The Sale

By R.J. Byrd

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon. The streets of New York were bustling with people all in a hurry to get to their destinations. The sky scrappers were gleaming in the mid-afternoon sun, and a pretty young redhead, dressed head to toe in designer clothes, was walking down the crowded sidewalk to Saks Fifth Avenue. She pushed open the door and was greeted with the sight of colorful clothes and accessories.

The smell of perfume pleasantly filled her nose. She gently pushed her red-tinted sunglasses to the top of her head and surveyed the store. It had high ceilings, and the walls were painted in a glossy beige and covered with sophisticated artwork.
Her eyes caught a row of gorgeous-looking tops to her left, and she quickly dashed over, her new Jimmy Choos clicking happily on the marble floor.

She fingered the soft cashmere material of the cardigans wistfully.

“Can I help you?” Inquired a cool female voice. The redhead looked up to see a blonde salesgirl giving her a professional smile.
“Oh, no, thank you, I was just browsing,” said the young woman.
“Ok, I’ll be around if you need me,” said the sales girl, and walked away. The redhead went back to admiring the cardigans.

“These are so cute,” she mumbled.
“I know, aren’t they?” Said a voice from behind her. She turned her head to see a pretty brunette with cat eyeglasses looking at the same row of tops.
“Oh, yes,” said the redhead smiling. She took a green top off the rack and held it up against herself.
“It goes with your hair,” said the brunette. “I’m Diane,” she held out her hand.
“Judy,” said the redhead, shaking Diane’s hand, “nice to meet you.”
“You too,” said Diane. There was silence while both girls admired the clothes. Judy lifted the price tag on one of them; her eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Only seventy-five dollars,” said Diane looking at the price tag in Judy’s hand, “I’ll buy two then.” She began to rifle through the tops. Judy put down the price tag and slowly turned around to admire some scarves on a shelf. “You should buy the green one,” said Diane, with two cardigans draped across her arm.

“I was really only browsing today,” said Judy fiddling with a black hundred-dollar scarf. She flashed Diane a smile who was staring at her with a slightly skeptical look.
“Okay,” said Diane eventually and continued her search.

The girls roamed the store; they checked out the perfumes on the first floor and went to the third floor to check out swimwear and sunglasses. The girls had an instant rapport and became fast friends. Diane picked up a few more things; a designer skirt, a pair of silver stilettos, and a very expensive watch. Judy insisted she was only browsing whenever Diane suggested she buy something. She came up with a lame excuse about testing her willpower, which was only half true.

When they got to the purses, Judy’s hands began to twitch. Handbags were her weakness. She clutched her dark blue Louis Vuitton bag, reminding herself she didn’t need a new one. The bags on display were all designer labels. She picked up a cute Prada bag, it wasn’t too expensive, but she wasn’t going to buy it. She couldn’t. Reluctantly she put it down and took a few steps back from the purses.

“Judy, look at this one,” said Diane. In her hands was the most gorgeous purse she had ever seen. It was maroon with soft-looking fabric; it had a thick strap with a gold latch on the front. Against her will, her body moved forward. She took the bag and walked over to the full-length mirror nearby. Her breath caught in her throat. It was amazing; the bag made her look taller, her clothes looked newer, hell, even her teeth looked whiter. It went perfectly with her black DKNY pencil skirt and white Ralf Lauren top. She had to have this bag. It was a Fendi, which meant it was expensive, no less than five hundred dollars.

Judy took a deep breath; she had less than fifty dollars in her purse. Suddenly Diane appeared in the mirror behind her.

“It really suits you. You should buy it. You can have willpower tomorrow,” she said.

Judy nodded mutely; she was going to buy it. Her mind flashed back to her job. She was a receptionist at a phone company. It paid the bills, but she could hardly make rent. If it wasn’t for her roommate, Shawndee, she could never afford a decent place in New York. With both of their average paychecks combined, they could survive.

She imagined coming to work the next day, putting her new bag on her desk, and getting compliments all day long. She could already think of two outfits she could wear it with.

She just needed a way to pay for it. She had about two hundred dollars in her checking account; she never got around to making a savings account. She already maxed out her American Express and Discover card. Her Visa might have enough, but she wasn’t sure. Maybe she could ask someone if she could borrow the money, just till the end of the month of course. However, she didn’t really know anyone who could just give her a few hundred dollars.

“What did you say?” asked Judy; she had been so lost in thought she missed what Diane had told her.
“I said it’s on sale,” said Diane pointing at a sign above the display of purses.

Sure enough, there was a small sign that said 40% off.

Joy coursed through her body. She could buy it. She was almost sure her Visa could cover it. A smile split across her face.
“I’ll buy it!” exclaimed Judy. She grabbed her purse and made a beeline for the cashier.

“Hey, wait for me!” called Diane, hurrying after her.
“Will that be all?” asked the woman behind the counter after Judy put down her Fendi bag.
“Yes,” said Judy, already reaching for her Visa.
“That’ll be three hundred and twenty dollars,” said the woman. Judy handed the girl her Visa. She held her breath as she swiped the card.

“Okay, sign this, please,” said the cashier. Judy’s whole body relaxed as she signed the receipt. “Would you like a bag?”
“Please,” said Judy. The woman put the purse in a bag and handed it to Judy, who took it and stood off to the side to wait for Diane, who paid for her things with a platinum card. Outside the store, she and Diane exchanged numbers and said goodbye. Judy let out a deep sigh and readjusted her sunglasses.

Judy walked down the street, feeling confident and happy with her new purchase. Tomorrow, she promised herself, she wouldn’t even set foot in a store; she would only window shop. Promise.

Copyright 2023 R.J. Byrd All Rights Reserved