indicating the pile. “Like riding a bike!”
I caught Mom’s eye and she gave me a tiny shrug back as if to say,
Your guess is as good as mine!
“Don’t just stand there, you guys,” said Nicholas. “Pull up a chair!” I slipped off my jacket, and Aster and I joined in.
We laughed and joked, put roses in our hair, andlistened as Nicholas told us about the history of the corsage. A lump formed in my throat as I looked from Mom to Aster. This could be one of the last times we worked together in the old store.
When I thought we were done, Mom hauled out two more buckets of roses — one red, one yellow.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Mom shrugged. “Nicholas was here when I was ordering the roses and he convinced me to order extra. He’s really sure we’re going to sell each and every one.”
I gave him a questioning look, but he just smiled at me.
“You can thank me later, Del,” he said.
Finally, my cramped fingers wrapped the very last floral wire around my very last corsage. We were done. Yawning, I collected the empty pizza boxes and soda cans left over from our hasty supper.
At home, as I climbed into bed, I had one last thought before I fell into a deep sleep:
Can everything go smoothly, just for once?
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, we drove to Petal Pushers to assemble the rose dress. On the way there, I got a small thrill of excitement. It was Homecoming Day! The town was already bustling with activity, and a huge sign hung over Fairfield Street read WELCOME TO HOMECOMING WEEKEND! In all the drama, I had lost sight of the fun that was in store.
I wasn’t going with Hamilton, but other than that, everything would be okay. As long as we got the dress done in time, and people bought corsages, what could go wrong?
Approximately four hundred roses later, Mom was finished. She had hired a seamstress to make a simple, floor-length strapless dress out of a light, yet sturdy fabric. And then Mom had completely covered the dress with roses.
I helped her place the rose-covered garment on the dress form. We stepped across the room and took our first real look at our creation.
Dad let out a low whistle. “I think you’ve outdone yourselves,” he said.
“Oh, Mom,” I breathed. “It’s incredible.”
“It is,” she said in a hushed voice.
It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, covered in velvety soft, red buds. It looked like the richest, softest fabric that money could buy. And the smell was heavenly. I just wanted to bury my face in it. I felt this warm glow of pride spreading out in my chest. It had been an amazing idea, if I did say so myself.
Nicholas, of course, took several shots of it, from all different angles. After we packed up the corsages, each one nestled into a cardboard display, Mom hung the dress on a padded hanger. We’d be transporting it on a dress rack in the back of the van. Nicholas had volunteered to sit in the back and make sure it didn’t get crushed. To be safe, Mom packed a whole bunch of replacement red roses.
Mom, Nicholas, Rose, Aster, and I piled into the minivan. Dad drove Debbie and Poppy in his car. We’dall rendezvous in the parking lot at McIlhenny University.
Rose and Aster were in the middle seats, whispering excitedly to each other. For once, their extreme closeness didn’t make me feel the slightest bit wistful. I was just happy things were back to normal with them.
I peered out the window as we approached the campus. Crowds were milling about, wearing their McIlhenny sweatshirts. A bunch of kids were wearing moose antlers on their heads. Others had their faces painted half red and half yellow.
“Wow, it’s so crowded already,” I said nervously as we pulled up. We had a special pass to park in the faculty lot, and the guard waved us in.
“Let’s set everyone up with the corsages first,” said Mom. “Then we can deliver the dress to Marcia.”
We parked and began unloading the corsages. Dad pulled up shortly after and
I caught Mom’s eye and she gave me a tiny shrug back as if to say,
Your guess is as good as mine!
“Don’t just stand there, you guys,” said Nicholas. “Pull up a chair!” I slipped off my jacket, and Aster and I joined in.
We laughed and joked, put roses in our hair, andlistened as Nicholas told us about the history of the corsage. A lump formed in my throat as I looked from Mom to Aster. This could be one of the last times we worked together in the old store.
When I thought we were done, Mom hauled out two more buckets of roses — one red, one yellow.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Mom shrugged. “Nicholas was here when I was ordering the roses and he convinced me to order extra. He’s really sure we’re going to sell each and every one.”
I gave him a questioning look, but he just smiled at me.
“You can thank me later, Del,” he said.
Finally, my cramped fingers wrapped the very last floral wire around my very last corsage. We were done. Yawning, I collected the empty pizza boxes and soda cans left over from our hasty supper.
At home, as I climbed into bed, I had one last thought before I fell into a deep sleep:
Can everything go smoothly, just for once?
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, we drove to Petal Pushers to assemble the rose dress. On the way there, I got a small thrill of excitement. It was Homecoming Day! The town was already bustling with activity, and a huge sign hung over Fairfield Street read WELCOME TO HOMECOMING WEEKEND! In all the drama, I had lost sight of the fun that was in store.
I wasn’t going with Hamilton, but other than that, everything would be okay. As long as we got the dress done in time, and people bought corsages, what could go wrong?
Approximately four hundred roses later, Mom was finished. She had hired a seamstress to make a simple, floor-length strapless dress out of a light, yet sturdy fabric. And then Mom had completely covered the dress with roses.
I helped her place the rose-covered garment on the dress form. We stepped across the room and took our first real look at our creation.
Dad let out a low whistle. “I think you’ve outdone yourselves,” he said.
“Oh, Mom,” I breathed. “It’s incredible.”
“It is,” she said in a hushed voice.
It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, covered in velvety soft, red buds. It looked like the richest, softest fabric that money could buy. And the smell was heavenly. I just wanted to bury my face in it. I felt this warm glow of pride spreading out in my chest. It had been an amazing idea, if I did say so myself.
Nicholas, of course, took several shots of it, from all different angles. After we packed up the corsages, each one nestled into a cardboard display, Mom hung the dress on a padded hanger. We’d be transporting it on a dress rack in the back of the van. Nicholas had volunteered to sit in the back and make sure it didn’t get crushed. To be safe, Mom packed a whole bunch of replacement red roses.
Mom, Nicholas, Rose, Aster, and I piled into the minivan. Dad drove Debbie and Poppy in his car. We’dall rendezvous in the parking lot at McIlhenny University.
Rose and Aster were in the middle seats, whispering excitedly to each other. For once, their extreme closeness didn’t make me feel the slightest bit wistful. I was just happy things were back to normal with them.
I peered out the window as we approached the campus. Crowds were milling about, wearing their McIlhenny sweatshirts. A bunch of kids were wearing moose antlers on their heads. Others had their faces painted half red and half yellow.
“Wow, it’s so crowded already,” I said nervously as we pulled up. We had a special pass to park in the faculty lot, and the guard waved us in.
“Let’s set everyone up with the corsages first,” said Mom. “Then we can deliver the dress to Marcia.”
We parked and began unloading the corsages. Dad pulled up shortly after and
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