Rod, again - Chapter 8, Another dream dress

Debbie Glass looked out her office window and sighed. Twenty floors up, the view was breathtaking, encompassing downtown Minneapolis and the Mississippi River. Yet, Debbie hardly seemed to notice. She was feeling down and uninspired. Ever since Phyllis retired and left her in charge, she’d felt isolated. This was largely due to the fact that she was isolated. Her office was removed from the hustle and bustle of the fashion design team. She spent most of her day studying budget reports and other stale business tasks. Her job had ceased to be fun. She wondered how Phyllis had lasted so long.

There was a knock at her open door as Spencer Connor stepped into her office. Debbie looked up and smiled, happy for the distraction. She and Spencer had worked closely together when she was a designer. When Debbie became president, Spencer was promoted to her old position as lead designer. The company had two design teams, each with a lead. Debbie’s closest friend, Donna, led the other team. Spencer had a bundle of mail in his hand. He often took it upon himself to deliver her mail. It was a convenient excuse for a midday distraction.

“Mail call,” Spencer sang cheerfully.

“Oh joy,” Debbie responded with a hint of sarcasm, “I so love the mail. Is it just bills, or is there some lovely junk mail as well?”

Spencer thumbed quickly through the stack of letters. “Looks like the same old stuff. “ he said. “Wait, here’s one that looks promising.” Spencer handed Debbie a large manila envelope. He put the rest of the mail on her desk.

Debbie looked at the return address; Newman Financial Enterprises. The name wasn’t familiar. She opened the envelope, and pulled out what appeared to be a cover letter. After scanning it quickly, she looked up at Spencer.

“So?” Spencer asked, expectantly. “Exciting news?”

Debbie shrugged. “I don’t know.” she responded. “It’s from the head of some investment firm that apparently worked with Phyllis when she started things years ago. Some guy named Conrad Newman.”

“So, what’s it about? Do we owe him some return on his investment?”

“No. That was all settled years ago. It’s actually a very nice letter. He’s wondering if we could help him with a design project.”

“Oh really?” Spencer moved around the side of the desk to get a peek at the letter. Money matters bored him but he loved design challenges.

“It seems his daughter is getting married and he’d like us to design her wedding dress. I guess she has some idea of what she wants. We’d mostly just be implementing.”

“Oh,” said Spencer, clearly disappointed. “Sounds like busywork. Has she even looked at the lines we have available? Must the princess have something special?”

Debbie glanced at Spencer. “He’s offering us a generous compensation. Plus, we’d have all rights to the design when we’re done. I guess he’s included a sketch of what she wants.” Debbie pulled a second sheet from the envelope. It was a copy of a sheet from a notebook. As she and Spencer studied the paper, Debbie felt her pulse quicken.

“Well,” said Spencer. “A bit vague, isn’t it? How are we supposed to know what she wants based on this? We’d have to be able to read her mind.”

Debbie didn’t respond to Spencer’s comments. As she looked at the sketch and read the comments, she knew exactly what the girl wanted. She opened the bottom drawer of her desk and began rummaging around. Spencer stood quietly watching her, wondering what she was up to. Finally, Debbie retrieved a folder and sat up.

“This is what she wants.” Debbie said, handing the folder to Spencer.

Spencer opened the folder and studied its contents. It contained design sketches for a wedding dress. The work was professionally drawn but it bore an uncanny resemblance to the notebook page. “Well, that’s a neat trick,” Spencer commented. “What else do you have in your magic drawer?”

Debbie laughed. “That’s it. I’ve had that design for years. I started it when I was a teenager.” Debbie glanced at the notebook page. “In a notebook, actually.”

“And you never tried developing it beyond the drawing?” Spencer asked.

“I was saving it,” Debbie said, embarrassed. “In case I ever got married.”

Spencer nodded. He could tell Debbie was uncomfortable. “So,” he said gently. “What do you want to do?”

Debbie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I think it’s time to let go of old dreams. Take the folder, Spencer, and the Newman sketch. Put something together. I’ll contact Mr. Newman and tell him we’re on board.”

Spencer slipped the Newman envelope into the folder and left the office. Debbie turned and looked out the window. She understood Mr. Newman’s daughter. For a long time, she had dreamed of the dress she would wear for her wedding. It was eerie that the two designs were so similar but that only reinforced Debbie’s belief that the dress was perfect. She remembered when she started the first sketch back in high school. It was an idle distraction during a boring history class. Over the years, she’d picked it up from time to time and refined it. There was only one brief time in her life when she thought she might get married.

Debbie thought about her only serious long term relationship. She’d been happy with Rod at the time. But, then he left. She recalled the fiasco that occurred when she’d visited him in Phoenix. She still felt bad about leaving his cell phone in a dead raccoon, even if he did deserve it. Donna had encouraged her to unfriend him in Facebook and move on. Debbie had moved on, but she still wondered about Rod sometimes. There was a time when she thought he’d be the one to marry her in that dress.

Debbie shook herself out of her funk and looked for the number for Conrad Newman. She realized that Spencer had taken all the paperwork with him. She called Spencer’s extension and asked him to call Mr. Newman and let him know they would have a design proposal ready soon.

Debbie relaxed in her chair. It felt good to get the dress out of her secret folder. It was a good design and it was silly to hoard it. Let some other couple enjoy it. She knew Mr. Newman’s daughter would love it, they obviously had similar tastes. She hoped the groom could appreciate the magic of it as well.