Carpe Diem (6 page)

The two and half hours that it takes her to cut, color, and style my hair, plus the forty-five minutes another woman spent putting makeup on me, is worth it when I look in the mirror and hardly recognize myself. My once dull brown hair is now a golden brown with hints of red shining through. My face is smooth looking with the blush highlighting my cheekbones. The eyes looking back at me are painted as if I’m going to go home and shoot porn. Okay, maybe not that bad, but to me it certainly looks unnatural.

As I continue to stare at myself, I start to think
if I tone it down a little I could actually get used to this look
.

“Hot mama,” Abby says from behind me.

“I know, right? I think I could get used to this look,” I joke.

“We have one last thing to do before we go home,” Casey tells me.

“What? What could possibly be left on the list for today?” I ask.

“Well, it’s only a pit stop.”

“Guys, today has been amazing, but in truth, I am ready to go home and relax now,” I say with a deep sigh.

“Come on, it is this one last stop and then home,” Abby replies as she looks at her phone.

“Okay, but then we go back to my house for some comfy pants, pizza, and wine,” I tell them.

I get no verbal response from either of them. Instead, I get two mischievous smirks. Rather than argue, I decide to keep my sanity intact and just smile, nod, and walk back out into the mall hallway while Casey stays back to pay.

A
fter a “pit stop”
at Macy’s for Abby to run in and pick up a garment bag, we are
finally
on our way back to my house. I didn’t bother to ask what was in the bag, no doubt it has to do with a master plan they have to get me out of the house again later tonight. There is no other logical conclusion I can come too, considering we have been pampered and prepped all day for a night out. I will truly hate to be the buzzkill after all they have done for me today, but I have had about enough of the running around. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed myself today more than I ever thought I would, but it’s time to sit back, drink wine, eat, and relax. Even if that means being all dolled up looking like we are supposed to be walking the red carpet watching some sappy romance.

On our way home, I tried to get them to stop for pizza. I was told to stop being a backseat driver and not to worry about food. I eventually gave up and protested with a silent pout.

When we pull up to the house, I see Flynn’s car parked in the driveway. I almost blurt out a question of what he is doing here but remember he mentioned he was going to stop by today or tomorrow to take a look at the clothes dryer for me. It seems like it is taking longer and longer to dry my clothes. I was going to go buy a new one. However, Flynn insisted on taking a look at it for me first.

“Oh look, Flynn is here?” Abby questions in a fake
I’m going to pretend I didn’t know he was here
tone.

Casey quickly shoots an evil look at her that has my curiosity level at a ten. Before I can question her odd tone, the car is in park and they each jump out of the car as if it was on fire.

I give the now empty car a questioning look before grabbing my purse and also exiting. Completing their marathon sprint, they are both already at the front door waiting for me as I close the car door behind me.

“You guys are up to something. What’s going on?” I ask.

“Nothing, why do you ask?” Abby says with a big grin on her face.

Casey gives her another evil glare before turning away to avoid eye contact with me.

“Well, you seem to have known Flynn would be here. On top of that, it’s not even dark out yet and my drapes are all closed,” I point out.

“Nothing, don’t spoil it. You will find out soon enough. Now, when we get in please let us take you right up to your room, no looking around,” Casey pleads.

“Guys
really
, no more surprises. I only want to sit back and relax for the rest of the night,” I beg.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing big, it’s just…” Abby starts before Casey punches her in the arm.

“OUCH! You didn’t have to hit me that hard,” she cries.

“Yes, yes I did. Now stop talking before I tape your damn mouth shut,” Casey hissed as she opens my front door.

I shake my head and follow Casey through the threshold. Abby promptly follows behind me, tossing her arms up to cover my eyes, then races me upstairs to my bedroom.

I hear the bedroom door close and Abby’s hands fall from my face. The garment bag I saw Casey had draped over her arm while standing on the porch is now lying open on the bed.

It is a beautiful black dress with a strapless top and chiffon skirt with a beautiful rhinestone belt. It reminds me a little of a severely upgraded version of the dress from
Dirty Dancing
that Baby wore in the last scene. It is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. Ever since I first saw the movie, I have always wanted a dress like this. The way the skirt flowed on Jennifer Grey making her look so graceful, so beautiful, I couldn’t help wanting to be her, to have Patrick Swayze dancing like that with me. I knew I could never be her so I soon wanted to at least own a dress like that so I could be that beautiful.

I slowly pick it up carefully from the bed, treating it like a newborn child rather than the yards of fabric that it is. I walk to the full-length mirror and hold it up to me to get a better look.

“Do you like it?” Casey asks with a large smile on her face.

“Holy shit you guys! You did not have to do this… this is way too much… this dress had to be two hundred dollars,” I scold.

“Actually closer to three,” Abby blurts, prompting another punch from Casey.

“No, you can’t do this. You need to take it back,” I demand.

I unwillingly pull it away from my body in an effort to put it back in its protective bag, knowing I cannot accept this gift.

“It’s nonreturnable, it was a custom made for you,” Casey informs me as she crosses her arms with a look of satisfaction.

“Liar. Macy’s doesn’t do custom pieces.”

“Not normally no, but they do alterations and this was in a way an alteration. It started off as two dresses and now it is one. Therefore, you have no choice but to keep it.”

“Guys, really this is way too much,” I say as quickly.

“It’s yours now, and if you feel that strongly about it, you can give it to some woman at the homeless shelter.” Casey jokes.

I pick the dress back up and walk across the room to the mirror to admire it once again with a large smile on my face. Holding the dress up to myself, I move my hips from side to side, watching the loose chiffon flow back and forth.

“Come on, put it on already,” Abby demands.

Twisting of my arm would not be necessary. I did wholeheartedly love the dress and since they did go through so much trouble to have it made for me it was my absolute duty as the gift recipient to at least try it on for them. I wouldn’t want to offend my friends after all.

I rip off my clothes and slip the dress on. The chiffon feels so soft against my skin that I briefly wonder why all clothing isn’t made of chiffon. After a little help with the zipper, I step once again in front of the mirror to admire the masterpiece in the reflection.

I have a hard time believing it is me looking back, my hair, makeup, this dress makes me feel like someone else entirely. I can’t help but run my fingertips over the smooth fabric now hugging my skin. The feeling is heavenly.

“Don’t forget the shoes,” Casey says as she pulls them out of the bottom of the garment bag.

My heart stops once more at these magnificent creations. I look to see black glittered four-inch shoes with silver glitter heels. As I slip them on my feet, I feel like a princess getting ready for the ball. My only wish is that my lost prince would be there to greet me at the bottom of the staircase.

“You look incredible!” Abby tells me.

“Beautiful, you are simply beautiful,” Casey agrees as she hides her tears.

“You guys, today has been amazing. I… I… I have no words,” I stutter as I fight the tears of joy trying to come out and ruin my makeup.

I continue to admire myself in the mirror as Abby and Casey change into dresses they had in a bag I hadn’t noticed hidden under the garment bag when we came into the house.

“Okay, let’s head downstairs. I think someone is waiting for us,” Abby says with excitement.

Casey opens the bedroom door and I see red and white rose petals have been laid down on the floor in a path meant for us to follow. As follow the path down the stairwell and into the living room, my jaw drops when I see the dining room filled with more red and white roses, alongside the many lit candles that give off an enchanting glow.

Flynn and Bryna are standing near the head of the table that is set for six with new china I have never seen before and a centerpiece made up of a single gift wrapped in white paper surround by red roses and candles.

“Happy Anniversary, Mom,” Bryna says, pulling me out of my shock.

“Bryna, what are you doing here? Did you and Flynn, did you do all this?” I ask, grabbing at my heart that is about to explode in my chest.

“Flynn picked me up this morning and brought me home. We did, but we may have had a little help. Do you like it?” she responds.

“No, I love it. And to think I wanted to be alone today.”

“Mom, there was no way we were going to let you be alone today,” Bryna says as she walks to me and gives me the biggest hug I have ever gotten.

“Come on. Sit down and let’s eat,” she tells me.

“Wait, aren’t Dave, Chuck, and Leo going to join us?” I ask.

“No, Dave had to work late again,” Abby tells me.

“And Chuck had to drive Leo to football camp.”

“I can’t believe Leo is going to be a freshman this year.” I smile.

“I know, what happened? I blinked and he was no longer my little baby boy.”

Bryna leads me to my seat and when I see the setting next to mine has a single red rose on the silver lined plate I think of Jack. He would have found this cheesy and over the top. He was never a romantic kind of guy. He did the flower thing and a nice massage or midnight candlelight bath from time to time, but something like this, he would say something like,
Why on earth would I spend all that money to get laid? That is just a legal form of prostitution. You know deep down that if the guy does all that crap, he is only doing it to get some tail,
and then laugh hysterically at his own ridiculously stupid joke.

Once everyone is seated, Flynn picks up a small bell I hadn’t noticed and rings it. As he sets it down, five men come walking out of the kitchen in a line wearing perfectly pleated black pants, white jacket uniforms, and white gloves. Each one of them takes a position behind one of us and all at once, they place a plate in front of us on the table then immediately retreat back to the kitchen without saying a word. A soft melody starts to play and I realize it is to be our dinner music.

The fruit that has been placed in front of us looks like a magnificent work of sculpted art rather than something we are supposed to destroy by eating. A small apple cut and shaped to be a swan was in the center of the plate with five watermelon bites in the shape of roses surrounding the swan. The fine details are unbelievable. If I could, I would put this plate on a shelf and admire them for years to come.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Casey asks,

“No, they are too beautiful to eat. I think we are just supposed to look at them,” I reply, laughing.

They each look to one another, smiling. They all seem to be very proud of my reaction.

“Come on. You will piss the chef off of you don’t,” Flynn adds as he takes a bite of the swan’s head, smiling.

After we all chuckle as his boyish actions, I finally manage to convince myself to take the wing of the swan and place the thin slice of apple on my tongue. My taste buds scream with excitement. The flavor is indescribable, so sweet and crisp. You would think this was the first time I had ever tried an apple with the way my taste buds were now craving another bite.

Now that the shock of everything is starting to wear off, I feel more comfortable and conversation begins to fill the air. Including telling me that this will be a full six-course meal and not to over stuff myself on any one dish.