Blog: OG Stories of My Childhood: The Spotlight Chapters 9 and 10

Finally, after several weeks of posting about the first novel I ever wrote, we’ve reached the end of this adventure. Will there be more OG Stories on the way? I have no idea. If I can find any more, I’ll post about them, but more likely than not, the OG Stories may be going on hiatus for a while until I figure out how to protect the more important work that I wrote around the ages of 12 to 13. Until then, I might consider writing some more stories that aren’t connected to my books so we can see how much I’ve developed my writing since I was 10. Thank you for sticking around throughout this story, now let’s finish it.

Chapter 9: Fashion Business

Two months later, Rebeca’s fashion business was up and running. At first, people hadn’t even noticed her website. Luckily though, a mom looking for a ball gown for her 17-year-old ran across Rebeca’s website. She looked at her dresses and designs. She hadn’t found a dress, and so she emailed Rebeca. It said:

“Dear designer,

Hello! I was looking for a dress for my daughter. She’s 17-years-old. She’s going to prom, and she has been elected as prom queen, so she needs a dress that screams ‘queen!’ But we couldn’t find any fluffy dresses. Her height is 5’2″. She wants fake pearls sown onto the dress. Could you make something like that? When will it be done?

Sincerely,

Mary Magnolias”

[Author’s Note: Okay, so Rebeca knows the girl’s height. But what about other important factors such as what fabric she wants, what color she wants, or the hip, waist, and bust measurements? As someone who has tried her hand at making costumes before (and has also worn some costumes where the measurements didn’t fit mine well), those things are all very important to know and take into consideration. Even with stretchy fabrics, it’s best to know what your measurements are before making the dress. Otherwise, you’re going to end up having to add more fabric or take in a bunch of fabric, which can take a while.

Also, she says she can’t find a fluffy prom dress. Why doesn’t she look at some Quinceanera dresses, many of which are large, very ornate, have pearls, and (depending on what you’re getting) cost as much as a prom dress?]

Rebeca’s response was this:

“Dear Mary,

Hello, Mary! I am quite excited to make your daughter’s dress. I think it can be done in about two or three weeks. I’ll just have to find some fake pearls.

Sincerely,

Rebeca Richardson”

Where was Rebeca supposed to find fake pearls for her client’s daughter’s dress? She could try Jo Anne’s, but she didn’t know if Jo Anne’s had what she was looking for. Then she remembered that in her parents’ basement, there was an old 3D printer! She could print her beads!

[Author’s Note: If you can read that paragraph with a straight face, what sort of sorcery are you using? If you look on Amazon, you can get a string of fake pearls that’s 197 feet long for $6.99. Additionally, you can get a pack of 2000 individual pearls for $13.99, also from Amazon. You can even get fake pearls from Walmart for crying out loud. Now compare that to how much the plastic costs for a 3D printer and – depending on what you’re getting, how much you’re getting, and from where – it can cost you anywhere from $15-$65, not including tax and shipping (if you’re getting it online). That 3D printer must’ve come with Mrs. Richardson out of the land of nonsensical plot convenience.]

“Hello? Rebeca! Is that you?” asked Mrs. Richardson on the other line.

“Yeah, hi Mom!” started Rebeca, “Sorry if I’m being short with you, but do you still have that old 3D printer from 1990?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I got an email from a client who needs a ball gown for her daughter. Her daughter wants fake pearls sewn onto her dress. But I don’t know where to get them from. Real pearls cost too much. Buying fake pearls online will take too long for them to get here. I only have two to three weeks!”

[Author’s Note: But you don’t need them immediately and Amazon has 2–3-day shipping. Why don’t you just go there?]

“Don’t worry honey. I’ll send it over there tomorrow.” So, the next day, Rebeca’s mom came over.

Two to three weeks later, the dress was done! Mary said:

“Dear Rebeca,

Thank you for the dress. My daughter loves it! In fact, we loved it so much that we’re going to sign you up for the fashion show in Milan, Italy. I’d love to sponsor you. You see, I run the Fashion and Accessories Mall. You designs would be a fantastic addition to our mall.

Sincerely,

Mary Magnolia”

[Author’s Note: I love how I don’t even specify how long it actually took Rebeca to make the dress. It’s just 2-3-weeks.]

Chapter 10: Milan and the Fashion Show

The jet slowed as it reached the runway at Milan. It was nothing like Paris. The streets were asphalt, and the buildings were larger. The people were fashionably dressed, some wearing heels and others wearing dress shoes. Some wearing jackets, some not at all.

[Author’s Note: I though Paris has streets made out of asphalt. Also, aren’t heels considered dress shoes? I have so many questions.]

“Hello, Rebeca!” said Mary.

“Hi!” replied Rebeca.

“I’ve found the fashion show theater. Want to come or do you want to explore some more?”

“I want to…go to the fashion theater.”

“Okay!” So they went to the fashion theater.

The fashion theater was covered in gold leaf, from ceiling to floor. The tables were made from polished mahogany with fashion magazines on top. “Hello, girls” said the desk woman. “Are you Rebeca Richardson?”

[Author’s Note: Given, I haven’t watched many fashion shows, but I’ve never heard of one where the venue is just covered in gold leaf. I have, however, heard of fashion shows where they had the models stomping through mud.]

“Yes, I am,” replied Rebeca.

“Great! Your fashion team is backstage.”

Rebeca, with Mary, went backstage. There, they found the fashion crew. The fashion girls’ names were Heidi, Maria, Renne, Teressa, and Niki. The boys were Zeke, Timmy, Thomas, and Johnny. “Next up on the runway is Rebeca and her fashion team,” said the announcer.

[Author’s Note: Fun fact about the names of the models: they were all the names of some of my Barbie dolls.]

“Okay, everyone, do you have your outfits?” asked Rebeca.

“Yep!” they all said in unison.

“Good. Then let’s get out there and show them our stuff!”

[Author’s Note: Didn’t Rebeca just arrive? Were all of her dresses and designs around in Milan? This timeline is raising more questions than the one in Rings of Power did.]

The techno music started playing. Zeke went first. Then came Timmy, Heidi, Maria, Johnny, Renne, Thomas, Teressa, Niki, and, at last, Rebeca! Rebeca did an expert catwalk. Then she did a turn on her heel and strutted back, swaying her hips.

The points were tallied up. Rebeca’s team got 95.8. Tears fell down Rebeca’s face, not the sad kind of tears, but the happy kind.

“Oh, Rebeca!” said a familiar voice in the crowd. It was Mr. and Mrs. Richardson!

[Author’s Note: Where did they come from?]

“Mom! Dad!” yelled Rebeca.

“Oh, honey, congratulations!”

“Thank you! How did you get here?”

“Plane,” said Mr. Richardson.

“I’m so happy you could come here.”

“Us too.”

[Author’s Note: And that’s the end of that. Thank you all for joining me in laughing at this masterpiece. Comment below if you would like to read some more OG stories or if you want to read some different ones.]

Until next time,

M.J.