“I think I should take a shower first,” Carol told her. “I feel kind of grubby after decorating all day.”
“Yes. You go do that. Then we’ll have a little fashion show.”
It didn’t take long to clean up, but by the time Carol came back down wearing a borrowed bathrobe, Maria already had a steamer out and was awkwardly attempting to steam the dress.
“Let me do that.” Carol reached for the small appliance.
“So many tasks I took for granted when I had two good arms.”
“Fortunately your condition is just temporary.” Carol steamed the skirt, fluffing it out as she did. “My boss’s husband had a stroke and permanently lost use of his right arm. That was hard.”
Maria started sharing about various times she’d worn the dress, including the night she got engaged.
Carol wiped a tear from her eye. “No wonder it’s special.” The dress was finished now and looking even better than before.
“Go try it on in there,” Maria pointed to the master bath. “I can’t wait to see if it fits.”
It didn’t take long to slip it on and pull the zipper up. She could only see the top half of the dress in the sink mirror, but the fitted bodice seemed about perfect and the sweetheart neckline was surprisingly becoming.
She stepped out to show Maria. “I’ve never worn anything like this. But it seems to fit, and it’s comfortable.”
Maria’s dark eyes grew wide as she led Carol back to the full-length mirror. “Oh, my goodness, Carol. You look beautiful.”
Carol stared at her image, then smiled. “It really does look good, doesn’t it?”
“It’s absolutely perfect.”
Carol did a little spin, watching the skirt flow out. “It would be good for dancing.” Her smile vanished. “But it’s so valuable. I don’t think I should wear—”
“Nonsense. How can a dress be valuable if it spends all its time in the back of a closet. No, this dress wants to go to the cotillion. It wants to dance again.”
Carol considered this, then frowned. “But don’t I need a date to go to the cotillion?”
“I don’t have a date and I’m going.” Maria sighed, reminding Carol this would be her aunt’s first year without her husband. “You can be my date, and we’ll sit with Antonia and Larry. Antonia will appreciate the company since Larry’s verbal skills are so limited and folks don’t visit with him as much anymore. His mobility issues keep him off the dance floor too. This might be his last year at the cotillion, so please don’t let lack of a date give you cold feet.”
“I would like to see the event,” Carol confessed. “Just to see how the decorations look at night.” She hated to admit she was equally curious as to how the guests would react. What if they hated what she’d done? In that case, she might be betteroff at home. “I don’t know though,” she said. “Being dateless ... maybe I’ll take a pass, after all.”
“Well, I can’t drive myself there and I fully intend to go. If you won’t be my date, I suppose I’ll have to stay home too. But I would hate to miss it.”
Carol felt guilty now. How could she be so selfish? “Okay, I’ll be your date. But I’d be more comfortable dressed casually. I think this beautiful dress is too much for—”
“It is not too much!” Maria argued. “You heard Victoria bragging about her fancy gown. Good grief, she’ll be decked out like prom night. And like I said, young folks tend to dress up more than us oldies.”
Carol poked out a bare toe. “But I don’t know what shoes I’d wear. My sandals for the Bahamas sure won’t work in the snow.”
“I always wore my dress boots with it at the cotillion. A pair of knee-high black leather ones, but of course, I don’t have those anymore. All I have these days are cowgirl boots or snow boots.” She chuckled.
“Cowgirl boots?” Carol glanced at the closet.
“Sure. I’ve got several pairs. But would you really want those with that dress?”
“Cowgirl boots with dresses are still a thing. Mind if I poke around?”
Maria waved her forward with her good arm. “You know I don’t.”
Carol poked around until she found a handsome dark brown pair. She slipped them onto her bare feet, then came back to check the combo in the mirror. “Not bad.” She smiled. “Not bad at all.”
“I have to admit, I like it.” Maria smiled as well.
