But I did. And as I left to go home and change, I couldn’t help but think of my mother. She would have been proud of me, I know it. I just wished she could actually see it. And I was even more grateful that Sasha had given me this chance. I could feel that this party would open doors up for me, and my pay for doing this event alone was enough to cover rent for the flower shop and my apartment for the next two months.
I had four hours before I had to be back at the venue because I had to be back early, which seemed like a long time, but it really wasn’t.
I rushed through my shower, so I could wash my hair. Once out of the shower, I started rummaging through my drawers for a bra and panties. I silently cursed myself for not having the right lingerie to wear under this dress. Ivy was already on her way, so I couldn’t ask her to stop and get something. I probably wouldn’t have anyway. In the midst of me freaking out over the smallest thing, Ivy had arrived and had been knocking on the door.
“Sorry, sorry!” I tightened my robe and skipped over to the door.
She had her tote bag full of hair products and makeup. When we lived together, we used to share them, and I never wore it much or used it, so I let her keep it when we moved out.
“That’s okay, what’s up with you? How did set up go?”
She dropped everything on the bed and looked me over. I was a little flustered from all the running around.
“It was good, the arrangement looks great—well, I think it does.” I didn’t want to give myself too much credit before anyone even saw it.
“I’m sure it does.”
“Hey, you’re not dressed.” I said, taking in her casual jean and tee shirt attire.
“Oh, yeah. I shouldn’t go. This is your thing.” I furrowed my brow in confusion.
“What? What do you mean?” I sat next to her.
“Trust me, with all the attention you’ll be getting, you don’t need to be introducing your best friend to everyone too.”
I pursed my lips in thought. Maybe she was right, but I would rather her be there…
“Okay.”
She gave me a quick hug, “You’ve got this. Let’s start making you fabulous. You know your hair takes forever to curl.” I giggled softly.
“You want to curl it?” I fiddled with my split ends. Man, I needed a haircut.
“Yeah, it will look really good with that dress.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Oh, I don’t think I have the right stuff to wear underneath! I literally only have regular bras or sports bras.” I rummaged through my drawer again for good measure. If I wasn’t sure I never did this kind of thing before, it was even more apparent now.
“Don’t wear anything. The dress has good support. Just wear some panties. It isn’t like you need to hide a gun or something.”
“What about my phone?” I asked her.
“Do you really need it?” I nodded, hoping I would have to take numbers down or something.
“Well, I don’t have an evening bag. I forgot.” She made a face as she scolded herself.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure I can leave it at the coat closet or something.” There were always those fancy coat takers at these things, right?
“True
.”
She tugged me to the living room and we watched some more of the Oklahoma house wives show as she curled my hair. It was times like this when I wished I didn’t have so much hair, but I did. It was curly, full, and long. Sometimes I felt like it drew too much attention to me, and most of the time I would really rather hide. I was like that my whole life, I just wanted to keep to myself. It got worse after my mom died. I couldn’t talk to anyone or hold a decent conversation. It really wasn’t until I met Ivy in college that I started to feel somewhat comfortable in my own skin.
I looked at my reflection in my bathroom mirror as Ivy did her magic. I had complete trust in her and knew she would make me look amazing. I just hoped that my nerves would calm before I was thrust into a world that I never really was a part of.
Ivy was a goddess, and she made me look like one too. She made my hair into tight curls and then loosened them up, so they fell in loose waves. She kept my makeup simple too; my eyeliner was light, and my eyeshadow a dark blue color to offset the dress. My lipstick was such a light peach color, it just looked my own lips that had been air brushed.