The September Outcome

Chapter 14: Party

It was Sunday night, the eve of the Anathema Ball. A misty veil of darkness had parked itself over Karricole Falls, lit up only by the bleak few stars in the sky. From her bedroom window, Audrey compared a cry for help, a fruitless distress signal. Her albino hair came down her pale face, untouched by any sort of makeup.

 Brushing it away, she watched herself in the mirror of the vanity table. The room was lit by a dim lamp. She picked up the eyeliner and smudged some onto her eyes. The surplus mixture dripped onto the towel on her lap. A precaution. Audrey was the kind of woman who knew she was pretty but not in a vain way. Makeup was her enhancer. The lipstick came next which was presumably followed by rouge on her cheeks. 

 ''Doll!'' her husband yelled from down the stairs. ''Doll, you ready? Donny will be here soon!''

 Audrey shook her head to herself and shouted back. ''Just a second!'' She gave a quick attempt of some more rouge and quickly hurried out of the room and tossed the towel onto the bed. Her hair was now curled into lots of small curls, a ever moving force. 

 Audrey flounced down the stairs as the scarlet dress she wore writhed around, nice and tight. Her black heels were comfortable as she stepped down the spiralling staircase. Audrey felt beautiful and vibrant when her husband came into view. He gave that brief smile that always meant the same thing. She twirled her hair in her hand as she came into the landing. 

 ''What do you think?'' she called. 

 ''You look gorgeous,'' he said with genuine obligation. He put his hands on her hips and gave her a kiss on her cheek. ''I love you.''

 ''You know it,'' Audrey replied. Audrey loved the fact her husband appreciated the eye candy but also liked her capability of knowledge. She was smart. 

 ''Now Audrey'', Dwight crooned. ''You don't need to put on the 'little-girl-lost' act tonight. You are an amazing woman and you don't need to prove anything to the sorely bunch of diplomats and wives at this party.''

 ''You're so sweet.'' Audrey removed Dwight's hands from her sumptuous curves. ''Don't worry; I'll be too busy snooping about. How many tequilas I will down is not a verifiable number.''

 ''Well don't get too tipsy.''

 ''Pfft.'' Audrey was the queen of tipsy.

 ''Seriously please. Donny already has his values set on you, don't let him lower the bar when you call the senator's wife a fat bitch. Okay?''

 ''That was one time,'' she joked. ''Yes, yes of course Dwight. Business, very important I just want to see what this party will be like.'' Audrey envisioned grand chandeliers, a huge ballroom, a brass band, gowns, dancing and anything else of that ostentatious nature.

 ''Well do have fun and don't make it too obvious that you have suspicions. Act naturally and be discreet.'' Her husband was very eclectic about how they were to behave at the party. Natural but not full on loose. He was finicky like that.

 She was beginning to get flustered with all this hanging around. She wanted to get up and go. ‘‘Yes, yes that's fine. So let's just go already.'' 

 ''We can't'', her husband explained. ''Not until Donny gets here anyway.''

 ''Pfft.''

 ''Don't pfft. We have to wait for him until he arrives.''

 ''Can't we just make our own way and him too. I'm bored,'’ she commented.

 ''You're not bored. Go burn some books or something.''

 ''I've ran out.''

 ''Too bad!'' he grunted

 The doorbell rang and Audrey rushed past her husband and down the hall to the door at the inevitable end. It flew open and she saw Donny standing there. He wore a smart black suit and a hat. His golf cuff links were very posh looking.