Chapter 52 The First Battle
Emily was startled when the phone rang. It was just as well since she had been sitting there for the last several minutes staring at her sketches but not doing much. Her mind had been distracted by the decision of whether to move in with her boyfriend, and now here he was calling.
Byron was so immersed in his film project that he hadn’t asked her to visit in several days. He did seem to miss her because he called every day. Emily hoped that no matter what her answer would be, he would still want to continue with their relationship.
“Are we ever going to see each other this week?” he asked when she picked up the phone.
“I’m a little busy,” Emily said, “but maybe we could work something out.”
“You’re not avoiding me, are you?” he queried.
“Of course not. It’s just that you have your films, and I have the new clothing lines to make.”
She heard him take in a breath in preparation to say something...
“Emily, if you’re worried about moving in with me, you don’t have to decide right away.”
“Oh,” she said. Maybe there wasn’t going to be a better time to tell him. “I’ve thought about it, actually, and I’m not quite ready. There’s my brother, and I feel like I’m just not at that stage yet.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” he said, “I’m at an age where I feel more ready to commit, but you’re still young.”
Byron was only four years older than her, but he definitely seemed like he had his act together. Maybe he was ready to start a family... Emily was definitely not.
“Let’s talk about it some other time?” she suggested, “Just because I’m not ready now doesn’t mean I won’t be in the future.”
“Okay,” he agreed, “I’ll ask you again another time. But meanwhile, join me for dinner?”
Emily felt relieved that he was not hugely upset by the conversation. It seemed like nothing had changed. But she knew Byron would want to have more commitment at some point, and she wasn’t sure what would need to happen for her to feel more ready to commit.
Luckily, she had other things to distract her like planning the fashion show that would catapult her designs into stardom. It took several weeks, but everything came together nicely, including the outfits, the models, and a venue to show them in. Several members of the press agreed to come to her event, and she filled the seats by giving many free tickets to friends and acquaintances.
Some of her art students agreed to model the clothes, and Katie was especially keen. She fancied herself a budding model, being tall and slender.
Emily arrived an hour ahead of the starting time with Katie. They had signs specially made for the fashion show that pointed everyone entering the convention center in the right direction to Auditorium A.
While Katie went backstage to put on her first outfit for the show, Emily tested the audio equipment and prepared the music. It took her a while to get everything working, and suddenly she realized none of the other models or guests had yet arrived.
Feeling suddenly flustered, Emily called Pam, who promised to come as a guest and cheer her on.
To her relief, Pam answered the phone on the first ring.
“Hey, I’m almost there, but I’m a little lost. The receptionist told us to go up the stairs, and then to the left, but I might have taken the wrong stairs.”
“Oh, you didn’t see the signs?” Emily asked.
“What signs?”
“Never mind. I’ll try to come and find you.”
Emily ran out the door and tried to make her way past various people who were crowding the corridors to attend other events. Finally, she found Pam and her group of friends and led them to the auditorium.
Then she hurried back to the lobby, wondering what happened to the big cardboard signs she had made for the event. They were simply gone.
“Excuse me,” she asked one of the receptionists, “Have you taken down the signs for my event already? It hasn’t even started yet.”
“We didn’t touch them,” said the young woman, “It’s not usually our job to take them down.”
“Well, did you see anyone take them?” Emily asked.
“No, sorry. I was really busy with customers.”
This was shaping up to be a huge disaster. Emily felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Although the information regarding the location of the fashion show was on the invitation, it would still be hard for most people to find in the huge convention center.
“Do you mind if I use some of your paper or a piece of cardboard?” Emily asked.
The receptionist must have seen she was distressed and offered to find something. Emily put together a very hastily written cardboard sign for the entrance and a few more paper signs to guide people along the way. Then she greeted the people at the doors and guided them in while keeping an eye on the new signs. The sign thief didn’t return.
Emily felt nervous and out of sorts as she began the show. The music already began to play, but some guests were still finding their way to their seats.
“Opening our program today, we have Katie modeling an embroidered organza summer dress with tie sleeves,” Emily began, the microphone sticky in her sweaty hand.
Suddenly, a furious scream filled the hall, followed by a pounding drum beat and racing electric guitars. The guests were startled and confused. Heavy metal music was being blasted from somewhere in the next room.
