With a sigh, I checked the weight of my backpack. I was putting on my shoes, thinking I should leave early, when I heard a timid knock on the door.
I opened it wide to find Edna on the doorstep holding a big cardboard box.
“Hello,” I said with a big smile. “I was going to come and see you today, before…”
“The big ball?” she asked excitedly, stepping inside.
“Before I left,” I finished, and she furrowed her brows at me.
“Why aren’t you ready?” she asked. “I have the dress! I found the perfect one.”
She offered the cardboard box to me, and I smiled softly.
“I’m not going, Edna,” I said simply. “Martha will be there, and I can’t risk her seeing me. If she knew I was going against her rules, she’d punish me… I’d never be able to get away in time for my bus.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” she replied. “I will make sure she doesn’t know you’re there, darling. And you’re going to have an amazing time before you leave. Please. Trust me.”
I looked into her kind eyes and sighed, my fingers trembling as I took the box from her.
“Please, Ella,” she repeated. “Trust me on this. I really want you to go, have fun. Just for me.”
“For you?” I grinned at her, and she returned the smile. “Okay, maybe just for you, because you are my best friend.”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands excitedly. “I cannot wait. Come here, let me help you get ready. We have to do your hair… your makeup… and try on the dress!”
I giggled as she led me upstairs. Her excitement was contagious, and not even a few minutes later, I found myself just as jittery and happy as she was. She had me sit down at the vanity in Martha’s room, and I fidgeted nervously as Edna got everything ready. She had my hair up in hot rollers and started applying makeup with an expert hand.
“I still have what it takes,” she grinned at me. “I learned how to do this years and years ago. I will make you look amazing, darling!”
She didn’t apply too much, nothing like showgirl makeup. But once she was done, my face was transformed—and… kind of sexy.
“Edna!” I said, raising a hand to my lips. “Wow, this is incredible. I can’t believe you can do makeup this well.”
“You think this is all natural?” she asked, pointing to her face, and we both giggled.
She did my hair next. Curled and teased and styled it, until it fell down my shoulders in beautiful, thick waves. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, hardly believing the girl was the same as the one downstairs.
Once she was done, Edna brought out the big cardboard box and clapped her hands with excitement, waiting for me to open it.
I undid the ribbon on top and dug through the layers of tissue paper until I brought out a dress.
Not just a dress… the dress.
It was a strapless gown, the top a gorgeous corset that went down into a tight skirt that flared out around the knees. It was a nude color, covered in incredible silver jewels and sequins that made it sparkle in the light like nothing else I’d seen before. It was truly a dress fit for a princess.
“Edna,” I whispered, completely taken aback. “I… I didn’t see this dress when we were going through your closet the other day.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said gently, coming to sit on the bed across from me. “I had it in the back of my closet, I forgot to bring it out. This is a very special dress, Ella…”
She smiled softly, and I could tell she was getting a little choked up.
“I wore this dress the night I fell in love,” she whispered, but then shook her head and gave me a bright smile as if nothing at all had happened. “Well, I would love to see it on you, darling.”
“Of course,” I nodded, giving her hand a little squeeze. “You’re okay, Edna? Promise?”
“I’m fine,” she waved me off. “Now try it on, we don’t have a lot of time left!”
I took the dress to the bathroom and struggled to get it on, unable to do the corset up at the back. I walked out worried, holding up the dress, and Edna gasped when she saw it.
“I know,” I sighed. “The back just won’t do up properly…”
“Ella,” she interrupted. “Look at yourself, darling. Look in the mirror.”
I stepped in front of the vanity and glanced at my reflection, but the moment my eyes connected with the glass, I couldn’t tear them away.
“Oh…” I whispered, touching the front of the dress with my left hand while the right one held up the front. “It’s so stunning…”
The dress was incredible, but what shocked me more was that I looked amazing in it.