The next day, Antonia strolled into the downtown Saks and found her way to the evening gown department. She saw a woman who’d helped her on several other occasions. “Hi Lucy,” Antonia said, smiling at the friendly sales associate.
“Hello, Miss Attracelli.” Lucy smiled her professional, yet cordial smile. “I’ve been expecting you. Your brother has picked out a dress that is lovely,” she said.
“I’ll bet he has,” Antonia said with resignation.
Lucy was about the same age as Antonia, maybe a year or two older. But she never greeted Antonia by her first name, no matter how many times Antonia asked her to. She had bright red hair, just like Lucille Ball’s, with the creamy white complexion and green eyes.
Lucy disappeared behind a curtain while Antonia waited for her to bring out the dress. Antonia strolled through the other dresses on hangers, fingering the rich material. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a black dress hanging from the satin covered hanger.
It was all black satin crepe. The bodice was demure in one way, the fabric coming high enough, but with a deep V in the center. The spaghetti straps and the slit in the leg made the dress all the more impressive. She took it off the rack and moved over to a three-sided mirror, imagining herself in the dress.
That was where Lucy found her. The salesperson held up a pink, silk dress with a fitted bodice, long sleeves and a skirt that flared out with yards and yards of gathered material at the waist, falling all the way to the floor. Antonia groaned.
“That’s what he wants me to wear?” she asked, staring at the pink creation in the mirror.
Lucy lifted the dress higher so she could see more of it. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.
Those weren’t the words that Antonia would use to describe the dress. But she bit her tongue and put the black dress back on the rack.
“The seamstress is waiting in the back to hem or alter the dress in any way,” Lucy said, carrying the dress to the fitting room, Antonia following behind.
Antonia pulled off her tee shirt and jeans, then let Lucy slip the dress over her head and zip it up. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Antonia felt, and looked, like a giant, pink tulip. She walked out to the viewing area that had several mirrors to get a better look. Perhaps the light in the dressing room wasn’t as flattering as the main salon.
Nope. No way to avoid it. Giant pink tulip she thought as she stared at her reflection in the multitude of mirrors. But now it was also a shiny, giant, pink tulip. In the brighter light, Antonia realized that the pink silk was shiny and not matte as she’d originally thought.
“Isn’t it lovely?” Lucy asked again, hoping for some sort of appreciation of the dress.
“I’m sure some teenager would love to wear it to her prom. In fact, I think I wore one just like it to my senior prom,” Antonia replied.
Lucy didn’t know how to respond to that. So she ignored it and smiled more intensely. “I’ll go get the seamstress. It will need to be hemmed if you’re going to dance this Saturday night.”
Lucy seemed so excited about the idea of a spring ball she could hardly contain herself. Antonia wished there was some way to avoid it.
She turned around and stared at the black dress longingly. Gathering up the pink fabric again, she stepped down to the floor. Picking up the black dress again, she held it in front of her, imagining how it would look on.
Lucy returned with an elderly lady in tow. “We’re ready when you are,” she chimed, nervous because Antonia wasn’t very pleased with her brother’s selection.
Antonia reached down and read the price tag attached to the sleeve of her tulip dress. She then read the price on the black dress. If she took the black dress, she’d save her brother over a thousand dollars.
Turning to Lucy, she asked, “Has my brother already paid for this dress?” she said, indicating the pink silk.
Lucy nodded nervously.
“Good. I’m going to exchange it,” she said and gathered up the pink silk for the last time. She headed for the dressing room. It only took a moment to change into the black silk. The transformation was dramatic. Gone was the teenage princess in a giant pink dress. She was now looking at an adult, ready to take on the world and win in a daring, sophisticated gown.
Antonia walked out into the staging area again, turning around to see herself from the side and the back. The dress fit perfectly, even the length. She laughed in delight at how sophisticated she looked. With black stockings, black pumps and a black, silk shawl, the dress would be perfect.
Lucy waved the seamstress forward and the little lady immediately started pinning the straps of the bodice higher. Antonia shook her head, indicating that the woman didn’t need to alter anything on the dress. “It’s perfect just the way it is,” she said, twirling around to see the way the silk looked from different angles, loving the way the dress moved with her. Even though it revealed a lot of skin, it was conservative compared to the cat costume she wore at Cesar’s, so she wouldn’t feel self-conscious in it. In the back of her mind, she wished Brett could see her in this dress. But then she dismissed the thought. She wanted to be brave, but not that brave. She didn’t have the courage to face him in a dress this daring.
“I’ll take this one, Lucy,” Antonia said and headed back to the dressing room to change clothes. “What shoes did he pick out for me?” she asked, knowing Sal would be thorough.
Lucy pulled out a bag with a receipt stapled to it. “I chose the shoes. I thought you might like slippers since you’ll be dancing that night.”
Antonia slipped one shoe out of the tissue paper. She tried to hold back the grimace, but she wasn’t sure she’d completely succeeded if the pained look on Lucy’s face was any indication. The shoe Antonia held in her hand reminded her of the house slippers an elderly lady might wear. They were obviously more durable than house slippers so a woman could walk in the street in them, but other than that, they were house slippers, right down to the satin bow at the top.
“Don’t worry, I’ll exchange these in the shoe department for something more appropriate.”
The black dress was wrapped up and handed to Antonia. She proceeded to the shoe department and found some elegant pumps that would be perfect for the dress.
She carried the dress out of the mall, then carefully rolled it up so it fit in her backpack without getting too wrinkled. Speeding away on her motorcycle, Lucy left the mask on her helmet up, even though it was full daylight and a police officer might pull her over at any time. But she didn’t care. several weeks. She couldn’t wait for the party now. barely contain herself.