Several hours later, I was exhausted. We had searched nearly every store in the mall. Michelle had been successful; she found a beautiful strapless deep red dress. I, however, was not so lucky. I had found nothing.
I turned to Michelle as we exited yet another store. "Michelle, let's look in just one more store, okay? If we don't find anything in this one, then we can go home and try again this weekend."
"Okay, that's fine," she agreed.
We walked up and down the rows of dresses, searching for the perfect one. Finally, I gave up. I turned around to leave the store, when I realized Michelle wasn't with me. I turned back to see her staring at a dress.
"Monica, get over here!" she called. "I think I just found it!"
I rushed to her side and looked at the dress. My eyes widened in shock; this was it. It was a very pale lavender, so pale it almost looked white. The straps were thin; normally I wouldn't have worn straps like that, but this was special. The dress came down to my ankles when I held it up.
"Perfect!" exclaimed Michelle. "What do you think?"
"I love it! Thanks, Michelle."
"Hey, no problem...we both have to look our best, you know."
Then I remembered a question I had been wanting to ask her. "Michelle, are you going with someone? To the prom, I mean?"
"No one's asked me yet. But that's okay. If someone asks me, I'll go with them. If not, I'll go alone. Either way, I am going."
"Have you bought your ticket yet?"
"Yeah, I bought it the other day. How about you?"
"No, I haven't gotten around to it yet. Plus, I still don't know if they let non-students come."
"They do," Michelle confirmed. "I actually went to a dance at LBJ last year, while I was still going to Reagan. And I don't think they would change their policy in a single year."
"Okay, thanks. But who is supposed to pay for the tickets? Do we each buy our own? If we get couple's tickets, who is supposed to pay how much? Do I pay more, since it's at my school? Does Taylor pay more, since he asked me?"
"Monica, I don't know. Can't you just split the cost evenly?"
"Yeah, I suppose we could, but I think Taylor's gonna insist on paying more. Should I just let him do that? Should I insist on paying the same amount as him? I'm so confused, Michelle," I confessed. "I've never been on a date before, especially not something like this."
"Don't worry about it, Monica," Michelle advised. "Just talk to Taylor, and work it out." She changed the subject then. "Now...don't you think you should try that dress on before you buy it?"
"No, I was just planning to get a random size and hope it fits," I joked. "No, really, I am going to try it on now." I looked around. Finally spotting a dressing room, I hurried over to try on the beautiful dress.
As I approached the fitting area, I was dismayed to see that there were no empty rooms. I sat down in a chair to wait, drumming my fingers on my leg impatiently. Finally, I saw a door open and the occupant leave. Quickly I entered the room before anyone else could. Removing my normal clothes, I slipped the dress over my head. I zipped it up in the back, then tied the silken cord which matched the straps and served as a belt. I smoothed my hair, opened the door, and stepped out.
As I left the dressing room to see what Michelle thought of the dress, I saw her eyes light up. "That is the most beautiful dress you have ever worn!" she exclaimed as I came up to her.
"I love it!" I replied. "But...do you think Taylor will like it?"
Michelle smiled. "Monica, of course he will. How could he not like it...no, love it? The first time he sees you in that dress, I know he's gonna fall in love with you all over again."
I could not speak for shock at the words I had just heard Michelle say. "...fall in love with you all over again..." "...fall in love with you..." "...fall in love..." The words ran through my head over and over.
"Michelle," I said cautiously, "do you really think Taylor's in love with me?"
"Girl, it's obvious that he loves you. I have eyes...I've seen the way he looks at you, and you at him. I've seen how you two treat each other. I've heard the love in his voice when he talks to you. I know that he only wants what's best for you, and that in itself is the very essence of love."
My heart leaped when she said that. I had already been certain how I felt about Taylor; I just hadn't let him know yet, for fear he didn't feel the same. I made up my mind then...I had to tell him how I felt. I had just decided to tell him at the prom when I thought of something. What if Michelle was wrong, and he didn't really feel the same? I didn't want him to think that he had to say that he loved me just because I said it to him. I had to let him make the first move.
Chapter 40
Love Takes Time
Story Page
Back Home
