Saturday. Oh, Saturday. The day finally arrived. That night I nervously paced back and forth in my room, watching my reflection in the mirror, trying to think of anything I might have missed. I wore a short, shimmering deep purple dress, matching sandals, shiny purple tinted gloss on my lips, plum eye shadow over my dark eyes, my long hair down my back in natural waves. I wore no jewelry other than the silver ring with its all-important black pearl.
Finally, after spritzing perfume on my neck and shoulders, I decided to leave. I grabbed my purse, hurried down the stairs, my heart fluttering in my chest, and got into my car. I sat in the driver's seat, looking at my hands gripping the steering wheel. Earlier that evening, while lounging in the bathtub, I had carefully transferred my ring to my right hand, just in case I needed my left ringfinger for a different one. I smiled at my own wishful thinking, started up the car, and headed for Dusty's.
When I rang his doorbell, I was greeted by Dusty himself. Dusty was a very private person, and prefered to keep house on his own, employing no staff. His face lit up when he saw me, justifying the time I had spent preparing for our evening. He looked quite handsome and dashing in his designer suit with his hair slicked back. He took my right hand in his.
"Michelle." He kissed my hand. "So wonderful to see you." The look in his eyes made my heart pound. He was so romantic and debonair. I grinned almost shyly and closed the gap between us, kissing him deeply on the mouth.
"So very wonderful to see you." I told him after I broke away.
"You've come just in time. Dinner's ready." he said. He lead me through his enormous house, out a back door, into a courtyard. I had never been into this part of his house before. I could see many exotic plants and beautiful flowers and smell their delicate scents. The branches of the trees were strung with twinkling lights. A large area of the courtyard was devoted to an Olympic-sized swimming pool. This made me uncomfortable, but I tried my best to ignore the feeling. Instead I focused my attention to the wrought iron and cherrywood table and chairs that were set up for dinner with fine chine plates, crystal wine glasses, burgundy napkins set with shining silverware, a pair of burgundy candles burning in silver candlesticks, a bottle of wine chilling in a silver bucket of ice, and a covered silver platter.
The romantic and elegant scene before me and the handsome and loving man beside me almost brought tears to my eyes. I recalled a fairy tale I had read growing up on the surface. It was called Cinderella. I felt just like Cinderella at that moment. All the suffering of my past was over. I had survived; not only that, I had thrived. Now was the beginning of my happily ever after.
"Dusty, this is. . . this is unbelieveable." I finally said. He put his arms around my waist from behind me, and kissed my neck.
"You are unbelieveable." he whispered into my ear. He kissed me again, then let me go to walk over to the table and hold out a chair for me. I sat down, and he followed suit.
"Did you set this up all by yourself?" I asked.
"Yes, everything." he said, a twinge of pride in his voice. "I even cooked dinner myself." He removed the silver domed cover of the platter between us. "I hope you like salmon."
My mouth fell open. I stared at the fish on the platter in a daze, feeling nauseous. I shook my head guiltily. "Oh, Dusty, I'm so sorry. I can't eat this. I'm . . . allergic." Another little white lie. But it wasn't too far from the truth, I supposed.
The expression on his face was difficult to decipher. He nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, Michelle. If I had known, I would have cooked something else."
"It's all right."
"We can see what we can scrounge up from the kitchen, but the truth is, you know I've got something to tell you. I'm dying to let you know and I'm too nervous to eat." He gave me a shy smile.
"Well, let's hear it." I said. I felt so excited; a fluttery feeling rose from my stomach to my throat. Here it was, that Cinderella moment, the happily ever after with my Prince Charming.
"Actually, it might be better if I show you." He stood up, and I knew that he was about to get down on one knee in front of me, take out a little velvet box, and open it to reveal the most beautiful engagement ring in the world. However, to my surprise, he pulled out my chair and scooped me up in his arms. "Dusty!" I said, giggling. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see." he said as he carried me along. Suddenly I noticed where he was headed: the swimming pool.
"Oh, Dusty, please don't go too close to the pool, you know how much I hate the water." Silently, he ignored me, and I started to panic, wriggling in his arms. I kicked my feet, losing one of my sandals. "Dusty, no, please don't!" He reached the side of the pool and held me over the perilous water. "Please don't drop me in, Dusty, I can't swim! You know I'm afraid of drowning!"
Dusty looked me in the eyes. "I think it's time we told each other the truth, Michelle." His eyes were dark. "I know what you are." With that, he dropped me into the pool.