Christmas and Tchaikovsky

Chapter 3

She could barely eat a bite; she was so nervous. Tonight, was her date with Chance Ford. It occurred to her that she really didn't even know the guy. At any rate, she had spent a small fortune on finding the right dress. It was red velvet, off-the-shoulder, and fit her like a glove. Artie had been with her on the previous Saturday when she came out of the dressing room at The French Shoppe.

"Wowzah, girlfriend! You cannot get anything else between you and that dress!" Artie exclaimed.

Preening in front of the mirror, Libby suddenly felt self-conscious. "Do you think it's too suggestive? I do not want to give him the wrong idea right out of the gate." Artie could see that Libby was already second guessing her dress selection.

"Girl, that is THE dress. You must get it." Artie still felt all this effort was for nothing but another guy passing through, but she smartly kept her opinion to herself and tried to support her friend whom she loved dearly.

"Are you sure??" Libby looked at herself one last time before changing. It really did look good on her. With her mom's cashmere stole, it would be perfect for a night at TPAC.

"YES! I would not let you go on a date with Prince Charming dressed like Cinderella's stepsisters. It looks perfect against your auburn hair. Be sure to wear a blue-red lipstick. Nothing worse than a chick wearing the wrong shade of red. You'd be surprised how many women get that wrong. An orange-red with a blue-red outfit or vice versa." Artie was eating a bag of M&M's while Libby changed. Coming out of the dressing room with the dress carefully draped over her arm Libby asked, "Where in the world do you get this stuff? I have never met anyone more obsessed with lipstick than you."

Walking up to the register to check out, Artie took Libby's purse while she dealt with the dress. "It is taught early in an Indian girl's life. We are drilled on color in clothing and make-up. It's a rite of passage. Besides, a little color just opens up your whole face."

What would she and her own mother have talked about had she known her? All she had was the stories Reggie had shared and the pictures that were framed hanging on the walls of her apartment. Her mother Olivia had been a beautiful redhead and from time-to-time she caught a glimpse of her likeness in her own mirror.

Michael agreed to man the counter while she ran around the corner to the UPS Store to drop off a package for a customer. When she got back, she noticed another box with her name. This box was longer than the previous two. Taking it into her office, she found two tickets to The Nutcracker performance that evening at 7 p.m. She knew it! Also, there was a card that read: "See you tonight. I'll be the one with the rose." How romantic. She held the tickets near her heart and did a little chair dance!

The afternoon seemed to drag, but finally she was able to leave things with Artie as Michael had left early for a doctor's appointment. Running upstairs, she could hardly contain her excitement and she laid the beautiful red velvet dress across her bed. She curled her hair the way the stylist had shown her and added the finishing touches to her makeup. Lastly, the final detail, her mother's white cashmere stole around her shoulders. She stood back and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. If her dad could see her now. He would say what he always said, "Libby girl, you are a vision of your mother." She grabbed her evening handbag with the two tickets snug inside and headed downstairs.

Given all this effort, she decided she may as well splurge on an Uber to make the drive across town. As they pulled up to Morton's, a doorman immediately opened the door and helped her from the backseat. Libby felt like a celebrity as she smoothed down her dress; the butterflies in her stomach were going crazy! She walked into the dimly lit restaurant that boasted the best steaks in Nashville. More than one head turned as she made her way to the maître de. She gave her name and was told that Mr. Ford was already waiting for her. As she neared the table, she could see the expression on Chance's face. One of pleasure and surprise. He took her hand, helped her off with her stole and asked the maître de for their server. She noticed he was wearing a sports blazer and turtleneck which seemed a bit casual for the theater. Had she overdressed in her excitement?