Through the Lens

10

After a shower, I felt refreshed and renewed.  It was eye opening how water could bring things into perspective.

My mother who worked seven days a week had gone in early to the bistro.  My father was up in the attic still tackling the task of cleaning out the attic. So, knowing my Mom wouldn't care, I rummaged through her closet for something to wear. 

Jenna was like a size zero.  No, make that a size negative if there was such a thing.  I'd gotten down to a size close to my mom.  And that's where my mother came in.  I was hoping to find something a bit stylish but not to outdated in her closet to wear to posh ladies tea.  I wasn't the social butterfly, and all my clothes felt a little too juvenile.  My Mom was the shopper of the family.  She and Jenna spent endless time at the malls. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

Off in the back of my Mom's walk-in closet in a clear plastic bag, most likely back from dry cleaning was the loveliest dress I'd seen so far.  It was a shimmering aqua blue color, off the shoulder, and probably would hit me just above the knee or slightly higher.  The embellishments on the shoulder were minimal, and everything else was perfect.  With a quick call to my Mom, I was walking into my room with the dress and her full approval.

After I got it out and felt the light fabric, I tried it on only to realize that it still bore a tag.  I almost felt bad, but Mom had okayed it.  She'd told me she'd bought it long ago at some off-season sale but never found an occasion to wear it.  Looking at it, I couldn't imagine my mother, who was not old but certainly older, would wear something that looked tailor-made for my age group. 

It fit like a dream and set off the color of my eyes.  My pale hair that normally looked lifeless seemed to shimmer.  Pleased, I took the garment back and hung it up for good measure.  When Allie came, I would ask if I should dress before we left.  Keeping things simple, I'd pulled my hair back in a perfect ponytail without a hair out of place.  The dress would be enough. If I'd learned anything watching fashion police shows with my sister, it was that my hair should complement my dress, not compete with it.

Dressed back in shorts and a tank, I heard the doorbell ring.  Flying out of my room, I suddenly felt giddy. Allie, in the short amount of time I'd gotten to know her, felt like a free spirit.  She seemed to exude a carefree nature.  I had a feeling that today would be an adventure at an otherwise droll sounding event.

The door was open, and my brother stood before it.  His hulking body precluded me from seeing Allie, but his still form let me know it had to be her.

"Am I having a wet dream?" he asked no one in particular, just staring.

Shocked by his choice of words, I moved swiftly to the door and nudged him out of the way. "Wow, Kyle. You are so...," I couldn't find any adjective to describe him.  Looking at Allie who seemed more amused than anything else, I said, "Don't mind him. Please come in."

Allie stepped in looking like a fashion model in similar shorts with a top that had more flair than my plain tank.  As she pushed sunglasses from her eyes onto her head, I closed the door behind her.  My brother still stood there gawking and sputtering. "This has to be some sort of fantasy. You cannot possibly be here in my house like you walked out of the poster in my room."

Crap, I hadn't expected her to meet my brother or thought about him recognizing her. I didn't even know he watched that show But since they had pretty girls I shouldn't have put it past him.  I didn't even know he had a poster in his room of her. I tried very hard to avoid his room at all cost.

"Will you autograph my poster," asked my brother, who lacked no shame.

Allie beamed at him.  "Sure," she said.