After I had pretty much figured out my sizes, I made up a tentative list. Nevertheless it was with considerable nervousness that I approached the dress department in a store for the first time. In spite of myself, I suppose my nervousness betrayed to everyone around me just what I was about, but I stuck to my guns and eventually emerged from there with several boxes. I had managed a couple of dresses and some skirts, but when the saleslady asked if I wanted some lingerie, it was too much. I decided to take what I had back to my apartment before trying again this time in a different store!

When I got home, there was a note from my landlady saying the store had called me - twice in fact in the time I had been gone. Well, I thought, might as well get that particular business over with and I marched straight down to the personnel office and told them I was quitting. The personnel manager didn't seem disturbed at all, but I was off guard when he asked me where I was going and I told him "The West Coast." He smirked then, too, and said "It figures." By now I was hip, and mad as well. “Bye-bye, dearie.” I said and walked out of the office. A loud, raucous laugh followed me.

"Nuts!" I said to myself. I decided then and there that I was going to play the role to the hilt and instead of leaving, I took the elevator to the third floor and went back to the After-Five Shoppe. I knew one of the salesgirls up there very slightly - she had bought or tried on shoes on several occasions and had seemed fairly friendly, but in a stand-offish way, that I was learning now to interpret. I went over to her then, and when she smiled that weird little smile I said, “I'd like to see something in size twelve." "Of course," she said, “anything special in mind." "No," I answered with a flutter of my fingertips (God! but I was going to enjoy this!) "Just something nice." She looked at me again, with that weird look. She pulled out several garments then and hung them so they could be seen. "This one in the red here is chiffon draped hip effect with a moderate waistline and this blue satin here has an Empire waist with a jewel neckline. Over here there is one with a deep plunging back for extra interest, along with the sheath skirt "She was watching me rather closely all the while, so - without looking around to see if anyone else was looking, I picked up the blue one and walked over the mirror on the wall and held it up to myself. In spite of everything, including my mood, I was honestly pleased with it. I was even a little sorry that I couldn't have tried it on right then. "I'll take it," I said and turned back to my erstwhile friend. I must admit I was surprised, for she didn't bat an eyelash. Just that ghost of a smile that flickered about her lips. I selected two

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