(15) Costume Hunting
"No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big." —Anonymous
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'Simon, what are you doing here?' was Ralph's greeting.
'I told you that I'd be back,' the other teen said seriously.
'Can the others see you?'
'No, but it doesn't matter . . . What do you think you're doing, Ralph?'
'What do you mean?'
'I know what you're trying to do with this "Jacques" guy.'
'What?' Ralph said again.
'I've done some research on him and he's a really nice guy and all, but he isn't what you're looking for.'
'I'm sorry. You lost me when you asked, "What do you think you're doing". You'll have to just rewind and freeze for a moment!' the teen exclaimed. 'I'm not doing anything! I just agreed to meet the guy!'
Simon sighed.
'You just don't get it, do you? Subconsciously, you're trying to find somebody whom can replace Jack. You're trying to find somebody else whom you can love and whom can love you in return.'
Ralph stiffened in defense.
'This is only our first meeting, Simon, so you can't make any assumptions like that. I just agreed to it because of the twins.' He paused for a moment. 'Besides, my former relationship with Jack is something that you can't understand.'
'What can't I understand?' Simon asked, gesturing wildly. 'Pain? Heartache? Or is it love that I can't understand?'
Ralph didn't reply.
'Listen, Ralph,' Simon said, 'I'll admit, I have never loved anyone in the same manner that you love Jack, but I do understand love, so don't go on making the assumption that I don't.'
'Then don't assume that my encounter with Jacques means something!' Ralph retorted irritably.
'Ralph?' two sudden voices inquired softly.
Ralph almost jumped fifty feet in the air with surprise.
'Samneric!' he exclaimed, grasping his heart. 'What are you doing here?'
'We came to look for you,' the twins replied. 'You left in a hurry and the gang grew worried.'
'It's nothing really, I was just . . . meeting a friend.'
And—unlike the time Jack's friends met "Ray"—the other two teens looked right at Simon, actually seeing him!
'SIMON!' they exclaimed in unison.
'Hi,' Simon said, grinning.
'Holy shit, we thought that you were dead!' Sam said.
'Yeah, we saw you die!' Eric said.
"And probably contributed to it," Ralph thought darkly.
'And I am dead,' Simon said calmly, as if he did this sort of thing all the time.
'How come they can see you?' Ralph asked. 'I thought you said that the others can't see you.'
'Ah, but you didn't ask which others.' Simon smiled almost mischievously. 'They can see me because they were present when I died.'
'Damn, Simon, you really know how to freak a guy out,' Eric said.
'Especially with your whole "I am dead" thing,' Sam agreed.
'We thought that we were going to have heart attacks for a minute there,' the twins said together.
'Sorry,' Simon apologized. 'I'm not an all-powerful, all-knowing being, so I didn't know that you two were coming. If I did, I would have tried not to shock you.'
'How?'
'By pretending to be someone else.'
Then, right before their eyes, he transformed into "Ray".
'Cool!' Samneric said. 'Can you turn into Ralph?'
Simon chuckled.
'Maybe another time, fellows,' he responded, reverting back to "Simon form". 'I just need to talk to Ralph for few moments'
'Okay, we'll just go then.' The twins turned to go.
'No, it's okay. You can stay if you want to,' Ralph said. 'Besides, I have something to say to you two as well.'
The two teens spun around on their heels to look at him.
'Does this have to do with Jacques?' they questioned.
'Yes.'
'Okay, shoot.'
'Look, I don't really know how long you guys were around, but Simon and I were talking and . . . yeah, I don't think this thing with Jacques is going to work you.'
Samneric appeared to be slightly disappointed.
'Okay,' they said slowly. 'It's your decision, Ralph. We just wanted to help you out a bit, that's all.'
'I know, and I thank you for that. Thanks for worrying about me, but I'll be fine.'
'What did you think of Jacques, anyway?'
'He seems . . . perfect!' Ralph exclaimed. 'Really, he is. He appears to embody anything that I could ever want in a partner, except . . . he's not Jack!' Ralph bit his lower lip anxiously as he gauged for their reaction.
'You really care about him,' Eric stated.
'Even more so than we anticipated,' Sam added.
'I love him,' Ralph said. 'You knew that.'
'But it's . . . over,' Samneric said hesitantly. 'You knew that.'
'I know, but I just can't let him go.' He sighed. 'I envy Jackson and Kyra. Despite all the problems that they've apparently had, they have always remained true to their feelings in the end. (That's what you two told me, anyway.) They must really care about each other, I mean really care about each other.' He wiped a few stray tears from his eyes. 'I want what they have.'
The twins smiled sadly.
'Then go get it,' they said.
'Why bother?' Ralph asked. 'It would just be a waste of time.'
'It is never a waste of time to be with the one you love,' Simon said wisely.
'Still, Jack would never take me back, and I'm cool with that! It's enough for me to just give him my love, regardless of whether or not he loves me back.'
'Is it?' Sam inquired.
'Yes!'
'Then why do you envy Jackson and Kyra so much?' Eric asked.
'Because I . . . they . . . we . . .' Ralph stuttered, at a loss for an answer. 'Because of what they share,' he finally responded. 'What they share is special, and Jack and I could never be like them.'
'Then don't try to be,' Samneric said earnestly. 'Just be yourselves.'
'But . . . but . . . we're so different! We're too different!' Ralph exclaimed, as if purposefully trying to find reasons why they shouldn't be together (which he probably was doing unconsciously, since it seemed to ease the pain slightly). 'I love him—I love Jack Merridew so much that it hurts!' He let out a bitter laugh. 'But none of that matters, because we simply cannot be together and that fact scares me, guys! I don't want to have to go on without him, even though I know that I have to. A fish can fall in love with a bird, but where would they live?'
'Then I'll just have to make you wings (1),' Simon said. 'You love him, Ralph, you want him. Go after what you want.'
'But what if he doesn't accept me?' Ralph asked fearfully.
'Then go back to get your closure,' Samneric said carefully, avoiding the cliché statement of, "There are other fish in the sea", because they knew that Ralph would reply with, "None of them are Jack Merridew".
'But I don't know if I can deal with a second breakup,' Ralph said, trembling slightly now.
'Love is about taking risks, Ralph,' Simon said. 'You have to risk it all to win, because if you don't, losing is the only option. You'll never know the results unless you try.'
That statement gave Ralph a bit more courage, so he said, 'Okay, I'll try my best.'
'Good,' Simon said. 'And I know of the perfect opportunity.' From his back pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper, which appeared to be a school flyer of some sort.
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MASQUERADE BALL!
Help to raise money for the new STUDENT LOUNGE
Time: Friday, 7 p.m. – Midnight
Place: School Gymnasium
Prices: $8 per person or $14 per couple
Tickets will be available at the door
(Remember to bring your student I.D.)
Don't forget to dress up!
Wear a costume! Wear a mask! Reveal yourself at midnight
But most importantly, have fun!
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'So . . . Friday night it is then?' Samneric asked, having glanced over Ralph's shoulder to read the poster.
'Friday night,' Ralph repeated.
"Please, God, give me the strength to do this . . ."
'Well, I must be on my way now,' Simon said, turning away. 'Oh, and remember, Ralph, that things are not always as they appear to be. Patience and love can help you get through these things. Search inside yourself.'
Ralph felt an intense wave of déjà vu from the last time Simon had said this.
'Why do you keep saying that?' he demanded. 'Tell me what the hell that is supposed to mean!'
But Simon had already vanished.
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The days that followed found Ralph frantically searching through costume shops, aided by the twins, of course. It wasn't until late into Thursday afternoon that they found something suitable (in Ralph's opinion) for the masquerade . . .
'How about this one?' Eric asked, pulling out a feathery costume that looked as if it belonged to Big Bird (2).
'NO!' Ralph exclaimed. He was getting so frustrated! This had to be—what?—the third costume store that they had visited in the past two days. Of course, the fact that they neither had a lot of time nor money did not help either. As well, they had homework and other commitments to worry about without having to dedicate so much time to costume hunting.
'I don't think we're going to find anything in here,' Sam said, wrinkling his nose slightly in disgust. 'Maybe we should hitch a ride on the bus that goes downtown.'
'Is there a costume shop downtown?' Ralph asked, pulling out a random set of clothes off of the rack.
'Maybe,' Eric replied with a shrug. 'I don't see why not.'
The shop owner, who had apparently been eavesdropping on their conversation, did not wish to pass up the chance to make a deal and decided to come over then.
'Is there anything that I may be able to help you with, gentlemen?' the old man asked kindly.
'Nah. We're just browsing,' Samneric said indifferently.
By now, Ralph was extremely fed up with their lack of progress over the course of the two days. Thus, the prospect of taking a bus downtown for the sole purpose of looking for a costume that he would only use for one night was not appealing. So . . .
'I'm just looking for something subtle,' he said to the owner. 'You know, a costume that isn't too flashy and won't draw much attention.'
"Or that will draw attention, but only from the right person," he corrected himself mentally.
'Something subtle . . .' the man repeated, thinking. 'So, am I right in assuming that you are not searching for something along the Halloween line of fashion?'
'Right.'
'It's for a masquerade,' Samneric explained.
'A masquerade, you say? Hmm . . . That makes it slightly more difficult, I think . . . Ah, yes, I believe that I may have just the thing for you. One moment, please.' He disappeared into the back room; not a moment later, he reappeared with a neat pile of black fabric in his hands.
Interested, the twins came over for a closer look.
'This,' the shop owner said, holding out the costume with a flourish, 'is one of my personal favourites.'
Hanging from the wire hanger was a Chinese-inspired outfit; Ralph immediately fell in love with it. Both the shirt and the pants were made of silk, although the first was red while the latter was black. As well, intricate designs of black and yellow had been threaded into the shirt, giving it a more dressy appearance.
Then the man pulled out the mask that went along with the costume. It had been fashioned to resemble a dragon, complete with artificial flames and shining scales. It was wonderful.
'It's . . . kind of simple,' Ralph said appreciatively.
'Yes, I agree. I believe that nice and simple is the key to a great costume. Just add a couple hints of pattern to give the outfit a slight flare and you're guaranteed a good time,' the man said, smiling.
'Sounds good,' Ralph said, secretly thinking, "I don't know what a costume has to do with a good time, but whatever. At least then we can finally put an end to this stupid costume search."
'Hooray!' Samneric cheered.
'Excellent,' the owner said happily.
'It'll just be rental, though,' Ralph clarified. 'If I buy this thing, it'll only sit in my closet for years on end, since I'll only be wearing it this one time.'
'Of course,' the man said, his smile wavering slightly. 'And which days would you like to rent it out?' He walked over to the cash counter and pulled out a binder.
'Tomorrow night,' Ralph said.
'Hmm . . . Tomorrow . . . tomorrow . . . I'm afraid that this costume is already rented out for tomorrow night, sir.'
Ralph frowned. What were the chances of that happening? (Jack's school had a masquerade, but that was in London, so why would anyone go to Surrey just for a costume?)
'I see,' the teen said slowly.
Obviously not wanting to lose a potential customer, the owner said, 'Just give me a moment, sir. I'm sure that we can find something for you.' After muttering something about only the "flashy" costumes being out on display, the man disappeared into the back room again. True to his word, he reappeared a moment later, holding another outfit.
This costume was composed of a shirt, a pair of trousers, and a cape. The "flare" that the owner spoke of was made up of the intricate designs threaded into the material. Thin swirls of white velvet spiraled its way about the cape in graceful designs; the shirt (like the former costume's) was made out of silk and appeared to move as easily and as flowing as water when it reflected just the right amount of light. The pants, on the other hand, were simple and looked very comfortable.
'Lovely,' Ralph breathed.
'Yes, it is,' the man agreed.
'Does it have a mask to go along with it?' Eric asked.
'Yeah, because without a mask, it kind of overlooks the purpose of a masquerade ball,' Sam said.
'Of course there is a mask!' the owner said impatiently. 'Silly youngsters.' And he pulled out said mask.
Ralph stared at the mask in shock.
'Er . . . Well, the mask for this particular costume may be a little overdone,' the man admitted. 'But since the outfit is rather simple, the mask has to be less . . . subtle in order to contrast with it.'
The mask went along well with the black and white theme of the costume. It, too, was made of silk and it had black feathers coming out of the sides; tiny gold beads were placed along the border of the silk and the feathers.
Having apparently noticed the odd look on their friends face, the twins stepped in.
'Don't worry, Ralph. You'll only be wearing it for one night,' Sam reasoned. 'Does it really matter if it's a little extravagant?'
'Yeah. It doesn't really matter how "out there" you are, because everyone else will, more or less, look the same way.'
'Besides, even if you blush, the mask will only show the bottom half of your face,' Eric teased.
'Who would even care if you blush? It'll be too dark to see anything anyway!'
It was strange, really, because the twins were actually making sense. When the teen thought about it, he realized that they were probably getting fed up with costume hunting as well.
'Well, I guess,' Ralph said.
'So, one rental for tomorrow night, please,' Samneric said, as if they were ordering tickets for a movie.
'Excellent. But unfortunately—'
'Don't tell me that this one is rented out, too!' Ralph snapped impatiently; he was so fed up with costume-searching by now. 'You knew that this was for tomorrow night, so why would you bring this one out if it is already taken!'
'Actually, what I was going to say is that the shop is only open during the week, so you will have to return it on Monday,' the man said.
'Oh, er . . . Sorry,' Ralph apologized. 'That won't be a problem, as long as I don't have to pay an extra fee or something.'
'No,' the owner said. 'That wouldn't be fair now, would it? What I do require in addition to your rental fee, however, is a deposit, which will be returned to you upon your return of the costume, of course.'
'Of course,' Ralph repeated.
'And how will you be paying?'
'Cash,' the twins said, thrusting a wad of bills into his hands before Ralph had the chance to protest.
The man ran it through and gave the twins their change.
'Thank you, sirs. You may pick up the costume anytime during the day tomorrow. I will have it freshly pressed, wrapped, and waiting for you.'
'Thanks,' the three teens replied, exiting the shop.
'Why did you do that?' Ralph asked his friends.
'It's our way of apology for trying to set you up with someone else,' Sam said.
'And for having so little faith in your relationship with Jack when you obviously care for him so much,' Eric added.
'Mind you, we've never had those feelings, so we don't understand them,' they said together.
Ralph smiled softly.
'I understand. Thank you.'
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'Now, are you sure that it looks all right?' Jack asked, spinning around to show his friends all the angles of the outfit.
'For fuck's sake, Jack, yes!' Lee practically yelled.
'Are you sure? I don't know about this whole glitter thing. It looks cheesy.'
'That costume is fine, Jack,' John said.
'Really? Are you sure?' Jack questioned again.
'Yeah,' Fred agreed with the other two. 'Can we get out of here now?'
'We all found costumes in Costume Warehouse within the first ten minutes of being here,' Terry said.
'Yet you take two fucking hours!' Lee exclaimed.
'Make is three,' Jack said with a sigh, disappearing into his change room again. 'I don't think that I want this one.'
'WHAT!' his friends screamed.
'Yeah, you heard me. I don't particularly like it.'
'The Warehouse is pretty big,' John said with a sigh, 'hence the use of the word "warehouse". Is there really nothing here that you like?'
'I'll answer that after I have another look around,' Jack replied.
'Who are you trying to dress up for, anyway?' Lee asked.
'What do you mean?'
'Well, you're spending an awful amount of time trying to find a costume that you'll only use for one night, and you don't even have a date! So who is it that you are trying to dress up for?'
Jack reappeared from the change room with a blank look on his face.
'I'm not trying to dress up for anyone,' he said indifferently, throwing the outfit onto the already-large pile of discarded clothes. 'Come on. Let's get out of here then.'
'But your costume!' Terry said, immediately getting punched irritably by the others. 'But . . . I mean, all this was for nothing!'
'No, not nothing,' Jack responded. He grabbed a costume off of the nearest rack. Without even bothering to look at it, he said, 'This will do just fine.' And he made his way to the cashier.
"Oops," Lee thought mischievously. "I seem to have struck a chord."
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(1) Mini-Disclaimer: The "Ever After" movie with Drew Barrymore (I forget whom it belongs to). I thought this part in the movie was so cute!
(2) Mini-Disclaimer: Big Bird is the gigantic yellow bird from the "Sesame Street" TV show.
