Ready-Made Family

Chapter Twenty-Three

        

"I'm just not sure" Rebecca stood with Madison in her bedroom the first night of December. Madison and Brandon were expected to be at the annual city gala where they would represent Telling Tales publishing. In the past years Rebecca and John would go but this was the first time that not only Madison went but Brandon too.

"You said it was a black and white gala" Madison tilted her head to the side and looked at the floor length sheer black dress with silver jeweled cuffed sleeves.  In her opinion this was a wonderful black dress. It hugged around her chest but around her stomach was flowing and soft. It was perfect in her opinion.

"Well yes it is' Rebecca agreed, "but, well it isn't actually a problem but its just".

"Rebecca what is it?" Madison turned towards her confused. What did she have against this dress?

"Usually the man will wear black and the woman will wear white," Rebecca said eyeing the black dress hanging in the closet.

"What kind of sexiest tradition is that?" Madison crossed her arms over her chest. Her dress was wrong because of the color? It was a black and white ball. Not the men in black and woman in white.

What was this? Because white is the color of virgins? Are we back in the 1900's? Or maybe it went even further back than that to the time that Victoria ruled England. When she made wearing white gowns popular.

She wasn't aware she was going to have dinner with the queen.

"It's been a tradition ever since it started. Men naturally wear black tuxes and since it's a black and white ball the woman just started to dress in white," Rebecca said. "Every few years we might have someone come in a black dress but it's so taboo that it wasn't always very welcomed".

"Well don't worry because I'll be in black and Brandon will be in white," Madison said going over to the mirror in the bathroom where her curling iron was heating up. She was thinking soft curls pulled over her shoulder with a silver pin holding it in place.

"Brandon is going to wear a white tux?" Rebecca stood with her eyes wide in surprise "you can't be serious. No man has ever worn a white tux to a function like this!"

Madison gave a small shrug "yeah but white tuxes have become very popular lately. A lot of men are wearing them now."

"None of the men I know have worn them before" Rebecca said.

Madison wanted to mention something about how its only because Rebecca knows older men that still do ancient traditions. But that would have been her defense over her dress so instead she held her tongue about that. "Yeah but Brandon has agreed and it'll be a nice change".

Rebecca eyed the dress but just shook her head. There wasn't anything she could do now. The gala was in an hour so there wasn't any time to buy a new dress and she didn't have anything that would fit the event well in her closet.

Madison just gave another shrug and pulled her hair back into place.

"Would you like the thick silver necklace?" Rebecca asked walking to the jewelry box.

"Actually I want the simple silver one. With just the small heart" Madison said clipping in her dangling earrings.

"Are you sure? The other might go better with you low neckline" Rebecca tried to argue.

Madison smiled softly and walked over to grab the necklace that she wanted "yes but Brandon got me this one and I love it" she got it in place. "Now I'm going to get changed" she grabbed onto the dress and headed to the bathroom. She slipped the silk fabric over her body and smoothed it out. As she looked down she was worried that maybe she had picked the wrong thing to wear. Would she stand out in the crowd? This was her first big event out and she didn't want to mess it up.