Saturdays are usually the lazy days for most people I know, the day to take the much-needed break after a stressful week's job, but for me it's the opposite, if I devoted 80 percent during the week to my job as a fashion designer, Saturdays take more than a 100 percent of my time and attention, and this Saturday wasn't any different.
The day usually starts with me checking packing orders that were made during the week to be delivered to their owners, some of whom have owambe parties to attend for the weekend, I also have fitting sessions on this day for some of my clients whose presence is very necessary due to the dress style chosen, as I'll probably need to do lace placement right on their body, sewing every stitch to a perfect fit on them, these sessions usually take lot of hours especially when I'm working on a bride's dress, so i'm always mentally prepared for the task ahead.
There is also the beading part, my assistant and I try as much as possible to put the finishing touches on dresses that are due or almost due for the week so we can start the new week afresh, making sure no client is delayed, and keeping records of every appointment Is of great importance to us.
Everything seemed fine so far, the rushed, and busy day already seemed like a normal day to us, after all it was Saturday, I had attended to the clients I had appointments with for the day and was trying to rest my legs for a bit when Mrs Ahmed call came in, even though I kept records I still keep in mind whose orders are always next and Mrs Ahmed isn't due until next weekend, maybe she wants to add a new order or make some adjustments to her previous one I thought, as I picked her call
*Hello, good evening ma, .. How are you and the family...
We exchanged short pleasantries before she made known the reason for her call
I've not seen your delivery bike man, what happened? Is my dress not ready, the party is tomorrow o
She said,
Mrs Ahmed is a very good client who loves to attend parties, most dresses she makes are mostly for these parties, and I loved working for her as she was loyal too, and never fails to praise and refer my clothing line.
I became tensed, not wanting her to feel we had not even started making her dress, because I know how she takes her dresses very important
*I thought you said the 25th, I was sure she said the 25th, which was the coming week,
Ah! She exclaimed no I! It's tomorrow I said o, I checked the records to reconfirm, and indeed 25th was written
Customers are always right, maybe we didn't hear her well, but I was sure she mentioned the 25th
Don't worry ma, I assured her,
You will get it first thing tomorrow morning
I know her well, there was no way she would agree she had communicated the delivery date wrongly, and trying to give excuses why her dress wasn't ready was of no use.
What I had to face was getting the dress ready within the next few hours, even if it meant working late into the night. So, I had no choice but to face the challenge head-on.
As I hung up the phone, I felt a surge of adrenaline. I knew what lay ahead, a stressful rush to complete Mrs. Ahmed's dress. I had no choice then to be ready for the challenge, after all, as a fashion designer, I was used to working under pressure, And I was determined to deliver Mrs. Ahmed's dress on time, the clock was ticking, so I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and got to work. The night ahead would be long, but I was determined to make it count.
Images are AI-generated
