Chapter 4
It was Christmas, and the morning's weather was better than the previous day. Fresh snow was not coming down, but the coldness of what was left from yesterday's downfall lingered. Eunice was at my house as she promised. I watched her as she stood across me in my bedroom, going through my dresses. She was trying to "put me back in the market!" She said. She looked quite adorable with her hair in ponytail and the seriousness on her face was simply exhilarating. As I observed her, my mind drifted.
When I burnt my memories of Nate last night, I thought I was going to get better... erase all the perturbing memories in a whiz. I thought I was locking my sad emotions away forever. It however seemed Uncle Richard was right. It wasn’t as easy as combing wet hair. I got taken aback by thoughts of the years of my life wasted. Would I ever let myself fall in love again? Would I ever be─
"Miranda!" I heard Eunice call out.
"Miranda!" She screamed.
"Huh? Oh… Yes. Sorry." I mumbled.
"Get out of your Idée fixe and look at this one." Eunice cast a growling stare at me.
She held a dress with the tips of her fingers, strategically placing it on her lean figure. It was a knee length lemon dress with mustard stripe from the shoulder to its lower waist. It had fancy glowing buttons near the hem and a lace lining around the neck. It’s beautiful. I remember Uncle Richard gave it to me when I got my first promotion at work before I even started my own small company.
"I might freeze to death in this." I chuckled.
"Come on Miranda. Of course you'll use a coat. I know you are scheming for ways to stay home tonight, but quit the shenanigans Miranda. I won't let you cry yourself out for one more night."
I rolled my eyes. I wasn't crying! What did she mean crying? She was sounding like my high school principal.
"But... "
"No buts!" She warned.
"Not like I have any butts anyway." I joked, shifting to the side and slapping my petite behind.
We both laughed, and then she threw the cotton dress on my face.
"It is soon going to be a new year Miranda. Let's find you some new happiness. "
**
I stood in front of the mirror, turning and swirling my coat. Eunice stared at me from behind, not uttering a word, but a ghost of a smile hung from her trim lips. I smiled to myself, and held my cold cheeks in both palms as goose pimples began to form on my tender skin. It had been so long since I went on an outing like this one. With Nate, I was conservative to say the least. The butterflies in my tummy began to fly closer to my throat, as if to choke me. I gulped.
"You are doing just fine." Eunice's voice disrupted the silence.
I laugh at her demented psychology. Even a blind man would spot the anxiety and uneasiness in my demeanor. I had spent a large chunk of the last hour brushing my hair. I did that whenever I wanted to get stress off. Some women prefer to chop onions and carrots or slice vegetables. I brushed my hair. That was my medicine.
**
Eunice was dressed in blue jeans and a nice sweater with an image of Elvis Presley drawn over the chest portion. She had brown mittens over her fingers and a cute brown scarf round her tiny neck. She looked younger than her age. Her round eyes and wide nose stood distinctively from her features. She was a bit taller than me, with beautifully long brown hair that curled a bit at the bottom. My eyes drifted from her black and red pure leather boots, back up her shapely thighs in the thick blue jeans, through her thermal under garment inching out just below her sweater, till I reached her face. Her eyes were pointed at me. I could see a twinge of pity in them. She must have thought I was such a mess... daunted by deception... a poor thing crawling up in her shell; cowering, after being heart broken by Mr. Perfect. I let out a soft reassuring smile, as if to say "don’t worry Eunice. I'm alright." But I was not. My emotions are still haunted by betrayal. I felt like a baby, learning to walk, after crawling through the dirt. I felt dirty. I felt guilty. I felt guilty of gullibility; and naivety. I cursed the name, Nate.
"It's time to go." Eunice said, after glancing through a text that just came into her phone. She waltzed towards my old fashioned hanger, and whizzed her fur and leather coat off it. Dipping her phone in her black purse, she smiled at me as I put on my tweed jacket and fancy blazer, and pointed to the door. Here we go! I thought in my mind.
**
A black car was parked outside my house, right in front of the snowy garbage cans. I put my hat on and kicked my way through the snow, trailing behind Eunice, slowly approaching the car. The back door sprung open and we quickly dived in. Garrick and his girlfriend; Diana (who sat in the front), throw happy faces at us as we settled in. I took off my hat and placed it on my lap while adjusting my blazer and smiling back at the couple in front of us.
Eunice and Garrick had been close friends for as long as I could remember. They lived close to each other when we were younger. Kyle and I; Eunice and Garrick... so it was. Fond memories of childhood swarmed through my mind as the soft Mercedes ignition went off. I looked out the window into the streets as the car began to accelerate. It was my first Christmas party away from Uncle Richard and his family. He understood. He actually thought it was a good idea. Now it is time to move on Miranda... It's time to move on. I muttered to myself.