Perfect Dress

Lucia stood in front of her closet, staring blankly at the clothes hanging before her. she was feeling a little anxious.

"What am I going to wear?" she asked herself, feeling a sense of panic rising up.

Just then, her phone buzzed with an incoming text from her friend, Diana. "Hey, girl! What's up?" Diana asked.

Lucia smiled, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She quickly typed out a response. "Hey! I'm freaking out about what to wear on my date tonight. Want to come over and help me pick out a dress?"

Diana responded almost immediately. "OMG, yes! I'll be right there."

Few minutes later, Diana arrived bearing a bottle of wine and a determined look on her face. "Okay, let's get down to business," she said, setting the wine down on the coffee table. "Show me what you've got."

Lucia laughed and led Diana to her closet. Together, they began browsing through the racks, pulling out dresses and examining them critically.

Diana held up a bright red dress. "What about this one?" she asked.

Lucia shook her head. "Too bold," she said. "I want something a little more understated."

Diana nodded and put the dress back on the rack. "Okay, what about this one?" she asked, holding up a flowy white dress.

Lucia considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "Too casual," she said. "I want something a little more dressy."

Diana grinned. "Okay , let’s go to the mall then”.

*****This is crazy. Why am I doing this? I should not be dragging you all over town in the middle of the day and spending money on dresses to go to a wedding with some dude I talked to in an elevator yesterday. “What am I thinking?” She pulled into a parking space and reached for her phone.

Diana took the phone away from her.

“Nope. You’re not allowed to cancel. I’m not letting you talk yourself out of this opportunity for a practice, no-stress date that just landed in your lap.”

Lucia sighed and opened her car door.

“The thing is, Diana . . . this guy is out of my league, okay? He’s hot, he’s funny, he’s flirty, and he’s a doctor. I can barely look him in the eye without looking away. I don’t even have the right clothes to wear on a date like this—this is how far out of my league this is!”

The problem with trying to talk about this with Diana was that the words “out of my league” had never applied to Diana. She was at least six inches taller than Lucia, with a body like a Barbie doll, light brown skin that always seemed to glow, and hair that looked perfect no matter if she left it curly or blow-dried it straight.

Diana steered her toward the entrance.

“That’s exactly why you have to go. Nothing is riding on this! Look: you don’t know this guy, he doesn’t live around here, none of this matters. Don’t overthink everything like you always do. You’ll just dress up, eat free food and drink free drinks, and look fucking hot the whole time if I have anything to do with it.”

Lucia rolled her eyes.

Diana smacked her on her arm.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“I saw that eye roll, and you will look hot, I promise you. And plus, you’ll get two great dresses out of the deal.”

Lucia opened the Nordstrom door and gestured for Diana to precede her.

“I have one weekend where I don’t have a ton of work to do, and this is how I waste it?”

Diana threw her arm around Lucia.

“You’re not wasting anything. It’s practice, remember? Plus, from those text messages you showed me, this dude will freak out if you bail on him now.”

When Lucia saw the armfuls of dresses that Diana brought into the dressing room, she thought about bailing again.

“Diana, these don’t look—”

“Don’t argue with me. Try them on.”

“No, next.” Diana barely glanced at her in the dress before she vetoed it and pulled another dress from a hanger.

Diana grinned. "I've got just the thing," she said, pulling out a stunning black dress with a fitted bodice and a full skirt.

Lucia’s eyes widened as she took in the dress. "Wow," she breathed. "That's perfect."

Diana beamed with pride. "I knew you'd like it," she said. "Try it on."

Lucia quickly slipped into the dress, feeling a sense of excitement and nervousness. She looked at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the person staring back at her.

The dress fit her perfectly, accentuating her curves and making her feel like a million bucks. Lucia felt a sense of confidence wash over her, and she knew that she was ready for her date.

Lucia laughed, feeling a sense of gratitude towards her friend. "Thanks to you, I'm feeling like a million bucks," she said.

Diana smiled, hugging her tightly. "That's what friends are for," she said. "Now go out there and knock 'em.

“You don’t have to be so smug about it,” Lucia said, still staring at herself in the mirror.

“Yes, I do. Okay, well, that’s obviously your dress for the wedding, and thank God you have the perfect shoes for it, those gold ones you bought to wear with the gold sequined dress. Now we just need to figure out tonight.”

Twenty minutes later, Lucia handed over her credit card for the dress and tried not to wince at the bill.

“Thanks for this, Diana,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I don’t know what you’d do without me, either,” Diana replied. Let’s go home.

Lucia grinned, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation. She was ready for her date, and she knew that she was going to make a lasting impression.

As she finished getting ready, Lucia took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm wash over her. She was ready for whatever the night might bring, and she knew that she was going to have an amazing time.

With a final check of her makeup and hair, Lucia grabbed her purse and headed out the door, feeling like the best version of herself.

****Avon went into the bathroom at the church just so he could check his phone for the millionth time without being so obvious about it. His desperation was back in full force—he could tell from his four texts to Lucia over the past hour and a half. Texting a woman this many times was unlike him, but this stupid wedding had him on edge. She’d replied only to the first one where he’d tried to be cool, just confirming she was coming with a “see you then,” and the last, where he told her they were about to leave the church for the restaurant (“on my way”).