"Elizabeth Lynnette Walsh, you best sit still, or I'm gonna leave you here and you'll be goin' to this homecomin' with only with half your head done." Christine's mama waved her comb around menacingly. She had come over with Christine to do our hair like our mama's when they were young.

I squeaked in fear and sat up straight. "I'll be good Mrs. Babcock, I promise."

Christine stomped into the kitchen. "I ain't wearin' this, it makes me look like Jackie O."

I sighed. "Christine, You said no to that beautiful black lace dress because it was 'inappropriate' which makes you sound like my daddy by the way. You said I had to wear this dress because it made me look like 'a Grecian goddess' and all the others were in rags. What other choice do you have?"

Christine looked slightly ashamed of herself. "I just wanna look nice." She mumbled, "Even if it is just for Petey."

Mrs. Babcock stopped fixin' my hair and wrapped her arms around Christine. "There's nothin' wrong with that baby. Now, once I'm done with Elizabeth's hair, we can take a look at that black dress and see what we can do."

I looked at their embrace with envy. I wished my mamma was still here, so we could have those moments. But I had daddy, and mostly he was enough.

A half an hour later, my hair was locked into an all-nighter that put my dull brown hair in pin curls next to my ears. I hoped I didn't get too close to a candle; with all the hairspray Mrs. Babcock put on it, I was sure my hair'd catch fire.

We finally convinced Christine to wear the lace dress with sleeves that came to her elbows, and a high neckline. What I was sure that made her uncomfortable was the hem, that came a good two inches above her knees. My dress was much more proper, it covered the knee, and came as high as Christine's did. My favorite part of it was that it tied at the shoulders and left my arms bare. And it was red. Christine's mamma said you always pushed the envelope wearing red.

While her mamma did her hair in finger-waves, I did Christine's makeup, instructin' her to close her eyes as I swept a steady line across the top of her lashes. "If you stab me in the eye with that, you're a dead woman." She warned. I spread the blush along her cheekbones and carefully applied her red lipstick.

"All done baby." Mrs. Babcock said.

"Me too." I added, packing up the mascara.

"Then sit." Christine said forcefully, pushing me into another chair. "And it's your turn." My makeup was the same as hers, being that the only makeup I had was what I used on her and bought earlier that day, and she hadn't thought to bring any of her own.

"You girls want anything to eat?" Daddy hovered near the kitchen counter "I can make you somethin' that won't smear your makeup."

"That's all right Dr. Walsh, we're gonna go to dinner before the dance so we'll be fine."

Daddy stepped into the kitchen and let out a low whistle. "You look just like your mamma on our first date." He had tears in his eyes.