Chapter 118

"Isabelle! I thought you wouldn't come!" Mrs. Attile happily cried out as soon as she saw me enter the store. At the back, I saw Ginna roll her eyes.

"I told you she would." The woman mutinously muttered, offended that she had not been believed. 

I withheld the smile that threatened to appear on my face. "I am happy to see that nothing happened on your way." I threw a polite greeting.

"We're past that, dear." Mrs. Attile waved her hand. "Come, come. I have excellent news for you!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the counter. Ginna following behind. "Here. This is for you. Although that young lady that organized the showroom didn't buy any of your dresses, the daughter of the Principal from the city's school fancied the big dress and bought it at 3 pounds and 5 bills." She put a bag on the counter.

I did not react. Had I heard wrong?

"What're you waiting for?" Ginna softly pushed my shoulder, taking me out of my stupor.

I looked at Ginna who seemed calm and collected. Was she not surprised? "Do you know how much money that is?"

"No idea. But it's money, so take it." She shrugged.

I rose an eyebrow. "350 coins." I stated.

She blinked. "What?"

"3 pounds and 5 bills is 350 coins. One dress was sold for 350 coins." I explained.

"And that was only because Isabelle is not a renown seamstress. Otherwise, it would have sold for more. 500 coins would have been the base price" Mrs. Attile added. The light in her eyes told me she was waiting for the amount to sink in Ginna's mind.

It did.

"WHAT!?" She shrieked, startling me and a few passersby. Her eyes were as wide as plates, her eyebrows almost reached her hairline and her mouth was wide open.

"Did your cousin take a share for all her troubles?" I asked Mrs. Attile, leaving the shell-shocked Ginna to digest the information for herself.

"How did you know?" Mrs. Attile asked amazed. "She actually took the 30%." I nodded. It was fair as I had used the fabrics she provided and had let my dresses participate in the showroom without even knowing me. 

"Have you taken your share?" I queried her. It was also fair as Mrs. Attile had to go back and forth Silver City and Basin Town. 

She smiled. "My cousin also told me to take another 30% so you'd keep the 40%, but I didn't accept it." She slid the pouch with the money towards me. I opened it and counted the amount: 2 pounds, 4 bills and 5 coins.

I took out my own money pouch and put the 2 pounds in it. The rest I left it in the pouch and gave it to the still zoned out Ginna. "Here. Take it as a present from Mrs. Attile." I grabbed her hand and put the pouch on her palm.

Only then Ginna finally reacted. "What? Why? No. I can't accept this." She tried to return it but I took a step back.

"Think of your situation. I am sure it will come in handy. Keep it to yourself though." I advised her. I did not want Ginna to be like that woman who used to chase Joseph and give the money to her Mom. 

"What happened?" Mrs. Attile voice out, clearly aware that the stare off between Ginna and I was not normal. I nodded and Ginna who only bit her lips and eventually nodded back. As her boss, Mrs. Attile had to know the situation of her employee. 

The two moved to the back to talk, leaving me to man the store. I could only hear snippets of the conversation because Ginna would get exalted and raise her voice.

"… Of course I don't like him!..."

"… She can't do that!..."

"… Please don't make me quit..."

At some point, Ginna even started sobbing. I had no idea what the older woman told her, but I was sure Mrs. Attile would not be so bad to abandon Ginna. With her years and experience, I knew Mrs. Attile would give her better advise than I did.

When a client entered, I made sure to greet loudly to let the two women know that we were not alone anymore. The sobbing stopped, but neither came out. Even after the client left. 

After I attended yet another person, Mrs. Attile finally came out. She looked tired, but not disappointed. That gave me hope.

"You're a good person, Isabelle." She said, out of the blue. "From what she told me, there's a possibility her sister might have told their mother about the pregnancy. The mother hasn't said anything but has been telling Ginna to settle down, mentioning a few names; among them the name of the man that impregnated her."

I winced, knowing Ginna might have not liked that.

"I told Ginna that if the mother wants to force a marriage, to escape her home and settle here in the store. The back room serves as a storage room, but it can also be turned into a proper room. She can stay there while she looks for a place to live in. The money you gave her will truly help her."

"Are there affordable place here for her?" I curiously asked.

Mrs. Attile sighed. "There are a few cheap places..." She trailed off.

"It is not safe." I concluded. She nodded.

"I will try to look around for a cheap but safe place." Mrs. Attile said. 

"It is going to be hard for her, right?" I looked at the curtain that divided the back with the front of the store. 

"All important decisions like the one she's going to make are hard. Don't think that just because you have four Husbands your life is going to be easier." She bluntly said. That surprised me. I actually did think that my future with four men was going to be peaceful and full of roses.

Roses also had thorns. 

Perhaps there would be some aspects that had become relaxed, like finances and housing. But who could assured me if our love life, the communication, the way we raised our kids, or other things became a huge obstacle to our happy coexistence?

"I know. Thank you, Mrs. Attile." I nodded at the older woman.

She sighed. "If only my son listened as well as you two." She lamented, which made my lips twitch.

Ginna spent the rest of the afternoon rather downcast, which was understandable. Whatever panned out in her life the next few days would decide her future.

I, of course, shared everything that happened with Ethan on our way back. There was no moon in the sky, so the road was very dark. He had to carry a lamp with a candle inside to illuminate the road.

"I can't tell you what to do to help her. I trust that you know when to help and how." He said. "As for the other matter. We should talk about it with everybody." He proposed.

Meaning, we had to wait for Joseph to have an in depth conversation about the family, our plans, what we expected and how to solve things.

I was pleased that he was open to talk. He wanted our marriage to work as much as I did. To have a healthy marriage, we needed to constantly communicate, to have healthy boundaries and to always express our love.

That was what Mrs. Attile told me.

She had been married for more than fifteen years, so I decided to believe her.