“I have no idea what to pick to be honest,” I said, my eyes scanning the endless rows of clothes.
“Really? I think there would be a few dresses that would look stunning on you. What about this one? Gold, shiny, and flashy. This one? Hot red…very sexy,” Queen said as she pulled out a couple of dresses.
Queen went to the trouble of presenting the top ten dresses of her choice for me. They all looked very impressive, but I honestly thought that it might be too much for celebrating my job offer. Most of the dresses were quite revealing and eye-catching. In the end, I thought that it would be better if she just picked the one that she thought would fit me best.
“They’re all lovely. Can you pick one out for me? I’ll where whichever that you choose,” I said, leaving it to her to decide.
“Really? Then, I’ll choose this one for you. It should work well in terms of size as well,” Queen said before smiling smugly.
Queen held up a rose red sleeveless mini dress decorated with black lace trimmings. For some reason that I couldn’t phantom, she wanted me to go with an ultra-sexy look for the night. If that’s what she wanted, then I’ll give it to her.
“Sure, I’ll try it on now to see if it fits,” I said with a smile as I reached out my hand to take the dress from her.
After getting dressed up, we headed for Queen’s car. Judging from the time, we’ll probably be one of the first customers for the night. Queen was in a super good mood, and she was humming along to all the songs on the radio. Queen had a navy-blue corset dress on, and it highlighted her figure so well that it was almost unbelievable. I would give anything to look the way she did when I reached her age. While glancing over at her, I thought that this was probably the right time to bring up my plans for moving out.
I felt like it would be a sensitive topic to discuss with her and I found it difficult to find the right words to bring it up. Worst of all, I was afraid that she would think that I was unappreciative of all that she’s done for me and that definitely wasn’t the case at all.
“Queen?” I called her name to get her attention.
“Yes. What is it?” she asked with her eyes on the road.
“Umm…I know that I’m not ready for it right now but now that I have a job, I was thinking of moving out and…you know…renting a small apartment somewhere…” I said hesitantly.
“Oh dear, you don’t have to do that,” Queen replied, dismissing the whole idea.
“I truly appreciate your help, but I can’t rely on you forever…” I said softly.
“If you’re worried about being a burden to me, then please stop worrying. Honestly, I understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t see why you have to go through the hardship of living alone and moving to a smaller place and all that,” Queen said as frowned formed in between her brows.
“Well, the thing is…” I began saying hesitantly.
“It’s Reiner, isn’t it? Did he say something to you again?” Queen asked suspiciously.
Well, he did but that’s not the entire reason why I wanted to move out.
“He didn’t say anything. I just…don’t want to be in the way and I would like to live more independently if possible…” I replied while trying to pick out my words carefully.
“I see. Well, it’s not like I can stop you. Just promise me that you won’t rush. Just move out when you’re ready, ok?” Queen said and her voice was very gentle and caring.
“Ok. Thank you so much” I replied with a mix of relief.
“Let’s hit the bar!” Queen cried out enthusiastically.
We could see the light of the entertainment district ahead of us. It was quite early in the evening, but it was already dark and the decorative lights were on in full swing. Hopefully, tonight won’t be an overly crowded night at Jamie’s.
I wasn’t sure if Queen had told Jamie beforehand that she would be visiting but Jamie was literally there at the door to greet her. She probably told him. The two were really like old friends and her presence was more than welcomed by Jamie.
“You should come here more often. All these young folks here are making me feel old and left out,” Jamie complained as he welcomed us in.
“Don’t lump me with you. I’m as young as can be,” Queen said with a joking flip of her hair.
“Hi there, Natalia. Good to have you as a customer tonight. Eat and drink a lot, Queen will pay for it!” Jamie said loudly followed by a louder laugh.
“A table for us please,” Queen demanded.
Kat was on duty tonight and she sure was slightly surprised when I turned up as a customer and dressed in the outstanding dress that Queen had chosen for me. Kat flashed me a smile before heading to our table.
“Welcome! Here’s the menu for you,” Kat said as she placed the menu on the table.
“Hi, Kat! Hopefully tonight won’t get too busy,” I teased.
“If it does, you’ll be waiting tables in that dress of yours,” Kat teased back.
I laughed but I could see that really happening if the crowd gets too overwhelming. I’ll make sure to overcharge Jamie for my labor if that happens.
“It almost slipped my mind that you work here now. Do you enjoy working here? Any customers giving you trouble?” Queen asked half-jokingly.
“I enjoy working here. I’ve made some friends as well. Kat is one of them,” I replied casually.
None of the customers have been giving me any trouble. Well, one in particular has gotten a little clingy…
I haven’t seen Charles tonight yet so maybe he isn’t turning up. I watched as Queen flagged down Jamie for him to join our table. The two chatted away like old friend over drinks.
–To be continued…