I want to dance with somebody Ch.11

Day 11:

Again the same dream. I rose earlier than usual so I would be on time for work. I still couldn't believe it; this would be a great experience. In the water I would never be allowed work. I was really beginning to enjoy the land, I would miss it. I changed into my cream dress and went to the kitchen hoping I wouldn't run into anyone, especially Hanna.

The dining room was empty and I strolled on into the kitchen and found Mr Evans by the cooker. The pan was sizzling loudly. I wasn't expecting him so I jumped slightly, he didn't seem to notice.

"Would you like some eggs?" He asked without turning.

"If it's not too much trouble."

"None at all."

I sat down at the table in the kitchen and Mr Evans set a plate of eggs in front of me. I buttered myself a slice of bread and dug in. Mr Evans sat down and ate his breakfast while reading the newspaper. We ate in silence until I was finished.

"How are you finding it here on land?" He asked taking a sip of coffee.

"I like it very much; I will miss it when I go back."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Do you miss the sea?"

"Yes I do its strange being away from it. I have only ever turned into a human once before. I was only nine and I wasn't allowed to experience life on land like I am now." I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was eight. I cleaned up the plates and I grabbed my bag before heading out the door to go to work.

I looked out at the sea. It looked calm and quiet this morning, almost too quiet. The air was calm too. The sky had a few clouds and a there was a chill in the air. I walked on into the town and to the shop. There was a closed sign on the door. I knocked lightly on the door, unsure as to where I should enter. I was five minutes early, were they here yet?

I waited unsure for a moment, the door opened and Mr Walsh beckoned me inside with a welcoming smile. I looked around the shop, it looked the same as the first time I entered it. The walls on the left were filled with ribbons of all shades and colours. There were shelves on the left full of hair clips, slides, bands and all sorts.

I followed Mr Walsh through a light wooden door into the back behind the counter. To the left was a set of stairs that led to the upstairs level. I walked on down into a kitchen, with a back door to the right. There was a cooker and a teapot was sitting on top of it, a misty trail of steam coming from the spout. There were a few cupboards by the far wall and a table with some sturdy chairs in the middle of the room. I placed my coat on a hook by the door and placed my bad on a chair. Mr Walsh poured me a cup of tea and told me to wait until James got there; he said James would explain what I had to do. He disappeared back into the shop.

I sipped my tea slowly and relaxed, after about ten minutes the back door opened and James appeared. He kicked the door closed behind him and put his coat on one of the hooks before sitting down beside me.

We exchanged formalities while he poured himself a cut of tea. He then began explaining what my job would be. I would be a sales woman, show the customers the ribbons and other hair accessories and help them pick out which ones went with their skin colour, eyes, hair, dress. Basically I would persuade people to buy them. He said I would also have to do stock checks and run some other errands and things.

The more he spoke the more excited I got about working there. The job sounded really run, also I wold get to interact with lots of different people and as a princess who was one of the heirs to the throne of the North Atlantic ocean I really loved interacting with people.

After a small briefing I was given a name tag and we went into the shop. I stood by the counter and within five minutes I had my first customer. She was a beautiful tall young woman with big blue eyes and straight bleach blond hair that flowed down her back. She went over to the ribbon section and began looking at the blues. I walked over and offered some help. She gladly accepted saying that she was pleased there was finally a woman working in this shop and that although the men were great sometimes a women's opinion was needed. I smiled in understanding.

She wanted a ribbon for to tie at the back of her dress because the one she didn't like the one she had. We looked through the ribbons and I found one that was the right colour and thickness. She was pleased. I cut it the right length. I then showed her a crimped ribbon that would look beautiful in her hair. I tied up hair with it and showed it to her in a ribbon. She smiled, liking how it looked. She decided to buy it. She took the ribbons to the counter and I went to help another customer.

The morning flew by quickly and so we closed up shop for lunch. James took me to lunch. He said I had done very well and that I seemed to be a natural at talking to people and helping them. I told him I loved talking and interacting with people. I mentioned that I would have to be good at listening and dealing with people in the future. He asked why and I stuttered before saying it doesn't matter. He dropped the subject but gave me an odd look.

We went back to work and the rest of the day flew by, when they closed up the shop I went to get my bag and coat. When I returned to the shop I was handed an envelope by Mr Walsh. He said it was like commission on what I had sold and that he would pay my full wages at the end of the week. I thanked him and James offered to walk me home. I accepted his offer and we walked back to the house. He said I could work on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays if I liked. I said that would be great. That meant I would have two more days of work this week and then it would be the weekend. He took my hand as we walked and when we reached the house we said goodbye and he kissed my hand again.

I walked into the house. Mrs Evans was in the kitchen with Hanna, and they were cooking dinner. I offered to help but Mrs Evans said too many cooks would spoil the broth. So I went into the library where I found Zale sitting behind a large white canvas. He looked up when I came in. I moved into the library and he grabbed the canvas in a panic and held it close so I couldn't see it. He manoeuvred out of the room, hiding the canvas as he went.

I sighed, was everyone going to avoid me? It's just a job and it makes me happy, why did they all disagree with it? I went over to the paints and brushes that he had left sitting. The paint brushes sat in a glass of murky brown water. The colours were sitting on a palette. He was using blues, blacks, creams, reds, oranges and gold's. I wondered what he was painting. I heard the door opening and I turned, it was Zale.

"Sorry about that, I just done like people see what I'm painting." I smiled relieved that it wasn't my company he was running from. He packed up the paints and the paint brushed and put them in one of the cupboards.

"You can go back to painting if you like."

"No it's alright dinner is ready now anyway." He said and we walked into the dining room and sat down. Mr Evans joined us at the table and asked how my first day of work was. I was pleased that finally someone wanted to hear about my fantastic day. I told him all about it as we ate dinner. He seemed to enjoy hearing about it.

After dinner I went to my room and arranged my clothes for the next day. I went to bed feeling quiet lonely; despite the fact that Hanna did drive me up the wall at times I really did enjoy her company. I fell asleep after a while and that was the end of day eleven, only nineteen more to go.