Chapter 1
Kimone sat crossed leg on the floor, the bills spread all around her. She had been trying to work out how on earth she was going to make the payment on the shop lease and stock up for the coming Christmas holiday and she had not worked it out yet. She was in over her head and she had no clue where to turn to. With a sigh, she reached for her lease agreement. She had been poring over it for the past half an hour and she could not find a loophole. The lease would be up in two weeks and if she could not find the money to renew it she would be out on her ear.
“Haw!” she screamed in frustration. It has been two years now since she had opened her toy store amid a lot of doubt from her mother and her best friend Dawn but she'd had the idea of a toy store that sold one of a kind handmade toys. She had been doing fairly well until the large toy store had opened up in the mall a few blocks over and her business had steadily declined. She had seen the ‘I told you so’ look on her mother’s face. Dawn had told her bluntly to put her degree in child psychology to good use and look for a job that would put food on the table and pay the bills. She had stubbornly refused to give up.
She flopped backwards and laid there staring at the quaint pink stucco roof. The building was small and looked more like a cottage than an actual store and she had gotten the idea of it being an oversized doll house. She had set up a small cozy corner where there was storytelling and tiny tea parties with actual drinks and pastries. She had even had the idea of having a toy drive where she bagged toys to give to the less privileged children in the neighborhood. Now she stood to lose all that because she could not come up with the money to renew her lease.
Kimone had always been able to look on the bright side no matter how dark it looked but right now she was seeing no way out. She placed her hands on top of her head, mussing up the already wild raven black curls. It was a Sunday and she had taken the time out to come when the shop was closed to the public to try and come up with a solution but so far there was none forthcoming.
Her belly rumbled suddenly. She realized she had not eaten since she had grabbed a bagel and a cup of black coffee and it was now a little bit past four in the afternoon.
She had wanted to pack some sort of a picnic but had forgotten to do so because her mother had called and was talking to her about some crisis at the retirement home she volunteered at three times a week.
“I think dear Mrs. Bradley is going deaf,” she had said in a hushed voice even though she was at home and therefore far away from the home. “And that lazy son of hers has left her there and not turned the black of his eyes to come back and see how she is doing.”
Kimberly Bailey had been widowed at a very early age and had to bring up her daughter alone and prided herself on doing a good job. She had retired from teaching Middle school for the last two years and had occupied herself with doing volunteer work in the retirement home nearby where she teaches the occupants pastry baking to embroidery.
She took the various complaints of the residents personally and made sure the relatives did their part, even if she had to compel them to do so. She was a force to be reckoned with and her forthright manner was very refreshing in a place where people were told what they wanted to hear.
Kimone was used to her brutally frank manner and had adopted it herself.
“Mom, I am sure you will find a way to make sure he plays his part,” she had told her in fond amusement.
“You can count on that,” she had sniffed. “Any idea what you are going to do yet?”
Kimone knew she was referring to finding a solution to her financial woes and she answered lightly. “Not yet, but I will.”
“I still think you should apply to the school for a teaching position,” her mother had said for the umpteenth time. “It’s not too late darling.”
“Mom, I will be fine,” Kimone forced herself to remain calm. “You were the one who told me to follow my dreams.”
“Me and my big mouth,” she had grumbled. “Ok dear, see you later.” She had reminded her.
She had left the apartment soon after determined to find a solution to her problem but so far nothing.
With a deep sigh she stood up and stretched her tired muscles. She had not exercised this morning because it had gotten too cold out and she had not felt like putting on extra layers to go and run the usual three miles.
She wandered around the store absently tidying areas that little fingers had gotten untidy and setting a cute black doll with a smock on and a pleasant grin on her chubby waxed face in the corner where it was supposed to be. She had set up a promotion to see how many toys she could sell during the holidays but only a trickling of customers had responded. She was getting a flogging from big corporations, she thought wryly, pushing back her heavy black curls. Note to self, I need to visit the hairdresser; her hair was getting out of hand.
She finished tidying up and with her belly growling more aggressively she decided that it was time to go home, the problem would still be there tomorrow.
*****
Her tiny apartment was her pride and joy. It was situated in a part of town that looked more rural than urban and she prized the isolation and the fact that she had a small back yard garden where she planted her vegetables and even had several fruit trees. Now that it was almost winter, the place looked bare and desolate and her leaves had started falling to the ground.
She glanced at the grocery list still stuck to the fridge and with a groan she remembered that she was supposed to have gone grocery shopping. Oh well, she thought with a shrug, there is always tomorrow or she could always go and raid her mother’s well stocked cupboard.
She made herself some canned soup and a ham and cheese sandwich and sat in the living room, mindlessly watching TV.
She had grown up knowing that there was nothing she could not do if she put her mind to it. She'd had the idea of opening a toy store with a difference, a place where children and parents could go to and enjoy themselves, not just come in, buy a toy, and leave but actually spend some time playing. A place where usually busy parents actually got a chance to spend some time with their children; a place where they were home away from home. The concept had sounded lovely in her head but not something that the loan officer at the bank could actually work. He had told her with a condescending smile that maybe she should think of something else because that did not sound very feasible. “And a beautiful lady like you would not want the hassle it takes to open a business that is guaranteed to fail,” he had smiled at her ingratiatingly. Kimone had felt like throwing the ice cold water he had offered her in his florid face. A loan officer with no vision, she had thought in contempt as she slung her oversized bag on her shoulder and left.
Her mother had loaned her the start up money and she had to scrimp and save and do without for the past year just to get the business going. She had yet to repay her mother the money she owed her.
She finished eating her meal and went into the tiny kitchen to wash up and then grabbing a sheet of paper and pen she started putting some ideas on paper.
*****
“How about I loan you some more money?” Kimberly asked her daughter. They were sitting in her large living room, eating the extremely delicious oatmeal cookies she had just taken from the oven and sipping hot chocolate. Kimone had stopped there after closing the store following another disappointing day that had seen only a handful of customers; some of whom did not buy a thing.
“Mom, no!” she protested, placing her cup on the table. She had worn chic dark blue wool pants and an aquamarine sweater to work and had piled her heavy curls on top of her head in a loose chignon with matching cosmetic stones winking at her lobes. She had always told her friends that no matter what she was going through it should not show outside.
She had gotten her looks from her mother and the petite frame as well with creamy caramel complexion and large dark brown eyes and full lips that smiled, readily revealing very white teeth with a small gap in the middle. She knew she got admiring looks from the opposite sex but she did not put much stock in her appearance and she told anyone asking that she had a business to get off the ground so she did not have time for a relationship right now.
“I already owe you and have no idea how I am going to pay you back.”
“Nonsense honey,” her mother brushed her protest aside. “What am I going to spend the money on?”
“You are the best mother a girl could have do you know that?” Kimone reached over and gave her a hug.
“Of course I know that,” Kimberly said with an irrepressible grin, returning her daughter’s hug. She was over sixty but looked about twenty years younger. She had cut her hair, it was now shoulder length with limited streaks of gray she refused to put color over. She kept her small frame trim by walking every morning whether rain, shine or snow. She had never remarried, stating that John Bailey had been the love of her life and any man coming after would be second best and what person wanted to be second best? He had died when Kimone was only nine years old in an accident on his way home from work one night. She had mourned him deeply but had gotten herself together and made a life for her and her daughter.
They chatted about the residential home for a bit. “I think nurse Marjory is planning on retiring,” she commented as she bustled around straightening up the place. It was almost six o’clock and Kimone knew she had to leave shortly but she had not seen her mother in a couple of days and did not want to cut the visit short. “She has been hinting at going to a warmer climate for the past few months and I heard her talking to her daughter and asking about companion jobs in Florida.”
“Don’t tell me,” Kimone said with a laugh, getting up and taking some laundry to help fold. “You just happened to be in the room and you heard her conversation.”
“Of course dear, what else?” her mother flashed her a mischievous smile as they stood beside each other folding the laundry. “I am not one for eavesdropping and meddling in other people’s business you know.”
“Of course not,” Kimone used her hip to nudge her playfully. “You are someone who minds her own business always.”
They spent the rest of the time talking about different things until she finally left.
*****
“How about this one?” Dawn held up a skimpy looking red lace teddy with a hole in the crotch. It was after six and she and her best friend were in the mall going from one store to another. It had been two weeks since she had spoken to her mother but had yet to decide whether or not to take the money from her. Business had picked up somewhat and had give her some hope. Dawn had called her and told her that they needed to get rid of some of their troubles by going to look at what the stores had for Christmas.
Kimone sent her a dry glance, “The day I wear something like that is the day they have me committed.” She told the girl picking up a silk robe the color of amethyst.
“When you decide to finally have sex, you will think differently,” Dawn said in a soft hushed voice which did not stop the elderly lady beside them from hearing and sending them an affronted look. “What you never had sex?” Dawn asked the woman, pulling Kimone away from the lingerie section. They burst out laughing and wandered over to where the sweaters were.
“My sex life or lack thereof is not a problem to me.” Kimone told her when they had finished laughing. “Right now I want to concentrate on getting my business off the ground before I think of anything else.” She fingered a cable knit sweater with blue horizontal stripes.
“Any luck with the lease?” Dawn picked up a bright orange sweater and held it against her body. She was taller than Kimone by far and wore her hair in a short bob that framed an angular attractive face. She was a sales rep at a pharmaceutical company and was dating a pharmacist for the past six months now.
“Mom wants to lend me the money again but I am still thinking about it,” Kimone’s hands moved restlessly over the sweaters on display.
“What’s to think about?” Dawn demanded airily. “Honey, if you can get the loan interest free why the hesitation?”
“Because I have already borrowed from her and you know how I hate to be in anyone’s debt, even my mother.”
“We all need help at one time or another honey,” Dawn settled on a blue sweater and one with black and gray stripes. “Think this will look good on Gregory?”
They spent the rest of the evening going into different stores. Kimone picked up several packages and had them gift wrapped. Christmas was always her favorite time of the year and she smiled as she saw the children with their parents and the excitement on their faces. It was part of what had given her the idea of opening a shop like hers; the smiles on children’s faces.
They had a late supper at one of the small restaurants in the mall. “Gregory wants a commitment from me,” Dawn spooned up some chicken soup and tasted it in appreciation.
“I thought you guys were already committed to each other?” Kimone asked with raised brows. She had decided to go with the ham sandwich and iced tea.
“Sort of,” Dawn shrugged, her dark brown eyes twinkling. “I told him I will think about it. I have been disappointed too many times in the relationship department so I am taking it very slow this time, no matter how frustrated he gets.”
A year ago, Dawn had been headlong in love with a fellow sales rep and it had look as if it had been going somewhere when out of the blue he told her he was moving to another state because he had met someone, a doctor and he needed the opportunity. She had been devastated and it had taken her a while to even think about another man. She had sworn that she would never go that deep in a relationship with anyone like that again. Kimone had met Gregory and he seemed to be a nice guy and totally devoted to Dawn.
“Do you think that’s fair to him?” she asked her friend curiously. The place had emptied out somewhat and she saw what looked like a couple in the corner booth. The girl looked like she had just gotten the best news of her life and the guy was leaning over as if to kiss her. Sometimes she wondered if she was missing out, not having someone in her life but the feeling pass quickly.
“I have to be fair to me.” Dawn said firmly. “I will never become unhinge like that again. You remember how you had to come and pry me out of bed. I could not eat or sleep and I wanted to die, never again!” she vowed.
*****
Kimone examined the scrap of material she had in her hand with a speculative eye. She had taken a sewing class and had made the decision to make her own doll clothes, styles that depict a certain theme that she also intended to put on display in the store. When she was a child and her mom bought her dolls for Christmas, she had always wished she had different clothes to change and play dress up. She had come up with the idea to make the different clothes so that the kids who bought her dolls could also accessorize and the dolls would not have to be in the same clothes over and over again.
Whenever she had something bothering her she would turn to her tiny den and start working on something she had put aside for a while. She had been working on some party dresses and beach wear for the dolls and had decided to try some business suits.
She placed the tea she had made herself on the work table and started cutting out the fabric, the material was not cheap but she wanted quality instead of quantity. Her hair fell forward onto her forehead and with an impatient hand she pushed it away, telling herself yet again that she need to visit the hairdresser.
Her phone rang just then and she realized it was her mother.
“Hey mom what’s up?” she said breezily, grateful for the break. Her shoulders were starting to ache from being hunched over the sewing machine. To her surprise she realized that it was almost nine o’clock.
“I need you to help with the decorations for the residential home this weekend,” Kimberly told her. Every year her mother made it her duty to make sure that the residents enjoy Christmas, even if she had to fund the entire thing herself and she had roped in her daughter and her best friend to become a part of it.
“Oh mom, I am not sure about this weekend,” Kimone groaned. She hated decorating, it was too tedious and besides she had her own store to think about.
“Honey, you know we have to do good deeds when necessary. I have already gotten a commitment from the cheap skate Mr. Young from the corner store to donate a couple of bells and some ornaments and we have those decorations left over from last year. They are a little dusty but I asked young Benjamin from next door to wipe them clean for me. We are planning a little party for Christmas Eve and we are also putting on a little concert.”
Kimone knew when her mother said ‘little’ it usually turned out to be a little over fifty people there, people she invited from around the neighborhood who were usually cornered into donating something for the home.
“I will see what I can do,” Kimone said with a sigh.
“And we need some proper clothes for old Mrs. Bainbridge; the old dear is practically naked.”
“I am sure you will find someone to donate some clothes for her mom,” Kimone said fondly. “You are great when it comes to that.”
“Thanks honey. How are you doing?” she asked in concern.
“I am hanging in there and hoping for a miracle,” Kimone said with a rueful laugh.
“You know my offer still stands.”
“I know mom but I am still thinking about it. You know me, I hate to be indebted.”
“Honey, we all have to be indebted one time or another and this is your mother, not some stranger off the street.”
“You sound like Dawn,” Kimone told her. She told her mother what Dawn had told her and her hang up about the relationship with Gregory.
“I don’t blame her,” her mother said sympathetically. “But she has to be careful that in being so cautious she does not let a good one go. I will call her and tell her about the decorating and have her invite her young man over for dinner.”
“She would love that, now Mom I am going to let us both get our beauty sleep.”
“Not that we need it,” Kimberly teased as she hung up the phone.
With a smile she put aside the fabric and stood up. She still had tomorrow to face.