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Lizzy was already awake and was in the shower. Maybe I should go talk to them about the money now before people start showing up.
“Mother, where’s Dad?” Rory asked as she walked down the stairs.
“He’s gone out,” she replied and then turned to face her. “Dear Jesus! Rory! Why aren’t you cleaned up? It’s your sister’s wedding day—the most important day for this family and you haven’t even taken a shower? God, what do I do with you!”
Rory remained silent. Didn’t take much for her mother to ruin someone’s day.
“When Dad’s back, will you tell him that I need to speak with him urgently?” she said.
“Yeah, yeah. First, go and get washed up and hurry!”
Even today she’s not willing to be nice to me. Rory had figured her mother would’ve been overjoyed beyond expectations on her favorite daughter’s wedding day, but apparently not. At least, not when Rory was around. Today more than ever, Rory did not exist in this house. It was all about Tara, not that Rory complained.
“Look at you, you’re not even out of your pajamas yet,” Lizzy laughed as Rory entered the bedroom. “C’mon, we have to go to a wedding. It’s gonna be fun.”
To Rory, it seemed that Lizzy was almost back to her usual self. Of course, a part of her had changed for good, but it was a positive sign.
“I’m just gonna put on that hideous bridesmaid’s dress and go through the motions,” she said with a pinched expression.
“Oh, Rory. Please don’t be like that. They are your family after all, and she is your only sister.” Lizzy got no response from Rory. “We’ll have a lot of fun, I promise.”
“Fun with these people? Haven’t you seen how they are?” Rory sneered.
“I know. But this day will surely end better than it has started.” Lizzy smiled, her eyes glued to her phone. She was busy texting someone.
Rory opened her laptop and got into the daily morning ritual. Checking emails, replying to them and checking her T-shirt sales account. Let’s see if I have made any money at all today. When she had started with the T-shirt business, she used to love checking her account in the morning. Nowadays she dreaded it since the sales were usually low.
There were no emails, except one from Tara sending her a link to a YouTube video of Rory making a fool of herself outside that club. Rory quickly deleted it.
“Rory, you gotta go and at least get into the shower. Your hair will take a while to dry,“ Lizzy told her, still glued to her phone.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
The account screen finally loaded and at first Rory thought her eyes had gone bad. She rubbed them and looked again. The numbers remained unchanged. She was in shock and felt tears welling up her eyes. Rory felt like she was crumbling. The shock was too much for her to take.
There were 698 people who had placed a T-shirt order. Compared to the average of three or four
orders daily, this was way beyond incredible. Rory took the hand that she had used to cover her mouth in astonishment and wiped away the slight tear that fell from her eye. This was a record earning for her.
How did this happen? Is this a mistake? Some system error? Rory went to check details, and all of the sales were legitimate. Some people had even left comments. Strangely most of those orders were for just one T-shirt design. The space camper van. The one Arsen had worn at the award ceremony concert the night before.
Then it dawned on Rory. It was because of Arsen wearing that T-shirt that it suddenly became so popular. Her design went viral because of him, and that was why there were so many sales.
Rory was against everything Arsen stood for. She despised celebrities like him. Yet, one slight gesture from him had changed her life. Rory wasn’t sure how she felt about it all. Are they buying it because they like the design or because Arsen Ford wore it? The dilemma ate at her.
But it was not as if she could refuse the orders. They were already paid for and the money would be transferred to her checking account in a day. It was then that the realization hit and a huge smile came upon Rory’s face. I don’t have to ask my parents for money anymore.
The grin grew and Rory couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It felt as if she was freed from jail. For her, this little success and the financial freedom that would result from it was more amazing than anything else. She was relieved as now she could keep her grandmother’s house without having to grovel to her parents, without the threat of her sister taking it over.
“What’s so funny? Why are you laughing?” Lizzy asked, finally prying her eyes away from her cellphone screen.
“Maybe you were right,” Rory said as a huge smile spread across her face. “Perhaps this day will end better than it started.”
“Of course it will. I just know it. But before that, please go and get ready.”
“Yes, I will. Right now, I’m willing to do anything. I am so happy I could cry.”
And for a moment, as she stood in the shower, Rory did cry a little. A huge weight had lifted off of her shoulders. Maybe this was just a one-time windfall or maybe it would expose her work to a large number of people; it didn’t matter. She was just thankful that for now, she was safe.
