THE DARE

Lydia looked into her full length mirror for the third time this morning. She was into absolute perfection. She retied her scarf once more time, adjusted her jacket again, and finally smiled into the mirror. She gathered her lunch and her satchel and left her apartment .

As she drove to work Lydia remembered her conversation with Larry the night before. He had deeply hurt her feelings.

"Why in the world do you have to dress up for first graders? They don't care what you wear. They would love you if you came to work in your pajamas. It's not like you're a lawyer or a model or someone who has to dress up."

"I dress nicely for you!", Lydia rebutted. "I just want to look professional."

"And what about the fact that you work a second job to pay for the expensive clothes. Do you have any idea how lonely it is at night with you working at the restaurant? Your'e always exhausted and that can't be good for you. I'm actually concerned about your health.

"I promise I'll take the summer off from both jobs, so we can do some traveling."

"I'm not sure I believe you. You're obsessed. I bet you two hundred and fifty dollars that if you wore the same outfit every day for a week to school, no one would notice."

"You're crazy, someone would notice on day two."

"It's a bet? I say no one will notice and you say they will."

"It's a bet. You will lose and I already know the outfit I will buy with the money.

Lydia drove into the school parking lot wondering if she was right. Surely someone will notice. Well there was only one way to find out. She got out of the car ready to face her challenge. Of course no one would notice today on day one. Tomorrow she would win.

"You look nice today," the secretary said as she passed through the office. this is goin to be the easiest bet I've ever won.

Larry was home the morning of day two.

"Now remember, you have to wear the exact same outfit as yesterday,"he taunted.

Lydia had laid her clothes out the night before and proceeded to dress exactly the same as yesterday. She looked in the mirror and tried to guess which colleague would notice first.

By dismissal time Lydia was very discouraged, no one had said a word. She couldn't believe it. People had complemented her on her outfit but no one noticed it was the same as yesterday.

She drove home knowing she was going to have to eat crow. But there were three days left and she entered the apartment confidently.

Larry greeted her expectantly, "Well, how did it go?"

"Well it's only been one day. I'll win tomorrow you just wait and see. And by the way, I took the night off from the restaurant to spend time with you.

Day three dawned gray, cloudy and quite cool. Lydia was tempted to give in on the bet so she could wear something warmer. But her pride got the best of her and she wasn't going to give up easily.

"You look nice today",said the secretary. Lydia wondered if the secretary said that to everyone. Did she even look up from her computer. Another of teaching, chatting with colleagues, meeting with parents, and no one noticed. Who am I trying to impress?

Lydia didn't want to go home and face the music, so she went directly to the restaurant. She changed into her uniform and went about her duties. But her mind was never far from thoughts of the reality she faced. She was spending so much time and money to look nice. And no one really noticed. Was it really worthwhile to do this for herself?

Day four started with little enthusiasm. Putting on the same outfit became a real chore. Lydia only looked in the mirror once. Day four was just like day three. Not a word! When she got home Larry was asleep, thank goodness. She had one day to prove her point, but her confidence was waning big time.

Day five she put on "the outfit" and got ready to face the day. She began to question a lot of things. What WERE her priorities? Did she leave Larry alone too much? And for what? She had a closetful of beautiful clothes why did she always have to have more? Did she really need to work two jobs? She really was tired all the time. She pulled into her parking place considering the changes she should make in her life. Funny how a bet could change your perspective.

Lydia began to see the humor in her situation as she came into the teacher's lunchroom. She went into the women's bathroom to wash her hands. An upper grade teacher she rarely saw whispered,

"Is everything ok?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" answered Lydia

"Well it's none of my business, but I've noticed you've been wearing the same clothes all week."

Lydia screamed, "YOU NOTICED! YOU JUST WON ME LOTS OF MONEY!" Lydia hugged her shocked colleague and explained the bet to her.

"I come into the teacher's room every morning just to see what you're wearing . You have such beautiful clothes and always look spectacular! I noticed right away, but didn't know if I should say anything.

Lydia drove home on Friday oozing confidence, but surprised at her feelings. She couldn't wait to get home and tell Larry about her day. She changed out of "the outfit and threw it in the trash. She would never wear it again.

The front door burst open and Larry came in.

"Well, did anyone notice?"

"No, you were right! No one noticed for a whole week. Tears welled up in her eyes.I gave my two weeks notice at the restaurant. I've decided I have enough fancy clothes. I'd rather spend time with you."

"I didn't expect the whole world to change because of a bet, I'm overwhelmed."

"I love it when you're overwhelmed."