The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Lisa Dickenson

and strutted across the floor hips first. ‘
Hello darlings, I am Nick’s date, and this is my frouhaha
.’ She took an imaginary cocktail from a tray. ‘
Thank you. And I’ll just take one for her downstairs as well!
I can’t wear this; the top of my inner thighs won’t let me.’
    The three girls stood with hands on hips.
    ‘You really don’t like it?’ Laura asked.
    ‘It really doesn’t like me.’ Claudia answered.
    Taking a pair of scissors, Laura pushed Claudia back into the changing room and, with Claudia still in the dress, started chopping, snipping a good five inches off the bottom. It now fell to just below her stomach. Claudia nodded. ‘Well this is much better. Thank you, Laura.’
    ‘Wait there.’ Laura left the changing room for a moment. She returned with a gorgeous black wraparound skirt in floaty chiffon with a cascade hemline, which she tied around Claudia’s waist, tucking the half-dress inside then tugging it out just enough that it fell softly over her chest. Then, using a thick silver ribbon, she cinched in Claudia’s waist.
    Claudia gazed at her reflection. She looked lovely; elegant and womanly. She dared a smile at herself.
    ‘The finishing touch,’ Laura said, plucking some ballroom sandals from the window and passing them to Claudia.
    ‘I can’t afford those; I have some shoes I could wear at home.’
    ‘No, they won’t be the same, you have to wear these. Consider them your Christmas bonus.’
    Claudia took the shoes, along with the lovely gesture. She felt herself well up.
    ‘Stop that. Try them on.’
    Claudia slipped her feet into the champagne-coloured heels. Ohhh, they were the most comfortable things since furry slippers. The sheen of the satin complemented her skin while the criss-cross straps were an eye-catching detail. The gem on the buckle of the ankle-strap sparkled and winked when she flexed her foot, like a big star in a night sky.
    I feel ready for a date
. The realisation hit her. She knew it was all just fancy packaging, but it made her feel good. Confident. And not because it might make a boy like her, but because it was new, different, fresh. Out with the old.
    Claudia stepped from the changing room to give Beth a twirl, just as the shop door opened and Penny stuck her head in, bundled up in ear muffs and woollen accessories.
    ‘Ready?’ she asked. She gave Claudia’s outfit the once-over. ‘Whoa – way overdressed for lunch at Pizza Express.’
    Claudia quickly changed and carefully folded her outfit into the silver box. That Nick, he was a handful, but he was very good at taking her mind off things.
    Okay
, Claudia thought.
Time to get into the Christmas spirit of things. Let’s call it a date.
    Date three of December
. The butterflies awoke.
    ‘Before I forget, Laura brought in the leaflets I asked for.’ Claudia plonked a stack of pastel-coloured NHS leaflets on the table, which detailed the different options when it came to having a baby.
    ‘Yay, thanks Claud!’ Penny grabbed them and started leafing through.
    ‘I know you can find all this stuff on the internet, but doesn’t it seem more fun and real to actually have these?’ Claudia picked one of them up and studied the front. ‘Look at this one, with its eighties-style drawing of a lady and a test tube.’
    ‘I like that this one has huge red letters on the front – WE DO NOT PAY SPERM DONORS. I’m excited though, big decisions to come …’
    ‘The biggest. Let me know if you want me to crack out the Magic 8 ball.’
    ‘That would be perfect. So how have you been today?’ Penny asked, reaching for another slice of their shared Sloppy Giuseppe pizza.
    Claudia chewed and thought. ‘I’ve been okay. I thought going to work would ruin me, but keeping busy might actually be helping.’
    ‘That’s brilliant! No crying?’
    ‘No crying, just a minor wobble. But I’ve had other things to cheer me up.’
    ‘Ah yes, you’re Nick’s big date tonight. He’s very excited. He