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“How do you not have a dress?” Annabelle’s brow furrowed and Elizabeth wanted to wipe the expression off her face. They’d been shopping for hours, filling her car with bags of presents, and then returning to buy more. Now, however, as they stood in the middle of a mall, it seemed they were finally having their first disagreement of the day. Apparently, she hadn’t explained herself well enough, so she tried again.
“Most of the functions I go to are for work and I always attend those in a suit. No need for a dress.” Elizabeth accompanied the explanation with a shrug, hoping it conveyed her attitude. As far as she was concerned, it was no big deal.
“But, not even an LBD?”
Elizabeth wondered if she ought to know the term, but had to confess ignorance. “Clothes aren’t my thing.” Now she felt a sheepish half-grin tugging at her lips. How could she be any clearer?
“A little black dress!” Annabelle looked aghast. “Are you seriously telling me you don’t own one?”
With a shake of her head, Elizabeth said, “No, but now I know what you mean. I’ve seen other women wear them, but I choose not to. It’s just never been something I like. I’ve got some lovely suits, perfect for formal events. There’s no need to dress up more than that.”
“Wait – you’ll wear layers of dress and petticoats and underthings for the ren faire, but not for a fancy function? Honestly, that doesn’t make any sense.”
It did make sense in Elizabeth’s mind. She wanted to keep everything entirely professional at a work event. Even if it was after-hours, her favorite black suit never failed her. It set off her red hair and porcelain skin tone to perfection. It was feminine without being too showy, powerful without being too stuffy.
“What can I say?” Elizabeth shrugged. “I know what I’m comfortable wearing.”
“Well, the Scott gala is black tie, so you’re going to either need quite a fancy suit or a tux, or you’re going to have to resign yourself to wearing a dress.” Annabelle transferred her bags into one hand and indicated that Elizabeth should twirl for her.
“Uh, why am I doing this?”
“Because I need to figure out which store is best for getting you a dress. You’re so slender and small on top, you can probably go designer, if you want.”
A designer evening gown sounded like a waste of money if she was never going to wear it again and she opened her mouth to say as much.
“Look, I’d loan you something out of my closet, but I’m shorter. Plus, I’ve got boobs and hips. You have the body of a runway model, so you might as well work it. Come on.” Annabelle grabbed her hand and tugged her toward one of the department stores.
Elizabeth groaned. Shopping for presents was one thing, but shopping for clothes? “No thank you. I look absolutely gawky in modern dresses. I’m too tall for something floor-length, unless it’s super puffy, like my Queen Elizabeth garb.”
“What? Oh, please!” Annabelle’s insistent tugging ultimately won the day, since Elizabeth wasn’t about to make a public scene. It was a Wednesday evening and she’d already cut out of work just a little early to join Annabelle for the shopping trip. She supposed she could let Annabelle see how awful she looked in a dress and then be done with it. Surely one of her better suits would work for the gala. One in particular came to mind, but she went along with Annabelle and watched her analyze all the dresses in the women’s section of the store.
The gowns certainly were lovely, displayed on fabric-coated hangers, shimmering and shining under the lights. Jolly holiday music played on the speakers, encouraging shoppers to be merry. The store’s decorations were tasteful and Elizabeth found herself tapping her foot in time to the music. There was no reason why she couldn’t enjoy the experience, even if she knew they would leave the store empty-handed.
“These,” Annabelle finally declared, selecting a few dresses and draping them over her arm. “Come with me and try them on.”
The dressing room was a tight fit with two women and several shopping bags, but Annabelle managed to coax Elizabeth into slipping into one of the dresses. She stepped out of the changing room with one last demand. “Don’t judge based on the mirror in there. Come out and use the ones here, and let me see.”
Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh and sat on the bench, relieved to be alone for the moment. When Annabelle got it in her mind to do something, things happened. She could be stubborn and bullheaded, and while Elizabeth loved her, there were times she wished Annabelle would just listen to her.
After a few deep breaths, she shucked off her coat, sweater, boots, and jeans, and slipped into one of the dresses. It was long and pale green, almost like something a beauty pageant contestant might wear.
Despite Annabelle’s instructions, Elizabeth glanced at herself in the mirror. She grimaced and reminded herself department store lighting sucked, then stepped out of the room.
“Nice,” Annabelle said, rising from a chair to look at her. “This is a great color for you, but...” She pressed her fingers to her lips and Elizabeth gave her a little twirl. If Annabelle was going to make her try on dresses, she might as well go about it the right way.
“Well?” Elizabeth prompted her. The sooner her torture ended, the better for them both.
“It looks good, but it’s too summery. Better for going to a June wedding. Next.”
Elizabeth returned to the dressing room, this time to try a white dress with silver stitching. When she stepped out, she had to admit it looked wonderful against her skin and with her red hair. And, for once, instead of looking gawky and too tall, the flowing gown gave her a graceful silhouette.
“I think I actually like this one,” she said, turning to Annabelle and spreading her arms wide. “What do you think?”
Something about the dress must have affected Annabelle, because she coughed, cleared her throat, and said, “You look so beautiful, like a bride. Though I might have that image in my mind since I said the other dress was better suited to a wedding.”
“Really – a bride? Huh.” Elizabeth turned back to the mirror and tilted her head from side to side. She did kind of look like a bride, but she also looked like a winter-time princess. It was nice. Annabelle had a better eye than she’d expected.
“But I think you should try the black one and make a final decision.”
“Okay.” With one last look at herself in the mirror, Elizabeth admired the dress. Then she returned to the changing room.
The last gown was just as beautiful, with a few subtle accents that also seemed to work wonders for her form. The plunging neckline gave her the illusion of curvier breasts, an idea that made her grin. Since black was generally her go-to color for professional attire, she felt more comfortable, despite the revealing top and even though the fabric of the dress was light and airy.
“Chiffon,” Annabelle told her when she asked, “and it looks amazing on you. The leg slit really flatters you.”
“I think it looks...” Elizabeth swallowed and ran her hands down the soft fabric. “Sexy,” she finished.
“And does that surprise you?”
Elizabeth laughed. “Yeah, a little,” she admitted. “I’ve never been the sexy one. I mean, I’m a ginger, for goodness sake. All I’ve ever gotten are jokes about my hair, my lack of a soul, and how evil redheads are. It never helped that I was taller than all the girls and quite a few of the boys back in high school. Early bloomer and all that. Things kind of evened out by college, but the damage is done early in adolescence, you know?”
The expression on Annabelle’s face changed as if she couldn’t quite figure out how she felt about what Elizabeth said. “I’m so used to you being confident in yourself, I had no idea you had issues with your appearance.”
“Not issues, exactly. I mean, I’m in my forties, so I feel like I’m too old to care at this point. People get what they get, and if they don’t like what they see, tough. But I definitely grew up believing I looked my best in suits – skirt suits, pant suits, whatever. Just very pulled together pieces that downplayed my body. This, though, is just amazing. I feel so good wearing it.”
Annabelle’s face lit up and she clapped her hands together. “Then it’s settled. You are wearing that and I’ve got a gorgeous burgundy dress I wore a few years ago, so I’ll pull that out of my closet.”
“You aren’t getting a new dress?” Elizabeth turned back to the mirror to examine herself. It was harder and harder to look away from this new version of her, she liked it so much. Mentally, she added some black eyeliner, a stroke of golden eyeshadow across each eyelid, and black mascara. Oh yes, she would rock this dress.
“On my pay? No way. Gifts take priority. I have three dresses I keep in rotation for the gala. I’m sure George will say something mean about me wearing something old, but whatever. I don’t care what she thinks.”
In the mirror, Elizabeth saw Annabelle’s reflection wave dismissively. Something about her remark made her breath catch.
Even though she’d promised herself keeping work and love separate wasn’t a problem, the gala might cause issues. Of course, she probably had nothing to worry about on her end. From the impression she got, any blame for inappropriate behavior would fall squarely on Annabelle’s shoulders, and that didn’t rest well with her at all.
“You know,” she said slowly, “you don’t have to do this thing.”
“Do what? The gala?”
“Yeah.” Elizabeth turned away from the mirrors and approached her girlfriend. “You don’t like spending time with your family, so why do it?”
“Oh, reasons.” Annabelle remained dismissive, but Elizabeth saw her eyes shimmer with tears.
“It’s more than ‘reasons’,” she said gently.
Annabelle pressed her lips together and nodded, then bowed her head. A single tear tracked down her cheek, before she wiped it away and looked up at Elizabeth. “It makes me feel close to my mom, you know? The gala was always her thing and it’s the one night I can be in the house I grew up in – in her house – and feel like I’m near her, while not worrying about taking too much crap from George and the stepmonster.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, how come George gives you such a hard time?”
The laughter sounded raw through Annabelle’s sniffles. “Well, if you really want to talk about it, we should probably find a place to sit. This could take a while.”
Elizabeth nodded and in a matter of ten minutes, she’d purchased the dress and walked with Annabelle to one of the sit-down restaurants at the other end of the mall. Her girlfriend seemed to have regained her composure by then and she smiled at the waiter when he brought her a brightly-colored, umbrella-decorated drink.
“So my mom was nothing like the stepmonster or George,” Annabelle began. “She was a lot more like me.”
“Okay, I’m trying to envision this woman with black-dyed hair, tons of piercings, pale skin, and maybe even black lipstick,” Elizabeth interjected. “Very much into the Cure. Maybe even looked a bit like Robert Smith in her high school days.”
“Oh my god.” Annabelle covered her face with her hands. At first, Elizabeth was afraid her girlfriend was about to cry again, but instead her entire body shook with laughter that her palms could barely muffle. “I was born in ninety-two!” she sputtered.
Thinking back to her own high school years, Elizabeth nodded. “And I was born in the mid-seventies, so that sounds right. Your mom would have gone through her Robert Smith phase just about then. Well, maybe she stopped right after you were born.”
“My mother never looked like Robert Smith.” Annabelle was still choking with laughter, practically falling over sideways in the booth seat. “When I said she was more like me, I meant her personality.”
Elizabeth waited for Annabelle to sit up and catch her breath. “Tell me about her,” she said, more gently this time.
“Ohh.” The sigh was long and drawn out, and Annabelle sipped her drink as if to fortify herself. “I mean, she was into all the fun geeky stuff and literature and poetry. When she married my father, she was actually a lit professor, so she was a bit older when she had me and George. But she was one of those cool teachers, you know? The kind all the college students love and remember. I think I told you she introduced me to Poe and Annabel Lee. It made me feel special, that she took the time to do that, to foster a love of literature and sci-fi in me.”
It sounded lovely, like Annabelle and her mother had been two peas in a pod. That in and of itself was heartbreaking, knowing she had lost someone who mattered so much to her. Elizabeth forced a smile for the waiter as he brought out their food and, once they were alone again, asked, “What about George?”
“Well, she was more of a daddy’s girl. She didn’t like being associated with Professor Scott, because Mom had a reputation for being different, you know?” Annabelle reached for her burger and Elizabeth was glad she at least had an appetite. She knew talking about a deceased loved one wasn’t always easy.
“Is your dad very rigid?”
“No, not at all. He’s a pretty happy-go-lucky guy, but my grandparents were also big in our lives, so...” Annabelle rolled her eyes. “George is named after our dad’s mother, and she always had rigorous standards of behavior. So George pretty much took after her, always trying to impress her and be like her. Once she got into high school, she had to distance herself from our mom. I mean, in her mind, anyway, it was necessary if she wanted to be cool.”
Elizabeth scoffed and picked a French fry up off her plate. “The things kids do to be cool.”
“Yeah, it’s really BS, isn’t it? Not that George didn’t love our mother. We just each turned out totally different.” Annabelle’s gaze seemed far away, like she was searching her memory or mind for something. “Anyway,” she continued with a shake of her head, “I keep hoping she’ll grow up and stop acting like that, and she keeps hoping I’ll do the same. Since she’s a few years older, she thinks she has the monopoly on mature behavior and that I’m just a big baby.”
“Not exactly a win-win situation, I take it?”
“No.” Annabelle snorted. “But when is dealing with sisters ever win-win?”
Elizabeth felt the truth of that statement in her very bones and she nodded. It seemed like they both had insurmountable problems, but at least they had something going for them.
Each other.