First Comes Like #Wattys2020

31

THIRTY ONE

I wake up in the morning and scream.  Because it's Saturday, it's the day of the dance, I was finally going to have to tell Dean the truth, and I didn't even have a dress to do it in.

I think I might faint.

I mean, how could I have forgotten something so important? It wasn't like I could show up in my birthday suit. I'd gotten so caught up in other things, and so distracted, that getting myself ready for the dance had completely slipped my mind.

I yell for my mom as I throw off my covers and run downstairs. Yell, when I stub my toe against the wall, yell as I hop all the way to the living room, where I find that all the furniture has been pushed back and my mom is on the floor doing yoga.

"Mom." I say, and my voice sounds more panicked when I glance at the clock and realize that the seconds are ticking away, fast. My mom finishes her downward facing dog, sits on her purple yoga mat, folds her legs and looks at me.

"Daughter." My mom says, her voice calm as she pats the extra space on her yoga mat. She looks so relaxed, I'm forced to sit and join her first, before I start ranting.

"Mom." I say again folding my legs and placing my hands on my knees, copying her position. "Today's the dance. And-"

"The Valentine's thing you were in charge of ?" She interrupts, stretching to the left. I nod quickly and follow. I feel the muscles on my right side relax and I wish my brain would do the same.

"Yes." I take a deep breath, "And I don't have a dress!" The words tumble out, despite the fact that I was trying so hard to let the yoga do its thing and remain calm. But I was already over thinking everything. What if I didn't find a dress in time? What if the perfect one was too expensive? What if I ended up settling for something awful and I looked ridiculous?

So many horrible possibilities. 

My mom freezes for a moment, and I'm glad she realizes how big of a deal this was. Because it was a very big deal. And then immediately, she unfolds her legs and looks at me, eyes wide. "Get ready." She says, "We're going shopping."

***

My mom has always liked to dress Nina and I up, from poofy dresses at Thanksgiving to sun hats and crochet beach cover ups in the summer. So naturally, she loves shopping. She's ready before I am, and I meet her on the porch, with the car keys in hand, a small daisy pendant dangling from the key chain. 

"Ready to find the perfect dress?" She asks, all piped up and enthusiastic.

"More than I ever will be." I say, grinning and she chuckles. We get into her car, with a very serious mission in mind. But then I realize something. The morning is eerily quiet and peaceful. "Wait, Dad's not mowing the lawn today?" I ask, looking back at our lawn as she starts the engine.

My mom laughs, like my question is absurd. "Of course he is! He just needed to run to the store first. I suspect he forgot to buy me a gift for Valentine's day."

I laugh too. But I seriously hope that Mr Pinkette has to run to the store too. And that he stays the whole day. Because honestly, I couldn't deal with the family war any longer, especially right before Dean and I were going to be each other's dates.

I gasp loudly in the car at that realization and my mom raises an eyebrow as she makes a left turn. I shake my head to tell her there's nothing wrong. But inside, I'm going: