The Prince in White Loafers

Year 2007

 Chapter one: 2007

(1569 words)

*Ring, ring *

"Ugh. Hello?"

"Wake up Nic! You have to get ready!"

I rolled over and peered at the red numbers flashing from the bed stand, 5:30pm. "Aww! I don't want to. I changed my mind"

"Look bitch! You did not come back to butt fuck Egypt just to chicken out, now get up and get ready! I will pick you up in an hour!" Roxanne snarled into the phone at me signaling the premature endmy argument.

I sighed as I felt the remnants of last night's tequila bottle still obliterating my brain cells. "Fine, but you so owe me for this."

"Just get up and get ready, we can discuss who owes who what when I pick you up." She said and hung up.

What? I asked myself, her last sentence to complicated for me to comprehend in my state.

I peered over the side of the hard motel bed looking for my slippers, but unable to locate slippers I searched the sheets for my socks.

"Damn!" I cussed under my breath at the idea of placing my naked feet on the bare floor that countless others had done who knows what on before me.

I hung my feet over the edge of the bed and looked down at the fading carpet, noticing every pulled strand and mysteriously discolored spot.

I placed one foot down, the scratchy rough surface making contact with the end of my nerves.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck!" I sang as I hopped over to the closet and threw myself in, destroying my neatly packed suitcase in search of sanitized protection for my feet.

I let out a sigh of relief as I located my bunny slippers. I slipped them on and returned all my items neatly back inside my suitcase. I left out the items I needed to get ready and stared up at the short blue dress staring at me from the hanger.

I fingered the soft silk material, the fragrance from the store still lingering from yesterday when Roxanne had insisted I buy it.

"Stop dressing like your old Nicole. You have been dressing like your mom since we were in high school, everyone will expect that." She had said not so nicely when I held up a green conservative banana republic possibility.

"I like the way my mom dresses." I had mumbled under my breath minutes before I handed the cashier my credit card for the $150 blue dress the size of a scarf.

Now watching it hanging in the closet I wondered what bill I would have to push off till next month because I bought a mask to impress others.

I grabbed my shampoo and locked myself in the bathroom to enjoy the one thing every hotel can provide, a steamy hot shower.