Hole in the Middle

by Coco Simon

  I didn’t want Kelsey to feel bad, but I guess she did, because she took out the garbage without even bargaining with me. She also wiped under the tables and chairs. We closed up the counter a little early to get ready for the dress party, and I was waiting for Dad to take me home when Casey appeared.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Your chariot awaits, madam,” said Casey. “We’re taking you home.” She waved to Jenna and Lily, who appeared with big bags of stuff.

  “What’s all that?” I asked.

  “We are your glam squad,” said Jenna. “I’m doing hair, Lily’s doing makeup, and Casey is doing your nails.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “That way,” said Lily, “you can see what you’ll look like when you’re all done up in the dress.”

  Jenna twirled her keys. “Let’s go. I have orders from Kelsey to stay on schedule.”

  I looked over at Kelsey, who was rolling up the mat behind the counter. I ran over to her to help.

  “Go!” she said, shooing me away.

  I gave her a big hug. “Thank you!” I whispered into her ear.

  I didn’t know what else to say, but I guess it was enough, because she hugged me back and said, “This is going to be such a fun night!”

  Then she pushed me toward Jenna and Lily, and Casey grabbed my hand.

  “Operation Glam!” said Casey. “Reporting for duty! I hope the Glam Squad is ready, because this one is going to need a lot of work!”

  “Casey!” I yelped. “That’s not nice!”

  She laughed. “I’m kidding, Linds. You’re perfect just as you are. Now let’s go, Cinderella. The ball is starting soon!”

  Chapter Nine Operation Glam!

  “First, a shower,” demanded Jenna when we got home. “We start from scratch here.”

  I wrapped myself in my bathrobe, wondering what else was ahead of me.

  Mimi was downstairs setting up and had chased me out of the living room. I noticed that the dining room table was already stacked with plates and teacups. I peeked out the window and saw Dad and Nans unloading boxes of food from the car.

  Dad was taking Skylar night fishing, and Sky was so excited he was running up and down the hall and nearly collided with me.

  “Watch it!” I said.

  He stopped. “Why are you taking a shower at the end of the day? Are you going to bed early?”

  “No,” I said. “I’m getting ready to try on some fancy dresses for the Fall Fling.”

  Sky looked confused. “Well, I’m going fishing, so maybe Dad will let me take a bath in the river!”

  “Eeeuuw,” I said. “You will take a bath with a toad. That’s disgusting!”

  “That would be so cool!” Sky said, and ran down the stairs. “Dad! Dad! Lindsay said that maybe I can take a bath with a toad!”

  “That’s not…,” I started to yell after him, but then decided to let it go.

  I took a quick shower, and washed and combed out my hair. I wrapped my towel around me and sat down on the bed.

  Jenna and Lily both looked at me seriously as if they were about to perform surgery.

  “Makeup first,” said Lily, and she started dusting powder on my face.

  “Not too much!” said Jenna. “Nans will not be happy.”

  Lily nodded. “She doesn’t need much,” she said, winking at me. “Because she’s naturally pretty.”

  I blushed.

  Then Jenna took out a blow-dryer and a curling iron and was tugging at my hair for what seemed like forever. Casey was carefully putting bright pink polish on my toenails.

  I heard the door opening and closing downstairs and started to get a little nervous. “So how many people are coming?” I asked.

  “Well, the four of us,” said Jenna, “and Casey’s mom, Aunt Sabrina, my mom, Molly and Kelsey and Nans and your grandma Mimi.”

  “And Gabby!” said Casey.

  “Right,” said Jenna. “Gabby too!”

  “Twelve of us?” I yelped.

  “Yeah, it takes at least a dozen people to decide on one dress,” said Lily, smirking.

  Finally they all stepped away, looking at me. Lily reached over and pulled some hair behind one of my ears. Then she nodded at Jenna.

  “Okay, go look,” said Jenna.

  I went over to the mirror. At first it didn’t even look like me. Well, it looked like me, but more glamorous. My hair was shiny and wavy and it didn’t even look like I had makeup on, just a little pink on my cheeks and lips.

  I grinned. “I think I’m ready for my big modeling job!” I tossed my hair and struck a pose.

  “We’re coming down!” Jenna yelled down the stairs. I heard everybody cheer and applaud.

  “We’re ready!” Kelsey yelled back up.

  Lily helped me into a button-up shirt so I wouldn’t mess up my hair, and I pulled on a pair of jean shorts.

  I followed Jenna, Lily, and Casey but stopped as I got halfway down the stairs.

  The living room was set up like a giant dressing room. The sofa and chairs were pushed along the wall and someone had rolled up the rug. There was a rolling rack like you see in a big store, and it was filled with dresses. Next to the rack was a line of shoes, some of which I recognized as Kelsey’s. A full-length mirror was propped up on the wall, and I saw Nans’s sewing basket next to it.

  There were balloons tied to the chairs, and flowers in bunches on the end tables.It definitely looked like a party.

  “Well, come on down, Ms. Lindsay!” said Mimi. “Let the dress games begin!”

  I stood next to Mimi, not sure what to do.

  “Okay,” said Kelsey. “Here are all the selections.” She pointed to the rack. “You decide where you want to start. Then you try on all the dresses until we find the perfect one.”

  Everyone was looking at me and I felt a little shy.

  Mimi pulled out a green dress. “I thought this would be so pretty,” she said. She grabbed my hand. “But come look and pick one to start.”

  I took the one Mimi was holding. “This is nice,” I said. It was dark green with light green ruffles on the skirt.

  “Okay, that’s the first one then!” said Kelsey. She pointed to the corner of the room, where someone had hung a bedsheet. “That is your dressing room!”

  “And I am your official dresser!” said Molly. “Some of these dresses have a lot of buttons!”

  I giggled and followed Molly to the corner and behind the sheet.

  I pulled on the dress and Molly zipped it up. “It fits!” she yelled out.

  “Good job on getting the sizing right!” Nans said to Mimi.

  “Oh, I’m so glad,” Mimi replied.

  I looked at Molly. “Well, you have to come out of the dressing room so everyone can see!” she hissed at me.

  I took a deep breath and shuffled out, and then Molly pushed me into the center of the room.

  “Oh, you are just so lovely,” sighed Mimi.

  “That’s beautiful, Lindsay,” said Aunt Melissa.

  “I love that color,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “You look like grass,” said Skylar from the hall.

  “Sky!” Nans scolded, and everyone started laughing.

  “Okay, we’re on our way out now and just came to say goodbye,” said Dad, pulling Skylar. “Gone fishing! Lindsay, you look beautiful as always, but choose the dress that makes you happiest, okay?”

  “And one that doesn’t look like a soccer field!” called Skylar.

  Everyone cracked up again, and Dad scooted Skylar out the back door.

  “Well,” I said. “Now all I see is grass.”

  “No grass dresses!” said Kelsey. “Next!”

  Casey tugged at a purple dress. “This is nice!”

  “Okay,” I said, grabbing it.

  Molly helped me get out of the soccer dress and into the purple one, which was a lot more complicated. It had a halter top that tied behind my neck and a zip on the side that was really tricky to pull u
p. Then there was a light purple sash that tied around the waist.

  “What’s taking so long?” demanded Kelsey.

  “I’m going as fast as I can,” Molly yelled back.

  “Girls!” said Aunt Melissa.

  Molly stood back and scrunched up her nose. “I don’t love it,” she said. “But go see for yourself.”

  The skirt swished when I walked out. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I stood next to Mimi.

  “Well, that’s pretty too,” she said. Then she steered me to the mirror.

  The dress reminded me of something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  Casey came over and put her hand on her hip, looking at me. “Uh, do you remember that doll you had that you used to tote around everywhere?”

  I looked at her blankly.

  “Cressida!” said Mrs. Peters.

  “Cressida!” said Nans. “Oh my, I remember Cressida!”

  “Yes!” I squealed. “She was my favorite doll. She came in a big poufy purple dress… oh.” I peered in the mirror. “I look like Cressida!”

  “You totally do!” laughed Casey.

  We both collapsed into giggles.

  “Next!” said Kelsey.

  Mimi handed me a pink dress while Molly tugged the Cressida dress off me. The pink dress had a long pleated skirt and the body was really fitted. It had buttons that ran up the side.

  When Molly was finished fastening the last in the long row of buttons, she tilted her head to the side. “This one has possibilities,” she said.

  I walked out and over to the mirror.

  “Ohhhh,” said Mimi. “Oh, that’s so pretty. And I love the color.”

  Nans and Aunt Melissa nodded.

  “Try these with it,” said Aunt Sabrina, handing me a pair of silver sandals.

  Nans, Mimi, Aunt Melissa, and Aunt Sabrina were all smiling, but Kelsey put her hands on her hips.

  “It’s really pretty,” she said. “I love it. But somehow it just doesn’t seem like you.”

  “Oh but I like it!” said Casey.

  “I feel like there’s something missing,” said Kelsey.

  “Um, guys, I’m right here,” I said.

  “Yes,” said Mimi. “Let’s ask Lindsay what she thinks. Lindsay?”

  “I like it,” I said, watching myself in the mirror. “It’s really pretty.”

  “Well, there are a lot of others,” said Kelsey, pointing toward the rack. “You should buy something you love, not something you like.”

  I looked at the rack, and one dress caught my eye. “Well, I may as well try on a few more,” I said.

  I toted the one I chose into the dressing room. “Molly!” I called.

  “I need a break!” said Molly. “I’m getting a snack! There’s food set up in the dining room, people!”

  Everyone laughed, and I heard people moving around to the dining room.

  At first I felt a little hurt that everyone had abandoned me for some food, but then I thought, Well, when I put this one on, I can make a grand entrance.

  Chapter Ten True Blue

  I pulled the next dress on myself and easily zipped it up. It felt light and flowy, like I could run around in it if I wanted to. I turned around to leave and I heard a gentle swish, swish from the bottom of the skirt, which made me happy for some reason. I felt like I had on a magical fairy dress, like I could float across the room without my feet touching the floor.

  Everyone was in the dining room when I came out, so I walked over to the mirror to get a look before anyone else could see.

  I stopped when I got close. There was a picture of Mom that we had on a table in the front hall. She was in a cornflower-blue dress, smiling at the camera, her head tilted back and her eyes crinkled up with laughter. It was taken when Mom and Dad were at a fancy party in Chicago, right before we found out Mom was sick.

  I looked down and realized the dress I was wearing was the same purplish-blue color of her dress. It made my hair look darker and my lips look brighter. I looked a lot like Mom in that picture.

  “Oh!” I heard a gasp behind me. It was Mimi, and her hand flew to her mouth.

  Everyone rushed back into the living room and everyone, it seemed at once, said, “Ohhhhh!”

  “That’s it!” said Kelsey. “That’s the magic dress!”

  “Oh, Lindsay,” said Mimi. “You look so beautiful.”

  I spun around. “I look like Mom.”

  Mimi looked startled. Then she smiled. “You do. You look exactly like her, and that color…”

  “It’s her favorite color,” I said, remembering. “True blue.”

  “True blue,” Mimi whispered, and I could see her eyes were filling up with tears.

  The room was really quiet. Mimi came over and put her hand on my shoulder, looking at me in the mirror. I didn’t know if she was looking at me or if she was seeing Mom.

  True blue was a color Mom made up. She always said her favorite shade of blue was a little purple, a little white, and a little gray mixed together. She mixed it up on her paint palette and even kept some in a paint jar on her shelf. It was hard to find anywhere, but this dress was the closest to her shade of true blue I had ever seen outside of her paintings.

  And suddenly, I missed her more than ever. My grandmothers were here and my aunts and cousins and BFF, but the one person who was missing was Mom, and I really, really wished she were here. I missed her all the time, but at this moment, wearing this dress, it hit me hard that she wasn’t here. I started to cry, and I just couldn’t stop.

  Mimi hugged me tight, then Kelsey and Nans, and Aunt Melissa and Casey. There were so many arms around me that I didn’t know whose hands or arms belonged to who. Soon we were a big pile of crying arms.

  Finally it was Molly who yelled, “And break!”

  We were all so startled we laughed. Casey handed out tissues, and everyone blew their noses.

  Mimi cupped her hand under my chin. “You okay?” she asked.

  I nodded and smiled. “Mom would want me to wear this dress,” I said. “It would make her so happy.”

  Tears streamed down Mimi’s face, but she was smiling. “She would have picked this out herself,” she said. “It’s the perfect dress for you.”

  Nans knelt down next to me. “Someone hand me my sewing box.”

  Jenna passed it to her and Nans started pinning the dress up a little. Lily helped me put on a pair of sparkly sandals, and Jenna pulled my hair so it was half up, half down. I still looked like me, but with a dreamy dress.

  “Done!” said Kelsey, satisfied.

  Everyone clapped.

  “Whoo-hoo Team Dress!” said Molly.

  “And now we eat donuts!” said Casey.

  Nans and Mimi helped me out of the dress and I slipped back into shorts and a shirt. I followed Nans into the kitchen to help with the donuts.

  “Do you know why I love donuts, Lindsay?” she asked.

  “Because they’re delicious?” I answered, watching her roll out the big ball of dough.

  “Well, yes,” she said. “But see how I make them? You use the dough cutter to cut out circles from the rolled-out dough.”

  I nodded as I watched her. I had seen her make donuts millions of times. She could probably make them in her sleep.

  “Each donut is a circle,” she said. “You drop the circles in the oil or the fryer and scoop them right out when they’re done.”

  I watched as she tossed the circles of dough into bubbling-hot oil in the pan.

  “The thing is,” said Nans, “they have a hole in the middle, but they’re surrounded by dough.” We both watched as the dough bubbled.

  “That hole,” she began, “reminds me that sometimes there’s a hole inside us. Sometimes it gets filled or sometimes we don’t notice it as much, but it’s always there.”

  She scooped out the puffed-up donuts with a slotted spoon and laid them on paper towels to drain.

  “But there’s always dough surrounding the hole.” She put down the spoon
. “Do you know what I’m trying to say?”

  “Sort of,” I said. “We all have a hole in us?”

  Nans cocked her head. “Sometimes we do. Sometimes those holes close up and sometimes they get smaller, but they’re always there. But no matter what, those holes are surrounded.”

  “So our family is a donut?” I asked.

  Nans laughed. “Kind of. I like to think the donut is more of a symbol of our family. That even when there are holes that can never be filled, there’s a lot of sweetness totally surrounding them to help them not get any bigger.”

  She looked at me like she wanted me to say something, but I wasn’t sure what.

  “Lindsay,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. “You are surrounded by people who love you. I want you to always remember that.”

  I smiled. “I will.”

  “Hey, where are those donuts?” Molly yelled as she stormed into the kitchen.

  Nans laughed. “Right here! Right here!”

  I helped her pile them on a platter, and Molly carried them out to the table.

  When I sat down in the living room, I couldn’t help noticing Kelsey sneaking looks at a certain silvery gray dress. She kept walking by it and touching it.

  “Why don’t you try that on?” I asked.

  She spun around. “Me? Oh, I couldn’t. These are all for you to try on.”

  “Well, I already have my dress,” I said.

  “But it’s your party,” she said.

  “If it’s my party, then you have to do as I say,” I teased.

  “Well,” she said, looking longingly at the dress. “This is really beautiful.”

  “Come on,” I said, and pulled her toward the dressing room.

  I helped put on the silver dress. It had lots of layers that made it shimmer when Kelsey moved. There were these see-through ruffles that went around the bodice and short sleeves that kind of looked like wings. I stood back.

  “Kelsey, you look like a fairy princess,” I said.

  “Like for Halloween?” she asked.

  “No, no, like a beautiful princess,” I said. “Go look!” I pushed her out toward the mirror.

  “Hey!” said Molly. “Kelsey, those dresses are for Lindsay!”

  “Well, I already found mine,” I said.