Wow! What a sale! Mary was in heaven as she browsed among the many rounders heavily laden with sale items. Thirty percent off, fifty percent off, seventy five percent off and even fifty percent off of the already marked down clearance items! "May I help you?" Mary was admiring a lovely wedge wood blue suit with pencil skirt and bell sleeves when the sales attendant approached. Turning, she faced an older woman with gray hair cut in a "bob" style. Reading glasses were perched on the end of her nose and attached to a beaded chain which looped around her neck. She was smartly dressed in a tweed suit, feet shod with a pair of elegant leather flats. "Oh hi." Mary extended her hand. "I don't believe I've ever met you, are you new?" The lady grinned and replied, "Yes, this is my first day." She pointed to her name tag on her lapel and said, "My name is Bonnie, and you are?" Mary extended her hand n friendship. "I'm Mary. I'm usually here a couple of times a week. I look forward to a long and lasting relationship with you." Bonnie laughed as she grasped Mary's hand warmly, smiling a radiant smile revealing a set of startlingly white teeth.
"Can I begin a room for you?" "That would be great!" Mary replied in relief as she handed over her armload of clothes. "There is one more rounder I want to look through and then I'll be ready." "Take your time!" Bonnie called over her shoulder as she headed toward the fitting rooms.
Ooooohhhhh.......This rack had a lot of goodies on it. Mary thought as she loaded up her arms for the second time. Her purse, and the Baker's bag holding her new shoes were becoming heavier and heavier the longer she shopped. In an attempt to transfer her purse and bag to her other arm, a gauzy, delicate floral print blouse she had chosen slipped from the hanger and fell to the floor. She tried bending at the waist to retrieve it, but the clothes she had collected impeded her mobility. She stuck her foot under the rounder in an effort to pull the blouse out that way, with little success. Rats! She really wanted that blouse. It would go perfectly with the shoes, if she could only reach it! She looked around for Bonnie and spotted her across the floor helping two other women. There were no other clerks in sight.
Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures, Mary muttered to herself as she dropped to all fours to retrieve the blouse. Extending her arms as far as she could, she grasped the sleeve and tugged, but it was anchored fast and would not budge. What in the world? She burrowed under the hems of skirts, dresses, jackets and blouses for a better view, but soon realized this position was an entirely unflattering one. Glancing over her shoulder to check on her purse and shoes, she sighed in resignation and crawled the rest of the way into the hanging clothes. She was now completely enveloped under the canopy of clothes, obscured from view by those in the store. She sat down, cross legged to investigate the problem with the blouse. Aaaahhh, a thread on the sleeve was hooked to the button of a skirt. She settled in, keeping an eye on her purse and package as she worked to free the blouse from the skirt.
Movement and a rustling noise caught her attention. Oh no, someone was browsing the clothes on the rounder! She sat perfectly still, paralyzed as she visualized being discovered. How would she explain herself? How embarrassing! The customer was headed toward where her purse and Baker's bag lay! She inched over as quietly as possible and in one deft movement, dragged the purse and bag under the rounder with a sweep of her arm. Whew, that was close! She inched back toward the imprisoned blouse and quietly worked at the button, determined to set the blouse free, after all, it would go just perfectly with those shoes!
She prayed the customer would move on quickly, she almost had the blouse free! Hangers slid across the rounder to her right. Oh goodness, the lady was almost on top of her. She knew it was a lady, for she could just make out the tips of her shoes. Open toe sandals that had seen better days encased dirty and uncared for feet. This lady desperately needed to be introduced to a pedicure! There was something vaguely familiar however about those shoes and feet! Where had she seen them? In the food court! It was the food court lady!
She couldn't help herself, she parted a drab dress the a ghastly floral polyester suit to get a better look. It was the food court lady alright. A sheen of moisture covered the woman's brow and upper lip, her breathing rapid. She could use a good waxing as well, Mary thought as she continued to observe the woman unnoticed. Transfixed, Mary watched as diamonds glinted off of watch faces, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and brooches as they were scooped from the woman's pockets to a ratty old knapsack. So that's why she was loitering around the jewelry counter.........She was a thief!
Realizing the precarious position she was in, Mary gasped, the lovely blouse all but forgotten. A loud raking noise sent chills down Mary's spine as metal scraped against metal as hangers were thrust aside on the rounder. As Moses parted the waters, in like fashion, this frightening woman parted the clothes, revealing Mary cross legged on the floor, mouth agape in astonishment. The woman's eyes grew round in fear and panic. She stretched forth a filthy, claw like hand in Mary's direction. At that precise moment, a commanding voice came over the department store's intercom system. "Attention all Dillard's employees and customers. There has been a major breach in security and theft has occurred. Please congregate in the Customer Service area as the store has now gone into "lockdown" mode. Please remain calm, security has infiltrated the store and your safety is of utmost concern. We repeat, all Dillard's customer and employees should report to Customer Service immediately!"
The woman looked frantically over her shoulder and Mary saw this as her opportunity to escape. She crawled on hands and knees to the opposite side of the rounder and plowed right through the clothes. Her hair caught on a button, eyes tearing as she left several strands of her glory, root and all, behind. She crawled, double time, to an adjacent rounder as the food court lady scanned the department for security. After securing her heavily laden knapsack to her back, the woman peered into the rounder, apparently looking for Mary. Upon the realization that Mary was gone, the lady cursed loudly and ran to the register. She jabbed at buttons randomly in an attempt to open the register. At that moment, Bonnie came around the corner. "Hey! What are you doing? Get away from there!" Bonnie ran up behind the lady and lay hold on her shoulder.
wow
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