by Nick Rossi
She felt as though the smile she had on her face was permanently etched there because she couldn’t undo it. She watched the woman approached her, her walk so slow that it became eerie, and noticed the name tag that sat atop her chest.
Of course her name is Candy, she thought to herself, lips wide in her perma-smile. The name tag seemed to shake her somewhat from her self-imposed reverie and she decided at that moment to speak up.
“I’m just stressed out about finding my prom dress, Candy,” she replied, trying to keep her voice soft and carefree. She couldn’t shake the impression that like many of her friends and family members, Darcy wasn’t exactly the easiest person to be around.
Candy walked up so close to her that she thought the woman was going to lean in for a hug. She leaned in too, but when the woman pulled back, she pretended to bend down to re-clasp the strap on her sandal. When she stood back up, Candy was standing so close to her that she smelled the spearmint gum on her breath.
“You haven’t come back here in a long time,” Candy whispered, her voice quiet and soft. “You look different – more mature, almost.”
She smiled. She was expecting colder words to escape the woman’s mouth but she was pleasantly surprised at how the interaction was unfolding.
“Thank you,” she replied, unsure of what to say to end quantifiable awkwardness of the conversation. “Are all the good masquerade gowns rented already? I shouldn’t have left getting the dress to the last minute like this.”
Candy suddenly laughed, her child like laughter filling the entire shop. Darcy thought that the laughter would get Charlie’s attention and bring him back into the front area of the shop, but when Charlie didn’t pop in, she was disappointed.
“That is rather uncharacteristic of you”, Candy said through her fit of laughter. “From what I recall, you have always had your clothing options laid out months in advance. You did tell me once that looking good is probably the only thing your good at. I think that you nailed the head on that one.”
Because the woman was laughing, it took her a moment or two to realize that what the woman said was mean-spirited, even if she said she was quoting the old Darcy. Becoming increasingly uncomfortable as Candy continued to laugh as though she had just heard the funniest joke in her entire, middle-aged life, she all of a sudden grew annoyed and irritated.
“You have such a good memory for someone that is so close to retirement,” she replied, the sharpness in her tone so strong that she thought the woman before her became paralyzed.
The laugh that was coming out of Candy’s mouth stopped in mid air. Candy looked at her straight in the eye, her own eyes widening. Redness colored the woman’s face, barely visible underneath the mountain of blush that colored the apples of her cheeks. More like watermelons, she inwardly thought.
“Well, it was nice to see you,” she went on, taking advantage of the momentary silence from the rather mean woman.
“Always a pleasure,” Candy finally said. She appeared flustered and surprised at her sarcastic response. She got the distinct impression that being wise with a response wasn’t something that people were used to.
She turned around and began to make her way to the rear of the shop where Charlie disappeared into just minutes before, when she heard Candy’s shrill voice once again take up the perimeter of the store, just as her laughter did seconds ago.
“Be sure to get that fellow a nice outfit as well. I’m sure he has scraped enough of his allowance together to pay for the rental,” the woman said, her voice dripping with snootiness.
She stopped dead in her tracks. Beside her on the Star Wars display, Princess Leia gave her a catty look. She slowly turned around to find that Candy had covered the space that she had just walked and was standing once more just steps away from her. This woman wants a fight, she thought to herself. But I’m not going to give it to her, even though I really, really want to.
Taking a deep breath and gaining her teenaged composure, she decided to choose her words carefully. She did, after all, probably have to re-face this woman again once they had to pay for the actual rentals themselves.
“It’s funny you say that," she said, her voice calm. “Charlie was just telling me that he was going to forfeit his college tuition next year to look like the Romeo to my Juliet. And who said romance was dead?”
With that, she left the woman whose mouth had fallen in shock at her eloquent and icy response, drenched with sarcasm. She deliberately walked slowly to the back of the shop, passing traditional Halloween costumes to the right and left of her. She felt Candy’s eyes bear into her back but she knew she had won this battle. Chalk this up to making things right, she thought to herself.
***
When she finally found Charlie, he was nearly trapped underneath a basket nearly as big as he was full of hats that all had some sort of feather featured prominently near the top.
“Boo,” she whispered behind him. He turned around quickly, surprised at the sound. He instantly smiled upon seeing her, and she couldn’t help but feel warm and gooey. She stifled an internal eye roll.
“Hey,” he said, smiling. “I’m trying to find the perfect hat to complete the Romeo look, even though I haven’t even found the costume yet."
“Why not start with the hat? Maybe it’ll inspire the look we’re trying to get. Just remember, we need masks, too. Apparently anyone not wearing a mask will be turned away at the door.”
“Duly noted,” he laughed, pulling out a hat that looked like a cross between Peter Pan’s and Davy Crockett’s. “How’s this?”
She laughed and pulled it from his hand and threw it back in the pile. “Let’s save the rustic Prom look for next year’s graduating class”.
They both laughed loudly at that one and decided to walk deeper into the rear of the shop.
“Hey, what took you so long at the front? I thought you were right behind me but when I turned around all I saw was Chewbacca staring me down,” Charlie said as they stood closely, staring up at a wall that displayed various gowns and suits that seemed to have been inspired from the Renaissance.
“I ran into Candy. We had a little catch up,” she replied, taking in the beautiful silks and lavish corsets that comprised many of the dresses before her.
“That’s funny. I always thought the two of you never really got along all that well anyway,” Charlie said, joining Darcy’s attention that was focused upon a golden gown that shone above them.
“You’re not far from the truth there, Charlie. Hey – what do you think of that one over there? The one that sort of looks like Belle took Cinderella’s gown and Project Runway’d it to create a whole new look?” She pointed up at the gown and Charlie’s eyes followed her finger.
“Oh wow, that’s really, really beautiful, Darcy,” he finally replied. “You would look incredible in that. I mean, you could wear any of these dresses and you’d still be the prettiest girl in Martin’s Falls.”
She felt her heart beat quicken as she turned around and faced Charlie. He lowered his gaze from the gown that loomed above them and stared at her. The silence was thick and heavy between them and she felt like she was going to explode.
“That’s a very nice thing to say”, was all she could spit out. It had been a very, very long time before she was given such a compliment that seemed genuine from its origin. Charlie smiled at her, dimple on full display, and a wisp of his hair fell from behind his ear and gently touched his cheek.
Without even realizing it, she reached up and put the lock of hair back behind his ear. She let her hand linger there for a moment and then felt Charlie reach in towards her and gently kiss her lips. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. All at once, her hands were moist and she felt like her knees were going to buckle underneath her.
So this is what it’s supposed to feel like, she silently thought as they kissed, alone and quiet in the back of Bendel's Costumer shop. Sure, it wasn’t the most romantic of locations, but it felt like magic for
her. Seeing the princess gowns all around them, she silently imagined the room around them full of princes and knights and a castle where music played and joy was had and love was born.
When he pulled away, she smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt for a few hours afterwards. Charlie blushed, took her hand, and walked to another wall of suits for him to possibly rent. She felt giddy, almost as though she was walking on air. Looking back at that perfect moment, the only words she found when trying to describe what had happened were clichés. There’s a reason Katy Perry has so many hit singles, she thought as she held Charlie’s hand and walked deeper into the shop. It’s because all of her songs perfectly capture was a 17 year old girl is feeling.
Chapter 29
When she parked the car in front of her house that evening, the sun had begun to dance colors around the shades of terra cotta that surrounded her neighborhood. She felt both exhilarated and exhausted. They had stayed at the costume shop for nearly 2 hours, trying on various possible rentals of varying themes and color schemes. They also tried on different costumes just for the fun of it and nearly doubled over in laughter as some of the crazy combinations that Charlie decided to wear.
She felt light headed and dizzy, full of adoration and giddiness. Not once did she find herself thinking about Marina’s looming deadline, nor the petty arguments had with Claire or with her brother. She had finally had an afternoon that truly and genuinely felt right since the switch occurred. She was able to put her mind on pause and enjoy life in a very simplistic way. That afternoon had been what she had been expecting when thrust into the new Darcy’s life. It was like a scene from Sweet Valley High or even from The Vampire Diaries, and she was effervescently grateful that she was able to experience it. She had thought that that kind of carefree moment was so elusive and unattainable, but thankfully she was she proven wrong.
Both she and Charlie got out of the car. Charlie reached into the rear seat and pulled out their costumes, which were firmly secured in large, grey plastic bags that looked more like body bags than actual clothing protectors. They had both finally settled upon the first gown that had so enraptured her attention. When she had tried it on, it magically hugged her body in all of the right places. The length was just perfect upon the ground, and the deep v-neck that took up the top of the dress was tasteful and elegant. She felt like a princess, beautiful and immortal, and was full of gratitude for Marina.
Both she and Charlie had agreed before even trying on the outfits that they wouldn’t see one another in costumer until the night of the prom, but they also made sure that their colors coordinated. And so Charlie settled upon a Romeo-inspired costume that was full of deep browns and green that complimented the gold of her dress perfectly. It didn’t go unrecognized in her mind that the comment she had made to Candy came true in the end.
When they paid for the rental at the end, she made sure to lengthen the interaction to make Candy as uncomfortable as possible, asking all kinds of irrelevant questions about the history of the store, the cost of purchasing the outfits, and where they could find suitable accessories. Charlie had no clue that she was being deliberately facetious, but it was her way of serving back to the middle aged woman another scoop of cattiness. She knew she had won the battle against Candy, but she really wanted to drive home the fact that Candy’s attitude was disgusting and small minded. And she knew she accomplished it, especially when she turned around just as she and Charlie left the shop and saw Candy looking defeated and close to tears. That's what you get old woman, Darcy had thought. Don’t be mean to the harmless.
Now, as Charlie threw the costumes over his arm, they walked slowly to the front door. She took her time in getting her key from her enormous brown bag so that she could spend a few extra precious moments with the boy she felt a strong affinity to and connection with.
“I’m pretty sure my mom will want to press your dress so I’ll just take it with me to our place,” Charlie said.
“That’s fine with me. Just make sure Glenda doesn’t let you see it!” she laughed, turning her key in the lock but keeping the door closed. She turned around and smiled at Charlie who, she noticed happily, had been staring at her the entire time.
“Today was really nice, Charlie,” she said. “It was the perfect first date.”
Charlie’s cheeks reddened for the umpteenth time that afternoon as he quickly looked away in embarrassment.
“I had a really good time too, Darcy,” he finally said, turning back around and looking at her intently. “I’m really excited to be going to the Prom with you. Honestly, I still can’t believe you’re going with me.”
She giggled. “Why not?”
“Well, because you could have gone with any of the really popular guys. I’m not exactly the elite of MF high”, he whispered back. She was going to shush him for making such a silly statement, but she quickly remembered that these were what kids thought about in high school. These were the pressing issues and pressing concerns that would plague their dreams at night and fill their minds when zoning out in English or Biology class.
“I chose to go with you because I like you,” she finally replied. She leaned closer to him and gave him a soft kiss upon his lips.
“I like you, too. I guess I’ll finally let you go,” he said, stepping down backwards from the porch. “Maybe we can do something this weekend? There’s a David Lynch retrospective at the Atrium. You had told me once you liked him.”
“That sounds awesome!” she enthusiastically replied. She really did like David Lynch, and had never had the chance to see one his weird, epic films on the big screen. She knew that there was no way she was going to pass this one up.
“That’s great. Ok – I’ll text you”, he said and was at once gone, rather mysteriously in his prompt disappearance. She smiled and pushed her front door open, letting the lightness of her step guide her up to her bedroom, one small, bouncy step at a time.
Chapter 30
And just like that, she and Charlie became 'a thing'. She couldn't really explain the nature of their newfound and blossoming romance, but she thought the label of ‘thing’ sort of captured its essence perfectly. When she tried to describe the sort of easiness and fun she had around Charlie to Bennett, words always failed to come to her. That in itself was a rarity as she always had something to say, however irrelevant some of her comments may have been.
“I don’t know, Bennett,” she had tried to explain for the umpteenth time to Bennett. The girls sat across each other enjoying a pepperoni pizza and drinking diet coke with lots of ice. “He’s just really fun to be around. I know that sounds ambiguous but I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Bennett took a big bite of the pizza before her and chewed quickly, the words burning in her mouth and waiting to escape.
“Which you’ve said like, a thousand times since the two of you have been dating. But I want to know what his deal is? He’s so quiet and broody.”
“He’s not that quiet”, she replied, taking a sip of her gigantic glass before her. “You just have to get to know him.”
“That’s the thing, Darcy. We’ve all gone out together but he’s so quiet. We need to loosen him up!”
She laughed, but was slightly intrigued by what Bennett had said. While it was true that they did indeed have a few group outings, mainly to the mall and to the movies a few times, Charlie really didn’t pipe up. It was mostly her and Bennett trying to keep the conversation a float.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked. She took one more bite of the pizza and realized just how full she was. She threw the rest of the slice on the table like it was on fire. Bennett smiled.
“Maybe we have some drinks at the prom? My mom’s liquor cabinet is beyond stocked. I swear she’s got some bottles from countries I’ve never even heard of. She won’t even notice if we take one, or two, or ten!”
“Your parents do have quiet the collection,” she laughed, remembering the moment when Bennett showed her the extent of the bottle co
llection that her parents housed in their basement. They had a wine room, but it was really just a glorified location to showcase their hundreds of liquors, spirits, wines and beers.
“But Charlie mentioned to me once that he’s not really a drinker,” she replied, taking a big swig of her diet coke.
“Oh, come on, Darcy!” Bennett replied, rolling her eyes. “He HAS to drink at the prom. It’s like a rite of passage or something. Plus, look at what I got for us!”
Bennett reached behind her into the large backpack that hung off the chair. They were comfortably sitting inside Charlotta's Pizzeria, the local pizza spot. They were surprisingly the only customers in the store. The lack of patrons may have been due to the fact that it was 4 pm, and not really a true meal time. It didn’t bother them any – they got to take up one of the large tables that sat near the front of the restaurant and faced Main Street. And there was always something to see on Main Street.
Taking another sip of her Diet Coke, she saw Bennett place two silver flasks on the table. They were a shiny, bright silver color and were so small that the girls could have fit them in their bras without attracting any kind of attention.
“Oh my god, Bennett – these are adorable!” she said, picking up on and looking at it more closely. She noticed the engraving on the backside.
“To all of it” it said in small, cursive writing. It was a typical Bennett phrase. She was always looking forward to the future and all of the amazing things that were going to happen to them. She had always felt like a Debbie Downer when Bennett embarked on one of her pro-future idealist rants because all she wanted to tell Bennett those things weren’t that easy as they got older. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“They’re perfect!” she continued.
“I know, right?” Bennett agreed, picking up her own and smiling at it. “There’s no way Charlie is going to be able to turn down a drink in one of these things!”
