I suppose that one of the compensations of having a sixteen year old daughter is that we get to go out shopping together from time to time. Also I am able to keep up with styles that I could no longer get away with wearing myself, and visit dress shops aimed at the younger woman. In an ideal world, I should have liked to have had two daughters and also perhaps later on a son, as well, but these things cannot always be planned and soon after Denise was born I discovered that there were going to be no more children. This is perhaps the main reason why I have tended to spoil her a little and find it difficult to deny her anything she asks for. I’ve therefore enjoyed having her two young friends to stay this week. In spite of my initial slight trepidations when I found out about Josie, I have found both of our visitors to be helpful, well-behaved and generally a good influence on my daughter. I was therefore quite looking forward to taking the three of them for a shopping trip to Chester this morning.

George (my husband) was pretty tired when he arrived back from his meeting in Crawley last night, having driven more than two hundred miles, so we decided that I would take the girls into Chester in the car and that he could take things easily and play some golf with his friends. He also announced that he had to be away again next weekend, but promised to be back in time to take the girls back to Crawley on Monday as we’d promised. He brought back a bag with some more of Karen’s clothes, which was just as well as neither of them had brought many clothes with them due to the last-minute change in plan. He also brought a greeting card addressed to Josie, apparently from her sister.

‘What’s the celebration, Josie?’ I asked as I handed it over to her last night. ‘Is it your birthday?’

She took a quick look at the handwriting on the envelope but didn’t attempt to open it.

‘My birthday is on the 20th August, the Saturday before we go back to Crawley,’ she replied.

‘That’s good news, perhaps we could organise a birthday cake for you before you leave.’

‘Thank you very much,’ she replied, but at the same time there seemed to be an element of sadness as she looked towards the future.

‘Girls, I’d like us to make an early start tomorrow. Parking in Chester can be a problem on Saturday mornings, and if we are not careful we’ll end up parking a long way from the shops.’

I needn’t have worried as all three were up, breakfasted and ready for our ‘girls day out,’ soon after 8.00am and so were able to park in the Garden Lane long stay car park by 9.00 am, just as the shops were beginning to open. This was the most convenient place for shoppers as it was near enough to the shops to enable us to return to the car to lock our purchases in the boot from time to time.

‘So what do we all need to buy, girls?’ I asked as we made our way to the shops.

‘Mum has given me some money to get myself a new dress for my birthday,’ announced Josie, without a moment’s hesitation. ‘I also have some money to get myself some shoes to go with it, as well.’

‘And I’m going to need to replace some of the clothes that I gave away,’ said Denise.

‘Just because there is a little space in your wardrobe now, doesn’t mean that it has to be filled,’ I replied.

‘Nature abhors a vacuum. I’m sure they told us that in physics.’

I felt a little sorry for Karen, who appeared to have limited funds compared to the others, but even she expressed the wish to get herself a new top

‘So where do we start?’ I asked.

‘Miss Selfridge in Northgate Street’ replied Denise.

By lunch time each of the girls had managed to choose something for themselves. I was pleased to see that Denise did not go headlong after choosing more clothes for herself, as I’d half expected, but was happy to help her friends find something suitable for themselves as well. Josie needed most advice as she’d had so much less experience in shopping for clothes than the others. After trying on half a dozen dresses, she was undecided between a sleeveless peach chiffon maxi dress with a shimmering foil top and drop back, which Denise was encouraging her to try on, or a more practical dark red Devoree ‘skater-style’ dress which she’d chosen for herself. Both of them suited her very well, but were for different kinds of occasion.

‘You look really stunning in that peach dress, Josie,’ said Karen as we looked at her in the long mirror outside the changing rooms.

Josie looked pleased, and her cheeks coloured a little.

‘Thanks, it is nice but I’m not sure when I would get an opportunity to wear it. It isn’t exactly the sort of thing that I could wear on the streets of Llangollen. I think I’d better go for the dark red.’

‘You should get whatever you feel most comfortable with,’ I said.

She left us to go back to the changing room. As she did so Denise turned to me.

‘Mum, Josie looked so nice in that peach dress, I don’t suppose we could get it for her as a surprise birthday present for next Saturday?’

‘I would have no objections but when is she going to wear it?’

‘Dad is now going to be away next Saturday, perhaps we could arrange a surprise birthday dinner party for her.’

‘I was intending to buy her a birthday cake, but what do you have in mind?’

‘Maybe we could all dress up in our posh frocks, and have a nice meal together. It would give Josie a chance to show off her birthday present, and would also be a farewell celebration for when Karen and Josie have to go back to Crawley.’

‘If we did do so you two would have to be willing to help me with all the preparations.’

‘I am sure we could do so, couldn’t we Karen?’

‘It’s a great idea but I haven’t brought anything formal to wear,’ said Karen, a little sadly.

‘You and I are about the same size, Karen, I’m sure I could loan you something of mine to wear if you have no objections.’

‘Alright then.’

‘So how will we be able to keep the purchase a secret from Josie?’ asked Denise, keeping an eye out for her return..

‘If you like, I’ll find an excuse to leave you for half an hour this afternoon. I can then pop back here to buy the dress then go and hide it under the back seat of the car before joining you again,’ I said.

‘We’ll then have to work out how we can prepare for the party next Saturday without her finding out,’ said Denise.

Josie returned and went ahead and took the dark red dress to the cash desk.

‘Strictly speaking it’s going to be for my birthday, but I’m sure that Mum won’t mind if I wear it tomorrow. I can email her a photograph of me wearing it,’ she said.

‘We’ll have to find you some shoes to go with it, as well,’ said Denise.

‘Let’s all have some lunch first, and then I’ll probably leave you to find Josie’s shoes yourselves as I have a few things to buy in the hardware shop which won’t interest you.’ I said.

By the time we got back to Llangollen that evening everyone had bought everything that they had wanted, and we were all feeling pretty tired.

‘Girls, I don’t feel like cooking this evening. Would you mind going to the Indian Takeaway in Holyhead Road, to get something for us all?’ I said. ‘In the meanwhile I’ll unload the car and sort out all the parcels.’