It was Sarah. “Good morning, Alex, how did you sleep? You looked like you had a rough time Thursday night. Been there. Don’t miss those days.”

“Good morning, Sarah. You know me too well. I’m feeling wonderful today, just like Cinderella before the ball. What’s the plan for today?”

“Well, Cinderella, I’ll pick you up at 9:30 and we can stop for coffee and then we’ll go to Neiman’s. Do you have any other plans today?”

“No, I’m free all day.”

I loved the thought of spending time with Sarah. She is the most caring and loving person I’ve ever known. She teaches me how to maneuver the twists and turns of the PR business. Sarah nurtures me as if I were her daughter. I don’t think I could have made it without her. Without her, I might have fallen flat on my face and had to return to the boring farm.

“Great,” she said. “I’d like you to go somewhere with me after Neiman’s.”

“Sure, I’d love to.”

I wondered where she wanted to take me. Sarah is such a private person. I barely knew any of the details of her life. Maybe she had a secret boyfriend to whom she wanted to introduce me. It didn’t matter; we’d have fun no matter what we did. I drank my cup of freshly brewed coffee and headed off to the shower. I wasn’t sure how to dress. If we were going shopping, I was wearing fun clothes. Visions of scenes from Pretty Woman flashed through my mind. We were going to Neiman Marcus, New Orleans’ version of Rodeo Drive. I told myself not to stress over what to wear. After all, Sarah would be with me, and they couldn’t ignore her. Besides, we had Dan Broussard’s credit card, and I was Cinderella. I went for cute and comfortable and put on slacks, boots and a starched white blouse.

Sarah beeped her horn, and I rushed outside. I thought: my glass carriage awaits. Actually, it was Sarah’s Mercedes.