While we have many customers that come and go in the dress shop I currently work at, I still manage to remember names and faces. I have many stories to tell but I don't find it appropriate to put them all on this blog. Anyway, this past Valentine's Day, a young couple came in looking for a ball gown. They were likely Seniors. While an odd couple in appearance I'd say they were a match in personality. Their names were Mickey and Melinda.
I helped Melinda find her perfect dress and discussed different ball and prom topics with her boyfriend while she tried different dresses on in the dressing room. When she was satisfied and her boyfriend was satisfied she purchased and they left happily to go find Mickey a tux. I don't normally watch customers leave, but I felt something amiss and watched this couple get in their vehicle and leave. I couldn't tell what it was though.
A dozen or so customers later I am strolling the isles and happen upon something lying on the floor. It was a leather bracelet with the lines: SPC James N Dykes Mobile, AL US Army Arghanistan 2011 burned on it. On the back was a link and the words Made in the USA. I new it was likely a special bracelet to its owner and wanted to get it back to them right away, but who's could it be. One sniff told me who. Mickey's face popped in my head the moment the smell of cologne it carried touched my nose. Then I remembered seeing it on his wrist. Amazingly, I didn't notice any particular odor around them, probably because the only odor I ever notice around people is the repulsive smell of cigarettes- but my subconscious remembered by smell who the bracelet belonged to.
I kept it at the store for two days hoping the Mickey would come back for it, but realizing that he might not even remember where he lost it, I decided that I would hang onto it. If I ever run into him or Melinda again it's as good as theirs again, but until then, it's mine. I'm proud to wear it because I'm hoping that others will ask about it. And I can tell them the same thing I'm going to tell you.
Bracelets such as Mickey's can be found at www.herobracelets.org I highly recommend visiting the site and even have a few other links. Please look through the following links before you continue browsing herobracelets.org on your own. If, like me, you are not related to any US service member or veteran you can easily adopt one.
Channing Moss' story. I cut this story out of my local newspaper and have treasured it all these years. Now I finally got to hear it again! visit:
And a note to Mickey if he should ever come across this. You can have the bracelet back if you still want it. Until then, I'll be spreading the word about Herobracelets.org to anyone who asks. I'd heard about it years ago but perhaps failed to check it out or forgot about it. The bracelet will have lost it cologne odor because I'm going to condition it with mink oil.
2 comments:
Congrats on finding a job! How do you like working at a dress shop? I applied at one here in my town... nothing. pray for me, my job searching isn't going too well. **pulls hair in frustration**
i sure do miss working with the public...it's so fun.
Its not hard when its a family job. :/ And I feel like a prisoner, not even seeing one hour of sunlight in the past 3 weeks! ugh...there's gotta be an outdoor job somewhere, I'd prefer running around town seeing people.
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