Tuesday, November 1, 2005

The Broken Necklace


I just got back from clothes shopping.

Can pants getting any longer? I am of a fairly average height of 5'5 so why is the length so long, they fold at the bottom of my feet and stick out under the dressing room door! I heard a woman's voice say, "excuse me" as she stepped over them.

Quietly, inside another dressing room, I could hear two teenage girls talking a few feet away.
"Oh, m'gawwd, like that tee is rilly, rilly cuuuute. And it's just plain white, so no one will know you got it here, ya know?"
"Totally. Do you like these pants? Does it make my butt look small? Oh m'gaawwd, what is THAAAT on my face? Is that a pimple!?"
"I don't see it. Oh, yes, I do. Ewwww... get it awaaay from meee!"
"Why didn't you tell me? Oh m'gawwd, it's covering half my face!"
"Ewww, I think it just popped up. I would have seen THAT!"
"Let's get out of here. I could JUST die".
"Are you getting those pants? I totally love them".
"I love them, too. Not totally."
"If you don't love them totally, then don't get them".
"I WOULD totally love them, but I just don't like this pucker".
"What pucker?"
"This pucker."
"Where?"
"Here!"
"Ohhh m'gawwwd, now i see it! Maybe you can find another pair that doesn't have it!"
"Why didn't I see that pucker on you when you tried these on?"
"Like, I'm a little smaller than you..."
"I hate you."
"i hate you more."
"Did I just make that zit larger on my face?"
"Ewwww. Let's go. My mom's going to pick us up in less than five minutes!"

Just then, I pulled a sweater over my head. I had forgotten I had a small beaded necklace on. And, as I pulled, the necklace went with it. Out of the silence came loud pinging of the smalll colorful balls bouncing to the ground and spraying out everywhere like a clogged faucet!

"Oh m'gawwd! What is that sound?" One of the teenage girls shrieked.
"Is that the ceiling crumbling?"
"NoOoOoo, look! LoOoOok! Someone broke their necklace."
"Oh m'gawwd, how saaad is THAT!"

They gathered them up and waited for me to open the dressing room door to hand them to me. But I couldn't. The sweater was still stuck around my necklace.

21 comments:

Amy Zaleski said...

That story is hilarious! Love the illustration, too, it really conveys that feeling of beads popping and going everywhere! The teenage banter is just icing on the cake!

Tony Sarrecchia... said...

Great illustration. You also have a great ear for dialouge.

Catnapping said...

great movement. i could see the beads bouncing all over the place!

very funny story, too.

Anonymous said...

Heehaha, great story! Look at your eyes! Hilarious - although the situation is awful :) Your illustration also captures the colour and feel at shopping centres!!

Todd DeWolf said...

Wow! I just had a retail flashback! Yikes. Very amusing and well done.

The Unknown said...

Great illustration. Great story! Funny!
love

carla said...

OMG! That's a riot, especially since it's so true! Your illo is wonderful on its own...it tells the story without words, but the story makes it priceless. Yep..I often listen to those long drawn out teenile conversations in dressing rooms wondering if I used to sound like that. Probably... Good work, Shawn:>

Corrine said...

great illustration!
and i really enjoyed reading your whole blog..agh I need to find a hobby! other than living through others lives

Knitting Painter Woman said...

Saaaaaaad story and great re-telling. Hope you write something for teens, you caught the tone and values!

Alina Chau said...

Lovely illo!! HA !! HA !!

PaintMonster said...

wow super beautiful illustration!!
especially your color pallet is really nice!!

c h e l said...

I felt so sad for those girls, until I read that they tried to gather up the beads for you. Then I realized that while their conversations may be empty, at least their hearts aren't.

Love the illustration- I'm 5'4 and have given up on jeans/pants totally because cuffing/pegging pants went out when I was 13. Trying on clothes has become dangerous for me. So I wear dresses and skirts and wait until cropped pants make another comeback so I can buy trousers that are the right length for me!!

Jaimie said...

funny story and you illustrated it beautifully

violetismycolor said...

I love both your illo and your story...the dialogue between the two teens was just priceless (I hope I never sounded like that!)...

Alison Ashwell said...

its rotten when beads break like that
and even worse when you find them under your feet in the dark- aargh!

bee'nme said...

Priceless story - so well written - and illustrated! Made me laugh out loud. Love everything about it! Kudos!!

"Maggie" said...

The story was so hilariously funny, I have actually listened to this same sort of conversation while living in CA. The teenagers there all have this slang. The illustration is colorful and the beads bouncing off everywhere is such a great touch!

Julie Oakley said...

Love the story and the picture

The Whippy Curly Tails said...

love this, how many times has this happened to me.

great work!

Courtney said...

this is fantastic and funny!

Dan Guerra said...

I'm having a blast re-reading these Shawn! Your stories are hilarious!