Rohi sighed, picked up her buffing cloth and rubbed again, starting at the top and deliberating her way through every stitch and scale.
“Excuse me,” a voice with an unfamiliar accent called from the door sometime later.
Rohi’s bag perched on her bench as she tidied scraps and rolled fuller pieces in muslin for use in later handbags. Around her women swept and brushed, sharpening her tools and replacing them in their holders. At the sound of the new woman’s call, everyone paused, except for the sleepers, who sat up.
Rohi’s mother and sister raised their customer service smiles and turned to meet the woman. Her bulky yellow suit and bone collar necklace preceded her. A droop-shouldered man with long strings of thinning hair that were already slicked with sweat followed.
“Ms. Pade.” Her m
