toothily, I struggled into the purple dress, grimacing as I felt it tighten around my hips and chest as Judy zipped it up. I had definitely put on a pound or two since I had last put this on, and from my mother's scowl, it was blindingly obvious. Claire and Judy both cheered once it was zipped up, however, and assured me that I looked just fine.
"Now come on! We're wasting the night!" Claire called, dragging me towards the door. I tottered along, trying to slip on the heels that Sally had found in my closet as I walked.
We hurried down the stairs, Judy fortunately supporting me as I tried to balance in the unfamiliar heels. As we neared the bottom of the stairs, however, Sally turned around, pointing her finger over us like a school teacher checking her kids. "Wait a minute," she spoke up. "We're missing one."
Claire looked around at us and sighed. "I'll go grab her," she said, and dashed up the stairs. I heard her footsteps receding, and then approaching again a minute later. Following along behind her was... my mouth dropped open.
"Blossom?" I gasped.
Indeed, it was the woman herself - somehow, my father's mistress had been invited into my bachelorette party! On the other side of me, I could hear the audible grinding of my mother's teeth as she stared daggers at the woman.
Blossom, on the other hand, looked slightly confused. "I went to the bathroom and then all of you were gone," she said to no one in particular. Her eyes, flitting around alighted on me. "Oh, hi Danielle!" she said happily. "You look pretty! That's a tight dress!"
"Um, thanks Blossom," I stammered. "Let's get outside to the cars, shall we?" As my mother dashed for the door, desperate to get out of the same room as this hippie, I grabbed Claire's upper arm, my fingers digging into her skin. "What is she doing here!?" I hissed at her.
Claire opened her mouth to respond, but said nothing for a minute as we waited for Sally and Blossom to file out of the apartment building's front door. "Look, your dad made me invite her," she whispered back to me. "He somehow found out that I was planning this, and since he and Blossom's son were both going to Alex's bachelor party, he didn't want Blossom to feel left out."
"So you invited her?" I repeated. "How could you think that was a good idea?"
Claire managed to tug her arm free from my grip, and patted me on the shoulder. "Look, I'm sure that it will all be fine," she said in a vain attempt to reassure me. "Now, let's just go downtown, get some drinks, and have some fun and cut loose, okay?" And with that, she gently but firmly led me out of the apartment building and into the waiting taxi-minivan.
The taxi ride downtown was definitely awkward, with my mother insisting on sitting in a different row from Blossom and refusing to speak to or respond to her. Once we got to the bar, however, things calmed down slightly - or maybe the alcohol helped me ignore the tension, which was just as good in my book. As soon as we walked in the door, Claire wasted no time in plopping a Long Island iced tea down in front of me and refusing to let me speak until it was finished - at which point Judy immediately replaced it with a full one.
Two iced teas later, I was definitely starting to feel a little less stressed. Claire was pointing out cute boys around the bar, teasing me that this would be my last chance to have some fun before I'd be stuck with the same man for the rest of my life, while Judy was sitting on my other side and excitedly telling me about all the wonderful benefits of being married. As I listened to their voices drift into each ear, I received a wonderfully confusing and disjointed conversation.
"Just look at that guy!" Claire was half-whispering, half-yelling on my left. "I bet he's got washboard abs that you could iron a shirt on! He could probably pick you up in the air and make you orgasm before you even touch the ground!"
"I'm so glad that you're getting married!" Judy was happily telling me on my
"Now come on! We're wasting the night!" Claire called, dragging me towards the door. I tottered along, trying to slip on the heels that Sally had found in my closet as I walked.
We hurried down the stairs, Judy fortunately supporting me as I tried to balance in the unfamiliar heels. As we neared the bottom of the stairs, however, Sally turned around, pointing her finger over us like a school teacher checking her kids. "Wait a minute," she spoke up. "We're missing one."
Claire looked around at us and sighed. "I'll go grab her," she said, and dashed up the stairs. I heard her footsteps receding, and then approaching again a minute later. Following along behind her was... my mouth dropped open.
"Blossom?" I gasped.
Indeed, it was the woman herself - somehow, my father's mistress had been invited into my bachelorette party! On the other side of me, I could hear the audible grinding of my mother's teeth as she stared daggers at the woman.
Blossom, on the other hand, looked slightly confused. "I went to the bathroom and then all of you were gone," she said to no one in particular. Her eyes, flitting around alighted on me. "Oh, hi Danielle!" she said happily. "You look pretty! That's a tight dress!"
"Um, thanks Blossom," I stammered. "Let's get outside to the cars, shall we?" As my mother dashed for the door, desperate to get out of the same room as this hippie, I grabbed Claire's upper arm, my fingers digging into her skin. "What is she doing here!?" I hissed at her.
Claire opened her mouth to respond, but said nothing for a minute as we waited for Sally and Blossom to file out of the apartment building's front door. "Look, your dad made me invite her," she whispered back to me. "He somehow found out that I was planning this, and since he and Blossom's son were both going to Alex's bachelor party, he didn't want Blossom to feel left out."
"So you invited her?" I repeated. "How could you think that was a good idea?"
Claire managed to tug her arm free from my grip, and patted me on the shoulder. "Look, I'm sure that it will all be fine," she said in a vain attempt to reassure me. "Now, let's just go downtown, get some drinks, and have some fun and cut loose, okay?" And with that, she gently but firmly led me out of the apartment building and into the waiting taxi-minivan.
The taxi ride downtown was definitely awkward, with my mother insisting on sitting in a different row from Blossom and refusing to speak to or respond to her. Once we got to the bar, however, things calmed down slightly - or maybe the alcohol helped me ignore the tension, which was just as good in my book. As soon as we walked in the door, Claire wasted no time in plopping a Long Island iced tea down in front of me and refusing to let me speak until it was finished - at which point Judy immediately replaced it with a full one.
Two iced teas later, I was definitely starting to feel a little less stressed. Claire was pointing out cute boys around the bar, teasing me that this would be my last chance to have some fun before I'd be stuck with the same man for the rest of my life, while Judy was sitting on my other side and excitedly telling me about all the wonderful benefits of being married. As I listened to their voices drift into each ear, I received a wonderfully confusing and disjointed conversation.
"Just look at that guy!" Claire was half-whispering, half-yelling on my left. "I bet he's got washboard abs that you could iron a shirt on! He could probably pick you up in the air and make you orgasm before you even touch the ground!"
"I'm so glad that you're getting married!" Judy was happily telling me on my
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