Sophia Rearen
02-20-2006, 09:35 PM
Excitedly, I headed into Ross. I was hoping my favorite dressing room lady, Barbara, would be working. Its been a while since I have seen her. My last shopping trip there, she was not.
I walked in, grabbed a cart and began browsing. First stop was the bath section. I had just ran out of bath salts and was happy to find several different types. There is nothing like a good soak in scented salts or bath oils. I quickly checked out the handbags and accessories. My curiosity was getting the best of me, I had to see if she was there. I needed to grab an article of clothing because it would have been silly to try on bath salts. So, I headed to the dress section and easily found several dresses which caught my eye. Placing them on my cart, I walked to the rear of the store and found her talking to another checker. She was holding a boxed salad and her coat. I was hoping she wasn't going to leave for the day. Barbara is an older black woman and a widow. She has a fashion sense of a 20 year old, she is probably 60ish. Somehow, she manages to pull it off. Nothing short and revealing, of course, more like long and layered. She has dyed blond/gray extremely short hair and a very, very loud and unforgiving voice. When endrab she never holds back in engaging me in a conversation, with just me or with others, even as I stand there with a cart full of dresses. My greatest fear of meeting her this time was I was Sophia, what would her reaction be? Would she scream out "OMG, look at you, girl!" or something like "oh, good god almighty, look at you!"
What I did was, walk up behind her and waited for her to finish her conversation with Maria, the other associate. Maria didn't take long to realize something was out of the ordinary and she smiled up at me. I say up because I'm standing in my 3" boots so now I'm 6'1" tall. Barbara turns around and cool as a cucumber says, "hey baby, how are you doin?" I don't think she recognized me at first, until my smile. She follows with, "you look good baby. Are you goin out somewhere?" I tell her I'm on my way to Atlantic City. She says, "that's great" and then, "I'm going to lunch, I'll be back in a half hour." I responded, "okay, I'll browse and see you when you get back." As she leaves she repeats her earlier sentiments, " you look good darlin, real good" I thank her profusely and begin to head back to the dresses. She tells me, "good luck finding something and I tell her, "no problem, I already have, thanks". Now, I know I was over dressed for a shopping excursion, even more so when I was in Target. But, it was amazing to witness what I always suspected. If you over dress, you get noticed. Whether that is a bad thing or not depends on your attitude.
Feeling wonderful, thanks to Barbara, I head deep into the clothing department. I browse and I find alot, too many things look too good to pass up. I need a break and head over to the shoes. Lucky again, I find a pair of brown 3" heels with an ankle strap, perfect. Next, back to the accessories. I need a small wallet for my handbag. I'm tired of cash flying out, literally, of the handbag as I stand at a register. Unfortunately, I do not find one. Returning to the clothes, a woman my age was asking her young child's opinion on something she was holding. I wanted nothing more than to offer mine. I loved her style and she was cute. But, since she was with her son, I decided to stay away. I continue back through the clothes, skirts, tops ,sweaters, suits, swimsuits and those wonderful dresses. Ross never fails to fill my dress need. I've tried others such as Marshalls, but never really had the connections that Ross and Sophia have.
I'm done, my cart floweth over. I head back to find Barbara. I had not seen her come back from lunch, maybe I missed her return, though I had not heard her either. Walking through dresses, I find a couple more, I find myself across from the dressing rooms and no Barbara. This was no 30 minute lunch break. I had been shopping at least an hour. More time to kill until her return. And, what better way to pass time than in the lingerie department. One could spend the day in the lingerie department. Racks and racks of panties and bras. They try to size them, but, they get messed up. And for panties costing $2-5 per how could you go wrong? Bras, typically around $5. I grab a pink micro fiber bra, I love that fabric. A bustier with garter straps for $6 a pair of Felina panties for $5 and another extremely cute panty in black and pink for $2.00
Finally, Barbara returns. I walk over and talk with her. I ask how she wants me to do this, mens or womens. Mens is empty and she directs me there. I have no problem with that, though, I want to be with the women, of course. Later, I was thankful I was not. I grab 8 items from my cart and head in to the dressing room. The rest stays in the cart outside the rooms with Barbara. As I head in, Barbara asks, " do you have your handbag?" god, I loved hearing that, "yes, thank you" I replied. The doors don't lock in the dressing room but I was quite sure I would be okay. I remove my coat and skirt, leaving me in my pink camisole, black bra, panties, pantyhose, and new boots.
I am trying things on and loving every minute. The first dress, keeper. The second dress, keeper. The third dress, keeper. Oh no, this is going to be an expensive outing. The fourth dress, just okay, I'll keep it for now. The next was a pink skirt suit. It looked like something to be worn at The kentucky Derby. I picked it out mainly out of curiosity, I had to see what i would look like. Taking it off the hanger, I was becoming annoyed with the coats buttons, That's my male side coming out, I guess. Trying it on, I can pull it off, but it makes me look older, who wants that? Where am I going to wear such an outfit? The large pink flower on the coat was over the top. It was originally a $250 outfit marked down to $69. Nope, not buying it, especially since I was so successful with the previous selections.
After what seemed like 30 minutes, I exit the dressing room and back to Barbara. "All the good ones in black?" she asks. No, I had a black and white one. Digging through my cart I grab more items. I ask her about the lingerie. She tells me no panties, yet allows the speedo swimsuit bottom with separate top. Also, the bustier is ok. Nine items going in this time. She didn't even have a 9 card, she had to give me a 8 and a 1. If I was shopping for my guy clothes, I'd be surprised if I had more than a 3!
This time in I had more formal dresses. I wanted so bad to buy a white one, especially the strapless one. However, this time things didn't go so well. As I struggled trying to get into the formal wear, a group of women speaking es spaniol went into the womens dressing room. My goodness were they loud! Then, Barbara has a problem with them and some missing items. Thankfully, this time I was in the mens, alone and quietly reveling in my girly happiness. The first three dresses were a no go and then BAM, a KILLER! The best fitting dress I have ever worn and something that can be worn, particularly in the daytime without raising eyes. I am anxious to try on the swimsuit, and with the dresses out of the way, I can now remove my bra. Yes, an excellent fit. Looks and feels great, and for $20, what a deal! Bustier, yes. Pink Playtex bra, yes, and I love the little diamond inset.
Back out to Barbara, I quickly calculate about $144 and tell Barbara thats about average for me here. I thank her for being so kind to me and we exchange plenty of "baby's". I say my goodbye and tell her I'm off to the mall next door. "Why?", she asks, "to spend more money?" Good point, maybe I should reconsider. Actually, I just wanted to walk a bit and maybe hit Lane Bryant for some tops. Though my feet were killing me. I had been on my heels for nearly five hours now, yet I wanted more. I told Barbara so, and it was tough being a girl. Her response, "tell me about it!" At the mall I could also eat, since I hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and it was now dinner time. I drank just enough water to sustain life. I didn't want the pressure of the ladies room, not this trip. I reconsider the mall and decide against it so I ask Barbara to use the unisex bathroom. There, I comb my hair and reapply lipsticks. I say my goodbyes to Barbara again.
At the register I had to wait and wait. Finally, at the counter I helped the cashier with the hanger removal. Not many words exchanged and that's ok by me. I spent $144 on 4 dresses, a swimsuit, 2 panties, 1 bra, a bustier, heels and bath salts about 3 hours in the store. I was looking forward to the car seat and the two hour drive enfemme. A time to reflect on what I had done. A time to relax and just enjoy feeling good as I drove through rush hour traffic as a woman on her way home from work.
As I drove, I contemplated a stop for food. No, I thought, I'll be okay. Perhaps room service in Atlantic City, or a casino restaraunt, or a restaraunt that caters to the alternative lifestyle crowd. Driving, I begin to do all the things I envy women do while driving. Stroking my hair, clicking my nails along with the music on the steering wheel, placing my left heel up on the seat and spreading my skirt a little. My feet begin to swell and hurt. I want so badly to stay in my new boots! How often and long could I wear them like this opportunity? I will keep them on! Five minutes later, there off! Ah! Then, panic strikes. The car was inspected I hadn't remembered the registration sticker being applied. Oh great, that's all I need, to get pulled over!
I walked in, grabbed a cart and began browsing. First stop was the bath section. I had just ran out of bath salts and was happy to find several different types. There is nothing like a good soak in scented salts or bath oils. I quickly checked out the handbags and accessories. My curiosity was getting the best of me, I had to see if she was there. I needed to grab an article of clothing because it would have been silly to try on bath salts. So, I headed to the dress section and easily found several dresses which caught my eye. Placing them on my cart, I walked to the rear of the store and found her talking to another checker. She was holding a boxed salad and her coat. I was hoping she wasn't going to leave for the day. Barbara is an older black woman and a widow. She has a fashion sense of a 20 year old, she is probably 60ish. Somehow, she manages to pull it off. Nothing short and revealing, of course, more like long and layered. She has dyed blond/gray extremely short hair and a very, very loud and unforgiving voice. When endrab she never holds back in engaging me in a conversation, with just me or with others, even as I stand there with a cart full of dresses. My greatest fear of meeting her this time was I was Sophia, what would her reaction be? Would she scream out "OMG, look at you, girl!" or something like "oh, good god almighty, look at you!"
What I did was, walk up behind her and waited for her to finish her conversation with Maria, the other associate. Maria didn't take long to realize something was out of the ordinary and she smiled up at me. I say up because I'm standing in my 3" boots so now I'm 6'1" tall. Barbara turns around and cool as a cucumber says, "hey baby, how are you doin?" I don't think she recognized me at first, until my smile. She follows with, "you look good baby. Are you goin out somewhere?" I tell her I'm on my way to Atlantic City. She says, "that's great" and then, "I'm going to lunch, I'll be back in a half hour." I responded, "okay, I'll browse and see you when you get back." As she leaves she repeats her earlier sentiments, " you look good darlin, real good" I thank her profusely and begin to head back to the dresses. She tells me, "good luck finding something and I tell her, "no problem, I already have, thanks". Now, I know I was over dressed for a shopping excursion, even more so when I was in Target. But, it was amazing to witness what I always suspected. If you over dress, you get noticed. Whether that is a bad thing or not depends on your attitude.
Feeling wonderful, thanks to Barbara, I head deep into the clothing department. I browse and I find alot, too many things look too good to pass up. I need a break and head over to the shoes. Lucky again, I find a pair of brown 3" heels with an ankle strap, perfect. Next, back to the accessories. I need a small wallet for my handbag. I'm tired of cash flying out, literally, of the handbag as I stand at a register. Unfortunately, I do not find one. Returning to the clothes, a woman my age was asking her young child's opinion on something she was holding. I wanted nothing more than to offer mine. I loved her style and she was cute. But, since she was with her son, I decided to stay away. I continue back through the clothes, skirts, tops ,sweaters, suits, swimsuits and those wonderful dresses. Ross never fails to fill my dress need. I've tried others such as Marshalls, but never really had the connections that Ross and Sophia have.
I'm done, my cart floweth over. I head back to find Barbara. I had not seen her come back from lunch, maybe I missed her return, though I had not heard her either. Walking through dresses, I find a couple more, I find myself across from the dressing rooms and no Barbara. This was no 30 minute lunch break. I had been shopping at least an hour. More time to kill until her return. And, what better way to pass time than in the lingerie department. One could spend the day in the lingerie department. Racks and racks of panties and bras. They try to size them, but, they get messed up. And for panties costing $2-5 per how could you go wrong? Bras, typically around $5. I grab a pink micro fiber bra, I love that fabric. A bustier with garter straps for $6 a pair of Felina panties for $5 and another extremely cute panty in black and pink for $2.00
Finally, Barbara returns. I walk over and talk with her. I ask how she wants me to do this, mens or womens. Mens is empty and she directs me there. I have no problem with that, though, I want to be with the women, of course. Later, I was thankful I was not. I grab 8 items from my cart and head in to the dressing room. The rest stays in the cart outside the rooms with Barbara. As I head in, Barbara asks, " do you have your handbag?" god, I loved hearing that, "yes, thank you" I replied. The doors don't lock in the dressing room but I was quite sure I would be okay. I remove my coat and skirt, leaving me in my pink camisole, black bra, panties, pantyhose, and new boots.
I am trying things on and loving every minute. The first dress, keeper. The second dress, keeper. The third dress, keeper. Oh no, this is going to be an expensive outing. The fourth dress, just okay, I'll keep it for now. The next was a pink skirt suit. It looked like something to be worn at The kentucky Derby. I picked it out mainly out of curiosity, I had to see what i would look like. Taking it off the hanger, I was becoming annoyed with the coats buttons, That's my male side coming out, I guess. Trying it on, I can pull it off, but it makes me look older, who wants that? Where am I going to wear such an outfit? The large pink flower on the coat was over the top. It was originally a $250 outfit marked down to $69. Nope, not buying it, especially since I was so successful with the previous selections.
After what seemed like 30 minutes, I exit the dressing room and back to Barbara. "All the good ones in black?" she asks. No, I had a black and white one. Digging through my cart I grab more items. I ask her about the lingerie. She tells me no panties, yet allows the speedo swimsuit bottom with separate top. Also, the bustier is ok. Nine items going in this time. She didn't even have a 9 card, she had to give me a 8 and a 1. If I was shopping for my guy clothes, I'd be surprised if I had more than a 3!
This time in I had more formal dresses. I wanted so bad to buy a white one, especially the strapless one. However, this time things didn't go so well. As I struggled trying to get into the formal wear, a group of women speaking es spaniol went into the womens dressing room. My goodness were they loud! Then, Barbara has a problem with them and some missing items. Thankfully, this time I was in the mens, alone and quietly reveling in my girly happiness. The first three dresses were a no go and then BAM, a KILLER! The best fitting dress I have ever worn and something that can be worn, particularly in the daytime without raising eyes. I am anxious to try on the swimsuit, and with the dresses out of the way, I can now remove my bra. Yes, an excellent fit. Looks and feels great, and for $20, what a deal! Bustier, yes. Pink Playtex bra, yes, and I love the little diamond inset.
Back out to Barbara, I quickly calculate about $144 and tell Barbara thats about average for me here. I thank her for being so kind to me and we exchange plenty of "baby's". I say my goodbye and tell her I'm off to the mall next door. "Why?", she asks, "to spend more money?" Good point, maybe I should reconsider. Actually, I just wanted to walk a bit and maybe hit Lane Bryant for some tops. Though my feet were killing me. I had been on my heels for nearly five hours now, yet I wanted more. I told Barbara so, and it was tough being a girl. Her response, "tell me about it!" At the mall I could also eat, since I hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and it was now dinner time. I drank just enough water to sustain life. I didn't want the pressure of the ladies room, not this trip. I reconsider the mall and decide against it so I ask Barbara to use the unisex bathroom. There, I comb my hair and reapply lipsticks. I say my goodbyes to Barbara again.
At the register I had to wait and wait. Finally, at the counter I helped the cashier with the hanger removal. Not many words exchanged and that's ok by me. I spent $144 on 4 dresses, a swimsuit, 2 panties, 1 bra, a bustier, heels and bath salts about 3 hours in the store. I was looking forward to the car seat and the two hour drive enfemme. A time to reflect on what I had done. A time to relax and just enjoy feeling good as I drove through rush hour traffic as a woman on her way home from work.
As I drove, I contemplated a stop for food. No, I thought, I'll be okay. Perhaps room service in Atlantic City, or a casino restaraunt, or a restaraunt that caters to the alternative lifestyle crowd. Driving, I begin to do all the things I envy women do while driving. Stroking my hair, clicking my nails along with the music on the steering wheel, placing my left heel up on the seat and spreading my skirt a little. My feet begin to swell and hurt. I want so badly to stay in my new boots! How often and long could I wear them like this opportunity? I will keep them on! Five minutes later, there off! Ah! Then, panic strikes. The car was inspected I hadn't remembered the registration sticker being applied. Oh great, that's all I need, to get pulled over!