The Designer and the Model

Chapter 5 - Apartment

Chapter 5

It was pretty great to see mid-town Manhattan again, mom, dad and I explored all over New York City when we first moved here from Australia. Got the 'I love NYC' t-shirts and everything but I didn't quite remember everything being so big and it to be so busy and booshie. I guess because we just went to all the touristy places and not so much around the Garment District, if there was any one place to feel your poorest, it was here. Gucci was as common as blue jeans and I for sure didn't fit in here with my basic blue-jeaned fashion sense and there was no getting away from it because right around the corner was where I am going to be staying.

Drake gave me a tour and the place was nice, really nice. Studio apartment with 2 months already paid for me. It was a frightening reality that I'd be paying for this place on my own but the more frightening fact was that I will be potentially living here for 2 months on my own.

I couldn't even imagine living on my own.

I'd been here maybe an hour on my own and I'd only sat on my insanely large California King staring around the place before the silence got to me and I called my dad.

It'd only been a few hours since I'd seen him but it felt good to hear his voice, he was so excited for me and even looked up the apartment I'm staying in. He found out it was a $3000 a month apartment and he felt the dread I did but was excited all the same even reassuring me if it didn't work out that my name isn't on the lease so I'd be in the clear if worst came to worst. It took a lot of pressure off to know that.

Drake: Be at the workshop as soon as you can please. I forgot to tell you Lucinda needs to take your measurements.

I tried not to freak out at the idea of keeping that women waiting, she didn't like me very much now. I sure as shit didn't want to make things even worse.

Throwing on my VANS I grabbed my keys and punched in the address for the workshop, it's only a 10 minute walk away.

I made it their in 5 as I partially ran, after being buzzed in I was confronted by the scale of art, detail and texture. Runway ready manikins were placed all over, rolls of fabrics lined neatly in a wooden framed shelving unit that reached the high sealing and right next to it was a ladder that looked like it belonged the wizard maker off Harry Potter. I slowly walked in and passed some framed art pieces resting up against each other on the floor but I was stunned when I saw the wall length window. Overseeing as far as Central Park.

I could imagine how beautiful it'd look here at night when all of New York comes alive.

Sitting down in front of the middle of the window I shifted a pillow to the side of the daybed to get a better look.

"Shit..." A book slid and thumped to the ground behind me, spilling loose papers and photographs onto the floor.

Sketches of outfit designs, dresses and all sorts of crazy cool looking stuff. I hurried putting it all back in the book as I heard a door close and heeled footsteps coming closer, sitting up straight Lucinda appeared past the shelving wiping what looked like blue dye off her elbow.

Mentally my jaw dropped seeing her in a singlet, she had thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of tattoos all over her. Stopping at the top of the neck but covering all I could see of her chest and arms and hands. Not taking notice of me she started to pin her hair in an updo, looking at her reflection from a framed mirror. I was right before when I thought it looked like she had blacked out her arm, it was. All the way up to her shoulder.

I stood when she came my way, "Drake told me to come by to get my measurements done."

"Mhmm," Lucinda grabbed my arm and I shuffled over until she got me on a small metal plate on the ground, shifting me around with my back up against the poll behind me. Reaching her hand above me, my eyes followed before her other hand shifted my head straight. Her chest in my direct line of sight. Awkwardly I tried to look anywhere else as Lucinda look my height.

Letting me go she left for the center work table, writing on the book laid out.

"Underwear, you're wearing them?" Her Russian ascent carried across to me and I couldn't tell if she was kidding or something but when she annoyingly put down her pen and looked at me with her cold blue eyes I got the hint.

"I am, yeah. Bra, underwear, socks, everything." I hated how frightened and timid and nervous I sounded, in my head it seems relaxed. I watched as she pulled out a fancy Japanese looking room divider, ushering around to the other side I paused. Realizing she wanted me to take my clothes off.

A slight clearing of her throat made me feel like I was taking too long, so I just got over it quickly. Like taking off a bandage. Kicking my jeans off with my shirt and shoes, I folded the divider and went over to Lucinda as her hands rested on her corset trained waist while she waited.

Taking a step closer to me with the measuring ribbon Lucinda took my palms in hers, moving them away out straight at my sides and started at my waist before writing it down.

"So how long have you been a designer?"

My voice seemed to echo through the workshop and my anxiety spiked so high when Lucinda crouched down, her hands smoothing over my thigh with the ribbon in her hands.

"We don't have to be friends, you are not interested in the work. You're here to get paid."

Her thumb brushed too high and I flinched but she continued to measure my other thigh. Kinda of like I was just a piece of meat.

"I'd just thought we could talk or something while we do this. I'm not used to walking around in my underwear while someone examines every part of me."

Sitting up Lucinda turn her head around and called out "Ey siri igrat' muzyku."

"Playing music on Spotify." A blue speaker responded and heavy metal played but the words were spoken in a different language that I could only guess was Russian.

Lucinda finished fairly quickly after that and once I was dressed I reproached her but she didn't want anything else she just gestured to the door.

I said my goodbyes and predictably Lucinda said nothing but before I closed the door behind me I saw her watching me from the workbench with an expression that followed till I went to bed. Staring at my quiet sealing I kept seeing that look she thought I didn't catch.

I knew I wasn't reading it right or just reading too much into it but I couldn't help but let it bother me.