If I Die Before I Wake by Barb Rogers

Author:Barb Rogers
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781609251079
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser Conari

Tom and I stand in the middle of the room, admiring all that we've accomplished. Over a hundred costumes grace the walls leading up to the twenty-foot metal-tiled ceiling. My beloved sewing machine, which has saved me so much time and effort, sits off to one side. When I'm not busy, I can continue working on more costumes. Now, all I need is customers.

Every time the buzzer goes off, indicating someone coming through the downstairs door, my heart speeds up and anxiety overtakes me. I wonder what people will think of what I've done. Will they pay money to rent my creations? Are they good enough? The buzzer sounds. I stare at the open doorway. It's Tom again. I sink back into my chair.

A week before Halloween, I say to Tom, “I think I may have made a mistake.” Except for a few people who've wandered up the staircase out of curiosity, I haven't had one customer. He takes me by the shoulders, and says, “Are you having fun?” It has been great. I could spend all day every day making costumes and love every minute of it. “Yes,” I respond. He hugs me and says, “Then that's all that matters. The rest will just be gravy.”

Four days before Halloween, the gravy begins to pour in. I can barely keep up with the customers, all clamoring for a custom costume to wear to work, to a party, to a haunted house. My head reels from all the compliments, my purse bulges with cash, and I'm having the time of my life. It's a bittersweet happiness, as I wish Jon was here—how he would have loved this! The last costume I made him was of a member of the band KISS. He was 13 years old. He was the hit of the party in the open-front black jumpsuit, his face painted black and white, wearing a black punk wig. Every time he stuck his tongue out as far as he could, we would scream with laughter.

I have a plan. When we lock the doors Halloween night, we're going to buy leftovers at enormously discounted prices at the chain stores. I need more material, and especially accessories that I can't make myself. Excitement vibrates through my body as we amass our treasures. With the latex heads, wigs, feather boas, makeup, and other odds and ends, I will be able to give my customers a better selection. I can hardly wait to get started on the costumes I'm already making in my mind.

——

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