Constrained Writing Contest #13 Example Story - The Wedding Dress

Welcome to the Constrained Writing Contest #13, hosted by @svashta. As you have heard, I am the judge for this week’s contest. Below is my example for this week’s constraints. Good luck to everyone! You can find the original contest post here.

The Wedding Dress

My wedding is coming up in two months and I am so behind on the planning. Today, I have to run to the local tailor shop to get my dress altered. I have never had anything altered before, so I’m not quite sure what to expect. I’m very worried it won’t get done on time. If only my job didn’t consume so much of my life.

I’m an ER nurse and I work two different jobs to try and make ends meet, that is until I tie the knot. The guy I’m marrying is a doctor at one of the hospitals I work at. He has dreamy eyes, a sports car, and makes a six figure salary. Everything a woman could want in a guy.

I pull up to the front of the tailor shop in my old, beat up Camry. As I turn the car off, it backfires, sending a plume of black smoke into the street. I sit in my car waiting for the smoke to clear. I would hate to have to go inside the shop smelling like car exhaust. Once the smoke clears, I step out of the front seat. I shut the door behind me and open the rear driver side door to retrieve my dress. With my dad gone, and my mom on a fixed income, we are on our own with the wedding costs. I did get my dream dress though, a Vera Wang. It is strapless with grey sequined applique on the bodice, with a gray embroidered lace and tulle layered on the skirt.

The dress is heavy so I try with all my strength to keep it from dragging on the ground, but it is hard. The dress is in a nice, zippered bag so it is well protected. I step up onto the curb and up to the glass door. There is a sign on the door that reads “Mr. Handy’s Tailor Shop”. I struggle to hold the dress up and open the door on my own. Once I get through the door, I relax my shoulders and let the bottom of the garment bag drop to the floor.

The store is dimly lit and there are wigs on mannequin heads on shelves behind the counter. Most of the wigs look outdated and the mannequin heads provide a creepy feel to the store, like I’m being watched. I hear a bell from my left side and it takes a moment to realize there is a bird in a cage to the left of the register. It stares at me with his head tilted and then reaches forth and rings the bell again. It is a green parrot, a Macaw, I believe is the name. I learned about them in a zoology class I had to take in college. His perfectly groomed feathers are a bright green on top with a bright blue on the bottom outline of his wings. There is a red splash of color on his forehead. He looks happy and well taken care of. The cage he sits in is rather large and a dark colored metal. There is a gold plate on the cage that says “Squawk”. Interesting name for a bird, I think to myself.

Squawk. “If you must cheat, cheat death.” The bird says, lowering his head at the end.

I take a step back from the cage, trying to decipher what he is referring to. He rings the bell again. This time I am startled from my thoughts by the voice of a man that comes from the rear of the store.

“May I help you?” Mr. Handy asks.

He has a receding hairline and small glasses that sit at the end of his nose. He is wearing a blue suit and a tape measure hangs around his neck. He looks at me from over the top of his glasses, waiting for my reply.

“Yes. I need to get my wedding dress tailored. The wedding is in two months, so I’m running behind. Would you be able to help me?” I ask holding the dress up slightly higher than the floor.

“Step back here and let’s take a look.”

I step through a set of white louvered doors that sit waist high. There are several pieces of clothing sitting around. To the right is an open door. Inside I can see a table with a large, commercial looking sewing machine on it.

“Did you bring the shoes you plan to be wearing?”

“I did, I have them here.”

“Okay. The dressing room is there,” he says pointing to a white door in front of me. “Put everything on that you plan to wear that day. When you are done, stand on this platform here, so I can take your measurements properly.”

“Thank you.”

I step into the dressing room and lock the door behind me. I start disassembling my outfit and place it on a chair in the small room. I remove the dress from the garment bag and start putting the layers of pieces on. I stare at myself in the mirror. In just a couple of months, I will be walking down the aisle with a few hundred people staring at me. At the end of the aisle, my true love. I am nervous about being in front of so many people, but imagining his face standing there smiling back at me, calms my nerves. I bring myself out of my daydream and back to reality. I turn the handle on the door and it automatically unlocks. I step out and cross the room to the platform that sits about six inches higher than the rest of the floor.

Sitting at the sewing machine, is the owner. He looks up from the machine and sees that I am ready to begin. He gets to a stopping place on the current garment he is working on, and joins me in the other room. He carries with him a large pin cushion and the tape measure still hangs from his neck. I stand up tall and straight as he measures the length of the skirt and marks it with pins.

“So when is the big day?” He asks making light conversation.

“It’s June 2nd.” I start talking about the rest of the details because over the past six months it has become something I try to work into every conversation. “We are having a rather large wedding. He has a large family and a lot of friends. I have a rather small family and a lot of the same friends. We are having it outside at the park inside the square.”

As I talk, he checks my waist and finishes with adjusting the bust area.

“How long will it take to be tailored?”

“About two weeks, but I have quite a few garments ahead of you. Once I finish it, I will call you to come back in for a second fitting to make sure everything fits well and that nothing needs to be readjusted.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I was afraid it wouldn’t be ready on time.”

“There we go. All done. You may go back in the dressing room and remove the dress. Be careful not to poke yourself with the pins and try not to let any of them fall out.”

I step back into the dressing room and remove the dress as he requested. I let it rest on the burgundy patterned carpet while I remove the rest of the items. I proceed to put back on my outfit I walked in with. I open the door to the dressing room to find him standing there staring at me. He reaches forward to take the dress from my arms and hangs the dress up on a rack.

“Come to the register so I can take down your information to contact you later.”

I follow him to the register. It sits on a glass display case. Inside the case are cufflinks, silk gloves and even some tiaras. He pulls out a yellow note pad and takes down my name and phone number as well as a description of the dress I brought in.

Squawk. “If you must cheat, cheat death.” The bird cuts the silence with his words.

I stare at him, unsure of how to respond. Mr. Handy gives me my copy of the contact information I gave him. I walk towards the door. As I start to push the door open, I stop and turn to Mr. Handy who is still standing behind the counter.

“Why does your bird say that?” I ask very curiously.

“He loves to watch the movie, Hitch. It’s the only line he has ever learned from it.”

I turn back towards the door and let out a chuckle. I let the door fall to a close behind me. I pull my sunglasses from my purse and situate them on my nose and ears. I unlock the driver side door to my car and climb in. I start the engine, reverse into the street, and head back home to get ready for the evening shift.