“Have you heard from Cindy or any of the others?” I made a huffing sound as I turned to face her.
“Yeah, she wanted to go shopping.” Cindy is not exactly bright and she has no concept of the word broke. I sometimes strengthen myself with the thought that had she been dropped into my position she would’ve caved already. The girl is as ditzy as the day is long.
“That girl is a total ditz.” I snorted at her seemingly reading my mind. She sat up and looked at me and I felt one of her ‘serious talks’ coming at me. We’re the same age, a few months apart, but for some strange reason when she talks I listen. She always has this otherworldly way about her that sounds like she knows her shit. And once she gets rolling I usually forget that I have her beat by a few months.
“So listen, I’ve been thinking. I know you’re too hardheaded to accept my help, so I’ve come up with the next best thing. How about a store?” I looked at her like she’d lost her mind. Didn’t she just get through telling me that Cindy was a ditz for inviting me to go shopping?
“What? That’s your big idea, go shopping?”
“No clown, you open a store, an Internet store. You know the shit you’re always giving to Goodwill? We’re gonna sell it from right here in your house.” What the hell is she talking about? I give my old stuff away, old being last season’s digs, but I always go to less fortunate neighborhoods to do that.
“I fail to see how selling my used crap for five bucks a pop is going to get me out of this mess.” She rolled her eyes and hopped up off the bed.
“Five dollars? Do you really think Goodwill is selling your Chanel and Dior for five bucks a pop? Get real. They mark that shit up and I’m sure some of them sell that shit on eBay and Etsy for hundreds of dollars. In fact, she who should remain nameless got her start that way, or so I’ve heard.”
I gave her the stink eye. There was only one human being that I have forbidden anyone to mention in my presence and even with my own shit, the mere mention of her was enough to make me upchuck. “Are you saying that if I go down this road I might end up on a reality show? Is that before or after I show my ass for all the world to see?”
“Girl you crazy, ain’t nobody got time for that mess. Come on, let’s go see what you got that you can spare.” She was halfway to my closet already and I had no choice but to follow. There was no point in calling her off because once she gets her teeth into something she had the tenacity of a starving pit-bull.
“Who’s going to buy this stuff for hundreds of dollars? If they can afford that why don’t they just buy it new?”
“You’re thinking like the spoilt little rich girl you are. So here’s how this works, and I can’t believe you didn’t know about this. Take this blouse for example.” She took one of my Lacroix silk tops from its hanger and held it up to my gaze.
“You paid what, five, four grand for this and wore it what, twice, maybe? You market it as barely used, no wear and tear, in mint condition and voila, a cool eight hundred or even a grand. It’s all about who we’re selling to dahling, watch and learn.” She started dragging things off of hangers and I was slightly amazed at how well she knew me because most if not all of the stuff she chose would’ve been my choice to get rid of as well.
By the time she was through I was slightly ashamed of myself. My closet was still bursting at the seams, many of the things still bearing price tags. “That’s about fifty grand right there. Bam!” She eyed the clothes she had strewn all over the carpeted floor before turning her sights to the room. “Now, some place to set up shop. The lighting in here is perfect and so is the coloring, girls love pink and purple. With the white and gold showcase and the mirrored walls this will be perfect.”
I had to rein her ass in when she made a move towards my bag collection. “Oh hell no, not yet. Last resort.” I’ve been collecting designer bags since I was about twelve. It was the one thing mom and I had in common, our love of leather. “No bags and shoes until absolutely necessary.”
“Okay chica keep your shorts on.”