by Amy DeMeritt
“Aye, it is absolutely possible and it would be an honor to get it back into shape for you.”
Elli grabs a tape measure from her apron and begins measuring the bag to estimate the amount of material for the lining, then measures the portions of leather she would need to replace. She makes a few mental calculations, then tucks her measuring tape back in her apron pocket.
“This bag is made from genuine leather. If you want genuine leather used, it would be two-fifty. I could use a top-quality faux leather to save you some money and could do it for one-eighty.” Elli grabs her planner book and flips through the next two weeks to see what she already has on the schedule. “I could have it completed in two weeks, maybe a couple of days earlier.”
“And the inside pocket, your lining will include that?”
“Yes, of course. I can match the pocket perfectly.”
“How about making it a bit bigger? Can you make it large enough to hold this wallet and passport?”
The woman pulls the items from her expensive designer purse and Elli pulls her measuring tape back out of her apron. She jots the measurements down on a fresh work order sheet and gives the woman a reassuring smile.
“Any other modifications you would like to make?”
“No, I think that will do. Do you have leather swatches I can choose from? I want to go with the genuine leather.”
“Yes, of course.” Elli pulls two rings up from under the counter, one with leather swatches and one with swatches of the satin lining materials. “Here you go.”
The woman accepts both and begins flipping through them, holding them up to the leather to check the color combinations. After a few moments, she sets the satin material down in front of Elli with her choice flipped on top, then flips through the leathers again.
“Let’s go with the chocolate tone. How will you do the two-tone design?”
Elli pulls up a sketch pad of paper and makes a quick sketch of the bag. She draws a straight line one third of the way down on the front panel, shades it, then draws a trim around the rectangle.
“Can you bring the trim on the sides down to the bottom?”
Elli brings the trim down then turns the pad around for the woman to inspect the drawing. The woman scrunches her face in thought as she looks between the drawing to the bag, then nods a few times.
“I like it. Let’s do it.”
“Okay, let me just get your work order written up. I’ll need you to review and sign it. Also, all work orders over a hundred-dollars require a fifty-percent deposit with the balance to be paid upon pick-up.”
“That’s fine.”
Elli begins writing the work order, making notes of the leather and fabric choices, the two-tone change, and the new handles.
“Do you want the handles to match the original camel tone or the new chocolate tone?”
“The chocolate tone, please.”
“Okay, just review that for me, then complete the top with your contact information so I can call you when it’s ready.”
Elli pushes the work order forward and the woman traces each line with her finger as she nods in approval of the changes. She completes the top section with her name and phone number, then pushes it back to Elli.
“Looks good.”
The woman pulls her wallet out of her purse and holds out a credit card to Elli. She types the entry into the register as a deposit, runs the card, then prints the receipts. She staples the signed copy to the work order, then gives a duplicate copy to the customer.
“Okay, Veronica, you’re all set. I’ll call you when the bag is ready.”
“Thank you. Oh, and what’s your name?”
Elli smiles as she accepts the woman’s hand to shake. “Elli Voss.”
“Well, thank you, Elli Voss. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
“Aye, have a lovely day.”
The woman smiles as she turns away, and as she’s walking out, she returns the sentiment, wishing Elli a nice day. After the door closes, Lana steps up next to Elli with a grin, making Elli laugh.
“What is that grin about, Sunshine?”
“I liked watching you work and I’m excited to see you fix this bag. What do you do now?”
“Grab one of those bins for me under the counter. Small items, like a pair of shoes, can go in one of those bags and then is placed in those cubbies. Larger items and clothing items have to be processed a bit differently. We’ll put the bag in this bin and keep all related supplies and parts in the bin while we’re working on the project. This slot on the front is for the due date. I use these cards to write the customer name and date promised on the card, then just slip it in here. The work order and this sketch will also be kept in the bin. Follow me.”
Elli picks up the bin and walks into the work studio. She places the bin on a shelf with a few others, then points to the fronts.
“When we get a new order, we keep them in order of when they’re due back to the customers. Sometimes, we get a bin that takes less time than other projects we already have, so we have to shuffle the bins around.”
“Makes sense. This is a very good system you have.”
“Aye, it works very well. Ready to do some real work?”
“Yes, what can I do?”
Elli smiles as she takes Lana’s hand and brings her over to the cubby system to grab a bag of shoes that’s due to the customer tomorrow. Then they walk over to an empty space on a work table. They sit down next to each other, and Elli pulls the shoes, work order, and parts out of the bag.
“The straps and clasps had to be replaced on these heels. I have already removed the old straps, which are here.” She holds them up. “And these are the new straps we need to put on. Take a look at the shoes and straps and see if you can figure out how to secure these.”
Lana’s eyes widen as she accepts the shoe and strap. She looks at them and then at Elli like she’s been thrown into shark infested waters. Elli laughs and kisses her lips.
“Relax, Sunshine. I don’t expect you to actually fix them without guidance. I just want to see if you can troubleshoot. Study the shoe and the strap and how they secure together.”
“Okay.” Lana studies the heel and runs her thumb over a few puckered holes. “We need to sew it on right here.”
“Aye, Sunshine. This is actually a fairly simple fix. You’ll need to put this leather thong on your hand to protect your fingers from the needle and thread.”
Lana giggles at the “thong” term, but she holds her hand out for Elli to put the partial glove on for her. Elli threads a needle with a strong black thread to match the shiny black heels, then hands it to Lana, who looks very nervous, but she accepts the offered needle and thread.
“You’ll start on the inside of the heel so the knot is inside. After you sew the straps on, we’ll put the heel liner back on and it will hide the inside stitching. As you pull the thread through, make sure the thread rests on the leather thong as you pull it taut, pulling it as tight as you can.”
“Okay.”
Elli watches with happiness while Lana begins the task of sewing the strap onto the heel. She works slowly, but her technique is good and Elli is confident in the job she’s doing. After Lana finishes sewing through the original small holes, forming a tightly stitched square, she looks up at Elli, questioning with her eyes what to do next. Elli tells her how to create a knot, then clips the thread. Lana hands her the shoe to inspect and Elli smiles as she nods in approval.
“Well done, Sunshine. It’s perfect.”
“Really?”
“Aye. Now you can do the second shoe.”
Lana accepts the shoe and strap and starts to thread the first stitch, but then stops and sets them down. She pulls her cellphone out and brings up the camera.
“Will you take a picture of me doing this? No one will believe me without proof that I fixed a pair of shoes.”
Elli laughs a little as she accepts the phone and nods. “Okay, Sunshine.”
With blushing cheek
s and an adorable excited smile, Lana picks up the shoe. Elli takes a few still shots and also a short video so there can be no doubt at all that Lana fixed the shoes herself and didn’t just pose for the camera.
After she finishes with the stitching, Elli shows her how to add the clasps to the straps, then how to glue the heel liners back in and clamp them so the glue sets.
“You have successfully repaired your first pair of shoes. Well done.”
“That was actually kind of fun. It was harder than it looks though. It’s hard pushing and pulling the needle through that thick material.”
“Aye. That’s why you need the leather thong on your hand. The pressure of pushing the needle through and the tension of the thread as you’re tightening it are enough to slice your hand open. Now, we’ll let these sit up here on the drying station. After the glue sets, the shoes can be packed away in the bag and set in its cubby till they’re picked up by their owner tomorrow.
“About midday, after I know I have every project done for the following day, I call everyone on my list to let them know their item is ready. Sometimes people come in a day early just before closing, which is very helpful when we have an imbalance between days. For instance, today we have six pick-ups and tomorrow we have twenty. If at least a handful of tomorrow’s pick-ups come today, tomorrow won’t be so hectic.”
The door jingles, alerting them someone has walked into the shop, so they get up and walk out to the front.
“Ah, Mr. Markle. Good to see you again.” Elli turns to grab the man’s grandfather’s journal from World War II and the book he supplied as a reference for the new binding. She places a velvet pad on the counter, then sets the newly bound journal on the pad for him to inspect.
“This is my grandfather’s journal?”
“Aye, it is. The binding has been replaced and the mold that was forming on the pages has been removed.”
As Mr. Markle lifts the book to inspect Elli’s craftsmanship, his eyes fill with tears and his cheeks fill with pink emotion. He runs his thumb down the spine over the beautiful gold leaf lettering, then carefully opens the journal and thumbs through the pages.
With a cracking voice, he quietly says, “This is beyond my expectations. You have no idea what you have given me. Thank you for doing this.”
“You are most welcome, Mr. Markle. It was a pleasure.”
“I was so worried it wouldn’t survive long enough to pass onto my children. There’s no reason it shouldn’t last for many more generations now. Thank you. What do I owe you?”
“You already paid. You are all set.”
“Right. Well, thank you, Elli. You are extraordinarily gifted. I just can’t… Well, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a lovely day.”
He nods as he picks up the other book and places them in his briefcase. After he has walked outside, Elli checks him off in her day planner. As she’s turning back to face Lana, she’s met with lips firmly landing on hers. She releases a small surprised laugh, but she accepts Lana to fully kiss her for a few moments. As Lana releases her, she caresses Elli’s cheek and kisses her forehead.
“You made him really happy. And that journal turned out beautiful.”
“Thank you. Seeing how happy they are with their treasured items is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.”
“Are they always happy?”
“Most of the time, but no, there are some people who can never be pleased. Complaints are rare, but they happen. Ready for your next project?”
“Ready, boss.”
Chapter Eighteen
With their hands clasped, Lana and Elli follow the hostess through the busy restaurant. Lana is wearing one of her favorite sleek feminine black pant suits with pointed stiletto heels, and Elli is wearing a slinky dark blue dress with a loose layered dipping neck line and thin straps over her bare shoulders with matching closed toe short heels on her feet.
Asia stands with a warm friendly, excited smile and embraces Lana, giving her a tight hug for a moment. Asia is wearing a form fitting black pencil skirt, accentuating her curves, with a loose fit white slinky material tank top style formal top and stiletto heels. Her thick dark brown hair is perfectly pressed flat and curled inward at the ends to shape her warm medium brown toned face. As they pull apart, Asia turns to face Elli with an approving sort of quick glance from head to toe.
“Elli, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Lana has been gushing about you since the day she met you.”
Elli smiles as she glances between Lana and Asia while she accepts Asia’s hand to shake. “Aye, it is lovely to meet you. Lana is quite fond of you as well. She talks of you often.”
“Well, she better.” Asia playfully pinches Lana’s side, then turns towards her date, who is awkwardly standing a few paces behind her. “Lana and Elli, this is Justin Jones.”
Justin is tall at six foot, but the way he nervously extends his large hand to shake theirs with his broad shoulders slightly slumped and pinched inwards seems to shrink him. If it wasn’t for the bright royal blue button down and the nice silver diamond patterned tie in the collar, he might have disappeared in the dim lighting of the restaurant.
Tuned into his discomfort, Lana and Elli offer him warm smiles and return the greeting, a bit more cheerily, after he shakily says, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you both.”
After the somewhat awkward exchange, they take their seats at the four-person table, and Asia quickly tries to bring the foursome back to place of comfort.
“How is Lana doing in the shop? Are those videos of her fixing shoes and hemming clothes actually legit?”
Elli releases a small laugh as she nods. “Aye, she’s doing a marvelous job, really taking to the business quite well. She’s nearly halfway complete with making her own boots. She has a real eye for detail and great patience, so they’ve got a real professional punch to them.”
Asia’s eyes lock with Lana’s with a mixture of happiness and sadness twirling in her light hazel eyes. She’s happy Lana is enjoying her time in the shop learning new skills, but knowing she’s doing so well and enjoying it so much gives more reasons for Lana not to return to Bit-Cube Tech.
“I can’t wait to see them.”
“Hello, I am Claudia and I’ll be your server this evening. Can I get everyone something to drink?”
One by one, each of them orders a cocktail, and after the waitress has walked away, they pick up their menus to decide on what they want to eat.
“How was work today?” Asia looks up at Lana from her menu incredulously, making Lana release a small laugh. “That bad?”
“Girl, the stick lodged up Beverly’s ass must have spikes on it.” All of them laugh and Asia licks her lips to moisten them before she continues. “You’ve only been gone a week and everyone is still trying to adjust to the extra work with everything that had to be shuffled around so I could take over your tasks. You think she would understand that, but no, she doesn’t. She has been on everyone’s ass like a cloud of fleas ruthlessly colonizing a stray dog’s hindquarters.”
Everyone laughs again, but Lana’s smile fades quickly with a bit of guilt settling in her stomach.
“Honey, fix your face.” Everyone looks at Lana and she blushes. “Beverly’s bitchiness is not your fault. No one blames you. They’re jealous of you. But it is what it is. We can’t be upset with you. I think she actually forgot you were gone.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
Asia laughs at Lana’s perturbed and disappointed tone and shakes her head. “You read into that in the wrong direction, honey. She came over to the department this morning all huffy and went to your desk before she quickly turned and came to mine. The sales team was trying to get HR to allow them to hire another rep, but HR wasn’t buying the figures the sales director provided to justify a full-time requisition. She came looking for you to pull the figures to see if they really needed another associate and the impact it would have on the bottom line by hiring mid-quarter.”
&
nbsp; “And, what did you determine?”
“Well, Ms. Lana Scott, you are too damn good at your job.” Asia flashes her an affectionate smile, then thanks the waitress as she sets her old fashioned down in front of her. After the waitress has handed out all of their drinks, and they request a few more minutes to review the menu, Asia continues. “I pulled the numbers and ran a few projections for the rest of this quarter and the next, showing the current revenue trajectory and then showed the impact a full-time salary and estimated commission would have on the bottom line. But that wasn’t enough.”
“You forgot to add a rate of probability for the possible bump in revenue the added associate may contribute to the bottom line.”
“Yes. Not even ten minutes after I sent the findings to Beverly, she sent me a response with the reporting and summary you had completed for the exact same situation about six months ago and told me to do it over. With my initial reporting, it obviously took money from the bottom line. But after I determined a reasonable average revenue in new sales that a new hire typically brings in, I was able to prove that the full-time requisition would benefit the bottom line in the long run. It was impressive reviewing the reporting and formulas you created to determine the average revenue of a new hire and the rate of probability to apply to the current revenue trajectory. If she hadn’t provided it, I probably would have used current averages as the rate of probability, which obviously would have grossly inflated the rate and set us up for a revenue expectation that would never be met. My ass would have been in hot water at the end of the quarter if I had done that.”
“You would have been fine. If Beverly hadn’t caught it, HR would have. The rate of impact for each associate is one of the things I have to determine bi-annually and annually. They have the figures and would have known the rate was a bit off. How was Beverly after you finished the changes?”
“She was classic Beverly – her email basically said, ‘Better, thanks.’ And I didn’t hear anything more about it.” Asia rolls her eyes with a small laugh, then takes a sip of her drink. “I guess if you decide not to come back, I’m going to have more studying to do to figure out what formula you use for that bi-annual associate revenue impact. Unless you’ll be oh so kind as to just give me the formula before your departure.”
