Game of Hearts by Kathryn J. Bain Page B

going to be for me?
    ****
    It took two hours to try on everything in my closet. I even tried to mix and match outfits. Still nothing looked right. I pulled my sweatpants and tee shirt back on. Why did I agree to this date? I paced the room, wondering if I had time to run out and get something new.
    A car door slammed outside. I glanced out the bedroom window. Scarlett and Victoria walked up to the front porch carrying a large garment bag, three makeup cases, and two types of curling irons between them. What had I gotten myself into? I pictured myself with bright blue eye shadow and my hair standing up on end. I raced to the living room, looking for a means of escape. My kids blocked the back way through the kitchen, and Scarlett stood at the front door. I was doomed.
    "What is all this?" My heart caught in my throat. My children stood watching me. "Help."
    Anthony shook his head. "No way."
    Matthew rolled his eyes and walked back to his room.
    "Come on, Mom. This'll be fun." Sarah had a huge smile on her face. Why did I get the feeling she'd been in on this?
    "I see you're using the bowl I gave you." Scarlett brushed at the daisies standing at full attention on my dining room table. "I never would have thought to use it as a vase."
    "I don't know why you don't like it. I think it's pretty."
    "Because it's an old chamber pot. I don't want something that someone used to pee in anywhere in my house. Even if it did come from a Southern plantation."
    "Well I think it's pretty, and the flowers fit just right." I pulled a dead leaf from the bottom of a plant.
    "If nothing else, you finally have a pot to piss in."
    "Ugh. That was bad."
    "Good thing I have thick blonde hair and a Southern accent." Scarlett ran her hand through her hair.
    "Can I borrow one of those?"
    "Oh, you don't need either. You've got Brandon mesmerized. I see it every Sunday morning. And I can tell you like him too."
    "I just don't want to give up chocolate to get him." I trudged back to my room behind her. The girls left for Sarah's room. I couldn't get excited about getting all made up. Anytime Brandon came near, I turned into a disaster. The cake, taking a walk. Surely none of it had impressed him.
    "Here." Scarlett unzipped the garment bag. "We got you something every woman should have." Inside hung a black dress. Not just any black dress, but a slinky black dress with one shoulder strap.
    "I'm not too sure about this," I moaned. "It looks awful short."
    "You're going on a date, so you should look sexy. Besides, it goes to just above your knees." Scarlett gave me a one-armed hug. "You just wait. You'll look awesome."
    For the next hour and a half Scarlett primped and preened me. She curled my hair, curled my eyelashes, pretty much curled anything straight. She painted my fingernails and my toenails. Colored my eyes with smoky grey eye shadow and added light pink lipstick that matched the nail polish. Sarah and Victoria made themselves up in the other room, laughing and giggling. I couldn't laugh. I felt too much like throwing up.
    "Okay," Scarlett said. "Now before you look at yourself, let's put the dress on."
    We shimmied it from the ground up so as not to mess up my hair. The fabric got stuck at my hips. Scarlett gave me a smile. She jerked and pulled. Finally she succeeded in getting it on me.
    "Where are those black shoes you wore to Clarissa's wedding?"
    "Somewhere in the closet."
    She got down on the floor and tore through the bottom of my closet until she came up with two-inch pumps with bows on top. She rushed into the bathroom to wipe the dust off.
    "Here." She handed them to me.
    I put them on. She spun her finger in the air for me to turn around. "Sarah, Victoria, come in here," she yelled.
    Both girls rushed in. They stopped when they saw me.
    "Wow. Is that really you, Mom?"
    My heart beat in my chest. Was that a good wow or a bad wow? "How do I look?"
    "You look…wow." Sarah's eyes widened and a smile creased her lips. She had yet to roll her