THE SEWING ROOM

I WAS GOING TO WORK IN THE SEWING ROOM! I WAS SO HAPPY, I LOVED BEING AROUND THE FABRICS, THE SMELLS OF FABRIC, THE SEWING MACHINES AND THE NOTIONS. THERE WERE BUTTONS AND ZIPPERS, THREADS AND SCISSORS, AND SO MANY OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS. OFF TO THE SIDE WAS ANOTHER SMALLER ROOM WITH SEVERAL IRONS AND IRONING BOARDS. THERE WAS A HUGE CLOSET JUST FULL OF BOLTS OF FABRICS IN ALL COLORS AND PATTERNS. I WAS FASCINATED BY ALL OF THE BOLTS OF LACE. THE SEWING MACHINES WERE OF AN OLDER STYLE, AND YOU HAD TO PRESS A BAR WITH THE SIDE OF YOUR KNEE TO RUN THE MACHINE. EACH MACHINE HAD A TUFTED STOOL IN FRONT OF IT TO SIT ON. EVERYTHING WAS NEAT AND IN IT'S PLACE AND THE WHOLE ROOM WELL ORGANIZED. THE MANAGER WHO RAN THE SEWING ROOM TOLD ME TO LOOK AROUND AND FAMILIARIZE MYSELF WITH EVERYTHING. I SAW THAT THE SCISSORS WERE HUNG ON A WALL, THE OTHER NOTIONS WERE NEATLY KEPT IN BINS OR DRAWERS SO THAT THEY COULD EASILY BE FOUND AND THE FABRICS WERE STORED ACCORDING TO COLOR. I ESPECIALLY LOVED THE COTTON FABRIC THAT WAS LIGHT AND AIRY AND OF PASTEL COLORS. SOON, THE MANAGER ASKED ME WHAT I COULD DO, AND I TOLD HER THAT I COULD RUN A SEWING MACHINE AND CUT A PATTERN. I WASN'T TOO GOOD AT BUTTON HOLES OR ZIPPERS YET, BUT WANTED TO LEARN. SHE CHEERFULLY SHOWED MY WHERE MY MACHINE WAS AND I SAT DOWN IN FRONT OF IT ON AN OLD FASHIONED STOOL THAT HAD LOVELY UPHOLSTERY. I RAN MY HAND OVER THE MACHINE AND AGAIN PERUSED THE ITEMS IN THE ROOM. I FELT RIGHT AT HOME.
THE MANAGER EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE MAKING NIGHTGOWNS FOR THE GIRLS IN THE HOME. SHE SHOWED ME THE FABRIC TO BE USED, (THE LOVELY LAWN COTTON THAT I HAD SO ADMIRED) AND THE LACE FOR THE SLEEVES. SHE SAID THE COLOR DIDN'T MATTER, SO I WENT TO THE FABRIC CLOSET AND CHOSE DIFFERENT PASTELS AND LOTS OF WHITE LACE. A FEW OTHER GIRLS AND I BEGAN TO CUT THE FABRIC AND PILE UP GOWNS FOR EACH OF US TO SEW. IT SURPRISED ME AS TO HOW EASY THE WORK WAS, AND I FELT REALLY SPECIAL TO BE A PART OF IT. WE TOOK A LUNCH BREAK, AND THE SEWING ROOM MANAGER SAT DOWN TO SPEAK TO ME. SHE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT I WANTED TO DO THE BEST I COULD, AND SHARED A SECRET WITH ME. SHE SAID THAT THE KIDS THAT COULD BE TRUSTED WOULD BE GIVEN EXTRA PRIVILEGES. ONCE I HAD PROVEN THAT I WAS TRUSTWORTHY, I WOULD BE ABLE TO COME AND GO WITH MUCH MORE FREEDOM. I HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO STAY OUT OF THE MATRON'S WAY SO THAT I WOULDN'T GET INTO TROUBLE, AND THIS INFORMATION ONLY MADE ME MORE DETERMINED TO BE KNOWN AS A GOOD KID.
THE DAYS PASSED PLEASANTLY, THE GIRLS AND I CHATTING AND WORKING TOGETHER. SOON, MY SEWING BECAME VERY NEAT AND I WAS PRAISED FOR MY GOOD WORK. THE OTHER GIRLS IN THE COTTAGE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW I COULD SPEND MY LAST SUMMER DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL WORKING IN A SEWING SHOP, BUT THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW I ENJOYED THE FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AND PRAISE THAT I WAS GIVEN. USUALLY I FINISHED MY WORK SOONER THAN THE ALLOTTED TIME AND I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AROUND THE SHOP. THE THING I LOVED THE MOST WAS THE BINS OF BUTTONS. THERE WERE HUGE BINS OF BUTTONS OF ALL COLORS, SHAPES AND SIZES. EACH TIME AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING WAS TAKEN TO THE RAG BIN, THE BUTTONS HAD TO BE CAREFULLY REMOVED TO BE USED AGAIN. SOME OF THE BUTTONS WERE IN CIGAR BOXES, SOME IN WOODEN BOXES AND SOME IN BIG GLASS JARS. I WOULD PLUNGE MY HAND INTO THE BUTTONS AND TAKE OUT AS MANY AS I COULD HOLD, AND THEN SORT THROUGH THEM TO MATCH THEM UP IF I COULD. SOME OF THOSE BUTTONS WERE VERY OLD, AND VERY INTERESTING. THEN, ONE DAY AS I WAS RUNNING MY HANDS THROUGH WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN OLD WOODEN BOX FILLED WITH BUTTONS, SOMETHING SHINY CAUGHT MY EYE. I LET THE BUTTONS FILTER THROUGH MY FINGERS LOOKING FOR WHATEVER THE SHINY OBJECT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. TO MY SURPRISE, IT WAS A RING. THE STONE WAS NOT TOO LARGE, AND IT WAS A LIME GREEN COLOR. THE BAND WAS SILVER, BUT HAD BEEN HIDDEN AWAY FOR SO LONG THAT THE SHINE WAS DULLED. I KNEW IT WAS A VALUABLE RING, BUT WHO COULD HAVE LOST IT? WAS IT SOMEONE WHO LIKED THE BUTTONS AS MUCH AS I DID? I PLACED THE RING ON MY RIGHT RING FINGER, KNOWING THAT IT WOULDN'T FIT, AND TO MY SURPRISE, IT WAS A PERFECT FIT! MY FINGER WAS LARGE, BUT I GUESS THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD LARGE FINGERS TOO. I MOVED MY FINGER FORWARD AND BACK REFRACTING THE LIGHT OFF OF THE GREEN STONE. FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD TELL NO ONE THAT I HAD FOUND THE RING, I WAS AFRAID THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TURN IT IN. BUT THEN, I DECIDED TO TELL THE SEWING ROOM MANAGER WHERE I HAD FOUND IT. AFTER ALL, SHE SEEMED TO TRUST ME. WHEN I SHOWED IT TO HER AND EXPLAINED THAT IT HAD BEEN IN THE OLD BOX OF BUTTONS, SHE LOOKED AT IT CAREFULLY. I KNEW THEN THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP IT. SHE TOOK MY HAND AND PLACED THE RING IN MY PALM. "FINDERS KEEPERS, LOSER'S WEEPERS!" SHE SAID WITH A BIG SMILE ON HER FACE. I WISHED THAT I COULD TELL THE FORMER OWNER HOW MUCH THE RING MEANT TO ME, BUT I COULDN'T SO I VOWED TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT. I WORE IT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, AND THAT NIGHT WHEN I WENT TO BED, I CAREFULLY HID IT IN THE BACK OF MY DRESSER DRAWER. I WAS AFRAID THAT THE MATRON WOULD TAKE IT FROM ME IF SHE SAW IT. I WORE THAT RING TO THE SEWING SHOP EACH AND EVERY DAY, AND IT WAS AS IF IT WERE A SYMBOL OF GOOD LUCK TO ME. TOMORROW, I WILL TELL YOU OF THE BEAUTY SHOP AT THE HOME. LOVE, NANASEE