Shopping With Lily

Bismillah!

Walking this week with window-shopping in mind, Lily hovered in, lightly.  Looking here and there, sharing weightless chit-chat, resonances of shopping with Lily resurface.  So, I say "O.K.!" and enjoy the visit, springing myself from the frugality of cash conservancy, if only in spirit.
The Bay (Hudson's Bay Company originally) Vancouver flagship store at Georgia and Granville, was often our destination.  I'd collect Lily in my "Grand Dame", Ramona, the 1991 Buick Le Sabre.  Driving to 3rd and Balsam's Carriage House, and later, Tapestry at The O'Keefe, Ramona and I happily anticipated Lily's company.

As often as possible, I'd stop the car, turn off the ignition key, and tep outside to open doors for Dear Lily, who was nearly always "Down Front" as she'd promised.

Lovely wool Jacket-coat, of the style that could've been from the '60's store, "Sandra"(formerly at Broadway near MacDonald) , but in current mode, adorned Cleo's cousin Lil.
Some shade of purple or deep blue, with smart grey slacks, and an absolutely spot-on accent scarf, was Lily's stylish browsing choice.  The only Internet browsing Lily & I engaged in was at Tapesty, in the Computer room, looking up Theatre World somebodies, or, Lily herself, or Janis, or Lyn, her daughters.  The browsing the Buick facilitated was most definitely not of the world wide web variety.

We were bound for The Bay!  We'd all been there with our Mothers.  We'd park in the Parkade, walk over Seymour St. through the Skywalk, and stay together for a quarter of an hour or so.
Upon agreeing to meet in 3 or so more quarter hours, we'd set off separately, within the store.  When re-connecting, frequently at The Cafe by the Flowers Concession on Floor 3, we'd lunch or coffee contentedly commenting one another's anecdotes. Then, afterwards, we'd take one another back to some item we may've pondered, to get familial feedback, or a yay or nay.  

Sometimes, she said, in her School Teaching Days, she'd come to the Traditional Bay during her "tweensies" time - a time of deceleration between work and home, just to chill out.

So, when Lily "came by" this past Thursday, those Bay Days re-lived themselves in my consciousness.
Over noshing in the Cafe, I'd hear her tell of Hanne, her Mother, my Great-Aunt, coming with a younger Lil to the Mirror Room.  My own Mom, Lil's cousin Catherine called Cleo, had been there many times as well, with or without me, and we'd handled & tried on dresses, coats, gowns, and sleepwear.  Cleo, pictured above with her cousin Lily A. Harper, nee Mussallem, on my 4th August, 1987 Birthday at Lil's Locarno Crescent home, passed away 8 October, 1987.

Shopping with Lily, in the late 1990's & into the new Millennium, gave each of us a chance to share.  What was fun was her brightly-toned encouragement when "a find" was found!  You knew you had to buy the piece, when Lil's voice sang approval.
Last week's sense of accompaniment was a sweet one. Indeed, after having gone home for my own tweensies, my daughter Hadani rang me, wanting my company to view and advise on colour for a coat she'd found.  I bused downtown, close to The Bay, ( which now has not the feeling some elders knew), and joined her underground at Pacific Centre Mall.  Sitting as correctly as I could, in the small shop, GEOX, I exchanged with Hadani the merits & de-merits of the Blue or the Black, the 10 or the 12, and then observed the Regal Blue with its luminescence, size ten being bought.  We strolled away happily, and I so very grateful to be able to feel, and be here now.  
My Advent Gift:  "Shopping and Sharing is permitted".