Full Circle (6 page)

Bella assembled
their tent and racks. While Sofia started to unload, Bella went back with the
dolly for the table, greeting her fellow vendors along the way. “Save me a
muffin, Randy,” she called to a food vendor. “I’ll be back in half an hour.”

They worked
quickly and efficiently, having developed a routine for the set-up process.
They had decided early on not to sit while working, reasoning that a standing
salesperson was more professional. For the first time since they’d started coming
to the market, Bella wished they could relax their standards, but she had no
chair. “I need a coffee,” she said, surveying the stand with a critical eye.
Everything looked perfect, as usual. “Randy’s holding a muffin for me. Want
anything?”

Sofia looked
around. Customers were starting to wander the boardwalk already. “No thanks,
but it looks like a slow start this morning. Why don’t you sit for a while?”
The food vendor was fairly close by. “You’ll be able to see if we get busy.”

“Thanks,
Sofia. As usual, you’ve read my mind.” She picked up the coffee and muffin and
sank gratefully onto one of the few chairs positioned on the small slice of
beach beside Randy’s stand.

The forecast
had been for sun this morning, with possible overcast and showers this
afternoon. Bella hoped that the expected surge of customers wouldn’t
materialize until she’d at least finished her coffee.

“You guys
seem to be doing well.” Randy had come out to adjust his awning.

“Yeah, we’re
quite surprised.” Bella broke a piece off the muffin, which was delicious.

Randy
shrugged. “People know quality when they see it. My wife bought a little skirt
for her niece the other week, and she says it’s really well made.

“Oh, I wish
I’d known.” Bella frowned. “I would have given her the discount.” It was
customary for the vendors to give each other a courtesy discount.

“Nah. She
said it was super reasonable. The kid loved it, by the way.”

“Thanks,
Randy. I’ll be sure to mention that to Sofia.”

He shuffled
off again and she sat staring in the direction of their stall, turning over his
words. Considering the speed at which their items sold, she’d wondered if they
were charging enough, but she hadn’t had time to look into it. Another thing to
consider when they took a break this winter...

People were
beginning to stream onto the boardwalk and she watched Sofia put a sundress and
two skirts into a bag and hand the customer her change. Perhaps they should
look into printed bags. She wondered idly if there was somewhere they could
place a small order, or if a huge minimum was required for a custom bag. Sofia was
good at ferreting out that sort of information; she could check it out during
the week.

Lost in
thought, she didn’t notice him at first. Then two young women walked past,
murmuring under their breath and looking back towards the stand.

A man stood
there, studying their display. For a moment Bella forgot to breathe; he was
quite possibly the most handsome man she had ever seen. Tall and lithe, he was
unlike the muscle men that populated Venice Beach, but instinct told her he possessed
an underlying strength. Chiselled cheekbones and a generous mouth drew her eye
but then he raised a hand to touch the fabric of a hanging dress and she saw
his fingers. Long and sensitive, they were deeply tanned like the rest of him.
He exchanged a few words with Sofia and broke into a broad smile. A sharp jab
of jealously caught her unaware, and she pulled back, wondering where that had
come from. She hadn’t looked twice at a man since coming here, and now she was
jealous because a stranger was being pleasant to her partner? She really had to
get a grip.

He stepped
back to allow some customers closer access to the stand, head cocked to one
side. He seemed to be listening to the conversation between the customers and
Sofia. Bella recognized the two women; they had visited the stand a few weeks
previously, buying several items each. It was the kind of sale she didn’t
forget, and she noted that Sofia greeted them warmly.

The man
looked briefly in her direction, checking out the other stands. Up at this end
of the boardwalk they were mostly jewellery and kitschy objects. Even though
she couldn’t see his eyes behind wrap-around sunglasses, she could tell that he
wasn’t interested in visiting them. He smiled and nodded at Sofia, then went
back the way he had come. Bella crammed the remains of the muffin into her
mouth, grabbed the coffee cup and hurried back to the stand.

The women were
gushing over the new, simple pull-over shift that Melissa had insisted would be
popular with girls her age. She’d also been adamant about the colors, and had
chosen solid pastels with two rows of simple white trim at the hemline. To Bella’s
eye they looked washed out beside the other vibrant colors, but as usual Melissa
had been right; they were almost all gone already. Thank goodness there were
two free days until the next market. It was great to sell out, but she hated
the idea of putting too much pressure on Sofia’s workers to come up with more
product. At least Wednesday was a traditionally slow day.

The women
finally left. One of them had purchased a pastel dress and the other had purchased
one of almost everything.

“What did
that man want?” she asked, trying to sound casual. “The one with the
sunglasses.”

Sofia looked
up sharply from re-arranging the table. They knew each other too well by now; Bella’s
interest was obvious. “He was handsome, no?” Her eyes danced.

“Was he?”
Bella made a pathetic attempt at nonchalance, then gave up. “Okay, he was
gorgeous, but what did he want?”

Sofia turned
aside to help another customer. She was enjoying drawing out the moment. When
the woman left with her purchases, she turned back to Bella, a crease between
her brows. “I don’t know, actually. He seemed awfully interested in our ‘line’
as he called it. I mean, most men run for cover when their wives stop here. But
he was different. He wanted to know who did the designing and I said my
partner. Then he wanted to know where we got our fabric. I didn’t give him much
of an answer, but I told him that your daughter makes a lot of the choices.”
She paused and grinned, remembering the conversation. “He thought that was a
great idea.”

Bella’s
protective instincts leaped to the fore. “Maybe he’s heard about us and wants
to cash in on our success.”

Sofia
shrugged. “Anybody could do that. The other clothing vendors are always
checking us out.”

“Yes but they
get their stuff from Taiwan. They’re only resellers.”

“True enough.
I’m just saying that we can’t copyright a dress.” She nudged her friend. “Look
on the bright side. Melissa’s new pull-over shift is an instant hit.”

The crowds
started to build, and they spent the rest of the day serving their customers.
By the time it started to rain, they had less than a dozen items left.

“Will we have
enough stock by Wednesday?” asked Bella, folding up the table.

“Yes, I
already have several people working on it.” As usual, Sofia had the production
end of the business under control. “You’re sure you’re okay doing it alone? We
don’t have to put up the stand at all if you don’t want to.” Sofia was taking
the girls to register for school.

“I don’t
mind. Besides, I think it’s important to be here every market day.”

* * *

Rafael Vargas
lifted the wine bottle from the cooler, surprised to see that it was almost
empty. He’d been relieved to find his preferred Chilean Chardonnay at the local
wine shop. He poured the remainder into his glass and leaned back in the lounge
chair. Somewhere out there, the sun was sliding into the sea behind a curtain
of cloud. After a week of steady sun, the cooler temperatures were welcome.

He’d been
sitting here most of the afternoon, ever since returning from his shortened
drive. Venice Beach had been a revelation. He’d been told what to expect of
course, but even so the wild outfits and dazzling energy of the place had left
him with an amused smile on his face. But amusement had changed to keen
interest when he spotted a stand selling children’s clothing. No, he told
himself, not children’s clothing...clothing specifically for young girls. The
narrow scope of the offerings fascinated him, as did the original styles on
offer. He’d been drawn to the stand like a fish securely hooked on a line, but
he hadn’t been fighting. Every instinct he possessed told him that this vendor
was different.

He’d watched
with interest as the woman behind the table greeted two women like old friends.
They’d evidently purchased there previously, and their conversation made it
clear that they’d been so satisfied that they’d returned for more. One had gone
on at length about “Kristy” and he’d had a fleeting impression that she was a
housekeeper, or a nanny...he couldn’t tell. The confidence of the woman in
charge of the stand had impressed him; small and attractive, she’d surprised
him by introducing herself and telling him that she was one of the partners of
the business.

And why
not?
he thought now. This was America, after all. Land of the Free, etc. 
Rafael had finished off his education with a three-year business course at
Harvard, and having learned the way Americans feel about business, nothing surprised
him any more. To top it all off, his keen business sense told him that the
little clothing business was poised to explode if handled properly. The woman
had said that her partner’s daughter had a big part in choosing the styles and
fabrics. The woman’s name was Sofia, but what had she said her partner’s name
was? He tapped the wine glass with his fingernails. “Bella!” That was it. The
name sounded more Italian than Spanish, but that was immaterial. Before driving
out of the parking lot, he’d already decided to go back on Wednesday. There was
something compelling about two immigrants creating such a successful business
and he wanted another look. Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough.

“Here, take
this with you.” Sofia handed a sign to Bella. Beautifully executed, it hung on
two chains. “See these hooks? You attach them to the frame of the tent, and it
hangs down just the right distance to be visible beneath the fringe.”

The sign was
simple, yet effective. Approximately two feet wide, it held one word:
‘Bella’
,
in the same script that Sofia had chosen for the garment tags.

Bella gave
her friend a quick hug. “You think of everything,” she said. “I’ll hang it up
today.”

The market on
Wednesdays was never quite as crowded, and as a result was more relaxed. Bella
hated to miss out on taking the girls for school registration, but she’d
consoled herself that she would be there on the day that really mattered...the
first day of school. And Melissa couldn’t be in better hands.

The car
practically drove itself to the beach, and she allowed her thoughts to wander.
Never once had she regretted her decision to move to California on her own.
Watching her daughter grow up had been the most fulfilling thing she’d ever
done. After Melissa’s birth, Bella had been prepared to put her dreams on hold
while she raised her daughter. For the first five years she’d done just that,
and been perfectly content. And then almost overnight her daughter had morphed
from a child into a young lady. She still got goose bumps when she thought
about it. Far from holding her back, Melissa had become a factor in the growth
of her small business. Just this morning, she’d had another brilliant idea.

“Mommy,”
she’d said, watching Bella manipulate the scrunchy onto her hair. “Where did
that scrunchy come from? It’s made from the same fabric as my sundress.”

Bella hid a
smile; it was odd to hear a five-year-old use the term ‘fabric’.

“That’s
right,” she said, reaching for her purse. “Sofia ran it up for me one day when
I was complaining about holding my hair back.”

Melissa gave
her a questioning look. “Why don’t we make them and sell them with the
dresses?” she asked. “Or we could give them away with the dresses.”

Bella
stopped. Why hadn’t she thought about that? Virtually every young girl in
California had long hair these days.

“What a
fabulous idea. Remind me again tonight, will you sweetie?” She had no doubt
whatsoever that her daughter would do just that.

* * *

“Happy
Wednesday.” Randy had waited until she’d set up her display, and then wandered
over with a cup of coffee. “I see you’re alone today,” he said, handing it to
her. He stood back and admired the sign. “That’s cool. You guys are looking
more like pros every week.”

“Do you think
so?” Bella didn’t feel very professional today. As usual, there wasn’t enough
time between getting up and leaving for the market. “Thanks.”

She stood
back and admired the way the sign swung gently in the off-shore breeze. “That
was Sofia’s idea. Kind of makes us look like we belong, doesn’t it?”

Randy nodded.
“Trouble is, things won’t be the same when you guys are gone.”

It took a
moment for his words to sink in. “What do you mean?” she said, rounding on him.
“We’re not going anywhere.” She searched his face for a clue as to what he was
talking about. “What have you heard?”

He backed up,
palms out. “Nothing, nothing.” His face was kind. “It’s just that I’ve been
here going on twenty years now, and I’ve seen ‘em come and go. You guys have
taken this place by storm, and I don’t see you sticking around much longer.
You’re going to make it big.”

Bella sucked
in a deep breath, willing her pulse back to normal. “Do you think so?”

“Oh yeah...trust
me.” He took another look at the sign then looked beyond her, distracted by the
arrival of the first customers of the day. “Have a good one,” he said with a
good-natured grin.