Leap of Faith

Day Thirty-Six

*~*~* Cate *~*~*

We were in the third bridal store of the day and I was quickly losing the will to live. Even though we were only in the third- and Vivian had reassured me more than once that there were seven bridal shops on the schedule- I was currently in the eleventh bridesmaid dress and still no closer to finding the right one. From the look Libby levelled on Anna and I, I could guess that the pale blue monstrosity I was currently wearing wasn’t going to make the short list.

I sigh, pick up the hem of the floor length dress and huff my way to the ‘dressing suite’ that was located next to Anna’s. Before I shut the door, my sister turns around and whispers ‘Kill me’ before she slinks into her own suite. I struggle to take off the dress on my own, and sigh gratefully when Kim, the store assistant, came to help me untangle myself.

“You’re sister is very fussy,” Kim muttered as she helped me get into dress number twelve. I took a look at my reflection in the mirror and squealed when I noticed how horrific this dress looks on me. It was a funny shade of burnt orange and clashed with my fiery hair. Kim gave me a sympathetic look through the mirror and smiled weakly. “It can’t be as bad as that sequined dress from three rounds ago.”

That I had to agree with. The red beaded dress made me look like a Christmas tree decoration and it was downright ugly. It hung limply on my frame and was too tight at the hips, making me look like some pimpled stuffed sausage. I’m not sure what had gone through Libby’s mind when she picked out that dress.

“Here goes nothing,” I say as brightly as possible as Kim leads me towards the viewing area.

I had just made it onto the plinth in the mermaid gown, my movements restricted, and posed in front of Libby, Mom and Vivian. I stayed still for a second before spinning slowly so that the three got a good view from every angle. Since this morning I had become a pro at modelling bridesmaid’s dresses and knew the score. When I eventually faced the trio, I knew that this dress wasn’t the one. Libby cocked her head to the side and frowned, while Mom’s eyes bugged out and Vivian discreetly shook her head.

Anna came out a moment later, wearing a different- but equally disgusting- dress to me. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing, but I’m pretty sure Anna could sense my reaction. She glared at me and then planted her fists at her side, refusing outright not to spin for our audience.

“Libby, this is hideous,” Anna pointed at her murky green dress. “If you even think of making me wear it, I will not be at your wedding. And I don’t give a damn what you have to say about it , Mother. I will not be there.”

Anna grabbed my arm and pulled me from my plinth and dragged me back to the suites. Thank God we’d just tried on the final dress in this store and I could finally slip back into my comfy jeans and sweater combo.

New York was freezing. Seriously, it’s freezing. And there’s snow. When the plane came into land, I thought that I had landed on a different planet. Despite still being in the States, this was a whole different world on the East Coast. Thankfully, I had packed several pairs of socks, countless t-shirts, a handful of sweaters and a heavy coat that could withstand Arctic conditions if it needed to, and that was only because it was from the company that actually did supply Arctic adventurers with their clothing. I looked ridiculous in the get up, but at least I was warm… and more importantly, not in the bridesmaid’s dresses anymore.

We caught two different cabs to the next store, but thankfully, this one was all about finding Libby’s dream dress. Libby, Mom and Vivian rode in one cab, while Anna and I shared the second. I took out my cell and checked the screen only to see that there weren’t any new messages. I frowned and stashed the phone in my pocket.