that Crystal was
moving constantly.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m nervous
about the fact that I’m looking for a dress with my mother. How messed up is
that?”
It was messed up, made even more so by the
fact that Crystal is one of the most confident people that I know. I disliked
Crystal’s mother a little bit more in that moment, knowing that her presence
was causing my friend’s anxiety.
I put my hand over hers. “You need me to do
anything, just tell me. If you need to get out of here I can fake a medical
emergency in a heartbeat.”
Crystal laughed. “No you can’t. You’re a
worse actor than Edwin.”
That was harsh. Accurate, but harsh.
“How much acting does it take to fall down
in a faint? I could do that. You could tell your mom that I’ve got some weird
tropical Australian disease. She’ll believe it.”
“Thank you,” Crystal said as she gave me a
hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”
I hugged her back. “So am I.”
“Liar.”
Okay, fine. I was lying. I couldn’t think
of many things worse than shopping for a bridesmaid dress for a wedding for
Crystal’s mom. If there was a potential for a bridezilla moment, this was it.
“There she is.”
I turned around to look in the direction
that Crystal was indicating.
Crystal’s mom didn’t exactly look like I
had pictured her. Admittedly, any time I had imagined Crystal’s mother, the
words Las Vegas showgirl had featured prominently, so I had always pictured her
in costume. That may have been a little inappropriate for the streets of Los
Angeles. She was dressed pretty conservatively in a simple skirt and top,
something you would expect with any bride-to-be. Her blonde hair was perfectly
styled and she walked in that confident way that some women have. Those women
that know that eyes are turning in their direction wherever they are going. She
was taller than I expected. Crystal was tiny. Without high heels she barely
reached five feet. Crystal’s coloring was in marked contrast to her mother. I’d
never really thought before about how much more Crystal looked like her father
than her mother. She stopped in front of us and awkwardly went to kiss Crystal
on the cheek.
“Roxy, this is my friend, Trudie, the one I
told you about. Trudie, this is my mother, Roxy.”
I put my hand out, for no other reason than
to avoid the whole awkward social kissing scene.
Roxy grasped my hand. “It’s so good to meet
you, Trudie. Crystal has told me so much about you. I feel like I know you
already.”
I smiled hesitantly. No way was I going to
bring up how well I knew her based on what Crystal had told me. That was never
going to be a conversation that ended well.
Crystal glanced between the two of us.
“Should we go inside and get started?” she queried.
Roxy smiled. “That would be a great idea.”
I was surprised to find that the shop we
had come to wasn’t as exclusive as I would have expected Crystal’s mother to
have chosen. Maybe things were different this time round.
Crystal turned to her mother. “What did you
want me to wear?”
Roxy smiled. “Just pick something out that
you think you would like. We’re not really going with a theme for the wedding.
We just want everyone to be happy and comfortable.”
Crystal turned around but not before I
noticed her raised eyebrows. I had a feeling that this new version of her
mother was causing her to question everything she knew about the woman. After
browsing through the racks Crystal entered the fitting rooms with her arms
filled with dresses. I kept wandering through the store, not purposely avoiding
Roxy, but just keeping my distance. I was admiring a deep blue dress in a soft
fabric when Roxy came up behind me.
“You don’t like me very much, do you?”
In this moment, I had a choice. I could go
with the socially acceptable fantasy version of my opinion, or I could go with
the truth.
“Not really.”
You would think that after
moving constantly.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m nervous
about the fact that I’m looking for a dress with my mother. How messed up is
that?”
It was messed up, made even more so by the
fact that Crystal is one of the most confident people that I know. I disliked
Crystal’s mother a little bit more in that moment, knowing that her presence
was causing my friend’s anxiety.
I put my hand over hers. “You need me to do
anything, just tell me. If you need to get out of here I can fake a medical
emergency in a heartbeat.”
Crystal laughed. “No you can’t. You’re a
worse actor than Edwin.”
That was harsh. Accurate, but harsh.
“How much acting does it take to fall down
in a faint? I could do that. You could tell your mom that I’ve got some weird
tropical Australian disease. She’ll believe it.”
“Thank you,” Crystal said as she gave me a
hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”
I hugged her back. “So am I.”
“Liar.”
Okay, fine. I was lying. I couldn’t think
of many things worse than shopping for a bridesmaid dress for a wedding for
Crystal’s mom. If there was a potential for a bridezilla moment, this was it.
“There she is.”
I turned around to look in the direction
that Crystal was indicating.
Crystal’s mom didn’t exactly look like I
had pictured her. Admittedly, any time I had imagined Crystal’s mother, the
words Las Vegas showgirl had featured prominently, so I had always pictured her
in costume. That may have been a little inappropriate for the streets of Los
Angeles. She was dressed pretty conservatively in a simple skirt and top,
something you would expect with any bride-to-be. Her blonde hair was perfectly
styled and she walked in that confident way that some women have. Those women
that know that eyes are turning in their direction wherever they are going. She
was taller than I expected. Crystal was tiny. Without high heels she barely
reached five feet. Crystal’s coloring was in marked contrast to her mother. I’d
never really thought before about how much more Crystal looked like her father
than her mother. She stopped in front of us and awkwardly went to kiss Crystal
on the cheek.
“Roxy, this is my friend, Trudie, the one I
told you about. Trudie, this is my mother, Roxy.”
I put my hand out, for no other reason than
to avoid the whole awkward social kissing scene.
Roxy grasped my hand. “It’s so good to meet
you, Trudie. Crystal has told me so much about you. I feel like I know you
already.”
I smiled hesitantly. No way was I going to
bring up how well I knew her based on what Crystal had told me. That was never
going to be a conversation that ended well.
Crystal glanced between the two of us.
“Should we go inside and get started?” she queried.
Roxy smiled. “That would be a great idea.”
I was surprised to find that the shop we
had come to wasn’t as exclusive as I would have expected Crystal’s mother to
have chosen. Maybe things were different this time round.
Crystal turned to her mother. “What did you
want me to wear?”
Roxy smiled. “Just pick something out that
you think you would like. We’re not really going with a theme for the wedding.
We just want everyone to be happy and comfortable.”
Crystal turned around but not before I
noticed her raised eyebrows. I had a feeling that this new version of her
mother was causing her to question everything she knew about the woman. After
browsing through the racks Crystal entered the fitting rooms with her arms
filled with dresses. I kept wandering through the store, not purposely avoiding
Roxy, but just keeping my distance. I was admiring a deep blue dress in a soft
fabric when Roxy came up behind me.
“You don’t like me very much, do you?”
In this moment, I had a choice. I could go
with the socially acceptable fantasy version of my opinion, or I could go with
the truth.
“Not really.”
You would think that after
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