𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 || EDDIE MUNSON

Personal Time

THE next morning when Brandy woke up to the sun kissing her face through the blinds her mother was already at work. Atta was a nurse, early and late shifts were a part of the job that Brandy had grown accustomed to. The teen sat up in a groggy haze, waking up, in general, was never her strong suit. It always felt like she had been hit by a bus no matter how many hours of rest she had gotten. Trudging her way to the kitchen her eyes peered at the fake granite countertop. A fully prepared breakfast sat wrapped in saran wrap with a folded piece of paper in front of it on the counter.

She snatched up the makeshift card, her dark eyes blinking away the sleep blur as the words slowly came into focus.

Sorry about to tonight Bea
- mom xoxo

Brandy fought the urge to roll her eyes while she unwrapped the bacon and eggs, she placed the plate haphazardly in the microwave, pressing start she turned to yank open the silverware drawer. Grabbing a fork as she impatiently waited for the food to warm up. If she was going to spend the day sulking she might as well do something for herself, her mom clearly was. Brandy's eyes slid to the record player in the corner of their living room. Her mom only listened to oldies, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, and even Helen Forrest on the occasion. Brandy figured it was time to add some of her music to the collection.

When the microwave beeped Brandy grabbed the hot plate, nearly dropping it, "Shit! shit!" She seethed as she hastily put the plate onto the counter. Quickly shoveling the reheated food into her mouth she didn't take much time to savor the food, it was already eleven a clock, she needed to get going if she wanted to be back home before her mother got home from her date.

Brandy was still bitter about it, but not angry anymore. Maybe a day to herself was what she needed to push down her negative emotions, to let them simply devolve into a simmer and then into nothing. Rushing back to her bedroom she pulled off her pajama pants and the tank top that accompanied them, her outfits were never tedious to put on, they were simple and reasonably fashionable. A blue button-up with a sweater on top, her trusty jeans, and a belt.

Brandy shuffled across the hall to the shared bathroom. Flipping the dull light the hum of the electricity soon followed, she gazed at her face in the mirror for a moment, looking for any impurities; whether that be an out-of-place eyebrow hair or a pimple didn't matter. She needed to look her every possible best.

Once satisfied with the state of her skin and eyebrows the teen put some gel in her hands, scrunching her wavey hair to define it further. Tate had suggested a perm so that all she would have to do is spray it down with hairspray, but there was something about taking the time to do her hair that made her feel good about herself. Brandy rummaged around the drawers of the sink for a hair roller, she wrapped her bangs around the sponge roller. She then powdered her face with the tan color of the makeup compact, putting an electric blue eyeliner on the bottom lash line, it was a bit of an older look for her but who was there to judge her today?

Brandy didn't like the magenta lipstick that was currently popular with her peers, instead, she always opted for a thin layer of amber lipgloss. The pigmentation faded as she blotted her lips together, keeping her look more simple and less flashy. She envied the likes of Nancy Wheeler and Chrissy, being able to only do a small amount of blue or green eyeshadow and look fantastic without much else. Yet here brandy stood in the mirror as she coated mascara onto her lashes.

When all was done she took the roller out of her bangs, combing out the overly curled strands. Using her hand to bump her bangs she sprayed them down with a heavy amount of hairspray. There was a small smile of satisfaction on her painted face. Brandy strutted out of the bathroom, slipping on some shoes she grabbed her purse and keys.