"So tell me about this job," said Lily as the girls walked down the street. The rising sun barely began to peak through the buildings.
"It's pretty simple," said Maggie. "People bring in their clothes for mending or pressing, I do it, and they pick them up. And I get to work next to a window that overlooks the street."
"That sounds like a pretty good deal," said Lily.
"And Skittery sells nearby," Maggie grinned.
"Speaking of the boy…" said Baby. "Maggie, you gotta tell us. Is Skittery as good a kisser as we think?" Lily looked at Maggie expectantly.
"What?" asked Maggie, laughing.
"Oh come on," said Baby. "Spill."
"What is your expression? I don't kiss and tell," said Maggie.
"Oh come on!" said Lily. "I see you two walking and talking along the river all the time."
"We don't go to the river to talk," said Maggie.
"Oooooohhh!" said Lily and Baby, making Maggie blush. Things were finally beginning to go according to Maggie's plan. Everything, that is, except Skittery. She knew she had to distance herself from him to pull off her plan of conning Amelia, and then disappearing, but every time she was with him, she found herself falling more and more in love with him. He was so trusting, just taking her as she was, not expecting anything of her, or trying to get anything from her. He was just a nice, sweet, cute boy who wanted to be with her.
"So sellin' papes wasn't for you?" Lily asked.
Maggie shook her head. "No. I kept getting...ah…propositioned on the street." Lily and Baby nodded knowingly. "Did that happen to you?"
"Every once in a while," said Baby. "But Jack's pretty good about chasing those guys off."
"That's why us girls always sell in partners, usually with one of the guys," said Lily. "But it also depends on what spot you have. Some places in the city have more creeps than others."
At the next corner, the girls parted ways – Maggie walked to the shop, Baby walked towards the circulation office, and Lily headed toward Gramercy Park.
Maggie walked up to the storefront. The front of the store was almost entirely window. Inside she saw . Inside she could see a counter, and a workstation off to the side was her workstation. . There was aShe could see the sewing machine and , spools of yarn and thread lining the wall. As she walked in, the small bell attached to the doorframe rang.
A short, bald Italian man walked out of the back office.
"Ah, Buongiorno," he grinned, walking around the counter. "Come, come." Maggie followed him to her workstation.
"On that table is your day's work," he said, pointing to a table piled high with garments, all with alteration or mending notesd pinned to them. "When customers come in, I will deal with them. Any questions?"
"No, sir," said Maggie.
"Good," he grinned. He continued in his thick Italian accent, "You do good work, we will pay you well. At five o'clock, you will be done. If you finish all your work in a day before five o'clock, you may go home."
"Okay," said Maggie, nodding. "Thank you."
The man made a gesture that indicated she should get to work before he walked back into his office.
Maggie walked over to the table and pick up the first garment. Replace and mend missing buttons, read the note pinned to it. She took it and walked over to a table lined with large jars full of buttons. She found matching buttons, took it all to her work station and began working.
Working alone gave her time to think and plan. She couldn't think with other people around, and she couldn't plan looking at Skittery's face all day. Part one of the plan was already in place – establish herself as a girl who just wants to work to make her way in the world. In time, Amelia's noblesse oblige instinct will kick in. After building trust, Maggie's "family" from Germany will want to come over, and she will need to wire money home for train tickets, boat tickets, immigration fees, then they will need somewhere to stay, and a little seed money to start, say, a Weiner schnitzel business. Once Maggie has the cash, she'll skip town for good. Leave Manhattan behind her, and move on to the next place. Maybe Atlantic City.
Before she realized it, the clock in the shop chimed five o' clock. Maggie quickly finished the last few stitches of the hem she was working on. She put her supplies away and set the garment in the pile with the other finished garments.
"Good work, young lady, good work," the man smiled, surveying all she had accomplished that day. "And more work has come in today for you to do tomorrow."
"Thank you," Maggie smiled.
"Come, come, I will give you your wages," the man motioned for her to follow him into the back office. He sat down and counted out a dollar in quarters.
"Just for today?" Maggie asked, in shock.
"Yes," the man grinned. "We pay good for good work."
"Thank you," Maggie smiled, picking up the money.
"Until tomorrow," he said, turning back to his desk.
Maggie nodded and walked out of the shop, her mind spinning. A whole dollar for one day's work? That easily? Nothing to it? Maggie could sense herself getting bored with the job already. At least she had her plan to distract her.