Adriana tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails against the dark oak antique desk which she had occupied the last 7 hours. It was late. Really late. She had arrived at her office around 10:30 and 5 hours had passed. Her had sore from sketching all the while. Her head ached from frusteration. She got up and walked across theroom to the huge jug of filtered water and filled her cup u p for at least the 6th time. She noticed her shoes off in the corner as her bare feet graced her hardwood floor. "Adriana Raddison" was the name that graced the desk. She looked around, admiring her office. She rarely got a chance to just view it. She didn't relized just how much she enjoyed it. There was a bathroom with a shower, a couch, a few chairs and a coffee table, a tv, and then in the corner her desk. Huge paintings of bright, patterned clothing soaked her walls, every piece of clothing designed by herslf, eachone bringing a different meaning to her. This was her life. A life she had wanted for so long, and yet, she's so younge. For a moment, as she stood and looked at her surroundings, it seemed surreal to her. This was her, at 23 years old, in her own office with her own achievements in her own surroundings in which she had worked so hard for. And it was so late.
She walked back to her desk and sat down, staring at the huge sketch pad and charcole pencil before her, an she sighed. Staring back at her was a handson face in a small silver picture frame, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a smile that could melt her heart. She smiled, and missed her son, wondering how he was doing; it had been monthes since she had last seen him.
She looked at her watch. 4:09 a.m. She took a sip of her water, ran a hand throug her long, silky beach blonde hair and closed her sketchpad, and put the pencil in her drawer. She tideyed up her desk a bit before throwing on her jean jacket which was slung of her black leather chair. She walked towards her shoes and slipped them over her feet and shut off the lights and locked her door and headed for the elevator. 20 story's and she'd be in her car on the way to her appartment. Where she could sleep for 4 hours before returning. And she was so tired.
"I just think that if we poofed out the sleeves a little bit, it will give more of an innocent look to the outfit." ~*~
"Keep in mind...this is for Erica Christianson."
"Of course I know who it's for."
"Have you seen her in SwimFan? I'm sorry, but she is anything but innocent."
"Sorry, but I agree. The color is in red! How many red shirts do you see with poofy sleeves? None. And I don't ever want to see one."
"But that's how trends start. Can't you imagine? A tall, tan, beautiful girl with long hair in red, with a littl poof on the sleeves, woudln't that just look,....classic? what do you think Ade?"
Adi signed a breath of disgust and tried her hardest to look alive and into the debate, even tho she hated the idea for the shirt. "Well, It wouldn't be my choice," She stated.
"What, why? What don't you like about it?" her collegue, Julie asked.
Adriana felt 6 pairs of eyes on her. "I..." she started, "Just don't think it's the right look for the shirt," she honestly stated. "Or for Erica." The six pairs of eyes left her face and all looked at one another. "Don't take it the wrong way, it'd a cute idea, but not with a knee length skirt and boots she picked out...How about..." she thought, "If we extended the sleeves to a little past the elbows, and used different fabric, almost lace-like, and have them tie and the elbows, and have slits down the arm. It's alittle more whispy than the poofy sleeves."
The small gathering of people in a meeting room all thought about the idea.
"Well, what about the fabric? It obviously can't be cotton and polyester if it's going to be 'Whispy'"
"Well, the possibilities are end--"
Adi was interupted when a man knocked on the door and stuck his head inside quickly.
"Adi, can I steal you for a second? You have a call in your office."
"Oh, yeah. 'Scuse me a few seconds guys," She said as she slid her chair away from the table and walked to the door in a knee legnth denim skit and black boots, similar to the ones they were just discussing. She had her way towards her office where her supervisor, Jerry, was standing.
"Adi,"
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted to take a sec to let you know how impressed I was with the selections you designed for next fall."
"Oh," Adi said a bit surprised. "Did you really like them? I was a bit hesitant about some at first."
"No, I was very impressed by them."He smiled at her warmly. Jerry was one of those rare bosses out there that make an employee so at ease, especially in this situation. This was a 40-some year old man who was working in fashion. It doesn't sound something totally 'out there', but it was a bit odd considering this was the rugged-type guy who was into sports, kids, and outside stuff, typical thigns men enjoying doing with an untypical job.
"In fact," he finsihed. "Jennifer Lopez thought they were great as well, I just got a call from her stylist and she wants you to design her something to wear for MTV video Music awards."
"Na-uh," Adi smile.
"I'm not lying!" Jerry chuckled at her expression.
"Ok, seriously, I thought after Josh Jackson and Luke wilson I would kinda be forgotten..." she rambled. "But wow..J.Lo?! Doesn't she like, have her own clothing line?
"Apparently. Oh, Adi, phone for you."
"Oh that's right," Adi marched back into her office as her boots knocked at the hardwood floor below her. Adi ran a hand thru her hair.
"Hello?"
"Hi, how's it going?" A familiar female voice sounded from the reciever.
"Oh, Soph, hey" She smiled into the phone. "Whats up?"
"Not too much. I just wanted to say that the dress I ordered fit good but I don't have any shoes that go with it."
"You called me at work to tell me you don't have any shoes to wear?"
"No," the woman said. "I called to ask you if you had anything I could borrow,"
"Sophie, I have a busy work schedule ya know."
"You also have a closet full of thousands of shoes. C'mon, let me borrow some. You only borrow my stuff the first 15 years of our lives."
"Ugh," Adi sighed into the phone. "You can come over after work and find some."
"Ahh, Thank you! you want me to bring Kyley? She's been talking about how she misses her Aunt Adi."
"Yeah of course. I miss the lil angel myself. Did you still need me to watch her next weekend?" Adi said as she thought of her sister and her little niece Kyley.
"Oh, no. Darren's mom is gonna be in town and she hasn't seen her since she was practically born."
"Hmm, hopefully she'll adjust well."
"Yeah, tell me about it." A second light beeped on and off on her phone, which meant another call on the line. "Hey Soph, I'll give you a call after work, ok. I have another call on the line."
Adriana and her sister said there last words to eachother. Being just 23 years old and in a huge City like Manhattan, she was oftenthankful to have a sister nearby she could depend on. Makeing the switch from Vermont, though only a couple hours away, where she grew up wasn't an easy move, but with her sister and her husband in the area, she made the move with ease.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this an Adriana Raddison?"
"Speaking,"
"Adriana, hi, this is Tom Batalden calling from the New York City Theater, do you remember me?"
Adi's mouth dropped open with surprize. "Oh yeah, Tom, Of course I remember you."
"Well how could you forget me," She large on the other end of the telephone flirtatiously asked.
Adi rolled her eyes. "Well," she cleared her throat. "What can I help you with?" she asked politly, pulling out her leather chair and having a seat at her desk.
"Ah, well remember last year when you designed some outfits for "My Fair Lady" and when I asked you for drinks later on after Opening night, you felt sick, so you had to cancel?"
Adriana laughed to herself re-living the little fib she told to the man to get herself out of the date. "Yeah, Tom, I'm still sorry about that. I just don't know what hit me. It just all of a sudden kinda came on out of nowhere." she fibbed.
"Do you remember what you told me before you went home?"
"Ummm..." She anxiouly thought, "Don't follow me?"
"No, no no, Adi." The jolly man chuckled. "That if there was anything you could do to repay you, to just look you up."
"Oh...yeah."
"Well it took me long enough to find you. The cell phone number you gave me was incorrect."
"Ahh...yeah..I.. am in between cell phone numbers right now," She said as she figited with her Motorolla Cell phone and shut it off.
"Well, the important thing is I found you."
"Look, Tom, I am just really not in the mood for going out for drinks..."
"Oh Adi, you sweet little cupcake, I wasn't asking you out."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I found myself a sweet younge thing. Her names Belyla. We met at a truck stop one night when I was on my way to my Mama's house, and she was just closing up. I guess I caught her eye cuz she put on a fresh pot of coffee the second I walked in the door."
"Really." She un-enthusiastically stated, wondering what the man wanted from her and why he was giving her all of this information.
"Yup. Been together for 4 and a half monthes now." He said proudly.
"Well, Tom...good for you. That's great to hear...but is there anything...at all I could...help you with?"
"Oh! Gosh darnit I almost forgot. I get that way whenever I talk about Belyla."
"Mmm Hmm."
"But ahh, say, we're putting on a huge Production of "The Sound of Music". It's gonna be great ya know...better than ever. The President is scheduled to come and see it Opening Night."
"Wow, that's pretty impressive." Adi was trying to figure out where exactly this converstaion was going and how much longer it would take. She had a room full of peopl in a meeting who were probably making a whole load of bad choices. The last thing she needed was to have a fluke outfit for a star like Erica Christianson to wear to a premier. But talking to Tom made her remember what a truly great Theater the New York Dinner theater was. It was a great place and alot of well known people dine there and to see a show.
"You're telling me. But the reason I'm calling is..well, as you know I'm the stage manager here, and I am in charge of costumes, make-up, and other details, and yesterday I relized a slight problem. we have a show in about 2 and a half weeks and some of our costumes that we ordered out from Texas won't arrive in time,"
"Mmm hmm,"
"We know how busy you are and such, but since you owe me a favor and all, I was thinking maybe you could just whip something up togehter real quick. Ya know?"
Adi was flattered but she honestly thought in her gut that it was almost impossible to be able to design, make and ship costumes in two weeks.
"Tom, that's really sweet of you and all to think of me...really..I am flattered. But the truth is I'm swamped here... I have a room full of brainless collegues who are making fashion mistakes as we speak."
"I know that, but Adriana...We are desperate here..couldn't you just come down and maybe just even take a look and see what oyu can put togehter? This is a really big show we are putting on."
"Tom, I just--"
"Adriana, please."
"Tom, I wish I could help, really I just--"
"If this is a successful, The whole crew gets to go to Tahiti to put it on for folks down there, all expenses paid. I'll make damn sure you are included in that."
"I just.."
"I introduce you to a sea of good looking guys, Adriana," Tom trying his hardest to bribe her way.
"I'm actually seeing someone."
"A Travel companion! That's super! It'll be a freee vacation getaway for the both of you."
"Tom, Can I just say--"
He cut her off for the 6th time. "Adi, you won't regret it, you will get a TON of good reviews on it and we will do nothing but --"
"TOM!" She yelled into the reciever.
"Uh, yeah?"
"Will you be quiet long enough for me to say yes?"
"Oh gosh, do you mean it>?"
"Oh gosh, I do." She mimicked.
"Oh, Adi you won't regret this. I will be eternally grateful to you for doing this. You are saving my job, really."
"Great, I'm glad." Adi rested her exhausted head against her hand. "Just get back to me back tommorrow morning on when you need me to go there and measure people and to get ideas."
"Alright. Thanks so much darling."
"You're welcome. Talk to you later."
"UGGGGGGGH!" She screamed into her arms as she rested her head on her desk. Jerry came running into office.
"Wow, who was that?"
"Cancel my lunch with Tori tommorow, Jer, looks like I'll be out of office.