I'll do it. I'll help you. I'll wear the dress." With my heart beating a little faster than normal, I forced a smile and stood up from the chair. "Are you sure?" "Positive." There was still nervousness in my voice, but I had made my decision and was now committed. I had no idea what I was really in for, but I was about to find out. "Very well then, let's get started. Follow me!" I left the relative comfort of the chair by the desk and followed Naomi over to the curtain, which she drew back, revealing a generous floor space to change. "Strip down to your underwear dear, then I will help you with the dress." I did as I was told and removed my shoes, socks, trousers, shirt and jumper. Naomi turned her back so not to embarrass me while I was undressing, and she quickly took my pile of clothes and put them in a plastic bag and out of sight. Without realising when dressing that morning, I had chosen quite appropriate underwear today, plain white briefs. I stood alone in the changing area for a few moments, feeling awkward at being almost naked in a room I was unfamiliar with, but soon Naomi returned. She didn't have the dress with her though. Instead she had a plastic packet with something white inside, which she began to tear open. "What's that?" I asked curiously. "It's a strapless bra. It will help the dress fit you better if you had a little cleavage. Don't worry, it's brand new, I always have a couple of these, in case of emergencies. Here, let me help you with it" Before I had time to think about what was happening, Naomi soon had me turned around and the bra wrapped around me, fastening it tightly at the back. There was no mirror in the changing area, so I had no idea how it looked on me, but it of course felt quite strange, it being the first time I had ever worn a bra. It felt even stranger a few moments later, when Naomi returned with a small box and pulled out a set of what she jokingly referred to as 'chicken fillets', but what I identified as being 'fake breasts'. They were modest in size, only a B or a C cup at a guess, but after securing them into my bra, I had the little bit of cleavage Naomi had been looking for. I thought it slightly odd that Naomi might have these 'chicken fillets' stored away in the shop for emergencies too, but I didn't raise the question. "How does it feel to have boobs?!" Naomi giggled. "Kinda weird" I replied. 'Kinda weird' was an understatement. "Now for the fun bit!" Naomi left again for a few moments and returned with the dress she had been holding earlier. "The bride wants to wear an extra petticoat underneath for more volume, but for now we'll just try the dress. Ready?" I nodded my head. The dress already had a lot of volume in its skirt so I didn't see an extra petticoat being necessary, but who was I to say differently. As Naomi lowered the dress to the floor, I carefully stepped inside the huge skirt. Then as the dress was pulled up over me, I held my arms out and guided them through the straps. I was in. The next few minutes were spent me standing still while the dress was fastened, using what felt like an impossibly complicated arrangement of ribbons. With each pull of a ribbon, the dress became tighter and more fitted and while it wasn't a perfect fit, it was pretty close. Having 'a little cleavage' definitely helped the fit of the dress, and it soon became clear that I wouldn't be taking it off in a hurry, and certainly not without assistance. I was well and truly fastened in. I was effectively trapped. It was this feeling of being trapped that I felt before any other. There was no going back now, not that I wanted to, but in a way I felt quite helpless, at the mercy of Naomi, a woman I had only met a short time ago. How had I got into this situation? Seriously? One minute I was walking home from school and next I am in the changing area of a bridal shop wearing an expensive gown. I didn't have long to dwell on these feelings though, as Naomi drew back the curtain fully and guided me out into the centre of the room. "If you can stand up on the podium, that would be fantastic, Alex." The walk to the podium gave me butterflies. The huge skirt swished as I tiptoed across the room. It was quite a feeling, a unique feeling, one I had not experienced before of course. I hadn't seen myself yet as the only mirror in the room was behind me. I could only imagine what I looked like. I had no idea what alterations were needed, the dress seemed perfect to me. It wasn't my dress though, I was merely a model, certainly no expert. I thought about the bride who would be picking it up from the shop, and then be wearing it on her wedding day, how lucky she was at having such a beautiful thing made especially for her. "Lift your skirt up a second, slip your feet in these." Naomi was standing in front of me, at the base of the podium. As I carefully lifted up my skirt, she slid a pair of white heeled-slippers under each of my feet. They had no back so would fit more or less anyone, and the heel wasn't high, only a couple of inches. But even so, they made a significant difference, not just in my height and the hang of the dress, but also in the way I was feeling. They made the outfit feel a little more complete, and the whole experience even more real. Of course a bride would be wearing shoes on her wedding day, and now so was I. I let the skirt fall back down again, and it swished a little as it fell back into place. I couldn't help but sway a little as I stood there, gently from side to side. Naomi noticed this and smiled. "Right, we have work to do!" "Before we start... can I see myself? I'm kinda curious to know what I look like right now!" I really was curious, I was dying to see. Naomi thought to herself for a second and then declined my request. "How about we get the work done first, then I'll pull the mirror round for you to spend as long as you like looking at yourself. It won't take long and it will be worth the wait I promise, you look amazing!" While I was disappointed, it only heightened the anticipation and the curiousness. I smiled, blushed a little at the compliment and tried my best to stay still again as Naomi knelt down on a cushion in front of me and began playing with the hem of my dress. She wasn't just playing of course, and while I wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, or what difference to the dress it was going to make, she clearly knew what she was doing. She was happy to chat to me while she worked though, which kept my mind from wandering too much. "So are you going to tell your parents what you've been doing tonight?" She asked with a playful giggle. "I'm not sure they would believe me even if I did!" was my non-committal reply. "Well it's nothing to be ashamed of. Not many boys would have come in my shop like you did today, and even fewer would have volunteered to stand there like that and model for me! You were brave to do it, but I bet you're glad you did, aren't you?" "Err, yeah." I tried not to sound too overly enthusiastic, but the smirk on my face gave it away. We both giggled. "I can't remember the last time a man came into my shop, there certainly has never been a guy back here in this room before. So you are very privileged, Alex!" I smiled and then asked a question to keep our conversation going. "So how long have you owned the shop? I presume the shop is named after you?" "Oh yes, the shop is named after me now, but it wasn't originally. I've worked in the bridal industry 30 years now, I started as a 16 year old, working Saturdays and school holidays, not at this shop, at another one. I loved it so much, I knew it was what I wanted to do. So I went full time when I was 18, moved to this shop a couple of years later, and when I was given the chance to own and manage this shop when the previous owner retired, well I couldn't let that opportunity pass me by! It used to be called Elizabeth Bridal, after the last owner, Elizabeth. So I kept the tradition going and renamed it after myself, Naomi Bridal!" "Aww, that's amazing!" By now I was totally at ease with the situation, and engrossed in Naomi's story. There was certainly no awkwardness anymore so I began to drop my guard a little, and open up about how I was feeling. "D'ya know, I've been walking past your shops for years, admiring your beautiful dresses. I guess subconsciously I was always a little bit curious, to know what it would feel like to wear one of them. I never thought it would ever happen of course." "And what does it feel like? How do you feel?" Naomi interrupted. She had now finished her work, and was standing up in front of me again. "I feel... incredible. I feel so delicate, and yet so empowered. I know it's a clich?, but I feel like a princess. Just putting the dress on gave me goose bumps, and making the walk over to the podium gave me more. I can only imagine what might happen when I finally get to see myself! I've heard women say they felt like a princess on their wedding day, and I never really understood what that meant, but now I do, I really do!" "It's a special feeling isn't it?" Naomi stood back and smiled at me. "I'm just about done with the dress, but I would like to see it with the extra petticoat, if that's ok? Then maybe I'll take you over to the mirror so you can finally see yourself!" As Naomi left for a moment to get the petticoat, my heart skipped a beat. Whether it was the thought of adding more layers to my already impressive skirt, or finally getting to see what I looked like in this beautiful gown, I wasn't sure. She soon returned with a large, pristine white, puffy petticoat and after allowing ourselves a few seconds to admire its beauty, it was time to put it on. Naomi was an expert at doing this of course, and while it was a little bit of a struggle for me, stepping into the tulle whilst trying to hold my skirt up, between us we soon had the petticoat in place. Wow what a difference it made! Not only did it add more volume, it added more femininity, more impact, and more rustle when I moved. I couldn't help but smile as Naomi and I smoothed out my skirt. It was such a thrill to touch the delicate material; and underneath, my legs pressing against the inside of the petticoat, if I had had any hairs on them, they would have been standing on end for sure. "Wow, would you look at you!" Naomi stood back to admire her work. She thought to herself a moment, and hand on her chin for extra effect, and then disappeared back into the shop. "Don't move!" She shouted through to me. I was dying to see myself now. There was a mirror behind me, but I resisted the urge to turn round. I wanted to wait for Naomi to give me the big reveal. "Close your eyes!" I could hear her voice from the other room. I did as I was told. "Are they closed?!" "Yes!" I replied. I had no idea what was coming next. "Ok, keep them closed, but hold this..." In my hand she placed a strangely shaped item. It took a moment for me to work out what it was. But when the penny dropped, I couldn't help but giggle. I can only imagine how that looked to Naomi, who was no doubt watching and smiling herself. I was holding a bouquet of flowers. "Hold on, I have something else..." My eyes were still closed tight, and now I could feel a small metal chain being fastened round my neck, with a pendant hanging down towards my chest. "What's that?!" "Oh, it's just your something old!" Naomi whispered in my ear. "Keep your eyes closed, I'm not done yet!" I did as I was told, and kept them closed. Then came my third and final surprise. I could feel her run her hands through my hair a few times, and then slide a hair clip into place. A thin, delicate layer of material was then spread across the back of my head, and down my shoulders, a moment later it was also allowed to fall down in front of my face. I was unquestionably now wearing a veil. "Ok, now we're done, you can open your eyes! How do you feel?" There was excitement in Naomi's voice. Her work was done and her creation was about to be revealed. "Oh, I... erm..." I didn't know where to begin. After being closed for a couple of minutes, my eyes took time to focus, and now all I could see was the inside of the veil. I desperately wanted to see myself now, to see what I had become. And this time, Naomi agreed with me. It was time for the big reveal. "Hold that thought, come with me!" Holding out her hand, she helped me down from the podium and on to the floor. I had almost forgotten that I was wearing heels, so my first few steps were a little tentative. Still holding onto my bouquet with one hand, and lifting my skirt up with the other, I was slowly led back through to the main shop, and towards the large mirror which dominated one part of the side wall. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a twenty second walk as much as that one, my petticoats swishing and my heart beating faster and faster with anticipation of what was about to come. Now, once again I was surrounded by beautiful dresses hanging from every available space in the shop, the difference being this time though, I was also wearing one myself. Standing immediately in front of the mirror, I closed my eyes once more and took a deep breath. Then as I opened them slowly, Naomi lifted the veil from in front of my face, finally revealing the image I had been so curious to see. My reaction was, as I would find out later, the exact same reaction every bride has when they see themselves in their dream wedding dress for the first time. I was almost speechless. All I could manage was a rather unimaginative "Oh my God..." my voice slightly broken with emotion. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I had expected to see a boy in a dress, but instead I saw a woman. Staring back at me from the reflection in the mirror was a beautiful bride. I looked as amazing as I felt. My heart was beating faster, I had butterflies in my stomach and goose bumps all over. I couldn't stop smiling. The dress was exquisite. I returned to the old clich? in my head, but it was true; the dress looked fit for a princess, and I felt like a princess wearing it. The veil was beautiful too, so light and feminine, the perfect accompaniment. And the pendant too, it was small and subtle, but it was perfect. The only thing missing was a pair of dangly earrings. Next time I thought, smiling to myself. And finally, I allowed myself to inspect the beautiful arrangement of blue flowers I was holding. They completed my look perfectly. I found out later it was by chance Naomi had had a visit from a florist earlier that day, she had taken a couple of newly created bouquets as samples and just so happened to have one to hand as I was trying on my dress. Not every bride who visited her shop would get such an added bonus as a new bouquet to hold whilst at the mirror. I was lucky. Naomi was soon on her hands and knees again, spreading out my skirt evenly across the floor, just to make sure everything was perfect. She had done this a thousand times before of course, but she still made it special for me. Then she stood up, folded her arms and watched as I swayed my hips from side to side, admiring the way my dress swayed too, gently falling back into place when I stopped. I allowed myself a couple of half twirls, first to the left and then to the right. "You look stunning. I knew that dress would suit you," Naomi interrupted my twirling and I turned to face her. "Thank you." My reply was sincere. It had been quite a journey in such a short space of time. One minute I was walking home after a boring day in school, the next I was stood here in this amazing shop, receiving compliments for being a beautiful bride. "I thought it would be fun to give you your something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue..." It took a few seconds but then it dawned on me that I was indeed wearing all of those things. "The necklace is the old, the dress is the new, borrowed is the shoes? And the bouquet is blue of course!" I laughed, Naomi smiled and nodded to confirm my list was correct. I had been given the full bridal experience, all I needed now was a vintage car to pull up outside and take me on to the church! I was aware time was getting on though, and that I couldn't stay in the dress forever. But there was still time for the obligatory photograph, something all brides got as part of Naomi's service. She took several and promised to print them and save them for me to come and collect from her another day. I didn't at that point imagine I would be in a hurry to show the pictures to many people, but I also knew if I ever did decide to tell anyone about today's adventures, having some kind of proof it actually happened, rather it being some kind of crazy dream, would be a useful thing to have. I took one final look at my reflection in the mirror, and then reluctantly followed Naomi back to the other room to change. I made the most of the short walk back, still wearing the heels and still holding the bouquet. "Did you enjoy that then?!" Naomi asked me as she unpinned the veil from my hair and took the bouquet from my grasp. "That was incredible, thank you so much!" "Oh don't thank me, you were the one doing me a favour, modelling the dress for me. And actually..." Naomi paused, a smirk appearing on her face. "What?" I asked, a little puzzled. "I was just going to say, you actually make a better model than Jenny!!" "Seriously? Wow!" I had not been expecting that. "Seriously. Jenny has a problem staying still at the important moments sometimes, and I honestly think that dress looks better on you, than it would have done on her. She's a good looking girl don't get me wrong, but... so are you. You're a natural, you really are! And you certainly seemed to enjoy yourself too!" I didn't reply, I didn't know how to respond to that kind of a statement, but I began to blush a little again with the kind words Naomi was saying to me. She was now helping me out of the dress, which was surprisingly straight forward once the ribbon at the back had been loosened. And while Naomi hung the dress back up on its correct hangar, I slipped my feet out of the shoes and turned around to take one final glimpse of myself in the smaller, but still quite impressive, mirror on display in this room. I was still wearing the petticoat, and the strapless bra of course. I looked less like a bride now of course, and more like a boy, but I still looked beautiful and feminine. Naomi came back and stood behind me for a second. I knew it was time to change back to my own clothes, the dream was over. After changing back into my incredibly dull and boring school uniform, I met Naomi back in the main shop. It was time for me to go home. I looked at my watch, a couple of hours had passed since I entered the shop, but I still had a little time before my parents were due home. Before I left though, Naomi had one final surprise for me. "Alex, how do you fancy coming to work for me?" "Work for you?" "Yes, you can come in for an hour or so after school, maybe work a few hours on the weekend. You're 16, right? I can employ you. I offer a decent wage, and having you will take some of the pressure off Jenny, she does work hard, bless her. So what do you say?" "Oh, I, erm...." A job offer was the last thing I had expected to come out of today. My parents had been on at me to find a job though, now I was 16, but I had so far not found anything suitable. The money was very appealing of course and while I knew I'd be expected to do other tasks than modelling dresses, the chance to come back to this shop on a regular basis was certainly an exciting prospect. I really wanted to say yes, but for some reason I found myself saying no. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure it's for me..." Naomi gave me a comforting smile and set about persuading me to take the offer. "Look, you've had fun this afternoon, right? I can tell you really enjoyed trying on the dress, and helping me do the window display... I honestly think you did an amazing job today. So I'd love to have you as part of my team, and you'll enjoy it too, I guarantee. It's only part time hours, I can be very flexible, a couple of hours here and there, more in the summer if you want it..." It certainly sounded like a fantastic offer, but there was one thing troubling me. And as awkward as it was to raise the subject, I felt like I had to before either accepting the offer, or turning it down for good. "Have you ever had a boy work here before? Would it not be a bit strange?" Naomi smiled. "Well, no I haven't had a boy work for me before, but that doesn't matter. Look, if that's all that is worrying you, then don't let it. Ok, maybe it's not a 'normal' job for a boy to do, but what is 'normal 'nowadays anyway? Trust me, when your girl friends find out you have this job, they will be so envious. I've had girls your age work for me before, and they were hopeless, I see real potential in you Alex. I really think you should consider it, even if only for a trail period, a couple of weeks, to see how you get on. What do you say?" How could I say no to that? After a few moments thought, I accepted the job offer and immediately agreed to come back to the shop in the morning to start my first official day. As I left the shop and finished my walk home, I couldn't quite believe what had happened to me that day. I had been given one of the most amazing experiences of my life, one I could never have dreamed of having as I left for school that morning. And to top it off I had been offered my first paid job. I didn't tell my parents about my day, or where I was going when I left the house on Saturday morning. They found out about the job eventually of course, as did everyone else. I loved the job from day one. Naomi was amazing, telling me stories and teaching me everything I needed to know about the bridal industry, and when I finally met Jenny, she soon became a good friend too. I quickly learnt all the joys of working in such a wonderful place and everyone I met in the shop, all the Brides, Bridesmaids, Maids of Honour and Mothers of the Bride were so nice to me; they would regularly comment on how nice it was to see a boy working in such a surrounding, and how well- mannered and professional I was. Naomi was right when she told me my friends would be impressed by my job, they found out sooner than I would have planned however. It was only my second Saturday working for Naomi when my secret job was discovered. We had a bridal party booked in to spend the afternoon trying on dresses; the bride, four bridesmaids, a couple of young flower girls and the bride's Mother. It was only as I was being introduced to the party, that I realised that one of the bridesmaids was a girl from my school, Sarah. After a rather dramatic 'Oh My God' from her, and a lot of blushing from me, we both settled down and she told me how amazing it was that I worked at the shop, and how jealous she was as she would have loved to have had a job like mine. I helped her and the rest of the party pick their dresses, it was another incredible day. She told one or two friends the next day and soon everyone in school knew what I did, but it was fine, I didn't mind. Sarah and I became good friends, and soon she was taking me out on shopping trips, asking my advice on which outfit she should buy. I found this advice come naturally to me as I quickly became an expert not just on bridal fashion, but a wide range of fashions, mostly women's, and also in accessorising, hair and make-up. Naomi taught me everything I needed to know and our relationship quickly became more than her being my boss, she was my friend too and also my mentor. I continued to work part time at the shop while I finished school. I would be there as many evenings as I could, a full day on Saturday and extra during the summer. When I left school, there was only one place I wanted to work, and Naomi happily took me on full time. It was such a nice place to work, everyone so happy to be there. I became a minor local celebrity too, having two newspaper articles written about me. I was the boy who worked in a bridal shop, or 'bridal boy' as one headline affectionately christened me. It was all good publicity for the shop of course, so Naomi didn't mind. By the time I was 21, Jenny had left for pastures new, and I was promoted to assistant manager. Other staff came to work for us, all female, and I formed a strong relationship with each of them. I was lucky enough to try on literally hundreds of stunning dresses during my time working at the shop, either as a model for Naomi's alterations, or just for a bit of fun when the shop was closed. Indeed after a little training, I was soon performing the alterations myself, allowing someone else the pleasure of standing still on the podium whilst wearing one of our beautiful gowns. Before I knew it, ten years had passed and Naomi was nearing her retirement. She never retired fully, she remained owner, but when she decided to take a step back from the day to day managing of the shop, there was only one person she wanted to pass the role of manager on to, me. I was incredibly proud and humbled the first day I opened up as manager of Naomi Bridal. Naomi was a regular visitor to the shop of course, it was always a delight to see her, but as time went on and as she grew older, her visits became less frequent. Then one day, several years later, and quite out of the blue, I received some heart-breaking news, Naomi had died. In her death I not only lost a colleague, a business partner and a friend, I'd lost my inspiration. She had changed my life and set me off in a direction I could never have imagined. I will be eternally grateful for all she did for me. There was still however, one more surprise to come. I had tried not to think about it in the immediate aftermath, but in losing Naomi, I was unsure as to what would happen with her ownership of the shop. She had no husband or children and as far as I knew, she hadn't detailed her plans or wishes with anyone in her final days. But then, as out of the blue as the news of her passing had been, I received a letter. It was one final act of kindness from an extraordinary woman, and it quickly had me in floods of tears. Dear Alex I will never forget the first day you came into the shop, I'm sure you won't either. It seems like only yesterday you were helping me with that window display, and then falling for the pretence of having to make some alterations, having me transform you into a beautiful blushing bride for the first time. We did it many times after that of course, but I'm sure you'll agree that first time was something special. You were so young, innocent and na?ve, but I saw something in you that day Alex, I knew you had potential, and you proved me so right. I never imagined I would have a boy work for me, in such a feminine environment as my bridal shop, but you fit right in from day one; I always thought of you as one of my girls, and I know deep down, that's how you see yourself too. Having you come work for me in my shop was the best decision I ever made. I'm sorry for not telling you at the time Alex, but I knew I was dying. Keeping my illness a secret was the way I wanted it to be though, I hope you understand. I wanted to live my final days the way I had lived my whole life, on my terms. But knowing I was coming to the end gave me time to make arrangements for after I had gone. My money will go to my family and my clothes to charity, that was a given, but my biggest concern was the shop, my pride and joy for so many years. I couldn't leave without knowing that Naomi Bridal will be in safe hands, not just through your amazing management, but ownership too. I wanted to secure its future and to pass it on to someone I know will run it properly and look after it for years to come. In the end my decision of what to do was an easy one. The shop is yours, Alex. All the arrangements have been made. I know you will do me proud Alex. There is one thing I must insist though, change the name of the shop at the first opportunity, make it your own. In the same way I inherited Elizabeth Bridal, you are now inheriting Naomi Bridal. Name the shop after yourself, Alexandra. Do not be sad for my passing, but know I will be looking down on you with great fondness and affection. Good luck Alex! All My Love Naomi x Epilogue Five years have now passed since Naomi's death. Alexandra Bridal as the shop is now known, continues to go from strength to strength. I get women coming from all over the country to see me and my gorgeous gowns, as well as plenty of press coverage. I have recently won my first National Bridal Award, to go with my half dozen or so regional awards collected over the past few years. None of this would have been possible without Naomi. I think of her every day without fail and thank her for all she did for me. She gave me a chance, shared her life's passion with me and then in her final act of kindness, she left me the one thing she cherished the most. Perhaps the thing I am most grateful of though, is her not only supporting me, but encouraging me to be my true self. When we first met, I was a shy, quiet boy with a fascination of a shop window; no one could have imagined that boy would one day become one of the country's premier Bridal entrepreneurs. God only knows what other career path I would have taken had I not taken the plunge and stepped into the shop that day. But step into the shop I did, and with Naomi's helpful hand and friendly encouragement, I fully immersed myself into a world of wonderful femininity. Each bride who comes to my shop has their own unique story, of how they found love, and what their hopes and dreams for the future are. Despite hearing hundreds of these stories first hand, I hadn't given much thought to my own. I was quite happy living the single life but then one day, quite out of the blue, I met my soulmate and fell in love. The fact that my soulmate turned out to be a man surprised no one, not even my parents, who thankfully had always supported me in my life choices, however unusual they may have seemed for their son to take. I will be getting married this coming summer, and before you ask, yes I will be wearing one of the dresses from my shop. I know Naomi will be looking down on me on my big day and smiling, and I will make sure I spare a moment on the day to think of her and thank her once again for all she did for me. We had many a conversation down the years about which dress I would wear to my wedding. I never thought that particular dream would ever come true, but as with everything else we spoke about, she had complete faith in me and assured me one day my dream would come true. And she was right. The End