Past Forward- A Serial Novel: Episode 11 (12 page)

“
That
’
s you times ten!
”
Cheri exulted.
“
You are smokin
’
!
”

“
I don
’
t smoke and have no intention of taking it up
,
thank you very much
.”

Marianne laughed.
“
She means you look hot
.”

“
I am.
This robe is kind of warm
.”

Confused by the Tesdall women
’
s giggles, Willow stared at herself again.
“
What are you doing with my hair?
”

“
We’re going to take it out of the rollers and
then twist it in a French roll
so
you won
’
t be too hot
.”
With a wink to her mother, Cheri added,
“
But of course you are hot so you
’
ll be hot whether or not you
’
re hot
.”

“
Why do I get the feeling that I just missed something big?
”

Christopher
’
s voice called from downstairs,
“
Twenty minute warning women.
I
’
m driving out of here at five-thirty sharp
.”

“
No problem,
”
Cheri assured him.

When the curlers came out and Cheri picked out her hair, both women studied her carefully.
“
It looks really good Cheri
.”

“
Yeah, but she
’
ll be hot!
”

“
You said I already am!
”

Cheri rolled both sides of Willow
’
s hair into a coil that wrapped under her head with a few
‘
escaped
’
tendrils on each side.
“
We
’
ll compromise.
We
’
ll do a tousled up-do.
It
’
ll be perfect
.”

The first spray of hairspray brought Willow
’
s first objection.
“
Ok, I have had enough.
I can
’
t stand the smell of that.
It
’
s horrible.
I
’
ve got the sausage casings, the face plaster and paint, and my hair looks like someone else
’
s
,
but I am not going to shellac it that way.
If it starts to fall, I
’
ll take it down and let it hang free
,
but I am not putting any more stuff on it
.”

Cheri grabbed a few more pins to secure everything as best as she could and then held out the dress ready for Willow to step into it.
The moment it was zipped, Cheri protested.
“
You can
’
t wear your bra with this dress!
It shows!
”

“
Oh, I forgot about that back.
I wouldn
’
t have noticed!
”
Willow admitted
,
blushing as she unhooked the garment and slipped it off as discreetly as possible.

The five-minute warning sounded from the base of the stairs sending Cheri and Marianne into rapid dress preparations of their own.
“I’d say
I wish you were coming with us; Dad doesn’t take us out to nice restaurants often,
but…” Cheri teased.

“I think I do too.
With you, I wouldn’t have to be trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”

Hugs and well wishes filled Cheri
’
s bedroom before the Tesdall women left for
their dinner.
Willow sat alone on Cheri
’
s bed and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
She hardly recognized herself.
What if Chad didn
’
t like it?
She looked again and sighed.
He
’
d like it; she had never looked better.

“
Willow, are you ready?
We need to leave
.”

Irrationally nervous, at least in her opinion, Willow stepped from the room and closed the door behind her.
She took a deep breath and lifted her skirts a bit, as she moved toward the stairs.
The sight of Chad staring up at her made her pause on the first step.

“
Wow
.”

“
I get that a lot,
”
she joked
,
trying to feel normal
but
failing miserably.

“
Very funny.
You look
—”

She sighed.
“
Like someone else entirely.
I know
.”

“
Hot
.”

“
I
’
m not anymore
,
but I was in Cheri
’
s robe
—”

Chad shook his head as she reached the bottom stairs.
“
No Willow, hot.
Smokin
’
.
Gorgeous.
Out of this world.
Beautiful.
Need I continue?
”

“
Hot means nice?
”

“
No, nice means nice.
Hot means incredible
.”

“
Can we go?
I
’
m starting to feel hot
,
and it
’
s not my looks,
”
she complained grabbing her ruana and whirling it around her.

“
Willow,
” Chad stopped her at the door, waiting for her to relax a little
.
“
You look wonderful
,
and you should hear it.
I
’
m going to be the most envied man there tonight
.”

“
I just don
’
t feel like me
.”

“
Remember when you said once that brushing Othello transformed him from a handsome dog to a beautiful one?
”

“
Yes
.”

“
In an incredibly unromantic way of speaking,
”
Chad said wryly,
“
Cheri just brushed you tonight.
It
’
s still you.
I see my Willow
,
but you
’
re just
—more
.”

“
Chad?
”

“
Yeah?
”

“
Stand over by the door
.”

Willow scrutinized every step and every angle of Chad until he squirmed.
“
I didn
’
t gawk Willow.
I wanted to, I
’
ll grant you, but I didn
’
t
.”

Embarrassed, Willow tried to bury her face in Chad
’
s chest but he pushed her away gently.
“
Uh uh.
You can do that later
,
but now you
’
ll leave half your face all over my crisp white shirt and I have to wear it all night
.”

“
Nuh-uh.
Cheri sprayed something all over my face for
‘
smudge free dancing
.’
I
’
m supposed to be able to cry and this stuff stays put
.”

“
No crying.
I
’
ll do anything
,
but no crying
.”
He smiled down at her.
“
Are you ready?
”

She nodded.
“
As ready as I
’
ll ever be
.”

“
Let
’
s knock
‘
em dead
.”