One True Love

Chapter 23

Waking up the next morning, we all hurried to get ready which was not an easy task seeing as how there was only one bathroom and six girls, but we managed. Currently, it was 10:00 in the morning and I had not heard from Scotty yet, but I assumed he was sleeping and I did not want to bother him. Finally all getting dressed, it was close to 10:45 when we left the room and knocked on my mom's door, hoping she was ready. We had planned to go eat at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square around 11:30, do a little shopping, and then from there go to Kleinfeld!

Opening the door, my mom and Scotty's mom both stepped out quickly which I thought was surprising, but they had after all had plenty of rest the night before. Unlike the rest of us, they looked refreshed and rejuvenated. Feeling tired, I wasn't going to let that stop me from taking full advantage of this day.

Stepping out of the elevator in to the lobby, I dialed Walter's number on my phone. He quickly picked up and asked where we were going to which I said, Hard Rock at Times Square. Telling me he would be there in less than five minutes, he asked if we were already in the lobby. When I told him we were, he said he would see us soon.

***

Walking into the Hard Rock, it was packed. I knew it would be seeing as how it was lunch time, a popular place to eat and tourists were steadily coming in and out of the place. Putting our name on the list, we were surprisingly seated within fifteen minutes and it wasn't until we sat down at the table that I spotted Bill and Stan in the corner of the restaurant.

Thinking of trying on dresses in a couple of hours, I thought I would eat light. In reality, I was starving and wanted something filling. After all, the dress was suppose to be made to fit me right? Without much convincing, I decided to order a dressed bacon cheeseburger, fries and a sweet tea. Guilty pleasure food was exactly what I needed right now.

Over lunch, we talked about Kleinfeld and I wondered who my consultant would be today. Having watched the show Say Yes to the Dress on TLC, I felt as if I almost knew all of the employees. My mother asked what type of dress I wanted and I told her I was thinking of a fit and a flare to which she urged that I try on a ball gown. Not saying anything, I admitted to myself that this was what I was looking forward to the least, everyone voicing their opinion about MY dress, but still I kept my thoughts to myself.

After lunch, we went in several random shops in Times Square, shops that we most likely couldn't afford but still indulged ourselves. As we walked along the busy sidewalks, I thought of another show on TLC called What Not to Wear and how the contestants received a $5,000 gift card to supply themselves with an entire new wardrobe. Laughing to myself, I thought you definitely needed that much money if you were to buy anything in any of these shops. Always having been conservative with my money, it almost made me nervous that Scotty had told me not to worry about a budget when purchasing my wedding dress.

Finally, it was creeping up on 2 o'clock and so I called Walter to come and pick us up as we did not want to be late for our appointment. Having told Paige to meet us at the store by 2:30, I still had not told my mom that she was in town and I wondered what her reaction would be when she saw her.

Pulling in to the left lane in front of Kleinfeld, Walter stepped out and opened the door. Not having to wait long, we all piled out of the car full of excitement. Walking up to the store, I still couldn't believe we were actually here as my mom reached for the silver handle on the glass door. Was this seriously happening because it felt like a dream.

Stepping into the store, we were greeted automatically by a consultant who asked for the bride's name. Moving forward, I nervously raised my hand...."That would be me, I'm Gabi Dugal."

"Gabi!," the consultant said, "We've been expecting you. Please make yourselves comfortable in the lobby and a consultant will be with you soon. Would you like some juice or water while you wait?"