Amanda Jason - Lucky Number Four

Papa’s equally rotund wife joins us at one point, and with the wine and the company, I really don’t want this night to end.

On the ride home, Drew turns on the heat, and with the wine and the smooth ride of the car, I feel my eyes closing. The next thing I know, I’m being carried from the car into our building. The arms hold me snugly, and my eyes are so heavy that I keep them shut. I hear voices, but I’m too tired to answer. My bed feels wonderful when I’m placed gently on it. I feel lips touching mine and then I feel myself drift off.

I loved having her in my arms. Tonight I wanted her complete attention. She is so amazing—warm and giving. Watching her with the people at Papa’s makes me believe I can feel again. I wonder how long she was in that relationship Papa mentioned. Who ended it? Does she have a broken heart? Will she even give me a chance? I felt so much jealously when that Giuseppe guy kissed her hand. I would love for her to look at me the way she looked at him. I need her. God, I sound like a stalker. It’s been such a short time, but I feel…she makes me feel alive.

I haven’t seen the guys in a few weeks, and I still don’t know who put me to bed that night. I can still feel his lips, and then nothing . I’m not going to go there. Life is hectic with my classes seeming to stretch for hours, and work, well, let’s just say it’s work. It seems like I’m always rushing, like right now to go meet Julie. She’s waiting by her car, and I can tell by her face she thinks I’m late.

“It’s about time. You’re late,” she quips as she hits the button to unlock the doors.

“Yep, three whole minutes,” I respond, loving the scowl she sends my way. “Turn that frown upside down. We’re going on a big adventure. Oh, how I love Halloween!” I watch as she tries not to smile and then rubs her hands together, breaking into a huge smile.

“I want to be something totally different this year. I’m tired of vampire teeth and zombie stuff,” she says as she backs out of the parking spot.

“I thought you looked awesome last year. You had that dead look down!” I say.

“I know, I was pretty hot as a zombie babe, huh? But different is what I’m going for this year. This party’s going to be epic, don’t you think? Drew says they rented out that whole floor, and that anybody who is anybody is going to be there.”

“Then why are we going? We’re the biggest nobodies I know,” I reply with an eye roll.

“They won’t know that since we’ll be in costume. They’ll believe we’re famous,” Julie argues with a grin.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am excited about going to the party. I guess I just have reservations about feeling out of place. I don’t like feeling insecure, and since my life’s upheaval in September, that feeling has crept up on me more than I would like.

“We’re here!” Julie’s excited voice interrupts my musings as we pull in front of the biggest costume shop in the city, aptly named “Biggest Costume Shop in the City.” So unique, huh?

The store is like a decorated two-story haunted house with racks of clothing separated into sections. They have a werewolf section guarded by the biggest stuffed werewolf I’ve ever seen. I swear it’s more than fifteen feet tall. Then there’s the vampire section with—yes, you guessed it—a fifteen-foot bat. You thought I was going to say vampire, but no, it’s a humongous, jet-black bat with glowing red eyes. Creepsville, for sure.

I already know what section I’m heading for, so I leave Julie pondering while I enter the Victorian section. I know. Lame. But I feel like I belong back in that era. My mom says I must have lived there in a previous life. Anyway, here I am, surrounded by long, flowing dresses and low-cut bodices that would make any woman feel feminine. I spot a light lavender dress with fake pearls patterned on the bodice and make a beeline for it, praying it’s my size.

“May I help you?” A voice stops me in my pursuit and I turn to find a small, even-shorter-than-me female dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, basket and all.

“Yes, this dress.” I move forward and place my hand on it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? We just put it out yesterday. It comes with a mask. Let’s see what size it is.”

I cross my fingers. Spying the tag she pulls out from the sleeve, I know it’s too big.

“I venture to say this is tooooooo big for you,” she says in a singsong voice. I guess she’s getting into character.

“Damn. I mean, crap, it’s the one I want.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll check in the back. We have a couple more sizes in this one.” She takes off and disappears behind a partition in the section after I tell her my dress size.

Looking around, I see an elaborately dressed footman, like you see in Cinderella stories, guarding this section. He’s standing on a pedestal and looks to be about six feet tall and very lifelike.

“Good afternoon, madam,” the footman says, making me jump.

“God, you almost gave me a heart attack,” I say a little more loudly than I should have. But damn, he almost scared the pee out of me.

“I beg your pardon. I did not mean to startle you.” His tone is very solemn, but the gleam in his eye gives away his lie.

“Guess what? We have it in your size. If you follow me, you can try it on back here.” Red is back and takes one look at my face, which must be pale, because she goes up to the footman and smacks him on the leg. “You creep. Get down from there. Next time you’ll scare the wrong person and be in big trouble.”

“Geez, Red. I was just shaking things up a little. I’m tired of walking the floor. She looks too young to have a heart attack. I do pick my victims well.” The handsome, even with the white wig, footman gracefully jumps down and bows low to both of us.

“Ignore him and follow me.” Red takes my arm and guides me to a bank of dressing rooms behind an elaborately painted scenic backdrop of a Victorian ballroom. “Here we are. Now the corset comes with it, so you’ll need help with that. If you want to disrobe, we’ll get to it.”

Red puts down her basket and waits for me to undress. I’m praying my underwear is up to par. She laces the corset tightly, which makes my waist even smaller and pushes my boobs up. I must say, I have magnificent cleavage. I pull the dress over my head, and it flows down my body, fitting perfectly. Okay, so the bodice is a little low, which is okay because my family won’t see me in it. No worries. So what if I want to look a little slutty? Everyone should, once in their lifetime.

I put on the lavender mask Red hands to me, and then she turns me around so I face the full-length mirror. I can’t believe it’s me, but it is because Red is standing beside me, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“You look so beautiful, and your red hair is perfect for the lavender color. It’s like you just stepped out of a Victorian painting,” she gushes. Watching her eyes, I know it’s not just a sales pitch. She means it.

“Thank you, I’ll—”

“There you are!” Julie says as she walks up. “I swear some fucking idiot dressed like Cinderella’s hand boy just scared the daylights out of me. Oh my, Dora, you look…well, you don’t look like you, that’s for sure! You look fucking great!”

“She does, doesn’t she?” Red nods her head in agreement.

“Now get out of that so we can go find me something just as fucking awesome!” Julie says as she exits the fitting room. I look at Red and apologize for the language.