The Christmas Shoes

"Sure."

Elise led Nora through the house and Silvia followed behind quietly. Silvia still was hesitant to even be near Nora, fearing that she must think her a horrible human for conning her the way she did.

It was a small but nice home; meticulously clean. It was about 1700 square feet. It had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Nora thought that it wouldn't compare to the newer homes being sold, but it would be a nice house for someone looking to start out or keep their payments reasonable.

The painting and trim looked very sharp, which wasn't surprising given Daniel's occupation. What was surprising was Silvia's room. It was gorgeous. It was painted in the faintest of yellows and had several roses in yellow, orange and red hand painted on the walls. It wasn't a huge mural on each wall, but delicate paintings spaced around the room, though more prominent towards the ceiling.

The window was a bay window with a dark yellow tufted bench seat for sitting and reading. There was a four poster bed, without a canopy, painted in white, with a beautiful white hand sewn quilt with yellow and orange accents as the bedspread. It was a very pretty room.

Nora was very impressed. She asked, "Did Daniel do this room?"

Silvia was very proud of her father's work, so she answered. "He did. You should have seen my room in our other house. It had higher ceilings, so it was even more amazing. He does great work."

Nora just nodded. His work was very impressive; clearly. Nora took several pictures.

As they were walking back towards the kitchen, they could hear Daniel entering from the carport. He didn't look thrilled. He recognized Nora's car, and wasn't pleased that she was there. Elise had told him she was coming and pleaded with him to be nice.

He promised her he would, but that didn't mean he had to be happy. Once he smelled the food and saw the wine on the table, he mellowed a little. Having a strange woman in his house wasn't something he wanted right now, but at least she wasn't unpleasant to look at. He thought Nora was probably quite attractive. She was thin but short. Her deep auburn hair was pulled back and hung just past her shoulders. He thought her face was pleasant thought not gorgeous. She was dressed sharply. Unfortunately, he simply wasn't attracted to her at the moment.

Being polite, he said, "Hello, Nora. It's nice to see you. Momma, if you don't mind, I'll grab a quick shower before we eat."

She told him to hurry, and as he was leaving the room, Elise was turned towards her son so he could see her, but Nora could not. She mouthed "be nice."

Once they were all seated at the table, they all held hands while Daniel said grace. Nora sat in between Daniel and Elise. She told them what she could about the market for a house like theirs and the few things they could do if they decided to sell. Without investing a lot of money, there wasn't much that needed to be done, since it was already so well kept.

Nora told them a little about herself -- from Charlotte; UNC -- Chapel Hill graduate, worked for a realtor during and after college, and her parents, who do pretty well, helped her start her own company.

She already knew a bit about them. Daniel was a painter and had been a long time. He and Janet had been married fifteen years. They married while in college. He helped her to get her CPA and business started.

Elise had been married twenty-five years before her husband, Paul, was killed. She worked at the nearby Whole Foods, because they had good benefits as long as she could maintain 30 hours per week. She had lived near Raleigh all her life.

Silvia was a harder nut to crack. She had to change school districts because of the divorce and didn't get to resume her musical theater lessons. She was a very good student, but the divorce and her mother's treatment of her had hurt her terribly. She was beginning to sprout into a woman and missed having her mother to talk with.

Nora asked, "Daniel, I'm told you did the painting in Silvia's room here and an even more impressive work in your old house."

"Thank you. I've tried to sell it to builders and even showed them pictures, but they haven't been interested. Silvia liked the idea and I was happy to do it for her."

Nora could see Silvia beaming at her father.

Nora patted him on the arm and said, "Well, if you ever want to come paint one of my bedrooms, I prefer orchids over roses," which brought a chuckle from everyone.

After more conversation and finishing their dinners, they were relaxing at the table enjoying the wine when Silvia asked, "Dad, are you still able to take me shopping tomorrow? The church dinner is next weekend."

Nora looked across the table at Silvia, but Elise beat her in answering. "There is a Valentine's Day dinner and dance at our church. It is for the youth in junior high and high school. For many of them, it is their first time to actually dance with someone of the opposite sex. We want to provide a safe environment where the first time they have the opportunity isn't at someone's house party while their parents are out of town or at a frat house."

Silvia rolled her eyes at her grandmother. She said to her father, "I've outgrown all my other dresses. I need one for the dinner. Are you still able to take the afternoon off, Dad?"

Elise could tell from the slow response that her son needed or wanted to work, but she was planning to work also, because her leg prevented her from doing a lot of walking that usually comes with shopping. Standing at a register for hours was okay, but she couldn't walk long distances.

Daniel said, "Can we go late in the day, so I can put in a full day's work?"

Silvia asked, "Do you promise that you'll be here on time."

"I'll do my best, sweetie."

Nora had been listening, and before she could take it back, she said, "I'll take her."

All of them were looking at her. She said, "I had planned to host an open house tomorrow, but that house sold today, so I find myself not busy tomorrow. Silvia may not want to come with me, but I'd be happy to take her if she wants."

Actually, Silvia liked the idea of shopping with Nora. Including tonight, she had seen her on four different occasions, and every time she saw her, she was impeccably dressed and styled.

Before Daniel could say no, Elise said, "That's a wonderful idea. Thank you, Nora."

Daniel looked at his mom, exasperated.

Nora said, "Daniel, are you okay? If you say 'no', I understand."

Daniel didn't have a good reason to disagree. It would help him out, and it isn't like he had to worry about Nora running off nor hurting Silvia. He replied, "don't let her pick out anything too short or too tight, please."

The three females each had big grins on their faces.

Nora asked to Silvia, "What time do you want me to pick you up? I have all day, so it's up to you."

Daniel said, "Sil, your Nanny has to work tomorrow, so you need to get home early enough to help with dinner. Okay? Miss Hamilton is a busy lady, so don't run her around all day."

Nora replied, "I really don't mind, Daniel. If I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't have offered. Silvia, I believe TJ Maxx opens at 9:30 and the stores in the mall open at 10:00. It's up to you."

Sylvia's eyes shone as she responded, "I'll be ready whenever you arrive, but starting at TJ Maxx sounds good."

Elise loved the sound of that. Daniel was happy for his daughter. He hoped she would enjoy her day.

______________

The next day at 9:15, Nora knocked on their door. Daniel was already gone to work, and Elise was still there. She said, "Nora, thank you so much for doing this. Silvia was bouncing all over the house this morning. She has $60 to spend on a dress, so hopefully, together, you can find something in her price range."

Nora said, "Don't worry. I'm sure we will."

With that, they were off. Nora stopped at a local coffee shop for them to get their coffees, and Silvia loved it. She felt so adult, since that was something she never got to do, especially since her mother left.

However, later that morning, the mood had turned. Silvia was a little nervous because after leaving TJ Maxx and Kohl's she hadn't really found anything that she liked or thought looked good on her. Nora was very encouraging, outwardly. Inwardly, she was disappointed also. As soon as they returned to her car, she said, "Let's go to the mall." Silvia was a little worried about that, because she was concerned her $60 wouldn't go very far there.

Their first stop was at Belk, the department store. They spent almost an hour looking and did find a nice dress, but it was a little big in the waist. If they couldn't find anything else, they would come back and get it and pay to have it tailored to fit.

Silvia was still worried. So far, most of the dresses in her size didn't look appropriate for the evening or didn't look well made. She had hoped to have already found a dress so she could relax and enjoy the rest of the day with Nora.

Nora was nervous, also, because she couldn't tell if Silvia was enjoying herself or not. The constraints placed by the $60 limit were making it very challenging to find something in Silvia's size that fit the needs of the event. Nora suggested, "Why don't we take a break for lunch, and we'll figure out where we should go next."

Silvia nodded, with her hair bobbing along with her. She thought Nora would take her up the escalator to the food court for something, but Nora was heading outside towards the open-air portion of the mall. A minute of strolling later, they were at Maggiano's Little Italy. It had been a long time since Silvia had eaten at a nice restaurant and she was looking forward to this one.

Once at their table, Nora tried to change her approach. "Okay, Silvia. Something doesn't seem to be working. I'm enjoying my time with you, but the shopping doesn't seem to be as much fun for you as I hoped. Can you tell me about it?"

Silvia paused for a moment, then said, "I'm just worried about not finding anything. We've already hit some of the less expensive stores. The more we shop, the more expensive the stores. I had hoped we would have already found something, so I could enjoy the rest of the day simply browsing with you."

Nora thought for a moment and said, "Have you ever heard of the expression it's better to ask forgiveness than permission?"

Silvia bobbed again.

"How about this? Let's go to where we think we are most likely to find a nice dress, and I'll pay the difference between the price of the dress and the money you were given. That way we both get to enjoy the rest of our day. I don't know what your dad and grandmother will say, but I plan on finding something that makes a pretty young lady, you, even prettier. I don't plan on telling them the price. What do you say?"

"Are you sure?" asked the teen. "Of course, selfishly, I love the sound of that, but I don't want you to spend your money on me. Well, more than what you've already spent today." She said the last bit while smiling.

Nora responded, "I simply want us to enjoy our time together. I told you. I just sold a house yesterday. I promise you that I can afford to buy you a dress. Trust me."

Silvia smiled at the thought and then grinned at her guide.

They enjoyed their lunch and went back to shopping with a renewed vigor. Their first store was Nordstrom's. Sylvia's eyes bugged out when she saw where they were going but didn't say a word.

They were both a little disappointed in the juniors' section, because the styles weren't very classy. Nora asked, "Are you familiar with Audrey Hepburn?"

"Sure."

"Did you ever watch Breakfast at Tiffany's"

"Yyeeeees?" Silvia wasn't sure where this was going.

"Remember how classy Audrey looked in that movie?"

"MmmHmm"

"That's the look we should be going for - not trendy, nor wild, but classy. I want to find you a classy little-black-dress that makes everyone remember what a beautiful young lady you are."

"Really?"

It was Nora's turn to nod. Silvia loved the way Nora dressed. Even today, she looked very sharp in her boots, designer jeans, cashmere turtleneck and scarf under her Burberry coat. Silvia would love to dress like her.

Nora took her to the women's dresses. Jackpot. Immediately they found several nice dresses, and a size 0 petite or some size 2 petite dresses fit her young frame quite well. The smile returned to Silvia's face. During a brief pause, they found a nice pair of black, pointed-toe slingback pumps, with a short two inch heel, for her to wear, and she was back to trying on dresses again, strutting her stuff from the dressing room to the mirror where Nora was waiting, watching, laughing and taking lots of pictures on her cell phone.

They spent at least two hours there and had a grand time. While Silvia was changing from the last dress, Nora asked the salesperson to hold the shoes and the dress that looked the best on her ward and also asked if someone could find some nice black sheer tights to match the dress for Silvia.

The rest of the day was much more pleasant. Macy's, Brooks Brothers, Talbot's and Ann Taylor all had something to offer and with something nice now being held at Nordstrom, the shopping was much more relaxed. Nora even purchased some underwear for Silvia that wouldn't cause VPLs (visible panty lines) to show through the dress.

They stopped for another coffee, decaf, and sampled a few goodies at Godiva chocolatier while they browsed. They enjoyed each other's company and learned more about each other. Each of them was having a wonderful day. Late in the afternoon, Silvia looked at her watch and said, "Oh, shoot. I guess I should be getting back to start dinner."

Nora hated to bring the day to a close. She asked, "What are you cooking?"

"Some penne pasta with chicken and a crème sauce."

"Ohhh. That sounds good. Want some help?"

Sylvia's eyes were filled with wonder. "Really? I would love for you to, but you've spent all day with me. I'd feel guilty if you helped me cook."

"Nonsense. Sadly, I don't have a date lined up, so I'd love to spend the evening with you. When does your grandmother get back?"

"She'll probably get back just after seven, and Daddy will get home around eight."

Nora said, "Well, let's go get your dress."

Excited isn't a strong enough word to describe how Silvia felt. She loved the dress and hoped her dad and grandmother would, too.

When it was time to pay for the dress, Silvia saw the shoes and tights in the bag. She knew it was going to be a lot more than $60. It was. She was very pleased when she gave Nora her money; happy that she contributed towards the purchase of her dress. She was looking forward to the next weekend.

On the drive back, they stopped by the Whole Foods where Elise was working and picked up some fresh penne pasta for cooking, some fresh parmesan cheese and a few beverages for the adults, plus some soda for Silvia. Elise was pleased to see them and hugged her granddaughter, for whom she was very happy. She was almost as happy for Nora who looked like she was having a good time also.

Nora asked, "do you mind if I help her cook dinner?"

"Honey, of course I don't mind. I'll see both of you later."

What had started as a day to simply help a young lady get a dress for an upcoming dance, had turned into so much more.

Nora enjoyed spending time with Silvia. She found her to be fun, funny, bright and quite sharp. Yet she was also terribly vulnerable because of what her mother did and was searching for love and reassurance. Nora enjoyed providing encouragement to her. She enjoyed her day very much.

Silvia looked up to Nora. Here stood a woman that was intelligent, educated, refined and very confident in herself. She guessed that Nora was near thirty, or slightly over. Yet she already owned her own realty agency and was obviously doing well at it. Silvia didn't have the desire to be a realtor, but she thought that being around Nora would be good for her, and not only because Nora bought things for her.

When Elise got home from work, the smell from the kitchen was wonderful, especially because she didn't have to cook it.

Upon hearing her enter the house, Silvia was all over her grandmother to come have a seat at the kitchen/dining table to look at the pictures that Nora took. "Nanny, so many of the dresses were soooo nice. We had a hard time deciding." After several pictures she said, "Look at this one! Can you believe they let me try on a $1,200 dollar dress? It was a Zac Posen. Isn't that crazy. You should have seen it..." and on and on and on it went. Finally, she showed the actual dress, shoes and tights to her grandmother, who was thrilled for her granddaughter.

Elise caught Nora off-guard when she pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thank you for letting me see her smile again. It's been such a long time since I've seen it."

Nora told her, "that's a shame, because she has such a wonderful smile. I like seeing it, too."

A similar occurrence happened when Daniel arrived. Immediately he was hugged by his daughter, who was very happy and happy to see him. He, too, was pleased by the smell of dinner, but unlike last night, he wasn't upset to see Nora still there. Given the pleasant smiles on everyone's faces, he was rather happy, also. There hadn't been enough happiness in their lives lately.

They told him to take a quick shower, or they were going to eat without him; so he hurried. The plates were on the table when he returned, and Silvia quickly showed him many of the dresses she had tried on. From time to time he would look over at Nora and smile, and she would return his look with an almost entertained look of her own.

Finally, he asked his daughter, "So, are you going to show me which dress you bought?"

Before Silvia could reply, Elise interrupted, "Just wait to see it on her next weekend. I've seen it, and I think you'll approve. You saw it in the pictures she showed you, and none of those were too tight or too short."

This was true. Nora did a great job of selecting dresses that were tasteful and classy.

Elise knew Daniel wasn't going to ask, so she took it upon herself to stir the pot. "Nora, if you aren't doing anything next Saturday night, you could take my place in helping to chaperone the dance."

Everyone stared at Elise after saying that. She continued, "What? She could."

Daniel and Silvia started at the same time; with a "pleeeeease" from Silvia and Daniel beginning to protest. "I'm sure she's much too..." was all he got out before Nora said, "I'd love to." Immediately silencing the room.

"I would. I've invested a lot of time in this dinner/dance already. I'd love to help Silvia any way I can." Then she looked at Daniel and gave him a coy look and said, "That is if Daniel doesn't mind."

Actually, Daniel was caught off guard by that look. How did he feel about Nora accompanying them? He guessed he was fine. No. If her coming would make Silvia happy, then he was quite delighted. He wanted to continue to see his daughter in a good mood for a change.

"Mind? I think that would be very kind of you. Thank you."

Nora smiled back at him.

It was quickly getting late and Nora began to excuse herself for the evening. Silvia gave her a long hung and thanked her profusely for everything. She had such a wonderful day, etc. etc. Nora returned the sentiments. She said, "I hope we get to do it again some time." Everyone there would like for that to happen.

As she walked towards her car, Daniel followed and opened her door. "Nora, I'd like to thank you too. I don't get to do as much with my daughter as I used to, and I know the lack of attention has been hard on her. Thank you for today. It means a great deal to me."

"It really was my pleasure, Daniel. You are raising a special young lady. You are welcome."

After he closed her door for her, she backed out and drove away. Daniel caught himself thinking, "she seems really nice. I'll bet she is going to look really nice next weekend." Then he realized everyone at church was going to think it was a date. Oh, Lord. What had he gotten himself into?