The Perfect Couple

40

I managed to get into my underwear and stockings, then I put on my silver slippers with the slender ankle strap and practiced walking in them. I guess practice does make perfect, because I'd been wearing them for awhile every day that week and at least I no longer felt as if I were on stilts.

The very last thing I did, after carefully applying my makeup, was to slip my dress over my head. That was quite an operation, because I dared not mess up my hair. Besides all of Mr Anthony's work, Kim had already tucked the sprig of holly into my topknot. She had a knack for doing such things and if I messed up the holly I'd never be able to get it right.

After I had the dress on I closed my eyes for a minute. When I opened them I stared at the girl in the mirror the fairytale princess who had somehow taken my place.

The next second I ran to the door.

"Mom!" I called. "You can come in now."

"Oh, Kelly Kelly you're lovely."

"It's the dress that's lovely."

"No, it's you. I'd hug you if I weren't afraid to crush your corsage." A must came and went in her eyes, then she said, "Excuse me a minute, I'll be right back."

While she was gone on her secret mission I admired the dress that had turned me into such a vision that I hardly knew myself.

I turned from the mirror when Mom came back to my room. She was holding something I couldn't see, but then she opened her hand and I gasped. Nestled in her palm was a single strand of pearls that was a family heirloom and her most precious possession. She'd loaned them to Maz only once, on her graduation night.

"Oh, Mom!" I cried. "Are you really going to let me wear your pearls?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" She said as she clasped them around my neck. When she was through I looked in the mirror. If a fairy godmother had waved her magic wand she couldn't have added a more perfect touch.

The doorbell rang and I jumped a foot. My goodness, I thought, what's the big deal? It's Marcus. He's been ringing my doorbell ever since he could reach it.

But when I went downstairs I saw he was no more Marcus tonight than I was Kelly. In his winter-white tux, with a small cluster of mistletoe in the lapel, he was Prince Charming.

He came forward slowly and said in a voice meant only for my ears, "You're beautiful."

I blushed. Marcus had never said that to me before. "I love the corsage you sent."

"Kim told me you were wearing silver, so when Mr Petrini showed me some designs he could make I chose the silver bells."

I nodded and said, "You're wearing mistletoe. Did Mr Petrini suggest that, too?"

He grinned, looking like himself for a minute. "That was my idea. It means you can kiss me if you get an overwhelming urge to."

"Maybe later," I said with an awkward smile. I couldn't tell if Marcus was joking or not.

At this point, Dad who was driving us as well as Kim and Tom started for the door. "We'd better get going. The sweethearts of the ball can't be late."

Dad was going to let us off at the gym door where the other kids were streaming in, but Marcus and I were supposed to go through a side door that led to the backstage area, so Kim and Tom rode around there with us.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" Dad asked. When I told him I'd call he said, "just don't make it too late. You know how your mother is."

I knew how he was, too. I'm with Marcus, I thought, so what's the problem? But maybe tonight, with Marcus looking so handsome and mature, that didn't count the way it used to.

The dance committee took charge of Marcus and me while Kim and Tom went through to the gym. Last-minute instructions bombarded us from all sides. Smile, smile, smile, was mostly what they added up to.

While we stood there, waiting for our musical cue, my hands began to sweat. I wished we could get started. No! I instantly took the thought back. I never wanted to go through that door into the gym. I wished I was at home a wallflower, only daydreaming about the dance.

I was a fraud in every way you could think of. I wasn't Marcus's sweetheart and I wasn't pretty. It was only an illusion. When I danced onto the floor I was likely to turn into Cinderella before the fairy godmother waved her wand. I could hear the cries of dismay as my lovely gown turned into ragged jeans and Mr Anthony's elegant hairdo collapsed into drab locks around my plain, ordinary face . . .

Finally I knew I couldn't go through with it. I was dizzy. How could I dance when I couldn't even stand up? I clutched Marcus's arm for support just as the orchestra struck up the first notes of our waltz. Somebody gave me a gentle push.

Marcus smiled down at me. "Here goes, Kelly."

We went through the door. He started me up the stairs to the stage while he remained at the bottom. When I was in place, in front of the orchestra, the curtain went up. I heard a wave of applause, but it seemed so far away it had nothing to do with me. I smiled and twirled around once before moving to the side of the stage, the spotlight following me.

I started down the stairs. Then I felt Marcus's big, warm hand around mine. He led me to the place where the basketball hoop usually stood . . .

I couldn't imagine the basketball hoop there now. I was vaguely aware that the gym had been transformed into a Christmas Fantasyland, with twinkling lights and green garlands and crepe streamers everywhere.