Little miss Ava girl

"Well well well, would you look what we have here" Ava stated as she walked out of her 5th ave penthouse apt. Head high, heels even higher, today was going to be a good day, she just knew it . The sun was shining and her thrifted Versace shades made her feel like the Notorious BIG as she strutted out of the door and headed to the job interview of her life. Ava was the type of girl to keep herself dressed to impress and dipped in the latest threads at all times, but she had this gift of being able to do it for little to no money. The thrifty type of chic. The kind where she'd buy a vintage Chanel blazer with a moth ball oder and a fugly coffee stain on it that had been sitting on a manequin collecting dust for weeks. Take it back home and make it not only look like the latest collection, but make every other trendy girl walking down 5th want to know where she got it from and how they could get their hands on one. Meanwhile it cost less then $10 and Ava really could care less about the name adorned on the tag. She just had it like that. Her walk , her talk , the way she swung her hair when the wind blew, there was just something about this girl that even she was not fully aware of. Little Miss Ava as her mom called her was precisely the most underrated and overlooked senior in the class and life never handed her lemons , only lemonade and she loved it . She never let it get to her head but she definitely basked in it just enough to make sure that she always got her way in life. Young, smart and full of ambition she never forgot to chase her dreams. After all she was an unemployed senior in college and lived in a penthouse suit on 5th avenue for pete's sake. The girl knew how to hustle and she surely knew how to make ends meet in the most unexpected of ways. Avas parents were both deceased so after all she really didn't have a choice or much of a support system for that matter. Ava girl had dreams, she had goals and she most definitely had ambition.

Today was the day, Ava had studied and prepared for this casting interview for a-little shy of 1 week. The Catskills modeling campaign. The Catskills company was a well known modeling agency that casted young models with a large social following and a niche for being in front of the camera . Ava had neither. She had hustle, mixed with drive and an uncanny addiction for thrift shopping. The girl was good, and blessed to say the least. Avas bank account had been hurting more than ever before these days. Her land lord had decided that the grandfathered price she was paying was just not enough for what her trendy penthouse apartment was worth. Here she was in the heart of NYC, close to all of the shops and attractions that you could imagine but paying 3x less then market rent. Rocky the land lord was tired of being nice and Ava seemed to think he was also a bit salty because she never wanted to give him the time of day when it came to showcasing her apartment to potential buyers. She always made sure to use her busy school schedule as the scapegoat. Ava was the only renter in the building and she had been there her whole college career. Before her parents passed away they decided to pay her rent for 2 full semesters to help her focus on school and not have to worry. Clearly that time was up and the money they had left behind for her was long gone. Ya girl was grandfathered into the building but the money she needed to stay and maintain was all dried up. No woe is me for Ava though, she knew exactly how to pick up where her parents had left off to make her some money and that was by working any little odd job she could find. From walking dogs, to babysitting, to working part time at a shop near by , you name it she did it. At this point she was tired of piecing checks together and since this was her senior year in college she wanted alittle over lunch money to splurge and do something special for herself. With a laundry list of what could have made Ava frown, you'd rarely ever see her unhappy. Her lemonade of life stayed sweet and she always reaped the benefits of her optimism and drive. Things always seemed to work our in her favor so she never panicked. Rent was almost due and she had a plan.

Here she was, deprived bank account, a news paper clipping saying the Catskills Co. was casting and an Iphone with a GPS that let her know the agency was walking distance and right around the corner from where she lived. Versace shades, outdated Moschino blazer and a pair of high heeled Galliano boots that she had never worn before. Her outfit fit the bill perfectly for this occasion and she loved it. "Bingo" she thought. Her favorite thrift store was always a hit. She was as ready as ready could and she headed out. No sight of modeling experience and a tote bag with not a head shot to boot, but it was all good Ava had faith and her natural beauty and she was on the move. After all this couldn't be so hard. "Im no model, but I look good, whats so hard about that" She thought.

Nancy Sinatras "These boots were made for walking" played in Ava's head as she strutted her strut down the street feeling like she was the hottest thing smoking. Sweet girl, extremely humble but her parents raised her with a cup full of confidence that could heal the world is she let it spill over and decided to share.

This was the first time Ava had tried anything like this, she was very far out of her comfort zone and her league with this one to say the least. "Tough times call for tough decisions" she thought. Ava knew that if she was casted by the Catskills Co. the sign on bonus alone would move the needle and get rocky off of her back about the Apartment. She had seen it happen way too often for so many girls and she looked just as good as them. Ava anticipated being able to schmooze her landlord with the idea of a couple months of rent upfront. Enough to get her through this last semester of school and clear her mind just enough to figure out what her next move in life was going to be.

Ava was unsure about alot of things currently but she always allowed the joys in life to lead the way. She never let her obstacles trump her vision and since her parents had passed away she knew she had to work extra hard because if she did'nt, there was noone to catch her if she just so happened to fall.

'The Catskills company" the luminescent yellow sign read as she approached the modern glass and oddly shaped building filled with eagerness, confidence and glee. Everything on the outside read "fancy schmancy" so Ava could only imagine what the inside was going to look like. The voice of siri piped through the speaker of Avas Iphone "You have arrived" Ava fumbled trying to quickly shut siri off and toss her phone in her bag as she walked through the doors of the agency. Siri knew very well how to be loud and obnoxious at the wrong times and the sound of her voice echoed like the word "hello" would have in an empty tunnel.

Still not having a clue of what to expect Ava perked up her chest, held her head high and put the thought of exactly why she was here at the forefront of her mind. This was one of her very useful ways to keep her eyes on the prize and succeed at whatever it was she was setting out to do. Sheer focus.

The sliding glass doors opened and Ava walked inside. Immediately she noticed the marble flooring, staunch security guard perched in front of the elevator and a hot pink vending machine filled with makeup products that she had never seen before. If there was one thing she absolutely hated , it was makeup. There was only 2 times in her life that she could ever remember wearing makeup and 1 of them was her parents funeral. It just was not her thing. Furthermore she always felt like she didn't need it, natural beauty rang true for Ava and she was adamant on never wearing it again, especially since her last encounter left her face riddled with the worst pimples she'd ever seen in her life. "A vending machine for makeup?" Perplexed was she. The thought ran through her head as the bubbly Ava approached the elevator and showed the guard the crumbled and worn clip of where she was headed. The security guard looked Ava up and down and sort of chuckled in the most meek of a manner as he asked for her identification and asked her to sign the log book. Ava payed him no mind, complied with his basic requests and headed into the elevator.

"Going up" a voice with a french accent beamed through the speaker as the "ding" of the elevator persisted until the 27th floor was reached. Of all things it was the simple "ding" of the elevator that made Ava a bit nervous and focus slightly on the fact that she had never in her life done such a things. "I got . . " . Ava's thoughts were interrupted by a young women who strictly motioned her to proceed to a line of other women who also seemed to be there for an interview. Telling herself "I got this" was her way of convincing herself that she was totally doing the right thing and being slightly uncomfortable was just temporary. The 27th floor elevator girl didn't reinforce this thought. "Sheesh" Ava thought as she thought the young lady was rather harsh with her introduction.

Standing in line like the confident but thrifty fashionista she was, Ava girl looked around at the models walking around and she saw some gorgeous yet slightly superficial ladies gracing the place. Ava was no fool , a blind mouse could see that she didn't fit in here but this was the year 2022 and you would have thought that fresh faces were a thing at this point . Wrong .

Moments went by.

As Ava approached the table, which looked more like a panel of interrogators judging you from your head to toe before you even spoke one word.

"Name" A handsome red head and freckled face young man on the panel stated before Ava could even get all the way to the starting line marked for her to stand.

"Ava Rain" She confidently responded as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"These damn boots" Ava thought. . . They were really starting to hurt . From the walk around the corner to standing in the line for what seemed like an hour Ava's dogs were definitely barking.

"Portfolio?" The young man stated with a strange yet disappointed look on his face, as if Ava should have known what to do next.

"I don't have one of those" Ava responded

All 8 pairs of eyebrows at the table seemed to scrunch at the same time, clearly they were displeased with the fact that Ava didn't hand over her resume per say. How was she supposed to know that this was a requirement? The clipping surely didn't state that she needed that.

Ava was blatantly out of her element and it showed. " I didn't thin . . " Ava started and was immediately cut off.

"Ummm . . Can you walk?" The young man asked with a sarcastic undertone that would have made a timid girl sink into her feelings. He was clearly disgusted. Thankfully Ava didn't shy easily and she knew very well how not to internalize other peoples feelings.

Ava chuckled and began to respond "I can . ."

She was cut off again. "You know what , this is not going to work" A women toward the end of the table chimed in.

The women continued "She isn't even prepared to say the least and we have too long of a line to play around with amateurs"

"NEXT" Simultaneously Freckles and the debbie downer of a women yelled at the same time.

With the women continuing to stare Ava up and down anticipating her dismissal, Ava smiled and proceeded to turn around and as she strutted her best strut back to the elevator she could hear the women whisper "Those boots are from 3 seasons ago, come on now"

And just like that her audition was over and whatever hope she had of this working out had been smashed, stepped on and tossed into the nearest dumpster. Just that quick.

It had been a while since Ava had experienced hurt feelings. This was the worst experience ever and she was a bowl of emotions exiting the building .

She stormed out the door almost crashing into the sliding doors as they slowly opened. This was far from the experience she expected from such a talked about agency. "Is this what it's like to be a model? . . . judgey and mean" She questioned while tip toeing towards home in her high heels with hurt feet. She considered taking an uber but her pockets said other wise and she hated to waste money. She mustered up the strength to continue.

Hurt feet and hurt feelings , what a combination.

Not to mention , the same deprived bank account and absolutely no clue what she was going to do next. "Great" Ava said out loud as she limped across the street. She wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.

Ava hadn't felt this sucky in a very long time . Probably not since her parents died . Here she was dressed to the T, she'd put all of her effort into going to give this interview her all and she was completely treated like a piece of gum on the bottom of a shoe.

Stepped on , scraped off and plucked onto the ground.

.

.

There was only one thing in the world that could possibly fix the mood Ava was in at this point.

"Thrifting" A light bulb went off in her head and it was genius. She dared not to ignore it.

Ava knew for sure that she needed to hit the thrift shop, she didn't have much of a coin in her account but if she was going to spend it on something her happiness and fixing her mood was well worth it. She couldn't believe that she was treated in such a way by such a talked about agency and was even starting regret going.This was totally not her vibe. Something had got to give at that moment . $20 in her favorite store would give a whole lot of what she was looking for at the moment for sure.

Luckily the store was on the way back home so with this in mind Ava had a pep in her step, dogs barking and all she was on her way . Cici the store manager knew Ava by name since after all she was the most frequent of regulars in the neighborhood. Cici always welcomed Ava with open arms and a list of hot items that had come in, she made the thrifting experience that much more joyous for Ava girl and right about now she was looking forward to the "pick me up".

"Hey A" Ava was greeted by the lively and smiling Cici as she approached the shop. Cici was in the process of dressing the mannequins in the window which she seemed to always be doing when Ava stopped by. Cici was a force to be reckoned with when it came to the store, she did close to everything from cashier to merchandising and she loved her job. There was never a time that Ava had come by to shop and Cici was in a bad mood, she just had his charm about her. Normally Ava would have perked up at the sound of Cici's bubbly "hello". This time was different , Ava was really down in the dumps after leaving the interview and it showed. She gestured a parched wave , and proceeded to walk into the store stone faced .

"Woooahhh nelly, is it just me or this is not the Ava that I am used to?" Cici puzzled as Ava motioned to push the door open.

The Wind chime attached to the door clanged and announced Avas presence into the shop that she loved so much but she was just not in the mood. Cici proceeded to follow Ava over to her favorite section of the store which happened to be the vintage rack that housed things as old as your grandmothers photo album but Ava always loved the items she found, a part of her felt like she got a window into her parents culture and trends when she shopped from this rack . And this was surely a time she wanted to feel close to them and in need of one of her dads coach like pep talks that kept her in the game.

"I don't know what ya got going on my love , but just know it will get better." Cici mentioned , giving Ava a light pat on the pack

"Hold up, let me show you something that noone seems to like, It's been on sale for 3 weeks and I can't seem to sell it. I think you will really like it"

Cici was good for putting Ava on to good items and deals, either Ava was her favorite or she just knew how to get Ava to spend all of her money .Regardless Ava loved it and appreciated Cici for trying to make her day.

Cici headed for the inventory closet leaving Ava peeling the rack for something that caught her eye .

"Ehh nothing" She thought. Her sucky mood and being treated like scum of the earth was truly the reason she was just not feeling the vibe today , she was really trying here and trudging along with the little bit of optimism she had left hoping for some sort of a turn around but it wasn't easy at all.

Cici returned and in her hand she had the cutest varsity jacked Ava had seen. It sort of remind her of the Jacket Michael Jackson wore in the thriller music video which happened to be one of her moms favorite songs accept the jacket had an A on the front.

"Noone seems to want it" Cici started "I was getting ready to post it on the online shop for 50% off , its $12 after the discount"

Cici was good at making a deal sound good enough that even the most frugal of buyers wouldn't want to miss out.

Ava was sold . She was always a fan of varsity jackets and the fashionista in her knew that they were quality pieces that she wouldn't normally get for such a price . She obliged and proceeded to head to checkout , snagging a pair of red chucks marked for $2 on her way up front . "Perfect" She thought as she stopped in her tracks and quickly snatched off her boots to change.

Ava payed her dues and headed out of the store thanking Cici and swinging the jacket over her shoulder. She wasn't one for unnecessary bags and her walk wasn't far so she didn't even waste the time or energy stuffing the jacket into one.

It was at this very pivotal moment that Avas life would never be the same . She had no clue as to why just yet but pretty soon she was going to find out.

Just as she swung the jacket over her shoulder, as the leather arm slapped her cotton blazer a small book flew out of what seemed like the inside pocket.

The worn and unsightly book immediately turned Ava off . She didn't have the slightest of intention of picking it up but something about it caught her eye. There was a label on the front cover.

Written in smudged blue ink was the letter A. Incomplete, but scribed out just enough for Ava to be able to make it out. With the mood that she was in she may not have been impressed with a dirty book with a half written letter on it, but there was something about the fact that it was her initial that intrigued her so she swiped the book off of the ground and tucked it back into a pocket of the jacket.

Jacket over shoulder, high heeled boots in hand , Ava headed for her penthouse. This little book however , had her extremely puzzled so as soon as she reached her building she pulled it back out and briskly thumbed through the pages hoping to maybe find a name or some type of property identifier. She considered taking the book back to Cici at the thrift shop, but she figured she most likely had no clue that it was even there so that idea quickly went out the window.

The book was filled with smudgy hand writing that Ava barely could read and to be honest she wasn't eager to try. The good samaritan in her was just at least trying to see if it belonged to anyone.

"If found please call. . . " On the last page of the sightly little book were these words and a number with an unfamiliar area code that followed.

"Ah ha" Ava thought and immediately fetched her cell from the bottom of her bag. She eagerly phoned the random number and to her surprise a scratchy but timid voice instantly picked up on the other line. To Avas surprise she doesn't even remember hearing the phone ring before getting an answer "watever" she thought and responded to the dry yet excited "Hi" that echoed from the other side of the phone.

"Hey My name is Ava I fou. . " Ava started

"Can you please meet me at Beakmans Coffee shop on 55th and 5th" the raspy voice interrupted and ended the call .

Avas heart began to flutter

"What the hell?" She thought "No time , no day , really?"

Ava proceeded to call the number back but the phone just rang.

Ironically enough Beakmans coffee shop was a well know coffee shop on the avenue, it was an old internet cafe that a lot of people in the neighborhood frequented. Ava had never been but she passed it on the way to school daily and it always had a consistent crowd. It was 2 blocks away, a few doors down from the "The Thrify neighbor" to be exact.

It was still very early in the day and super sunny out "Oh why not?" After all , she was only heading up stairs to sulk a-little more about the morning she'd had so spending some more time outdoors was a much better option. Ava swapped her interview blazer for the varsity and headed for the coffee shop.

"Wait what?" Ava might have asked herself this question 1000 times on her way to the address.

She was puzzled, completely unsure of what was about to happen but she was following her heart as she had always done in her life. It had always worked out. There was no way in "halo" as her mom used to say (to avoid saying hell), that it was about to lead her astray when she needed it most. All she had to go off of was an old little book, a raspy voice who'd given her an address and the fact that it were her book she'd want someone to return it .

Thats it.

Ava approached the coffee shop and went for her cell phone to try the number again. The phone just rang . No answer

She tried again , this time as she walked through the door of the quaint coffee shop. Low and behold , she heard the phone ringing, coming from a corner on the other end of the shop. Her eyes immediately darted to where she had heard the sound and it was then that she realized that this was not just any old book.

There was a frail, grey haired little lady sitting alone in the direction of where Ava had heard the sound so she figured it could have only been her. Except as she headed toward the women , the women who was once looking in her direction turned away . "Thats strange" She thought as she continued to walk over while considering what to say .

Sobbing and timidly shaking like a leaf was the little lady as Ava approached . Ava was completely confused and had absolutely no idea what to say but in her mind she had confirmed that this was absolutely not just any old book. The women turned around and reached to rub the arm of Ava's new varsity jacket. Had this not been a shy and seemingly sweet older women Ava probably would have been totally weirded out but instead she was soothed with a feeling of love and allowed the women to pet her like a new puppy. Something was up and Ava sensed that there was something special going on, she just had yet to confirm it.

"Hi i'm Ava, I found your book"

"Austin" The women responded through her overflow of tears

"My Austin" She continued

Ava handed over the small black book. The frail and shaking hand of the old lady snatched the book and clenched it to her chest. At this point her light and timid cry had turned into a sob.

Ava felt really bad . Her day was horrible but the way the women sitting in front of her was weeping , she thought her bad day was nothing compared to this.

"Are you ok?" She asked . Now really concerned that something was wrong and she was the reason for it .

Still no answer . Instead the women handed Ava an envelope that was taped shut and on the front read "If found"

Even more puzzled than before the old book flew out of the jacket, Ava took the envelope and stepped aside as the weeping women gently pushed past her and shuffled toward the exit of the coffee shop.

Ava started to proceed with following to ask more questions but the women was walking so briskly, it was clear she did not want to be followed . A man sitting a few seats away looked up from his computer, peeped over his flimsy glasses and at the same time him and Ava both shrugged.

Eager to know what was in the mystery envelope Ava began to slide her pinky under the tape as she walked out of the coffee shop and back towards home.

She Peered inside .

In this moment it felt like all of the air left her body at one time, as if she'd just experienced a sucker punch to the gut.

"A check?" She questioned

She stopped mid walk to peer a little further at what she thought was just some sort of foggy hallucination.

A check with a yellow post-it note attached . That read "Thank You, Austin"

She had had a very long day and her eyes had to have been playing tricks on her, she was convinced .

They weren't.

Below the post-it was a check written out for $20,000.

A Dazed Ava snapped back to reality as . .

". . . middle of the street" a hasty pedestrian brushed past and yelled back motioning for her to move out of the way .

Ava could not believe her eyes as she stood frozen in her tracks. She sealed the envelope closed and scurried home. As she entered her building she breezed through the lobby snatching her blazer and boots from where she'd left them on the way and made a mad dash to her apartment. The last few hours had been quite the ride and it was time she grounded herself to truly process what had just happened.

Sitting perplexed on the sofa she realized her eyes had not been playing tricks on her. In her possession she had a $20,000 check and barely could make out how she ended up with it. The last hour of events had seemed so majestic and transpired so swiftly that she almost couldn't believe that they happened. Ava wasn't one to second guess things but right about now she felt like she was dreaming.

Here she was.

Having returned from the worst day she'd had in a very long time, probably since her mom and dad died and she was now at the end of this day holding a check with a lump sum of money that was going to change her life.

Was this all a dream?

Was this her parents?

How did she get here ?

"How the hell did I end up with such a book?" She said to herself out loud

It was now past closing hour of the nearest bank. Ava didn't have much desire to cash the check just yet any way, she was still trying to wrap her head around even being handed such a thing simply from returning a beat up old book.

Ava had the inkling to take one more look at the check just incase there was something that she had missed, maybe a clue as to why she deserved such a large sum of money for what she thought was such a small act.

She removed the check fully from its envelope and slowly peeled the yellow post it from the front of it. Flipping the post it over , she was welcomed with a page full of small words. Clearly whoever wrote them wanted to make sure they got everything on one.

Ava adjusted her self on the sofa, squinted and sat back to read.

She began. . .

" In life we never know what to expect, it is full of surprises but as human beings we welcome each one with open arms, adapt and navigate as we see fit. On this day I close my eyes and welcome the intentions of never waking up again due to my illness that my mom has no clue exists. I plan to leave my notebook in the seam of my favorite jacket hoping that one day when I am gone she will find it and have a year long journal of the days leading up to this moment. I love her too much to have ever broken her heart with my terminal diagnosis. She's a bit time thrifter so if ever she decides to get rid of my clothes before finding my book she may never get to read my notes. I have connected all of the dots, including you if mama does what Im almost certain she will do. You saved her life, as I'm sure loosing her only son without notice has broken her jolly spirit. You have brought her back my voice to hold on to, you are a champion , thank you forever"

-Austin

Ava's heart sank and a tear rolled down her face. This moment was priceless. "Ava girl" as her dad always used to call her during one of their many pep talks had done it again.

Followed her heart and let the light within lead her way . She may have felt like it was the end of the world after the Catskills interview, but she did all that she had in her power not to allow it to break her spirit and . . .

"Well well well would you look at this?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled from ear to ear holding the check up in the air like a 1st place trophy.

"Thank you , Austin" She whispered out loud . "You changed my life"

Ava put the check as well as its post-it note back into the envelope and placed it on her end table next to a picture of her dad.

She stretched out on the sofa and said to her self "Little miss Ava you're a champion" as her dad used to say.

Today had been quite a day , Ava closed her eyes and counted sheep until she drifted off to sleep . She had class in the morning, she had better get some rest.

To be continued