Gloria opens the door for Lauren and Travis, ushering them into her home. “I’m so sorry to bother you and Marshall at night,” Lauren says.
“Oh my word! You would never be bothering us. Marshall isn’t home from the store anyway. Even if he was, he would love to see both of your faces.” She takes their jackets and hangs them on the hall tree in the entryway.
“Is Miriam coming?”
Gloria leads them into the living room, indicating that they should seat themselves on the sofa. “She should be here any minute. I called her as soon as you and I hung up.”
Lauren sighs. “That gives me a second to tell you what happened before she gets here.” The door opens and Lauren groans, resting her head on the back of the sofa. “Too late.”
Miriam races into the living room, looking wide-eyed at all of them. “What’s happened? What’s wrong?”
Gloria puts her hands on the back of Miriam’s shoulders and leads her to a chair. “Sit down, Miriam. And why do you think anything’s wrong? Why is that always your first assumption?”
Miriam lifts her arm toward a window. “It’s dark outside, Gloria. If this is good news, it would have been shared during the daylight hours. People only show up at your doorstep at night when they have bad news. That’s been scientifically proven.”
Gloria rolls her eyes and exhales. “That is so illogical that I don’t even know how to respond.” Miriam opens her mouth but Gloria puts a finger in her face. “Just hush until further notice.” She turns to look at Lauren. “Go ahead, babe.”
“Well … I … picked up my wedding dress just a little while ago.” She stops talking when Miriam jumps to her feet, clapping her hands.
“Oh! It is good news! Where is it? I’m so excited to see it!” She looks at Travis. “But why is he here? The groom should never see the dress before the wedding day.”
“He hasn’t seen it,” Lauren says.
Miriam swipes her hand across her forehead. “Phew! I know that you both are making some unconventional choices for this wedding, but I’m so glad that you’re keeping the mystery and the beauty of the dress a secret until that very special moment.” Lauren looks at Travis and he gives her an awkward smile, raising his shoulders. “What does that mean?” Miriam says, pouncing as soon as she notices the look. “Why did you do that, Travis? Why did you smile like this?” she says, mimicking the look on his face.
“I … didn’t know my face did that.”
She points at him. “It did. Your face did do that and you just did it again! Did you see it, Gloria?” Gloria begins to answer, but Miriam is impatient. “Where is the dress? If you picked up the dress a few minutes ago then surely it’s here, right? Or is it in your car? Did they do something wrong to the dress? Because if they did, you don’t have to worry. I will take care of everything.”
Lauren shakes her head. “No, Miriam. It’s nothing like that. The dress is beautiful. It was even more beautiful when I picked it up than on the day you bought it.”
“And?” Miriam says, standing in front of her and Travis.
“And I saw a woman over by the gazebo when I was walking to my car. And she…”
Miriam motions for her to hurry up already and spit it out. “What? What?”
“She and her mom and her sister were the ones who bought the star for the gazebo.”
“Oh, how nice. What does that have to do with our … your dress?”
“Should we all have something to drink?” Gloria says. “I can make some coffee or I have some cider or—”
“No one wants anything to drink, Gloria! Do I look parched to you?”
“No. But you do look kind of crazy.”
Miriam disregards her and faces Lauren. “Go on.”
“Well, it turns out that I saw her and her mom on the day that Travis was putting the star on the gazebo. Then I saw them in the dress shop, the first time that I went in to pick it up, and I overheard that they were trying to find a wedding dress.”
“How very odd that they would be looking for a wedding dress in a dress and formal wear shop!” Miriam says, making Travis smile in that awkward way again.
“Then I saw them again in Wilson’s looking for a dress and I pieced things together and realized that they couldn’t afford a dress.”
Gloria’s hand flies to her mouth and Miriam falls into her chair, her hand covering her forehead. “You didn’t,” she says.
“I couldn’t get her and her mom out of my mind. After I picked up the dress I saw her over at the gazebo, alone. I went over and…”
“Oh, please say you didn’t talk to her,” Miriam says, ashen.
“I did talk to her.” Miriam lets out a small, guttural noise that makes Gloria reach for a magazine off the coffee table and begin to fan her. “Her name is Mandy and she had planned a Christmas wedding because her dad loved Christmas. In October he had the idea of getting the star for the gazebo, so that everyone in town could enjoy it. Then he was diagnosed with cancer and died only eleven days later. I just couldn’t imagine it.” She looks at Gloria, whose eyes have misted over, and says, “Gloria, you always say to hold things loosely, and as I was standing there talking to her, I realized that I didn’t have a tight grip on that dress. But I do have a tight grip on all of you, and you’re what matters most to me.”
Gloria lays down the magazine and walks to the sofa, sitting next to Lauren, wrapping her in her arms. “I am so proud of you!” She leans back, putting her hands on Lauren’s. “I just can’t imagine what that one act of kindness is going to do for that woman for the rest of her life. She’ll never forget it. And neither will I.” She hugs Lauren again and then reaches over, patting Travis’s leg. “Quite the woman you have here.”
“I know,” he says.
Miriam clears her throat and the three of them slowly look her way.
“Travis and I have already talked about it on the way over here, Miriam, and it might take some time, but we will pay you back for the dress. Every penny!”
Miriam makes a high-pitched noise that reaches the ceiling. “You will do no such thing. The dress was my gift to you, meaning that you were the owner of the dress, and could do with it whatever you wanted.”
Lauren stands and moves to Miriam, who rises to give her a hug. “I love you so much, Miriam.”
Miriam’s eyes fill at the words and she clears her throat. “I know you do.” She dabs at her eyes before anyone can see, and pats Lauren on the back. “With or without a dress, you’ll still be the most beautiful bride that Grandon has ever seen.” She and Gloria walk them to the door and Gloria sighs as she closes it behind them.
“That was quite the brave face you showed, Miriam,” she says, leading her into the kitchen, where she uncovers a chocolate pie. She opens a cabinet and pulls down two plates, putting a slice of pie on each, before putting a kettle of water on to boil for tea.
Miriam sits at the kitchen table and puts her head down on it. “She gave it away. That beautiful, expensive dress. Gone.”
Gloria sets the piece of chocolate pie in front of her. “But somehow, when she wrapped her arms around you and told you that she loves you, you forgot all about the money.”
Miriam twists up her face in attempt to hold back the tears and looks up at the ceiling. “Shut up, Gloria.”
Gloria takes a bite of her pie. “And as much as you’d like to resist the idea, I think that if you were placed in the exact same circumstances, you would do the same thing.”
Miriam uses her fork to attack the pie. “You are old and delusional.” She reaches across the table and squeezes her friend’s hand. They both howl as they eat what Miriam describes as the best chocolate pie she’s ever put into her mouth.