sallytheseamstress

[sallytheseamstress]

.

Sally nodded, picturing the costume already. She smiled and gave a little scoff when Tiana said that Halloween was half a year away: when did that ever stop Sally, used as she was to be already planning the next costume as soon as the fake cobwebs were taken down and the jack-o-lanterns began to rot?

"Sure, that sounds alright to me," Sally said. Fabric shopping was an exciting thing for her, and since Tiana was so eager to learn, she was willing to teach her how to properly choose while keeping quality and price in mind. It was an art she had perfected over the years... Besides the fact that she already knew the family that owned the fabric store, already quite used to her passing by every couple of weeks or so.

"I don't know yet... But if you'd like, you can help me choose," Sally suggested, smiling at her new friend.

Tiana smiled at Sally’s words. She knew that Sally and her girlfriend would have a magical time at Enchanted Rose; Tiana hoped that she was waitressing when they stopped by. Then Tiana paused in her thoughts. She might not be working at Enchanted Rose when that happened—Ray’s restaurant might have opened up by that time! And maybe then, Tiana could call Sally up and recommend the new, elegant establishment…and Sally and her girlfriend could have romantic moments in that smooth, easygoing atmosphere…

Tiana nodded at Sally’s suggestion for the bat wings and said, “Yes, yes! That’s the perfect way to go with the costume!” When Sally discussed how to make the corset, Tiana added, “I can see it now. You’ll help me out so much with that part of it, I’m sure of that. I want it to be a scarlet color, with very light pink details; we’ll have to brainstorm the exact design for it!”

Sally talked about her work with the community theater for their upcoming play, Our Town. Tiana knew how that was, to be committed to something that mattered so much to you that it dictated how you spent your days. She told Sally, “Listen—Halloween is half a year away. You focus your energy on Our Town, make those costumes so plaid and cool. And when you get time off—maybe time you could use to buy that plaid fabric, if you decide on that!—give me a call! I’ll go fabric shopping with you anytime. That I’m not working, that is.” She chuckled. “Like I said, I’m usually available in the mornings, so if it’s around nine-thirty one morning in the near future and you want to go shopping with your new friend Tiana, just drop me a line!” Tiana smiled at Sally, then looked up at the store that rose in front of them. “Look, Sally! We made it! You have to tell me what books you wanna buy today!”

#. sally finkelstein #. tiana powell

[sallytheseamstress]

.

Tiana's description of that menu really got Sally's stomach grumbling just a bit, but the idea of going back to the Enchanted Rose was particularly appealing. "I think I'm going to invite her to the café. We met there, after all... A few years ago." How time did fly. "And also... It was there where we were honest about our feelings for each other. Yes... I suppose Enchanted Rose Café really was the backdrop of our lives together."

Teaching someone anything, but especially something that came so naturally as sewing, felt quite daunting. What if she got frustrated, or didn't know how to help Tiana do something, and end up losing her temper? She liked to think of herself as a pretty level-headed person, but she hadn't ever done something like this. Her repeating the same technique until it came out right wasn't really the problem: it was more like fearing Tiana wouldn't listen to what she had to say.

"I like that idea!" Sally nodded. "Combining different holidays... It can be a bit risky, since one can end up overpowering the other. But if we can strike a balance... I can clearly imagine it. It doesn't sound very difficult, at all: we sell bat wings at the store, but I bet I can spruce them up, maybe elongate them a bit or paint them in some way to really make them stand out." Her mind was already disassembling the outfit, thinking about each individual garment and their construction. "The corset's the trickiest part, and that would need to be custom made so it can fit you just right. It's not exactly beginner's material, but I can show you how I make it, in case later down the line you'd like to give it a try, too."

Sally gave a hearty laugh when Tiana suggested they go fabric shopping. "Yes, I'd love to! But I'll have to see when I can take a little break from work. I'm so busy lately, I'm also costuming for a production of Our Town for the community theater. I've been thinking about getting some newer plaid fabrics for the costumes, though..." Tiana was a very enthusiastic person, which Sally found rather funny: she wasn't that excitable, at all, but she liked that high-energy, go-getter type of people. Something about them could brighten up any room. It was different from herself and Ella: while they liked to cozy up and spend a quiet evening at home, these sorts of folks seemed as they were always ready for a taste of everything.

Tiana thought for a moment about which restaurants Sally and her girlfriend would love. “You know,” she told Sally sincerely, “I waitress at the Enchanted Rose Cafe, like we were talking about. It’s so magical all the time…but on Valentine’s Day, I think that feeling of being in another place, a more romantic place, kicks in like magic. We have some more elevated meals on our dinner menu, if you’re wanting something a little fun for Valentine’s Day, a little lovey-dovey.” Tiana paused again. “Or maybe buy one of those pre-made meals from the grocery store? From their to-go section? I’ve done that once with a friend of mine for Thanksgiving. They had a whole turkey you could buy, actually!” Tiana remembered the other offerings and added, “They actually have a pretty good steak meal with asparagus and whole grain rice, and one with seared salmon, broccoli, and white steamed rice. You should buy one of those to try out yourself ahead of Valentine’s Day, then buy two for Valentine’s Day if you like what you taste! You could even book a room at the Neverland Hotel and have the staff bring you all the table settings! That would be what I’d do if I had a significant other for Valentine’s Day!” Tiana gave a contented sigh. She loved talking about romantic gestures.

When Sally offered to send Tiana pictures of her epic Halloween costume, Tiana nodded eagerly and gave Sally her phone number, writing it down on a piece of notebook paper from her backpack so she’d be able to use it. “I can’t wait to see those pics!” Tiana told Sally.

Tiana gasped and said to Sally, “You’ll really help me with my costume?! You’re the kindest! You are so, so cool, Sally!” Tiana did a half-skip, half-jump on the sidewalk with glee. “So I try to be a really good student, no matter what it is I’m doing…but for whatever reason, I have to repeat things sometimes. Like if you taught me a certain stitch, I might have to do it three or four times so I’d be able to do it decently all alone. If that’s okay with you, then I think I’ll love working on a costume with you, Sally!” Tiana added, “And I’m coming up with some ideas as we speak! I can’t seem to shake the idea of celebrating a different holiday with my costume as well as Halloween, for whatever reason… What if I did, like, a Valentine’s Day homage mixed with Halloween symbols? So I could go as, like, a cupid or a Valentine’s angel…but do a really gothic dress and have one of those corsets tied around me, plus light-colored bat wings! I’d do everything real simple, of course, because I know so little about making costumes. And I might have to find the bat wings online somewhere, maybe at your store Jack’s Attic, if you carry things like this! But I do want to make the dress myself. Hopefully in pinks and reds.” Tiana was grinning. “Would you want to go fabric shopping with me, Sally?! Sometime next week, in the morning?”

#. sally finkelstein #. tiana powell

[sallytheseamstress]

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Sally smiled. "I like that idea." Both of them liked to cook, but it would be nice to leave that to someone else for a night. She wasn't sure of the best places in town for that sort of thing, though... But she had Tiana to ask about such matters. "Which restaurants would you recommend for that sort of dinner?"

"I think I got a few on my computer," she said. "A friend took them, though I wish I had some on my phone. I'll send them to you, if you'd like." Sally could easily imagine what her father would say to that. 'Vanity is not something to be proud of, child'. But she wasn't a child anymore, she reminded herself. She didn't have to listen to that little voice in the back of her mind anymore.

"Some people go all-out on Halloween here," Sally chuckled, knowing herself to be one of those people. "But a lot of people also just dress in something that gives them freedom of movement, something comfortable to dance and have fun. As long as you have a good time, I don't think it matters much what you choose to go as." She blinked in surprise at Tiana's request, even though, actually, it made a lot of sense for her to do so. After all, Sally had been boasting non-stop about her costuming skills for the last five minutes or so. "Yes, of course! I could help you make a costume, no problem, and... Well, I don't know if I'd be a good teacher," she said with a little nervous laugh. "But, I mean, I can try."

Tiana immediately said, “Congratulations on your girlfriend, Sally! That must be so wonderful for you!” She grinned broadly. “You two should do a fancy dinner somewhere—fancy only in the feel of the dinner, not necessarily the place or the food. And tell her things you really like about your relationship! That shouts ‘Valentine’s Day’ in my eyes. Or ears.” Tiana grinned again.

Tiana gasped at Sally’s description of Jack’s Attic during big holidays. “I’m so looking forward to Halloween now! Thank you for cluing me in on this magical place, Sally!” When Sally revealed that she had won the previous year’s Halloween costume contest herself(!), Tiana gasped again. “That takes a lot of talent, Sally!” she told her new friend earnestly. “I’m so happy for you! I’d love to see pictures.”

The teapot costume sounded like an absolute masterpiece. Tiana oohed and ahhed and imagined what it would have been like to see that magical tea trolley in person, somewhere in Redwood Hollow. “Okay, I have to do something better than Heat Miser for Halloween this year,” she told Sally confidently. “Could you help me out with that? For someone who has little to no experience making their own costumes—I’m on the no-experience end, actually—what would be something easy to sew over the course of a few months? I do work a lot, but I have mornings off.” Tiana tried to come up with intriguing costume ideas of her very own…

#. sally finkelstein #. tiana powell

[sallytheseamstress]

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Sally just smiled while Tiana told her about her would-be boyfriend's new life with his wife, but inside her, as her imagination and her heartbeat raced, she felt something was cracking and about to break. "It sounds lovely," she managed to say, rather mechanically. "And it's great you have such a good friend, to support you through these hard times." Had she ever spoken to Ella about her Jack situation? Sally didn't think so. Should she? That sounded like the right thing to do. At the same time, the mere idea of it was sort of mortifying, in all honesty. The right time will come, she thought, pushing the idea off her mind as best she could.

"I've never spent Valentine's Day with anyone... But now I got a girlfriend," she told Tiana. "And I really don't know what I should do for that. People give chocolates and flowers, right? Should I do that, next year?" Would they even be still together next year? Surely, right? Would Sally be able to keep a romantic relationship going for so long? It was these sorts of instances in which she wished she had gotten more experience during her high school years, when the other kids were first experimenting with dating.

"You should definitely come," she nodded. "It's lovely when Christmas comes, with all the twinkling lights and our grand Christmas tree all decked out, but it's just absolutely fantastic during Halloween. It's the time of the year when I'm most happy I got this job, and that I can still have the privilege of being a part of it." It was about ten years since she first got her job at Jack's Attic, after all. As rutinary as it was, she couldn't really complain. Especially when she had so much to look forward each year. "I did win the costume contest last Halloween," Sally admitted, trying not to sound too smug. First time she applied, too. She didn't really love that sort of attention put on her, when she was called to the stage, but she had to confess that her efforts being recognized and appreciated was quite nice.

"Hm... I'm not sure. I once saw a lady pushing a tea trolley, with her child as a teapot. It was really cute, with the child wearing a teapot hat that looked just like painted porcelain..." she said, trying to remember the details. "But what made it really amazing was that it looked like their body was not under the top of the trolley. The lady even pulled teacups from under it, as if the child was just a disembodied head! I'm still not sure how they did it."

“No, no! Cynicism is healthy!” Tiana smiled. Then she sighed when Sally expressed her thoughts about the whole culinary school crush fiasco. “I know you’re right,” Tiana told Sally thoughtfully. “He’s very happy now. People will show me social media pictures of him—I’m not on Twitter or Instagram or anything—of him and his wife, and they look really quite content with the life they have with each other. They do Valentine’s Day big. DeShawn takes her to a department store and lets her buy whatever outfit she wants, and then he lets her pick out an outfit for him to buy, and they wear the clothes to a nice meal he cooks himself out at their beach place.” DeShawn had struck it very, very rich after culinary school. He quite honestly deserved it. Tiana nodded at Sally’s observation, that a person might be feeling happy and sad at the same time when it came to stuff like this. “I know I was miserable after DeShawn and I stopped talking,” she said. “But you’re right—I couldn’t help but smile whenever I heard that he was doing some grand gesture for his new girl, Ferry. Because that was him, that was DeShawn at his best. Expressing how he felt in a way that everyone could see.” A smile had crept onto her face even as she’d spoken about it. “It sucked for me. But my best friend, Charlotte—she helped me get through that one, and the other times I had a friendship that went south.”

Tiana’s eyes lit up at Sally’s description of Jack’s Attic come Halloween. “I have to go visit!” she told Sally eagerly. “At Halloween, of course—and at Christmas, too, because Jack and I seem to both like Christmas a lot—but maybe I’ll pay you a visit on my day off this week! Look out for me this Friday, Sally.” When Sally described her previous Halloween costumes, Tiana gasped. “A rain cloud? A spooky chandelier?! You have to send me pictures, Sally! I mean it! You’re definitely doing something special with those ideas—knowing you made that Macbeth gown the way you did, I’ll bet you’re winning the town costume contests left and right.” Tiana asked Sally, “What’s the best costume you’ve ever seen someone else wear? Describe it to me—you’ve got a real gift with detail.” Tiana closed her eyes in anticipation.

#. tiana powell #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

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Sally chuckled and looked down. She had never had any expectations for herself during Valentine, so she was never disappointed. Did she ever wish Jack would give her a gift for it? Maybe. She liked giving Jack and Zach little chocolates for the occasion, but that seemed just friendly. And she never really expected anything in return. "I think that, if people are excited about it, the Valentine's spirit is as good a reason for people to gather together and celebrate." Then she chuckled again. "I sure hope it's become commercial, otherwise we at the holiday store wouldn't get the revenue we get each February... Oh," she mumbled, and made a grimace. "I hope that didn't come across as too cynical."

The more Tiana spoke of this friend of hers, the more sympathy Sally had for her. "Good grief, that sounds just awful. But... Well, not to minimize what you felt, but... I guess it's good, that he ended up happy? At least, happy enough with this new girlfriend so as to choose to marry her." As soon as she finished saying this, she bit her tongue. Yes, that way too out of line. Way too insensitive as to what Tiana had felt. And yet, when Sally thought about what would happen if Jack suddenly showed up with a new partner, and eventually marry them... It would definitely break Sally's heart. Maybe lead her to rethink her own fears, her own lack of initiative. And, at the same time... She would be, on some level, happy for him. "Can you be happy and sad at the same time?" she thought out loud. "Sad for you, and happy for someone else?" And would the sadness and grief for what never came to be, be too strong to truly bear? She could only try to imagine it. But she had been so resigned to think that Jack would never love her, in her mind she was already grieving the relationship that never was.

Sally stopped walking right then. What was happening to her? She was dating Ella. She was happy with Ella. She was loved, and she was finally seen as something more than a friend. Sally was never going to get that from Jack, most likely. So why was she even thinking about this?

"I... I guess you're right," she said quietly, walking again next to Tiana. "I suppose it's better to get such things out of your chest, before it's too late." Really good advice. Such a pity Sally would never follow it.

"I'm not sure about the rest of us... But Halloween's definitely a highlight for me." A highlight was an understatement. It was the seamstress favorite time of year, and the one time in which she truly loved to dress up and let her imagination run absolutely wild. "Jack likes Christmas the most, I think, but we're all big Halloween fans at the store. Putting up the displays by the window is the most fun," Sally said with a big smile. "We all think together about what the theme will be, and we set mannequins for the costumes, and hang lights and fill the windows with spooky decorations... It's just great."

Tiana's question about what Jack and Zach were like was surely well-intentioned, but she wasn't keen on talking much more about them. Especially Zach: she knew he was rather shy and didn't want to share things about him behind his back. And as for Jack... Well, she wasn't sure she wanted others to know how much she liked him –even now, when she probably shouldn't. And Sally was certain that, once she started gushing over him, it would be hard for her to stop. "Oh, of course. I love dressing up during Halloween," she said, glad to talk about something else, especially something she truly enjoyed. "I've dressed as basically everything under the sun by now. I've gone as a witch about six times, always making it different in some ways; I dressed as a death-head hawkmoth once, and as a bat woman another time; uh, as a stormy rain cloud, too; as a spooky chandelier; oh, and last year, I went as a spider queen!" Sally finished saying excitedly. "What about you? Do you like dressing up?" Maybe she would get some good new costume ideas from Tiana, after all.

Tiana was enraptured by Sally’s vivid description of the green Macbeth gown. Tiana wished that she could look at such a gown in person, or, better yet, see the actress from the Macbeth performance wear that gorgeous iridescent gown and say her lines with bolstered confidence. Tiana thought the embroidery in particular was probably extremely impressive.

“My favorite holiday would have to be Valentine’s Day,” Tiana confided in Sally. “There’s just something about the day itself that makes me go crazy! Pinks and reds! Hearts everywhere! I never have a boyfriend for the Valentine’s Day festivities, but I’m happy as a clam all day long because I believe in the Valentine’s Day spirit. Are things more commercial now, maybe? Sure! But that spirit is the best part of the whole winter, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.” Tiana smiled dreamily. “If I did have a boyfriend, though… Well. I won’t say anything, but I almost thought I’d have a boyfriend at Valentine’s Day a few years back. You know what, I will say things—he ended up dating and getting married to another girl! The marriage happened a year and a half after that February, but the day I saw him with that friend of ours standing beside him, giving him little pats on the arm… I thought it was Halloween instead of Valentine’s week. They just got closer and closer after that, until suddenly, they were sending me their wedding invitation and I was long since out of the picture.” Tiana chuckled dryly. “Goes to show—you’ve gotta tell your friends what you’re thinking when you’re thinking it.” Her new friend Alice from the coffee mishap the other day had taught her that. If she had any more coffee mishaps, of which there had been many, maybe she’d meet someone to make her just call DeShawn and catch up.

“Oh, so this Jack likes to dress up!” Tiana said with glee. “Tell me more about you and the other people at the store! Including this Jack. Do you all have favorite holidays that you get to really run the show during? Or is it all hands on deck all the time?” When Sally mentioned that she was a fan of the old Christmas specials, Tiana squealed. “Yes! Yes! My friend from culinary school and I dressed up as Heat Miser and Snow Miser for Halloween one time! I had to be Heat Miser because the costume fit me and not them. You said you make Halloween costumes, Sally! Do you ever dress up in them yourself?” Tiana had a feeling that a holiday store employee probably knew how to dress up like a pro.

#. tiana powell #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

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"Oh... That's a good question," Sally said, taking a deep breath and thinking carefully. "Well... I'm quite proud of the Halloween costumes I've made over the years, but... Once I made this queen dress for a Macbeth performance by the Community Theater. I spent hours trying to replicate the famous green beetle dress, painting pistachio shells I had been collecting for the past year with iridescent paint to copy the look of beetle wings. And I embroidered the whole thing, and since I couldn't get the correct fabric, I had to find a proper rayon that looked like silk, in the right color... That was my biggest project to date. And I was so afraid it would just blow up in my face, be all that work for nothing. But it ended up looking just as, if not better than I expected." It was a pity it was only worn a few times. Now, it was gathering dust in storage, just behind the changing rooms.

"Chicken kebabs and macadamia swordfish, noted," Sally nodded. Swordfish sounded like a rather intimidating dish, but she was willing to give it a try. "I mean, if you like celebrating the holidays, I absolutely recommend you visit the place," Sally said with a shy little smile. "We, um... We usually try to hide the efforts, but I suppose you can see me and my coworker fluttering about, filling shelves and counting the inventory, if you'd be interested in that." While it was nice to discover new trinkets and decorations that had been selected to grace the shop windows, most of the time it would feel a bit boring and routine. "Do you have a favorite holiday?"

Tiana's idea did get her giggling, something Sally was not really known to do. "I'm pretty sure Jack has dressed up as Santa once or thrice." And a funny sight it had been, such a tall skinny man with the typical fake beard and red costume. Even more, she had a feeling Jack had just loved it. "But we usually hire a professional Santa to do that sort of thing, if we got the money. As for me... I don't know, I don't think I'd feel really comfortable playing a role like that. I'm not one to put on a performance." Was this really true? She loved dressing up for Halloween, after all. But there was a difference, wasn't it? Everyone was dressed up in Halloween. In such a Christmas scene, there was a clear audience, and a clear role to play. Not exactly what she was looking for to doing during one of the busiest seasons of the year.

Sally was about to voice her ambivalence towards Christmas as a whole, but decided against it. Years of working at the holiday store taught her that some people took criticisms against Christmas very, very personally. Thankfully, Tiana brought up a subject she was actually knowledgeable about. "Yes, I've seen it! I'm quite the Rankin and Bass' Christmas movie fan."

“The bookstore is such a great place that way,” Tiana said to Sally, tucking her braids behind her ears. “Just going there lets you see all kinds of things, new and old. I’m glad you’re getting a chance to go!”

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but if you started sewing when you were eight… You’ve got loads of experience!” Tiana was excited. “Tell me about the best-looking thing you ever sewed. Did it turn out how you expected, or was it a surprise to see how beautiful it was once you stopped working on it?” Tiana thought that it would be so magical to have that latter thing happen to her. If Tiana ever sewed, she’d want to be surprised by her work all the time.

“Oh, I recommend the chicken kebabs, hands-down,” Tiana told her. “If you order off our international menu, though, I would ask for the macadamia-crusted swordfish. It’s got the best, mildest seafood flavor, and the macadamia is always done perfect by our chefs!” Tiana knew one of her bosses, head chef Pegasus Storm, had the perfect touch with all of those dishes; maybe she actually had him to thank.

“Is that true?!” Tiana said with happiness. “I’m so glad the cafe did that for you! It’s a magical place for me, too. Ever since I started working there, and everyone was so nice to me about it, I’ve just grown a lot as a worker and as a person, too. People tell me I’m ‘so sweet’ to them now, and I never used to get that before when I worked the cleaning jobs at these places in high school.” Tiana was glad that someone else seemed to understand the enchantment of a particular place.

“I should visit you at Jack’s Attic, Sally,” Tiana told her with a grin. “I’d love to see exactly what kind of effort goes into all that fun! And…” Tiana paused when she noticed Sally wringing her hands. Maybe she and Jack didn’t get along? “And I have an idea for the store,” Tiana finally said, ready to bring her idea forward. “If you haven’t done this yet, you should—Jack, whoever he is, needs to dress himself up like the mythical Jack Frost around the holidays, and you need to hire a Santa to come for the kids to take pictures with at your store! The meet-and-greet would earn you so much extra profit, and it would be a lot of fun for families! You could call it something like ‘Jack Frost’s Attic Adventure’ or something along those lines. What would you dress up as, Sally? Maybe an elf girl from Santa’s workshop? Or a reindeer?” Tiana beamed. “I would come in costume if I got the chance to visit. I’d dress up as that woman Jessica from the Christmas movie Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town—have you seen that? It’s my favorite Christmas movie!”

#. tiana powell #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

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A short laugh managed to slip from Sally's lips. "I like to think I'm well read, but I've barely updated my literary tastes since 2010. That's... Well, I guess that's why I'm going to the bookstore after so long."

Sally shrugged once more, before a little voice in the back of her head told her to stop doing that, that it was rude. "I think I do. I've been hand-sewing since I was eight or so, and I got my first sewing machine when I was about eleven or twelve. There was a fabric store not far from my house, so I started making my own dolls, and then clothes for them... And then I discovered I could make my own clothes, too." She shuddered a bit when remembering those first clumsy attempts.

"I've heard great things about Third Street, but haven't visited it yet..." Now that she and Ella were dating, however, maybe they could go out for dinner there sometime. The idea was surprisingly exciting. "I'd love to, though. Hopefully soon. What do you recommend, apart from the kebabs and the tacos?" Sally smiled wide. "I want to try as many different things as possible."

At the mention of the café, she let out a small gasp. "Enchanted Rose! I really like that place. Ever since I—" Sally stopped herself. She thought it over. "... Ever since I first visited it, it's felt like... Like something shifted in my life." That was a strange thing to say... But it was true.

"It's not just fun. We take the job seriously," Sally said, still smiling, though with a slightly more sober tone. Jack's Attic was definitely a fun place, but a lot of effort went into making sure everything was well organized, clean and neat, the displays colorful and appealing and eye-catching, and that whoever was taking the purchases worked efficiently during those heavier workload months in which there were long anxious lines gathering in front of the counter. "But it is often really fun, yes. And..." She looked down and wringed her hands a bit. "Yes, there is a real Jack, too."

“Oh, Emily Dickinson is one of my special favorites,” Tiana told Sally eagerly. “I love her poems about specific concepts, like the famous ones on hope and death. And I’ve heard good things about Poe! I bet you’re very well-read.” Tiana smiled at Sally, hoping that she was headed to the bookstore for something really good today.

“Do you have a lot of that experience, then?” Tiana asked Sally about her life as a seamstress. “With moving your hands just right, and getting the details the way you want them?” Tiana could barely conceal her excitement, though she didn’t know why she’d want to. Her mama had never talked to her this plainly about sewing before. Tiana had always romanticized people who could sew, knit, crochet… She just wanted to hear Sally say more about being a seamstress, preferably for a good long while.

Tiana smiled at Sally’s inquiry about her own life as a cook. “Yes, I cook down at Third Street Restaurant! I’m usually cooking the side dishes—well, actually, that’s not true anymore! I recently got moved to our street food, so the past few nights, I’ve been making these street kebabs that are absolutely the most fun to put together. And we’ve got street tacos on the menu, too. People haven’t been ordering those as often while I’ve been on this menu, though. I hope they give them a try soon, because I’ve had our beef tacos, and they’re very tasty.” Maybe there was something about them that people found unusual. Tiana couldn’t think what that would be, though.

“And I also waitress at the Enchanted Rose Cafe every day,” Tiana told Sally with a small smile. She didn’t know which job of hers was her favorite anymore. The people at Enchanted Rose were the best, but Tiana just loved cooking in the kitchen. Maybe something would tip the balance one way or the other in the next week or so…

“So tell me about Jack’s Attic!” Tiana said earnestly. “What’s it like working at such a fun-filled place? And is there a real Jack that works there, too?” She wondered if such a Jack might be interested in fashioning himself after Jack Frost during the winter for children and such. Parents would eat that up, if they brought in a Santa Claus to take pictures with, too. She’d recommend the idea to Sally if Tiana thought of it again soon.

#. tiana powell #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

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"It's no problem," Sally said. Now her curiosity had been properly piqued. Who was this young woman, and how come she hadn't really registered her presence before? She liked to think she had a good eye for faces in town, quiet and perceptive as she used to be when younger. "Sure, if you'd like."

It still surprised her, as she walked side by side with Tiana, how easily she had been convinced to spend time with this stranger. Did this mean that now Sally was what you could call 'friendly'? Not that she had ever been a misanthrope, but she was certain that, a couple years ago, she would have just looked the other way... Or, rather, nobody would have looked at her at all. But was that completely true?

"I'm woefully ignorant with poetry... But I like a few ones. I'm a big Dickinson fan," she said with a shrug. "And I used to love Poe, too, when I was younger, but I sort of… Grew out of it? I still love some of his poems, though. I also really like Christina Rosetti, ever since i was fifteen or so." It had been so long since she had read poetry. Suddenly she had the idea of buying Ella a book, maybe a Rosetti collection of her own. It would surely make a nice gift.

"It's just practice, mostly," Sally answered with a chuckle. "When you got enough practice, your hands just know what to do. You just need to follow the pattern and check for the necessary details and adjustments every once in a while." Most troubles came from things like uncooperative fabrics, sewing machine malfunctions, and brittle needles. All of which Sally knew well enough how to avoid or fix. "Um... You say you're a cook? What kind of cook?"

Tiana nodded understandingly. “I’m bad with cars myself,” Tiana said, and she pulled out her phone to text her roommate Audrey. It would be a little early for a lunch break for Audrey, but maybe she would be able to make it out here in the next couple hours and give her car the breath of life it needed. “Thanks for hearing my troubles, though.” Tiana smiled when Sally mentioned she was also going to the bookstore. “Do you want to walk the rest of the way together?” Redwood Hollow was, blessedly, the kind of town you could leave your broken-down car behind in while you shopped for a book of poetry with someone you’d recently met. “I’m trying to get some more Black poetry for my collection. I already love Langston Hughes—he’s my favorite of all time—but some others wouldn’t hurt!”

“You’re a seamstress?” Tiana said with great interest. “My mama loves to sew! I’ve always admired the way she does it—so steady and beautiful. Would you mind telling me how the best seamstresses sew so much in only a little time? That’s an impressive part of it for me.” Tiana thought it was wonderful that Sally Finkelstein worked at the local holiday store—Tiana herself was a huge holiday fan!

#. sally finkelstein #. tiana powell

[sallytheseamstress]

.

"No, I'm sorry..." Sally was probably the last person with experience with cars in the town. Not only did she not own a car, but she also couldn't even remember the last time she had taken a car trip at all...

Wait. Now she remembered. She had travelled in Ella's car, when she first invited her to stay at her place.

"I was headed to the bookstore as well," Sally said. "But I can buy the book you need for you, if you already have it in mind." As for Sally, she was just going there to browse. Ever since she moved to her own house, she had been meaning to fill the shelves she had installed with books of her own.

"Hi, I'm Sally Finkelstein. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a little smile. "I, um... I'm mostly a seamstress, but I also work for the Community Events Committee, and also at Jack's Attic holiday store..." Sally wouldn't usually share so much information with a stranger. Tiana seemed extremely friendly, though, and the words left her mouth before she could think it over.

starter for @sallytheseamstress

Tiana scowled and let her head fall onto the steering wheel of her Volkswagen Beetle. She’d done everything to keep this car in working order, but now that it had broken down again… She didn’t know what she’d do to stop it from happening a third time, and a fourth, and a fifth… Tiana moaned. This was so not her wheelhouse.

Getting out of the car (from which a little smoke was drifting from the hood) and searching the sidewalk for someone who could help, Tiana spotted a woman who looked like she might want to lend a hand. “Excuse me kindly,” she said to the woman as she approached, “but do you have any experience with cars? My little Beetle there just stopped in the street!” Tiana had managed to pull it over to the shoulder of the road before she’d caused a pileup. “This is just my luck,” Tiana continued, moaning again. “If I have to miss my trip to the bookstore, I don’t know what I’ll do.” She’d planned on this time of morning specifically for the bookstore errand, and now she would have to spend that time restoring the health of her bright yellow car. “Do you know this feeling, ma’am? I just wanted to buy a book of poetry from the bookstore…and now, this. Well, at least I’m meeting new people. I’m Tiana Powell, waitress and cook.”

#. sally finkelstein #. tiana powell

[sallytheseamstress]

I’m restless. I can’t help it.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) dir. Henry Selick

#. muse { can’t shake this feeling that i have }

[sallytheseamstress]

.

"James, that's the owner of the hotel, right?" She had been there for a few nights after her father had kicked her out. She had barely spoken to him, but he seemed like a perfectly nice fella.

"Oh, this girl beat up a kid...?" Sally wasn't sure how she felt about that, but it had to be said that it was nice to feel protected. Sally knew that, as much as she rejected violence, it would have been like a sort of compliment for someone to care so much about her to do something like that. "Well, Dandelion's right. She's not a baby, she's a toddler, technically," she said in a serious tone, before cracking a smile. She giggled, which surprised even herself. She was not one to usually giggle.

"Really? That's so cute. You should definitely invite them to Dandelion's next birthday." Suddenly she wondered what Dandelion would think about someone dating her mom. She might be too young to really understand what that meant, but still, she hoped the little girl still liked her enough to be happy to be seeing her more often.

Ella's heart filled with joy as she spoke about her beloved daughter, Dandelion. Her maternal love knew no bounds, and she dedicated herself to providing the best for her little girl. Ella beamed. " Dandelion made friends with James and his sisters". Anne and Mary, in particular, had taken a liking to Dandelion. Anne was fiercely protective of her and Mary expressed her affection in her own unique way - by fighting off a child who had insulted Dandelion by calling her a baby. Ella couldn't contain her laughter as she shared this amusing anecdote.

Leaning in closer, Ella whispered as if sharing a juicy secret with her closest confidant. "It seems like Dandelion inherited my fine taste.". Ella noted that Dandelion had developed a special bond with Anne. "She even gifted Anne a rose on Valentine's Day", a gesture that melted Ella's heart.

#. ella fontaine #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

End

.

With a small chuckle, Sally decided to just nod, already regretting even opening her mouth. “But I… I don’t really want to accuse anyone of anything without having the facts straight,” she continued saying, when she knew very well she should have just kept silent. “I’m not… I’m sorry. Maybe Mr Bodaway is just a completely innocent man. I don’t know him enough to make a real judgement on his character.”

Now, on someone like Oz… Sally didn’t have much of an inkling on what he was actually involved with. But she had her intuition. She had her gut feelings. And they told her never to trust that man.

She wasn’t going to tell that to this woman, though. Not if she didn’t want to appear even more like a complete gossip.

“Thank you,” she sighed. “I wish your stay in Redwood Hollow remains a peaceful, comfortable one, anyways. Here’s hoping there’s no more strange events and ugly surprises during the rest of the year. Or the year after that, for that matter.”

#. sally finkelstein #. mirage #/love that ominous ending tbh

[sallytheseamstress]

.

"Monday suits me just fine," she replied, daring to lean forward, as if sharing a secret. She was still smiling, she realized. She pressed her lips together, as if to stop herself, imagining how silly she looked. But she couldn't stop. She really had a date with Ella, her first date. She didn't really think this would ever happen.

But it is happening, she told herself, so you better start believing it. Otherwise you're just going to keep embarrassing yourself. For once her mental parroting of her father's words seemed like good advice.

"Duckies! I'll need to get right away on designing ducky plushies," she joked, or rather, half joked. She had never made bird plushies before, but she liked a challenge. "How is she doing at kindergarten? Is she making friends?"

Ella smiled once more, really she was feeling so happy.

"Yes, we can."

She really loved Sally's smile, it was a nice look on her, she wondered if Sally saw how bright she shone when she smiled like that. "What about Monday, the in two days, Monday." She closes her store on Monday to spend time with her daughter.

Ella chuckled.

"Oh, and she has a fascination with birds now, especially duckies." She couldn't help but roll her eyes with fondness. "She's adorable, you wouldn't think she's already four years old."

#. ella fontaine #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

.

"Well... I could guess we could learn together," Sally said with a smile and another shrug. That was something nice to say, something a girl would say to her girlfriend. She wondered what else Ella wanted to learn how to do: she had been wanting to try out pottery for a long while, and she knew there were some classes being offered near the woods. Maybe that could be another idea for a date, a pottery class.

Look at me, she chuckled. Planning ahead of time and all. "When would you like that?" Sally asked. Suddenly she wanted to meet her again, at her house or at hers, to see Dandelion and play with her, and make little dresses like she used to do when she was a child and dressed her dolls up. It really sounded like a lovely afternoon. "Really?" she asked as she opened her eyes wide. "My, how time flies... I remember when she was as big as a hiking boot.

"I like the idea of a picnic as well," Ella admitted. She loved picnics, her parents had them since her birth. They were the true romantics, Ella could never get to their level.

They danced every night in their bedroom, her father gave his mother and herself a gift every time he went on one of his journeys, but it was her father's tales she truly looked forward to.

"I'm not that much of an ice skater myself," Ella admitted. She, too, looked forward to spending time together, like best friends would. And eventually, slowly, they could become more.

They didn't need to hurry, she was already happy to hold her hand.

She took a sip of her drink. "We certainly can make that a date - I'm sure Dandelion would love that!" She excitedly clapped her hands together. "She can she has all her teeth already."

#. ella fontaine #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

.

Sally nodded. “A picnic sounds really nice. I’m not sure if our movie tastes align so well... But I do like a few romantic movies,” she said with a small shrug. She should probably not start pointing out their differences so early on, she chided herself. Just going to the movies with Ella would be more than enough. They’d solve those issues later on.

“I’m afraid I'll only embarrass you if we go ice-skating. I haven’t been to one in ages, and I don’t think I remember a thing about how to do it.” But in the end, that was basically what she looked forward to in a relationship with Ella. Spending more time together, talking more, getting to know her better. It had been years since they had been friends, and still Sally felt like she might not know the whole story behind her yet. Even if it was a little awkward at the beginning, to call it actual dating.

A date with Ella, she thought. It sounded like an alien concept, but not an unpleasant one at all. What was so weird about it, anyways? It sounded easy enough. Just spending time together. Not that more different than spending time as friends, really. Taking it slow was, indeed, the best course of action.

Ella found herself thinking and thinking and thinking, she then shrugged and tilted her head. “I think that we should go on a date, you and I.” She admitted. “To the movies, or ice skating, or sharing ice cream or even something as cute as a picnic.” She found herself with a growing excitement with all the ideas of what they could do.

“But most of all, we take things slow, get used to each other’s company and -“ She smiled again. “I’m sure Dandelion would be happy to see you visit sometimes.”

Now that dandelion was older, she could play with Sally's gift, and she like her daughter had kept that present in a good shape, dandelion had asked for Ella to make some outfits for the mice , but they had been Sally's, and she felt like she couldn’t do those mice justice.

“Dandelion has been begging for some mouse outfits, maybe we can design some together?”

#. ella fontaine #. sally finkelstein

[sallytheseamstress]

.

Sally chuckled along, though she wasn’t quite sure what they were laughing about. Maybe she was just happy. That was a nice thought, that she had somehow made Ella happy just by being herself. She could do that, it was easy enough. Maybe love was easier than she had thought.

But did she truly love Ella? Of course she did. But did she love her truly, like one would love a lover? Sally couldn’t say. It already had taken her some effort to realize that the deep admiration she had felt towards Jack, back when she was a teenager, was love. Now, there was a similar combination of respect, admiration and affection. But it wasn’t blinding, ever-present, all-encompassing. It was smaller, warm and comfortable; it felt much more like a friendship, or at least, what Sally felt as a friendship. But hadn’t she identified, after much soul searching, those emotions as romantic love? Where was the line?

“I just hope you... You can be patient with me,” she began saying, just as the waitress came along with a drink. Sally immediately moved back. For a while there Ella and her had been the only two people in the world, and everything else had just faded away. Suddenly she found herself back at the café, with the familiar smells and sounds, and she felt she could loosen her shoulders a bit. They had time, after all. She smiled at Ella, gazing at her own beautiful, contagious smile, chuckled again, and sighed, looking down at their hands. “... What do we do now?”

Ella smiled fondly as she listened to Sally speak, she was endorsed with her chuckle and felt her heart warm just at the sight of seeing the woman smile. 

"Well, let's just say I have plenty of quirks." Ella laughed, and it was pure joy she was feeling. It had been a while since she had found herself filled with so much joy. Being with Sally made her happy. 

When the words came that Sally loved her too, she knew that Sally still had to figure some things out. She nodded. Understanding because she too had to refine her feelings. She simply knew that she wanted to spend more time with the other in an affectionate way. 

"Then love me sally in your own unique way." She whispered softly. She couldn't contain her giggle as her drink finally arrived. 

"Ah yes, thank you." She said to the waitress before her eyes met Sally again. She smiled. Because that's all she wanted to do. Smile.

#. sally finkelstein #. ella fontaine

[sallytheseamstress]

.

"I suppose I do," Sally sighed. "I'm... I can't ignore it now, so I think it would be better to just face it head-on. But at the same time... I don't know what will happen, if I do. Will she want us to...?" she gulped. "... To be, like a thing?" Sally kept wringing her hands. She knew how she came across, so she stopped. "It's not that I don't like her... I-I think I do love her, but I don't know if in the way she wants me to... In the way she deserves to be loved."

That was the worst thing to her, truly. She did want to be enough for her. She simply didn't have the confidence she could ever be. What was more, could she really trust that what she felt for her was in any way similar to what Ella felt?

"I'm just... I'm afraid, Ollie..." she said as she turned to look at them. "What if I'm just an awful partner? I've never been in a relationship like this before... And I don't want to ruin this relationship we have already. She's one of the best friends I've ever had... Apart from you, of course," she tried to chuckle. When she failed, she simply took in a deep breath, and covered her face with her hands. "Does that make any sense?"

Biting at their lip, Ollie listened carefully. They had seen this before, sure it had been most of the trashy teen dramas they enjoyed, but they had seen it. Scootching across the floor they got a little closer to Sally. "Okay, well do you want her to know it was you? And how you feel about it?" Letting out a gentle sigh, Ollie reached out to take their friends hand. "You two are friends right? Isn't that all couples are? They are friends, who just share a much deeper connection than anyone else can understand. What if you don't what? What if you don't try and see what happens? Or what if you don't end up staying together?"

#. ollie malo #. sally finkelstein