Life In Stitches

Preface

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Bonita Smith was a chubby "Plain Jane." A poor girl from Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, and all she ever wanted was to be a top New York fashion designer. Living in a small, isolated town and the daughter of the local Pentecostal preacher was an obstacle in the path that led to fulfilling her dreams.

Growing up, Bonita lived in a less-than-adequate house, attended a run-down school and lived what she felt was a miserable and hideous life. Although it seemed she would never wiggle away from the hold that life had on her, she believed deep down inside that one day she would break free of her inescapable prison and finally get a chance at owning the high fashion runways.

The only problem was, she had to get through today to do it.

Chapter 1

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The sun was beaming brightly into the room that morning, casting rays of warmth that pierced the never-settling dust. Although picturesque, it prevented the girl lying lazily in her bed from sustaining her much-needed sleep. She tossed and turned to avoid the glaring light that blinded her weary eyes, but there was no escape. Finally, a friendly and kindhearted cloud passed over the sun, diminishing its rays and darkening the room to a comfortable shade. With a sigh of relief, she turned on her side and settled back into the nicely worn indentation of her bed. Content and happy, she slowly drifted away, falling into a glorious place, when a loud and consistent beep brought her right back out into the land of the living.

"Damn alarm. Give me a fucking break", Bonita yelled, realizing that it was time to get up. It only bothered her because she knew what she’d have to endure in the day that lay ahead.

Today would be considered a landmark in most girls’ lives, but not for eighteen-year-old Bonita Smith. It would be a milestone in her life as well, except she just wished it would come and go without having to face it at all. It was the final day of school, and that encompassed the graduation ceremony, the day that teenagers got the chance to hand in their juvenile ways and embrace adulthood. Everyone would gather at the local church and walk up in front of all of his or her classmates and the rest of the town to accept their diploma. She had longed for this day all her life, but the actual event was something she could do without. Bonita was the smartest girl in her class — the town geek, as most would put it — and she was selected as this year’s graduating class valedictorian.

"I could call in sick, pretend to have a rare and contagious virus," she thought, as she slowly maneuvered herself out of bed.

The floor felt cold and almost unreal when her feet gently landed upon the faded ancient hardwood. This made it easier for her to become alive and alert. She had been up all night working on her speech and trying to figure out what she was going to say. She pondered things like, "Well, I never thought it would happen, but here we are. Finally, I am getting the hell out of this hole," or "It’s been great growing up with all you losers." Although it would please her to no end, she knew she would not have the guts to say things like that, and besides, she really couldn't say any of this stuff; her father would kill her.

No, she had to reach deep down inside herself to find a few phony, heartfelt, and uplifting words that would encourage the rest of the class to go forth and live out their dreams. The truth is, she didn’t care about the rest of her class or what their dreams might be. In fact, she secretly wished they would all die in some freak accident. Although she might seem to be a hateful and heartless girl, Bonita wasn’t a mean-hearted person, just a young lady who spent her life being harassed and picked on for being a dirt-poor nerd. She didn't own nice clothes or wear makeup or did her hair, and she was forced to wear coke-bottle glasses just to see 6 inches in front of her face. Deep down inside, underneath years of emotional scarring and persecution, there lived a great big ball of sugar and love just waiting to get out.

"But not here. Definitely, not here," she thought.

So here she was, a few days before she would leave this place behind for good and embark on a new life, a new career, and a new identity. She had finished showering and was getting dressed; her mother had already taken out her cap and robe and laid it on the chair next to the door. She picked it up and walked out of the room, only to immediately walk back and grab a piece of paper off her dresser.

"Can’t forget this. Don’t want to be a bumbling idiot on the biggest day of my life," she said with absolute sarcasm in her voice. As she was walking down the stairs, she stopped and stared off into space for a few seconds, and a smile formed from ear to ear.

Note from the Author:

Hello readers, I have decided to try something fun and see where it goes. I am writing a fun little book about a young girl who goes off to New York City to pursue a career in fashion. It's full of ups and downs, some things believable somethings not and ultimately a story about a young woman as she grows through life and overcomes obstacles along the way.

Join me in this fun endeavor. For every chapter I get 1000 views, I will post the next one. There will be many chapters, I like to write them in shorter blocks, an enjoyable read you can fit in on a work break or in-between errands.

You can follow me on Instagram at: curtiskeithsimms and be alerted to when new chapters are released.