Page 9 of Husband to Go

I couldn’t even bring myself to put it on last night. The dress taunted me at the back of my mind, but now it’s time to accept my fate. I stick my head and arms through the fabric and pull it down. My eyes are closed as I turn to face the mirror. One opens, then the next, and, finally, I see myself in the mirror.

I. Look.Ridiculous.

The dress is an explosion of pink and poof that manages to be too big, but also too small at the same time. The pink frills of the skirt practically drag on the floor, and yet the décolletage is so revealing that if I’m not careful, I’ll end up stealing Veronica’s spotlight when I accidentally flash all her guests. Either that, or this bust is just going to tear, and my boobs will be out.

Ugh! Why did I agree to this? Right, because she’s my mother and this is her special day. Sighing, I give myself a final once over. I’m itchy, uncomfortable, and distressed, but I’m still going to this thing. I’m going to be humiliated, but it doesn’t matter. I just have to survive.

With stilted steps, I come down the stairs. At least I have the house to myself this morning. My mother left early to get to the venue and meet up with her fiancé and Aunt Jane. She’s really going all out for this engagement. I was hoping this one would be more like her wedding with Croy, low profile and over before it even began. I guess that’s too much to wish for.

I down a quick breakfast of cereal because I’m running late. I spent way too much time fidgeting with this filmy mess, and hopefully, no one will spend too much time looking at me. If the gods are kind, I’ll just hide in a corner until this whole thing is over.

I call a cab and get myself over to the party. It’s already in full swing by the time I make my way in. At least I’m not so late that everyone’s already sitting down to lunch.

I sneak myself in and spot Aunt Jane. Oh, she’s my favorite. Even though she’s the youngest, my aunt has always been the level-headed one of the two Mitchell sisters, and she’s saved a spot for me.

“Kylie, hi!” She waves me over, and I sink gratefully down next to her. The table covers most of the poofiness, fortunately.

“Hi Aunt Jane,” I give her a big hug. I know I just saw her yesterday, but it’s always good to see her again. She keeps her arms on my shoulders as we break our embrace. Her eyes go up and down, eyeing my dress. She’s clearly not a fan.

“Oh, baby girl. What are you wearing?” Her almost grimace broadens into a smile. “I mean, you look lovely,” she says while backtracking. Jane tries hard to make me feel good, but I know for a fact that this dress is a nightmare.

“Don’t worry about it. Mom picked this out, and I know it’s a mess.” I really think Veronica still sees me as a twelve-year-old girl.

“Well, you make it look nice,” she says diplomatically.

I roll my eyes.

“I don’t know about that.”

My aunt laughs kindly.

“Come on, Kylie. You’re gorgeous. No matter how hideous the dress, you’ll always stand out, okay? You’re like a model; they always look good in whatever they wear.” I smile despite myself. Jane is always doing what she can to lift my spirits. She’s the total opposite of my mom, who’s always finding things she wants to ‘improve’ about me, typically centered around my appearance.

“Thanks for always making me feel better, but IknowI’m not model material,” is my rueful reply. I give her another big hug as thanks.

“Not a problem, care bear,” she laughs.

We let go of one another and get down to the real business.

“So, how’s school going?” my aunt asks quizzically. Now this, I can handle.

“It’s going pretty well. I have a midterm coming up in a couple weeks, so I need to start studying for that. My professor passed out flyers saying that our school library is looking for extra help, so I’m thinking about applying.” I decided to study English, and maybe after that, I’ll go into library administration. Most of my free time is spent there, so working in one would be a dream.

“Yes! You’d be perfect. If they don’t hire you, send them my way and I’ll let them know they made a huge mistake.”

“Okay, Aunty Jane. I’ll make sure to do that,” I giggle. There’s more I want to tell her about this library job, but something has obviously caught her attention. I crane my head to look.

“Is everything okay?” is my confused question.

My aunt’s face has an expression on it that’s impossible to describe. She’s awe-struck and rueful at once.

“Hmm? Yeah, but I think your mom’s fiancé just walked in,” she says with a sigh. Jane hasn’t said much about this new guy. I think it’s because she tries to avoid saying anything bad about her sister, at least directly.

“Where is he?” I ask, twisting my head while trying to get a glimpse of this mystery groom-to-be. “I don’t see him yet?” Even though I’ve blissfully ignored the whole engagement so far, curiosity takes over.

“Oh really?” asks Jane in a wry tone. “Well, seeing that this is your mom’s fourth marriage, I guess it makes some sense. Do you want to meet him?” She lowers her voice a bit. “I haven’t really gotten much of chance to suss Tanner out, but he seems okay.” She looks around to see if anyone’s listening. “A lot better than the last guy she was with,” she says for only me to hear.

“Yeah, I guess I should meet him then,” I say with a rueful smile. “It’s time, seeing that I’m the daughter of the bride.”