As Fate Would Have It

2

I unknowingly fell asleep after hearing from Paris. I awoke to a dark room, the glow from a car passing by my window shocking me for a moment until I remembered that I was at home. I heard chattering downstairs. I wiped the sleep off of my eyes and slowly rolled up and sat on the edge of my bed, contemplating my life choices. I was suddenly exhausted and didn't feel like being around Paris, but, as I glanced at my phone, it was 7:30 pm. How long had I been sleeping? I must have been more exhausted than I thought.

I slid off the bed, rising to my feet and stretching once more. I wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight because of that nap. I rolled my head from side to side, and walked out of my room and straight down stairs. I headed into the kitchen, smelling the lasagna still, and my stomach growling on instinct. I hadn't eaten all day. I walked into the small room, spotting Gary at his desk and my mom standing at the counter, eating her plate of dinner at it. Her hair still perfectly curled from the day, despite the hard work she did. She was the Director of Activities at a nursing home nearby. She was constantly on the move. She must have changed when she got home, because she was in pajama shorts and a casual t-shirt, something she wouldn't be caught dead in out of the house. My mom usually dressed up to go anywhere, and business casual was her go-to look for anything.

I smiled, stepping over to the small black stove, grabbing a plate from a cupboard above it and scooping some of the food onto my plate before searching for a clean fork from the dishwasher. I brought my food over to eat across from my mom.

The kitchen had a similar color scheme to it as the living room. The soft cream walls went well with the red area rug and deep brown cupboards and cabinets. The island counter that my mom was standing at was a similarly dark hue as well.

"Hey, sleepy-head," Mom says between bites, looking up at me. "How was the drive home?" she asks, looking down at her phone, scrolling through something.

I shrug, shoveling food into my mouth. "It was fine. How was work?"

She shrugs in response. "Fine."

There was silence between all of us as we ate. I satiated my hunger quickly, yawning once I finished my food in record time. Damn, Gary really did make good food.

I cleared my plate and put it in the sink. "Paris is coming to pick me up soon to hang out, if that's alright." I stared down at my hands, noticing my chipped pink nail polish.

Gary glanced up at me for a moment, and then looked back at his computer. My mom nodded. "You're an adult; it's fine. We don't have anything planned for tonight anyways. Go have fun. But, maybe brush your hair first." She glanced up, and I reached to the back of my head, feeling the large matting that occurred while I slept. I nodded, running upstairs, throwing my lights on, realizing I only had ten minutes to get ready before Paris would be here.

I rapidly unzipped my purple suitcase, feeling like I was in the middle of high speed action movie. I found my brush sitting at the bottom of my bag, along with my over stuffed makeup carrier. I harshly ripped at the knotting in my hair, pulling it out. My hair had gotten considerably longer than I realized. It was to the middle of my back now. I had cut it last year to just below my shoulders. It was impressive how rapidly it grew. I looked at my face in the mirror of my vanity. I sat down on the wire chair and tried to wipe away the black smudges from my mascara. I threw some concealer on over it and redid my mascara. I looked at my all-too pale lips, and slapped on some light red lip tint. I added some more deodorant, just in case.

I took a step back from the mirror and noticed my saggy sweatpants and paint-stained sweatshirt. I tore them off, throwing my drawers open again, digging through the items I brought. I pulled out a pair of well-worn, high waisted skinny jeans and a flowing white top. It had a low rounded neckline and a tie in the middle to accentuate my waist, and sleeve that stopped at my elbows. I glanced at my phone again, seeing that I only had two minutes before Paris would arrive. I slipped into my black flats, grabbed a jacket, my purse, and shoved my phone in my pocket. I raced back downstairs just in time to see Paris pull into the driveway in her little red Toyota. I said "goodbye" to Mom and Gary as I headed out the door. I walked quickly through the brisk air and practically jumped into the warm vehicle.