Through Love Alone

43: Bad News Baby

Clara POV:

Today, Mommy and I have plans to go dress shopping for Arizona and Callie's vowel renewal. Since Cora was out visiting friends and Mer was at work, it was just the two of us. I was very excited, as it had been a while since we've had an outing with just us. As I picked out my outfit for the day, I remembered what she had told me:

"You should wear something easy to take on and off, because we will most likely be trying on lots of dresses."

I looked around through my drawers and closet, and decided on a pair of tan shorts and a pink floral shirt.

"Clara, you ready?" Mom asked, poking her head into my room.

"Yep," I smiled.

"Ok, you look cute! Let's get there early and beat the crowds," she said as I followed her out the door. The malls in LA were no joke.

Mom grabbed her bag and slipped on some heels, while I slipped on my favorite crocs. Mom really hates when I wear them but they're just so comfortable! We walked to the car as I begged, once again, to be able to sit in the front seat.

"No," she said, giving the same answer as always.

"But Cora gets to sit in the front," I bargained.

"Well Cora is older and much taller. It's much safer in the back," she refuted.

I gave it my best shot at some big puppy eyes and a pouty lip.

"Nope, not gonna work," she laughed, opening the door to the back seat.

"Fine," I said, cracking a smile as I slipped in and put my seat belt on. "I'm so excited for spring break soon!"

"And your birthday is coming up soon too," she smiled.

Somehow, I totally forgot about that. I usually don't do too much for my birthday. It doesn't stand out to me as far from the typical day.

"Maybe we should all go somewhere," she added.

"Go somewhere? Like where?" I asked.

"Like on a vacation. Mer and I could take off work and the four of us could go somewhere special for your birthday during spring break."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yea," she smiled. "We can make it happen. We still have four weeks to plan," she smiled.

"Okay," I smiled back.

A bit later, we pulled up outside of an incredibly large building, or rather, a collection of buildings as it seemed. We parked the car in a big garage and walked to a walkway by the entrance to a large store with a "Macy's" sign in big red letters.

"What type of dress are we looking for?" I asked as we walked through shelves lined with shoes, purses, and other items.

"Anything really," she replied. "Probably a bit fancier than your sun dresses but whatever we find that you and I like."

"Okay!" I replied happily, as I have come to quite like picking out my own clothes.

The two of us walked towards the girls dress section, and a smile was immediately put on my face upon seeing all of the bright colors. I don't see why anyone would want to wear all black, or brown, or gray. It just seems so boring to me compared to all of the bright colors you can wear.

Anyway, the two of us spent some time picking out several dresses before moving to the fitting room to try them on. So far, my favorite of the bunch was a yellow dress with a bow wrap around the waist and small white flowers lining the skirt. I of course tried that one first.