Sally gave Ann what might be considered a look rather full of pity. Perhaps she should envy the ones who simply did as they were told and swallowed a joy every hour on the hour. But she simply could not bring herself to desire, on any level, in any form, a life so devoid of truth and meaning. It took all the … well. The joy out of being alive. They were just the living dead, shuffling through the damp streets and thinking this was real happiness.
It was sad. No, the ones who she envied, deep down, in a place she’d never admit, a place not to be talked about at parties or examined closely in the light of day, were her sisters. Gone before the whole place went to hell. She liked to think that something like heaven might exist somewhere out there, and they were there now, laughing and throwing down flower petals and thinking what a fool she was, that she was stuck in this wasteland without a family or a direction or a sense of purpose.
“I think all the fashions stopped being different a few years ago. Have you seen the trend board in the office lately? It’s all the same colors and-and tweed.”
She shuddered at the last thought, and carefully popped a Sunshine between pink lips, the shape and color of the pill hidden by glove-clad hands. “I just keep coming back because hardly anywhere else pays anything anymore. Got to stay in my milk and fresh meat, after all.” She offered a half-hearted smile and placed her hand over Ann’s on the bar top. “But if it’ll make you feel better, I promise I’ll have a sitting with you before the new season. Come up with something gorgeous, absolutely brillo. Cross my heart.”
Ann noticed that look, and it gave her some sense of familiarity. Perhaps if she wasn’t so high on Joy, she might have noticed that the look of pity reminded her of the way Ian, her now late husband, had looked at her. He had been a downer when alive, and he would always look at his wife with pity. He would try convincing her to stop taking Joy, which would only end in them fighting. She would try convincing him to take Joy, again ending in fighting. She thought about Ian for a moment, and then immediately she reached into her pocket for a strawberry Joy.
“Well, thankfully I like variety, and it carries over into my designs.” she murmured, popping the pill in her mouth. Thoughts of Ian then faded and she felt less weight again. “I assure you, while my designs may have some vintage styles, they are always new and different, certainly different than what everyone else is wearing.”
Ann was wearing one of her own designs. It was slightly reminiscent of the fifties, but with a modern touch to it. It had a to-the-knee flaired skirt attached to a dress that was short-sleeved. It was a soft navy blue color, a thin white belt at the waist, the dress having an off-the-shoulder bardot neckline. There was also a faint floral pattern sewn into the bottom of the skirt with dark green, almost black leaves. Some complained that Ann’s designs weren’t modern enough in keeping up with the current trends of the sixties, but they were unique, beautiful, and recognizable as an Ann Fleming design; people could usually agree on that. Ann didn’t exactly like the current trends, not because she didn’t like new things, she certainly did, Ann had updated her own fashion through the fashions of the thirties, the forties, the fifties, but in the sixties she didn’t like the necklines that were popular, nor did she like the common patterns and Ann agreed with Sally, tweed was awful.
With Sally’s touch, she smiled softly, giving a gentle nod. “Well, good.” Ann gently squeezed her hand. “If you ever need anything, let me know, alright? I know times aren’t the easiest, but I must be sure to take good care of one of my favorite models.”
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