Chapter 3 - The Threat on My Doorstep
By three in the afternoon, the bell above my shop door rattled hard enough to vibrate the glass pane.
June marched inside, wearing designer sunglasses and carrying the certified envelope crumpled in her fist.
She slammed the paper onto the glass display counter, glaring at me while two elderly customers turned around from the fitting mirror.
"What is this garbage, Maya?" she demanded, lowering her glasses just enough to reveal her furious eyes.
"Are you trying to ruin my life right before the biggest event of my entire future?"
"I’m running a licensed business, June," I replied, handing a finished skirt to Mrs. Gable with a polite nod.
"You told me to stay away from the ceremony and demand five thousand dollars to cover my absence. This is my counter-offer."
June waited until the customers scurried out the door before she stepped right up to the partition.
"You gave me that dress as a present! It’s already hanging in my bedroom, and there’s nothing you can do about it."
"I haven’t signed the intellectual property release, June," I said, pointing to the fine print on the invoice.
"And if Gene’s family is in the textile industry, they understand what unauthorized trademark duplication means under state law."
June laughed, a brittle, ugly sound that stripped away the last remaining memories of our childhood together.
"You’re a strip-mall seamstress in Hickory. Nobody cares what you sign, and Gene’s family wouldn't even look at your name."
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"Then you shouldn't have any problem finding eight thousand dollars to settle your account," I said softly.
"Pay the bill, or return the dress before sunset."
