Friday crept up at an alarming rate. Ava woke early that morning, anxiety knotting in her stomach. She tried to turn away from the sunlight streaming through her window and fall back asleep. That didn't work. She continued to roll around, tangling herself in her sheets. Huffing, she sat up and realized she was thoroughly cocooned. Ava threw a fit, flailing about and trying to untangle herself. All she ended up doing was rolling off the bed. With a groan, she managed to fight her way out of the blankets and rested her head on her knees. Why did she agree to go on that date? Stupid, stupid Ava. She forced herself to her feet and into the bathroom.
She played with her hair in the mirror, holding it into various styles. Eventually she sighed and started the shower. As she waited for the water to get hot, Ava sat on the sink counter and thought about the events soon to come. A knock on the door startled her off of the counter.
"Ava, darling, come downstairs when you're done running up the water bill," a venomous voice sang.
"Yeah, sure, mommie dearest," Ava spat back at her through the closed door, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Wrathia always managed to put a damper on her mood and of course she had choose this particular day to mess with Ava. With another sigh, Ava stepped into the shower and let the warmth envelop her. The droplets rained down on her as she let the water soak her long locks. She was finally able to relax in the shower and she felt the knot in her stomach unwind the longer she stayed. Reluctantly, Ava went about the motions of cleaning herself and gave up the comfort of the shower. She stepped out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel then headed to her room to get dressed.
Ava carelessly threw on some clothes: a pair of gym shorts and an oversized tee. Hair up in a messy bun, she trotted barefoot down the stairs and into the kitchen where Wrathia was...cooking?
"What's this about? You never cook," Ava asked suspiciously. Her adoptive mother turned around and flashed a toothy grin. She was decked in a stylish, plum colored dress, definitely not meant to be worn while cooking, and highly impractical leather heels. Something was definitely amiss.
"Can't a mother cook breakfast for her favorite daughter without that scrutinous look? And stop scrunching up your face at me like that, you'll get wrinkles." Wrathia laid a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of a baffled Ava.
"Seriously, mom, what's going on?" Ava asked, picking at the eggs with a fork Wrathia had handed her. Wrathia sighed and leaned on the countertop.
"Alright, you got me. I've got an out of state business conference I need to attend. I should only be gone about eight days but I am responsible for you after all. Are you going to be okay while I'm away or do I need to call a babysitter or something?" Ava continued to look down at her food, shuffling the eggs from one side of the plate to the other.
"I'll be fine, Wrathia," she replied, followed by a mutter, "it's not like you're here much anyway."
A pang of guilt flashed across Wrathia's delicate features but was quickly replaced with a smile as she pretended she didn't hear that last comment.
"Okay, good. You'll have my cell number if you need me, of course. My flight leaves this afternoon. Try not to burn the house down." Wrathia left to wherever she was headed, the clicking sound of heels on hardwood echoed throughout the otherwise silent house. Ava got up and covered her plate in plastic wrap. She set it in the fridge for later since she couldn't really fathom the idea of eating at that time.
Ava checked the time on the oven clock. It wasn't even ten o'clock yet. The shop was closed on Fridays but she thought about going to check on the flowers anyway, see if there were any rush orders she didn't know about. She grabbed her wristwatch, slipped on some sneakers, and was out the door.
Biking to the shop in the mornings was always her favorite when she wasn't in a hurry. The sun's rays had yet to reach their full intensity of summer and the world was quiet at this time. Most folks had already gone to work so traffic was low. On mornings like these, it was just Ava and the nature around her. She was almost at peace.
When she arrived at the flower shop, Ava went into the greenhouse. She didn't bother putting on gardening gloves and went to work repotting plants to be sold, watering each and every one, and making sure they all were tended to. She had picked up the habit of singing to the various flora as she worked from Mrs. Ruby. Today she sang a tune, slow and sweet.
"I'm but a poor, wayfaring stranger
travelin' through this world below.
There is no sickness,
no toil, nor danger
in that bright land
to which I go"
Ava ran her fingers through soft, damp soil with a content sigh. She loved that feeling and the humid smell of earth was a comfort like no other. She stood to start work on a bouquet of pale green roses and light mauve celosia. Once she was finished, she set it with the rest of the flowers to be delivered. Ava glanced at her wrist to check the time. Just about three hours had passed since she arrived and the time was nearing one o'clock. She washed the dirt off of her hands. Wiping and stray soil from her clothes, she locked up the greenhouse and started home.
When she was safely inside, Ava went about heating up her uneaten breakfast. She ate the bacon and eggs as she hunkered down to catch up on the latest sci-fi TV show she had gotten hooked on. Several episodes later and a knock on the door caught Ava's attention. Reluctantly, she stood and stretched. The knocking on the door became louder. Obviously someone was impatient. Ava opened the front door and Magnolia nearly trampled the smaller girl on her way in.
"Hey, watch it!" Ava cried out.
"C'mon, girl, you look like crap! We gotta get you all dolled up for your date tonight." Maggie was dragging Ava up the stairs, tiny wrist in one hand and a duffle bag in the other. She shoved Ava towards the bathroom and mouthed the word "shower" before heading to Ava's room to set up whatever she had planned.
Ava quickly washed the sweat from earlier and worked conditioner through her thick locks. She shaved her legs while the her hair soaked. After rinsing the substance from her hair, she grabbed a towel and braced herself for Hurricane Maggie.
Without a word, undergarments were shoved into Ava's hands and she was pointed to the privacy screen in the corner of the room. She complied and slipped on a robe when she was finished. Maggie had started some sassy-sounding pop music as she rifled through the bag she brought.
"I didn't think your wardrobe would suffice for this occasion so I took the liberty of bringing a few things of my own to spice you up for your little date tonight," Maggie explained without looking up. She laid out an array of clothing, some so skimpy, Ava felt dirty just looking at.
"Maggs, please don't make me dress like some street walker," Ava pleaded, "it's just a date to the fair, not some sure-thing. I'm sure as hell not wearing that." She was pointing to an outfit her friend had put together. Was that even considered an outfit when it showed so much skin? Ava shook the thought from her head. Maggie looked at her with a pouty look on on her face.
"Ya gotta meet me halfway here, Ava. We gotta have you lookin' your best for this mystery boy."
In the end, the two agreed on an outfit and Ava got dressed. It consisted of a white tank crop top, high waisted burgundy shorts with a black belt woven through the loops, and a loose fitting cream colored shrug. Maggie led Ava to the vanity and sat her down. Pulling up a chair of her own, Maggie pulled out her makeup bag.
"Subtle, okay? Nothing too crazy," Maggie assured Ava when given a wary look. The fashionista went to work with amber gold and maroon eyeshadows. She topped the look off with black eyeliner and a wine colored gloss. Once makeup was done, Maggie tasked herself with curling Ava's hair. She finger-combed the tight curls into loose waves.
"Okay, Ava, you can look now!" Maggie dropped the serious precision and was bouncing with excitement. Ava turned to look at her reflection and was stunned with what she saw. For once, Ava thought she looked beautiful.
"Magnolia Lacivi, I love you." Looking as if she might cry, Ava hugged her friend.
"Hey, hey, I love ya too, but no crying on me. Don't wanna mess up that beautiful face, alright?" Maggie hugged her friend tightly. Ava thanked her profusely, not letting go.
"Maggs, I don't know if I can do this."
"What the hell, of course you can. You definitely are after those two hours we just spent beautifying you! You're gonna knock 'em dead, Ava. You look stunning and there's no way this guy can fail to notice that. Unless he's blind, that is. He's not blind is he? Please tell me I didn't just spend two hours dolling you up for a blind guy." Ava managed a laugh.
"No, Maggie, he's not blind. I've just never really been on a date before. It's nerve wracking."
"You'll do fine, hun, trust me." She kissed Ava's forehead and chuckled.
The doorbell rang, causing both girls to look at each other.
"He's here!"