Chapter 2: Getting Ready is Tough

JIM

"All man, I told her I would be there by 7:00 and it's already 6:32 and I still don't know what to wear," Jim complained to his roommate, Mark.

"What are you, a girl?" Mark replied.

"HaHa…no, but this girl is special and I really want tonight to be perfect."

"It will," Mark reassured. "And it won't be based on if your belt matched your shoes."

"I know, I'm just nervous."

"I know man, but you know it's going to be fine. After all this time it has to be. You two have earned it."

"Thanks, I hope so," Jim replied. Jim then looked down at his watch again and sprinted up the stairs.

"What are you two doing tonight?" Mark yelled after him.

"No time to explain. I'm late!"

"What else is new?" Mark joked.

Five minutes late Jim was walking out to his car dressed in dark kaki pants with a dark blue sweater with a white dress shirt underneath. He made a quick stop to purchase a bouquet of Pam's favorite flowers. At exactly 7;02 he rang the door bell and straitened up.

PAM

Pam's bedroom was shrew with clothes. She could find anything worthy of a first date with Jim. She wanted to look nice, but she wasn't a fancy girl and didn't have many "date" clothes.

She had her mother on speakerphone as she scrambled to get ready.

"Mom, I don't have anything to wear!" Pam was not getting worried as she glanced over at the clock that read 6:27. Jim said he would be here at 7:00.

"Calm down honey. You will look beautiful in anything you wear," he mother assured her. "Besides I don't think Jim fell in love with you because of you wear fancy clothes.

"I know Mom, but I want to look my best for him."

"What about that periwinkle dress? I haven't seen you wear that one in a while and you look so pretty in it," her mother suggested.

"Um, well I wore that one to the Casino Night and you know how that turned out."

"Okay, well I have a surprise for you. Look under your bed, there should be a box."

Pam got down on her hands and knees and pushed her curled hair out of the way. She pulled out a white box and opened it.

"Oh, Mom it's beautiful!"

"It was mind when I was younger. I put it under there when I helped you move into your apartment. Though I was saving it for a special occasion and this seems about that time."

Pam pulled the dress out of the box and examined it with her fingers. She remembered the dress on her mother when she was a little girl. It was a knee length, sky blue with cap sleeves. It was beautiful and elgegant without being formal.

"Mom, it's perfect. Thank you." Pam felt tears in her eyes.

"Now you go and finish getting ready and have a good time tonight, honey."

"Thanks Mom and I will."

"I love you Pam and I'm glad you are finally happy. Not only because of Jim, but with yourself as well."

"Mom, you are going to make me cry and I actually put make-up on," Pam said holding back tears of pure happiness.

"Okay, goodnight honey."

"Goodnight, I love you." And she turned off the speakerphone and continued to get ready. Finally, she put on her mother's dress and stepped back to look in her mirror.

"I'm ready."

She saw headlights and not a minute later a knock at the door. "Here goes nothing." She grabbed her purse and went to the door.