Free Being Celeste by Tshetsana Senau

all
the way.” I handed them over to her to try on. Her friends got in on the action
too, all fascinated by the fact that they were experimenting with my
suggestions. Oh let me not even mention the delight in my heart, helping out
lost souls.
    “Oooh, I like, I like!” said one of them.
    I was beside myself with giggles,
forgetting that earlier I was a little annoyed by them. “And never wear
gladiator shoes! I’m totally against them for shorter girls. They just cut off
from your length. But that’s just my little secret.”
    “You know, you’re right. I’m Naledi, by the
way,” said the original victim, staring at her feet on the large mirror on the
wall. “These are my best friends Botlhe and Goitse.”
    “Nice to meet you girls, I’m Celeste.”
    “Well Celeste, I believe we could use your
insight more,” said Naledi. She must have been the ring leader of the three I
guess, doing all the talking. “So I’m wearing my platform pumps, what outfit
should I have on?”
    Oh no she didn’t! She’s giving me the green
card, and I’m going to let it all come out now. I smiled, more of a grin.
“Well, what you have on now is fine, but it doesn’t really define those shoes.
The secret to matching your shoes with the perfect outfit is to understand the
shoes and the language they speak.” Yes, I went there, this is where watching a
lot of style shows is going to pay off. “For example, the pumps you have on now
have a leopard print. I would interpret them as being funky, sexy and
fierce! They have a lot of characteristics, as compared to if they were black
or just plain coloured. So your outfit shouldn’t be as loud as they are
at the moment. I’d suggest a mono coloured short dress, maybe black if you
like. Not something too bright though, like neon colours, for example, I think
would look terrible. If you want to keep it casual, go for a pair of jeans,
like you have on now and again, something mono coloured for a top and not
floral like you have on now.” By now the girls were just nodding and smiling
and nodding. I had them wrapped around my finger, gobbling up my every word. I
rushed off to the women’s section and grabbed some outfits. “Here, go and try
these on with those shoes and see how they work for you.” Naledi did not
hesitate, and immediately rushed to the fitting room. Goitse and Botlhe rushed
to my side to hear what I had to say about their shoes. I had become a
fashion hero. Good times!
    Kate came in from the supermarket and found
me in the middle of my consultations. She was a little shocked at the fact that
I was talking to the customers. I don’t know why because I always do it, you
know, when a customer needs me to fetch a bigger size from storage or asks for
the price of an item. I’m always there to assist. Naledi came out from the
fitting room wearing a purple, fitting halter dress that I’d picked out for
her. Its length went to right below the knees. She immediately rushed over to
the mirror, like there was no mirror in the fitting room, to gaze at herself
more. I guess it was just so unbelievable.
    “Oh Celeste, I love this! I look
incredible! Thank you, thank you so much,” she said, still checking herself out
in the mirror.
    The other girls came out too in the outfits
I had picked out for them. Botlhe, in the wedges was wearing a pair of skinny
black tailored pants, a floral top and black biker jacket (my personal touch);
Goitse, in the black peep toe heels, had on blue skinny jeans and a gold
sequinned tank top. They all saw each other and began shrieking in amazement at
the sight of each other.
    “You look so hot!” said one to another.
    “And you look hot!” said another to
another. It was a never ending cycle filled with shrills from satisfied
customers.
    Kate came up to me, staring at them, her
head filled with questions. “Should I even ask what’s going on here?” she said.
    “Nope, just go on behind and the counter
because you’ll be needed there in a