Jacqueline Forster is 28 years old. A month ago, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and spoke to herself.
"You're looking old. You're looking past it. No job. No man. No prospects. No skills. No qualifications. And you're a virgin. What ARE you going to do?"
She had no ideas. Jacqueline was not ugly. She wasn't even plain. But she lacked confidence, self esteem and ambition. She wasn't a small size but not overweight either. She was taller than average and a UK size 14 but her dress sense was dictated by her mother and she tended to wear clothes at least ten years out of date, and sometimes from an earlier generation, selected from the same shops her mother visited. She'd become increasingly aware of her unfashionable appearance but didn't know what to do about it since she had no close women friends. Her girl friends of schooldays were now all married and had moved away from the farming village where the Forsters lived.
A few days later, on a cold November day, she was in Leeds after attended a job interview, which she failed. She knew Leeds a little because that's where she and her mother did her unfashionable clothes shopping, even though the city was full of stylish boutiques and department stores. She looked at her own reflection and saw the brown woollen coat, the brown hat, the brown and grey scarf, and the black flat-heeled shoes. She was despondent and looked through the great windows at the fashionable displays, almost daring herself to go inside and buy some modern styles for herself.
She became aware of a man standing next to her, also looking in at the women's clothes. He spoke.
"That one there; it would suit you. And that sweater, and the scarf, and those boots over there."
Instead of ignoring the strange man, as she had been taught by all the women in the family, she looked at the items he pointed out and saw such beautiful clothes that she never owned in her life and couldn't imagine wearing. Then she turned to him.
"Do you think so?"
"Yes, I do," he said, "why don't we go and see if they do suit you?"
She flinched a little at the "we" but still didn't turn her back on him and walk away. She looked at the prices and realized that she couldn't afford to buy the outfit, anyway.
"Come on," he urged gently, as an uncle might do, and she pondered for a moment how to say she didn't have enough money with her or at home and she didn't even have a bank account. She decided to come straight out and use that as her excuse to escape from a conversation that she didn't start and couldn't control.
"I can't afford them," she said clearly but with some embarrassment.
"But do you like them?" he persisted, "Because, if you do, I'll buy them for you."
She felt threatened by such generosity from a stranger.
"No," she spoke firmly, "I don't know you. What you're saying isn't right."
"Well, I'm the general manager of this store and, yes, you do know me but you've forgotten."
For the first time, she looked at him full in the face and saw something about him that touched a memory.
"Yes, but I don't remem.........," she started.
"I'm Daniel Craven. In your last year at school, I was Amanda Dunn's boyfriend," he said quietly, "Now do you remember?"
"Yes," she smiled for the first time and recalled for herself the details of Amanda and the boyfriend, who was ten years older than any of them.
"I liked you," she said candidly, "but she kept you away from the rest of us." And she giggled like the schoolgirl she once was.
"And I liked you, Jackie. I've thought a lot about you since then."
Only her school friends ever called her Jackie.
"No you haven't," she giggled again, "Amanda wanted you all to herself."
"Amanda and I finished because I wanted her to arrange parties and events with you there." he was serious, "She pushed me away because I spoke about you too often."
"Are you really the general manager here?"
"I certainly am."
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A month later, Jacqueline had her new set of clothes from that day, and others also. She was fashionable in her colours, her fabrics, her styles and her accessories. She was particularly pleased with her collection of boots. They made her feel taller and more elegant. Her hair was restyled. She discovered that she had a nice figure for her size, and that standard sizes in fashionable clothes fitted her very well.
Daniel was so caring about her and had started to teach her the ways of passion. How to kiss properly, not like a schoolgirl. How to play sensuously with each other's bodies, including her own. In the past few days, how to make love with him. He was learning about her sensuality, and the latent passion that she had stored up all her life. She surprised him and he felt younger when he was with her. He was falling in love with her, after merely being interested and feeling lust from ten years before.
She was beginning to think of marriage although they hadn't spoken of it. They were planning for her to move into his apartment over the store, sometime in the next few weeks. Her parents were happy for her friendship with Daniel but concerned at his age, and at the plan for them to live together.
One evening, after they'd been very close but not making love, he suggested to her,
"I'd like to dress you especially for me one evening. Would you do that?" he asked.
"Of course I will," she replied in his ear whilst kissing his neck, "What will it be?"
"It'll be a surprise for you and an adventure, I hope."