THE PARTY

The pile of clothes on the bed looked as unappealing as Addie felt. She had no idea she owned so many clothes in shades of brown, none of them remotely chic. If her sister Claire were here, this would be much easier. She would know how to dress up the brown pants and off-white blouse with accessories. Claire wouldn’t even call the colors brown and off-white. Claire would call the brown coco ice and the off-white wheat grass, or something equally upscale sounding.

Addie plopped on the bed, worn out by the effort to go to a party she didn’t want to attend, a party invitation she had declined.

But, noooo, Claire insisted she quit hiding out and start living.

Easier said than done. Plus, he would be there. Addie was not ready to see her ex on a social level, very likely with a winsome beauty on his arm.

Addie was not winsome. She was a thirty-something plus-size with issues. When she and Toby first got together she’d been curvy but not fat, like now. “A whole lot of woman,” he’d said.

Well, she was still the same woman, there was just more of her, which apparently, Toby no longer found appealing. His parting shot was laughable had she been in the mood to laugh when he left. “Well, I guess it’s good we never got married. Breaking up won’t be so messy.”

The jerk said that. Imagine. It no longer made her cry nor did it make her angry. It simply made her realize what an empty vessel he’d always been. That didn’t mean she wanted to spend an evening dodging him.

But, really, it was more than that. She was not in a party mood. She used to love parties, the music, the dancing, catching up with people she hadn’t seen in a while, a few glasses of bad wine, the food, which could be really good or really bad, but either way, it was something she didn’t have to prepare.

Toby loved to eat, and he loved her cooking. He didn’t gain weight like he was a sponge; she did.

Addie groaned and struggled up from the bed. Oh, swell, a pity party. That she was happily attending and she didn’t have to dress up for it.

Her phone rang. She ignored it. That would be Claire, harassing her to get her butt in gear and get to the party.

“Everyone is asking about you,” she would say.

Feeling sorry for her, more like.

Was she being ridiculous? Absolutely. Toby had moved out months ago, but he’d been distancing himself from her for longer than that.  Turns out he had already started seeing someone by the time they finally split. So, yeah, she was glad they never got married.

The phone stopped ringing and then started up again. Claire was persistent.

She should go. It was her best friend’s engagement party, and Addie was one of the bridesmaids. She was going to have to face her ex at the wedding anyway. Toby was the best man.

Best man. Not even close. Thank God, she wasn’t maid of honor. She’d dodged that bullet, although she’d been a bit hurt by it when she first found out, pre-Toby’s departure. Now, it was whew, I don’t have to be in cahoots on whatever maids of honor and best men did for weddings.

She stared at the rejected clothes. None of them were suitable for a gay event like an engagement party. Too drab. Claire had wanted to take her shopping, but the very idea made Addie shudder. Trying on party clothes in a size sixteen petite? Oh, wait, she’d stopped being petite when the curves became more dew-lappy than curvy.

“Love who you are the way you are,” Claire said, in one of her more charitable moments, as if that would magically make Addie feel better about herself. She had a way to go before that happened, if it ever did.

The tone signaling a text message, and then seconds later, another and another and another.

Claire was not going to give up.

She picked up the phone.

> Where the H are you?

Addie ignored the text. And then–

> Not attending this do IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!

Addie read, but did not respond.

> I know, I know. It will be hard, but EVERYONE is wondering where you are.

“Yeah, right,” Addie thought.

> Addie, think of it like this, you’ll be showing him – everyone you’ve got backbone.

Addie threw the phone across the room, watching it sail straight at the wall where it left a dent, before falling to the floor.

Crap! Crap, crap, crap. She hurried over to see if she’d done any damage and breathed a sigh of relief to see it was still working, as the incoming text from Clair confirmed.

> Sweet sister, you are beautiful. You don’t have to prove anything. Please, please, please say you’re getting ready.

Addie swallowed back tears, sorry her sister was disappointed in her. But she just couldn’t deal with people.

> I KNEW I should have come by on my way to the party.

Addie sighed and started typing, afraid if she didn’t respond, Claire would leave the party and come get her.

> Not feeling good. Sick

> BS. You are not sick.

> I don’t have anything to wear

> …

That stopped Claire in her tracks.

> Look in the hall closet

“What?” I asked, as if she could hear me, and then texted my query.

>What?

>I knew it would come to this, that’s why I’ve been calling you. CALL ME NOW!

Addie drew in a deep breath and blew it out as she tapped in her sister’s number.

“There you are,” Claire said, sounding relieved. Party noise was evident in the background, but faded as her sister found a quieter place to talk.

“I knew you were going to wriggle out of coming.”

“No wriggling. I declined the invitation. Cynthia was understanding. She isn’t expecting me, I keep trying to–”

 “We don’t have time for this. In the hall closet is a dress made just for you.”

Knowing Claire, it could a true statement, but likely it was something she picked up in the plus-size section at Dillard’s.

“Sally will be ringing your doorbell any second now, to do your hair and makeup.”

Addie’s head was spinning. Sally the hairdresser she and her sister went to was making a house call? The party will be over by the time I’m gussied up, she thought as the doorbell rang. She opened the door to Sally, who breezed is Sally-style and went straight to the hall closet, as if she knew exactly what was expected.

“Sally’s here.”

“Then we’re good. Just do what she says, and get here ASAP!”

With that, Claire disconnected.

“Hey, sugar!” Sally said with way too much perk as she took a satin garment bag from the closet. She folded the bag over her arm and hitched her carry all higher on her shoulder. “No time to lose, baby cakes. We need to turn you into the belle of the ball before the clock strikes midnight, or something like that.”

When Addie stood in splay-footed, hand-on-hips defiance, Sally gave her a little shove and started shooing her along as though she were a wayward duckling.

Back in her bedroom, Sally sat Addie before the vanity and in quick time got to work on her.

“Won’t have to do much with this beautimous raven hair of yours. A blowout, a little spray, you’ll be good to go. I knew this was a good cut for you. Remember? I told you this was a good cut for you.”

Addie sat woodenly as Sally did her magic, all the while talking a mile a minute. Addie had to admit, the finished style was just right, smooth and classy.

For the makeup, Sally turned her away from the mirror.

“Go easy on the paint, Sally. I don’t do makeup.”

“Trust me, China doll, I know my stuff.”

Addie wasn’t so sure, but she shut her mouth and gave in to the whirling dervish that was Sally, devising various pay-backs aimed at Claire for putting her through this.

When Sally was done with the makeup, instead of letting Addie see herself, she unzipped the garment bag and whisked out a jacquard wrap dress in deep navy with a floral overlay and sheer long sleeves. The plunging neckline looked a bit daring to Addie's eye.

“I don’t know, Sally. That doesn’t have much fabric to it.”

“Try it on. Surprise yourself. Don’t be such a wuss.”

Addie wiggled out of her sweats and tugged off her t-shirt. Before she could reach for the dress, Sally clapped her hands to her face.

“Oh, my! I almost forgot. Just a tic.” She charged out of the bedroom and returned in no time with a bag. “Here. You cannot wear those,” she flipped a dismissive hand at Addie’s sensible

bra and panties. “Claire got these for you.”

Addie pulled deep navy lacy underpants out of the bag and felt herself blushing for no good reason. The bag also contained a matching bra. At the bottom, a shoebox containing a pair of silver mid-heel sandals. Clair really was her fairy god mother.

“Okay, okay, chickie,” Sally prodded. “Let’s move along.”

Twenty minutes later, Addie was looking at someone she barely recognized. The wrap dress gave her back her silhouette. The deep neckline was flattering and decorous, the slightly ruffled hem, flirty. But it was her face that surprised her. The subtle colors Sally used gave contours to her cheeks, made her blue eyes look bluer and her lips look fuller. Over all, she indeed did look like a China doll, albeit, a slightly chubby one.

“I don’t know what to say, Sally. I actually look, I look–”

“Pretty, baby cakes, you look downright pretty.”

Addie’s eyes teared up and Sally whipped a tissue from a nearby box.

“None of that, girl. We don’t have time for me to do it all over again.”

Addie grimaced. Oh, right. The Party She Didn’t Want To Go To!

“Sally, thanks. You didn’t have to do this. Oh, uh, what do I owe you?”

“Pst pst. Owe. This is Clair’s gift to you. Take it and be happy. Now I have one more job to do.”

Addie cocked her head. “Thanks, but I don’t think there’s anything left to do.”

“Ah, but there is. Come on. Claire’s probably stroking out because we’re not there yet.”

“What? You’re going to the party?”

“Well, no, I wasn’t invited; I’m just the help, you know.” She seemed to be joking but Addie thought there might be a touch of resentment mixed in.

“But I am taking you,” Sally said.

“Nonsense. I will drive myself.”

Sally shook her head, a grin touching her lips. “Will you? Will you, now? Maybe, but I have my instructions and that includes getting you to the party.”

Addie spluttered her objection, but Sally just shooed her toward the door, coming up with one last surprise when Addie reached for her utilitarian handbag.

“Grab your ID, keys and any other essentials and put them in here.” Sally handed her a silver evening clutch. “And DON’t cry!” which Addie was about to do.

She sniffed back her tears of gratitude and smiled. As she stepped into Sally’s red Mustang coupe, for the first time in months, she was in a party mood. No more letting the breakup with Toby influence how she lived her life. She had people who loved her and reminded her that it was okay to love herself, just the way she was.