Chapter VII
Samantha was still thinking about Kevin that weekend whilst she was shopping for wedding dresses. She hated herself for it but couldn't help it. Why had he had to look so great? And smell so great? She wanted to capture his face and have a scratch 'n' sniff feature attached to it so she could look at him and smell him whenever and wherever she wanted. It was so stupid, but she simply just couldn't get him out of her head.
Samantha had picked up Amy and Lauren in her car and they had made their way to the large retail shopping centre to sample the bridal shop situated in the extension built onto the side of the main building. Samantha didn't really want to go there but there wasn't anywhere else that would have enough choice. She had scouted the local area and all the bridal shops she had found were small, poky places that had a very limited choice and had even smaller choice for the male wedding party.
So Samantha found herself on a busy Saturday afternoon amongst a sea of white dresses and more lace, silk and gauze than a Barbara Taylor-Bradford novel. Amy was positively brimming with happiness and Lauren even seemed to be enjoying herself a little.
She was still having a tough time at home. Lauren had confided in Samantha that she had seen their mother bring home a man and he had stayed the night.
“It upset me a lot,” Lauren had said. “It's not as if she even informed me that someone may be staying over for the night.”
“Maybe she didn't say anything in case you'd object?” Samantha suggested, her heart going out to her sister.
“Well, she's right. I would have objected. Not that it'd make much difference. She sometimes asks my opinion, only to disregard it afterwards because it's not what she wants.”
“So, you saw him then?” Samantha asked.
Lauren nodded with disgust.
“So what did you see?” Samantha demanded.
“You don't wanna know!” Lauren answered.
“I wouldn't be asking if I didn't wanna know!”
“Okay, well, I got up a bit earlier than usual and I was really hungry so I went downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast,” Lauren explained, “Then I heard voices in the hallway so I stopped and crept down the remainder of the stairs and peeked around the corner of the banister.”
Lauren stopped.
“And?”
“And he was there,” Lauren said. “His face glued to hers, his tongue down her throat.”
Samantha's mouth dropped. “Whoa!” was about all she could manage.
“Yep,” Lauren nodded. “I felt so sick I went back to bed and didn't get up again until at least lunch time. I felt so sick.”
Lauren was now joining Amy, pulling out floor-length dresses in various colours off the racks. They were holding dresses up against each other and complimenting how the colour suited their hair, skin tone, or eye colour. Samantha walked over to join them.
“I think I said I wanted short dresses,” Samantha said, eyeing the dress that Lauren was holding up. It was too heavy for her and the ends dragged on the floor.
“Can I help you?” came a voice from behind Samantha.
She whipped around to see a small woman with her hair tightly pinned back.
“Yeah,” Samantha said. “I'm getting married in April and these are my bridesmaids.”
“Oh, lovely!” the shop assistant. “Do you have any idea of the type of thing you're looking for?”
“Well, I really wanted short dresses for the bridesmaids,” Samantha said reluctantly. “I'm kinda on a budget and I'd like them to have dresses they can wear after the wedding to parties and stuff.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” the shop assistant said. “We only do shorter dresses in here for brides. There are some coloured shorter dresses but they're really styled for the parents.”
“Oh, okay,” Samantha said, a little disappointed that she'd have to go elsewhere.
“Look, if you want my advice,” the shop assistant said in a low voice, “I'd go somewhere like Monsoon or even the cheaper high street stores. They have a good selection of glam dresses at the moment, especially now at Christmas time. There'll be a lot of velvet, suede, beaded materials, appliqué… That'd be your best bet if you're on a budget.” She looked about her and then whispered, “Just don't tell the boss I told you so, okay?”
“My lips are sealed,” Samantha whispered back. “Thanks.”
“So,” the shop assistant, “what sort of thing are you looking for?”
“Oh, nothing too fussy,” Samantha said, unsure what to make of the rails of dresses. “I was hoping for a simple ivory design, floor-length, preferably strapless.”
“I'm on it!”
The shop assistant briskly walked to one side of the shop and pulled out various designs. Samantha looked at Amy and Lauren. “Sorry about the dress thing.”
“Nah, it's alright,” Amy said, “I like your idea of being able to use the dress again after the wedding. Makes more sense.”
“Yeah,” Lauren agreed. “Besides, it's not as if anyone is gonna be paying attention to us!”
The shop assistant came back to the group and shuffled Samantha off into a changing cubicle. Amy and Lauren followed behind and sat on a bench outside, facing towards the cubicles.
“Oh, could you sort this out for me?” Samantha said from behind the curtain. She waved a piece of paper from around the side of the material. “It's got the measurements for Pete, Stu and Frank.”
Lauren walked over to the curtain and took the piece of paper from Samantha's fingers.
“What do you want done with them?” Lauren asked her sister.
“Oh, just take them to the front desk,” came the reply. “Pete picked out suits last night, phoned his brother and Stuart to confirm, and everyone's agreed. I phoned this morning to order the suits and didn't have the measurements to hand. I got them all just before we headed out. Ugh!”
A loud thump came from the cubicle.
“You okay Samantha?” Lauren asked, peering cautiously around the curtain.
“Fell over trying to pull my jeans off,” Samantha said. “Man that hurt!”
“I'll just take this to the counter, then,” Lauren said, and headed off out of the changing area.
“I didn't realise Stuart was going to be one of the groomsmen too,” Amy said. “I thought it was just gonna be Pete's brother and a mate of his.”
“Well, he knows Stu from uni,” Samantha explained. “And he couldn't pick from his mates which he wanted. Apparently there's six of them he considers as best friends and he couldn't have all of them. It's too many to cater for!”
“Right… Oh, come on already, Sam!” Amy complained. “I'm dying to see you in a dress!”
“Yeah, don't wear them often, do I?”
Amy heard the sound of a zip being pulled and a series of jumps and then the zipper again.
“I think it's a bit too tight,” Samantha called.
“Come out anyway,” Amy said.
The curtain was swished to the side and Samantha emerged. The dress was a little tight for her, the material crinkling up underneath her breasts and darting across her waist and hips. But it was a gorgeous design: clean-cut lines with a slashed neckline and fitted to accentuate her modest curves. The material itself was ivory-coloured satin and had a concealed zip up one side.
“I think I need the next size up,” Samantha said, tugging at the material under her arms. “It's cutting me up under here and I don't think it'll hold around my hips. I think I'll tear the seams if I try walking.”
The shop assistant reappeared. “So, you like it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Samantha said, trying not to breathe too heavily in case she tore something. “But I think I need a bigger size.”
“I thought you'd be no bigger than a ten,” the shop assistant shrugged.
“I'm a twelve,” Samantha stated, “if not a borderline fourteen.”
“Have you tried on the others?” the shop assistant asked.
“I love this one!” Samantha said, smoothing her hands down the material. “The next size up would be just perfect. It's just the sort of thing I was looking for.”
“But you wanted a strapless,” Amy cut in. “Try on the others and see what you think.”
“I like this one,” Samantha said determinedly. “It covers my upper chest which isn't all that great and this would look better with those long gloves I saw in an accessory shop. Besides,” she added, “I won't have to keep worrying about whether my dress has fallen down if I have this one. And my upper arms aren't covered and that was what I was trying to avoid the most.”
“I'll get a bigger size,” the shop assistant said, and she disappeared and reappeared quickly with both a twelve and a fourteen.
“I got both sizes in case there wasn't much difference between them,” she explained.
“Thanks,” Samantha said, taking the dresses and heading back into the changing cubicle.
“I didn't want to ask for spaghetti straps or anything like that,” Samantha said from inside the cubicle. “I'd only find myself with sleeved dresses and I get too hot and sweaty when I have tight material round my arms like that. Not a good look!”
“The order is fine, Sam,” Lauren said, seating herself on the bench next to Amy.
“Cool, thanks,” Samantha called out.
“Have you decided on a design yet?” Lauren asked her.
“How about this one?” Samantha asked, as she reappeared out of the cubicle. The dress fitted perfectly. “It's a twelve,” she added. “Better, isn't it?”
“I thought you wanted a strapless…?” Lauren started.
“Yeah, we've been through this,” Amy interrupted. “But the woman is happy with her choice so we will go for that!”
Samantha grinned and did a funny little dance.
“Yeah,” she said, “this is the one. I can dance in this at the reception.”
“Where are you holding it again?” Lauren asked.
“Cockfosters Football Club,” Samantha answered. “Matt's doing the decs inside. Oh, and Pete's parents know someone in the catering industry so they're gonna get the food done at a discount.”
“Yeah, I was wondering what you were gonna do, food-wise,” Amy said. “What sort of thing are you doing?”
“I don't know yet,” Samantha said. “I'll have to ask Pete about it so I can chase the booking. It was one of the things he was supposed to be doing.”
Samantha whipped back into the changing room and took off the dress, carefully hanging it on the hanger and pulling the clear plastic over it. She smoothed her hands down it and thought about her impending nuptials. She wished she hadn't seen Kevin so soon before she was going to get married. If she had waited until afterwards, it might have been different, easier even. Every time she thought about him, the past memories would come flooding back. She would remember how much she loved him and how badly he had hurt her. She had thought they were soul mates; the type of person she was meant to be with for life. And when he had… well, your soul mate didn't cheat on you, right?
“Come on Sam, I have a dress to buy!” moaned Lauren outside.
“Coming!” Samantha called, slipping on her trainers and pulling her coat and dress of choice from the wall rail.
Samantha went to the counter to pay up and picked out a small head dress from the display counter next to the till. It was a rigid ring of small white flowers and it was to place over a bun. Samantha had already decided she didn't want a veil, even though her mother had complained about it when Samantha first told her about her impending marriage and how she didn't want all of the traditional trimmings.
The girls then left the shop and trekked around the shopping centre for a place they could buy decent bridesmaids dresses. They went into all the high street names and found richly coloured dresses in maroon, burgundy, navy, black, brown and moss green. Samantha was beginning to wish that she'd just forgone the idea of having a certain colour and just go with the ones available when she saw it. The dress she wanted.
She moved towards the shop window on the other side of the walkway, ploughing her way through the crowds of people walking in all directions in her pathway. She put her hands against the window and let her eyes linger on every seam and detail. The dress had a delicate pink layer of transparent gauze over a lavender layer of satin. The gauze had flowers embroidered sporadically over the dress, and sequins of the same colour were clustered in the flower centres. The straps were spaghetti-style and the total length of the dress would probably reach to just below the wearer's knees. It was the most gorgeous dress and the diaphanous style and lightweight materials would shimmer and float in the breeze, looking almost elfin-like.
Samantha suddenly turned around to find Amy and Lauren. They were looking in the shop window opposite, pointing at yet another burgundy number. Samantha rushed over and pulled their arms.
“I've found it!” she said excitedly to them. “Come, look see!”
She pulled them across the way and into the shop, grabbing the dress of her dreams and spinning around to face them, holding it against her.
“Isn't this the most gorgeous dress you have ever seen?!” Samantha said, her face flushed with happiness. “I am so glad we waited until we found this!”
Amy reached out and pulled up the skirts.
“It's not really my colour,” she said, twirling a finger around her reddish blonde hair. “I don't like pink.”
“It's not really pink,” Samantha said. “It's more lavender with a hint of pink.”
“It's very girly,” Lauren said, uncertainly. “It's not really my thing.”
“Oh come on, you two!” Samantha said, waving the dress around. “It's perfect! And I say you have to wear it. Go try it on,” and she bundled the dress into Amy's arms and pushed her in the direction of the changing rooms. “It's your size and I want you to give a nice twirl and a big smile when you come out!”
Samantha turned to select Lauren's size from the rail and gave her the dress to try on.
“I'll find some shoes to match,” Samantha called after Lauren, who was walking slowly towards the changing rooms, suddenly dejected by having to wear a girly dress.
Samantha practically danced over to the shoe section and immediately found a pair of sling backs in lavender and the same design in pink, white, ivory and blue. She picked out the ivory pair and asked the assistant for them in her size. While she was waiting, she weighed the lavender and pink shoes in her hands, trying to decide which would go best with the dress and that they would be able to wear after the wedding with other things. The assistant came back and gave her the shoebox. Samantha tried them on and paraded up and down the walkway a little.
“They look great,” the shop assistant said to her.
“Thanks,” Samantha said, studying her feet reflected in the full length mirror. “They're for my wedding.”
“Oh,” said the shop assistant. “We have those in white too, if you wanted a colour match.”
“These will be fine,” Samantha replied. “My dress is ivory coloured.”
She took the shoes off and put them back in the box.
“I was wondering if you could hold on to these while I have my bridesmaids try on those shoes there,” Samantha asked, pointing to the sling backs on the shelf.
“No problem,” the shop assistant said. “I'll just write your name on this box and leave it behind the counter for you to pick up.”
The shop assistant took Samantha's name and scribbled it on the lid of the shoebox. Samantha looked up and saw Amy and Lauren waving at her from the changing rooms. She went over and surveyed them in their dresses. Lauren looked great but Amy's colouring didn't quite suit the pink in the dress. Amy saw Samantha's face and said, “Told you pink wasn't really my colour.”
Samantha sighed. “But I love the dress!”
“I know,” Amy said, sympathetically. “I'm sorry.”
“Well, just keep it on for the moment, yeah?” asked Samantha. “I want you to try on some shoes to match, okay?”
The changing room assistant gave them tags so they could leave the main changing area and they all headed towards the shoes.
“These are them,” Samantha said, pointing out the sling backs. “Lavender or pink?”
“Lavender,” Lauren and Amy said in unison.
The shop assistant joined them and asked, “So, you're the bridesmaids?”
The girls nodded.
“Great dresses,” she said. “So, what are we going for?”
“Lavender,” Samantha said. “A six and seven.”
The shop assistant disappeared. Lauren was fiddling with the embroidered flowers on her dress and Amy was admiring her reflection in the full length mirror.
“You know,” Amy said, “if I got some lowlights or went blonder, the pink would look better.”
“You'd colour your hair so the dress matched?” Samantha asked, surprised at her friend's comment.
“If you like the dress that much, I might as well fix things so it goes okay,” Amy replied, shrugging her shoulders.
“Oh, you are the best!” Samantha cried, flinging her arms around her friend.
“Glad you like my idea!” Amy laughed. “Ooh, the shoes are here!”
The shop assistant handed Amy and Lauren the boxes of shoes and they tried them on.
“I like these,” Lauren stated, getting up and walking over to the mirror. “They go well with the dress and would look great with my denim skirt.”
“The idea is that you can wear them with other things,” Samantha said, looking at Lauren's shoes.
“I like 'em, too,” Amy stated. “I can't believe we've managed to get all the clothes sorted out in one day.”
“Neither can I to be honest,” Samantha said. “But I'm glad that's done so I can concentrate on other things.”
“Is everything okay?” the shop assistant asked.
“Yeah, I'll take the shoes,” Samantha said. “You two can get changed now,” she added to Lauren and Amy.
Samantha went over to the counter to pay for the three pairs of shoes. Her mobile rang in her handbag and she pulled it out with her purse.
“Hello?” she said.
“It's Pete,” came the voice, crackling slightly from the bad reception inside the shopping centre.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“Fine. Missing you.”
“I miss you too,” Samantha said, smiling at the assistant who was positively beaming back.
“The groom?” the shop assistant mouthed.
Samantha nodded.
“Where are you?” asked Pete. “You sound like you're in a football stadium!”
“Nearly!” she replied. “I'm in the shopping centre.”
“Oh, did you sort out the suits then?”
“Yeah, and I managed to get all the dresses and shoes today too.”
“You are so good!”
“Oh, Pete, Amy was asking about the catering and I was wondering if you could give me all the details so I can get the orders underway.”
She watched the shop assistant feed the receipt out of the till and she handed over her plastic card.
“Oh, I completely forgot about that! You'll have to check with… No, I'll check with my parents and make sure it's still okay for their friends to cater.”
“Don't worry, I'll call Jeff and Annabel,” Samantha said, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder so she could punch her PIN in the verification machine. “I'm sure your parents won't mind filling me in!”
“Samantha, you are a diamond! Look, I've gotta go. The update has stopped printing.”
“Okay, well I'll email you tonight and give you a list of all the stuff that's been taken care of so far and I'll speak to Jeff and Annabel as well.”
“Okay, thanks! See ya!”
“See ya.”
Samantha put her mobile back in her handbag and took her card from the shop assistant. She then grabbed her shopping bags off the counter and made her way over to the till by the changing rooms. Amy had already purchased the dresses and was carrying a bag with her.
“I'll pay you back for that,” Samantha said, gesturing towards Amy's shopping bag.
“Oh, later, don't worry about it,” Amy said, squeezing Samantha's arm lightly. “Home now?”
“Yeah, I need to drop Lauren home,” Samantha replied.
“Yeah, Mum's gonna go weird if I don't get home before dinner,” Lauren put in, looking at her watch. “Not that I want to go home,” she added, as an afterthought.
“Will your mum be going tonight, then?” Amy asked Lauren.
“Probably,” Lauren replied sadly.
“If you want, I'll bring a DVD over and we can watch it together,” Amy offered. “I can bring over popcorn, chocolate, whatever you fancy!”
“Thanks,” Lauren said, gratefully. “That would be really nice of you, Amy.”
“Wanna join us?” Amy asked Samantha.
“I can't,” Samantha said, screwing up her nose. “I have to email Pete a list of things to do, and I have to phone his parents to sort out the catering. And no,” she added, seeing Amy ready to protest, “it can't wait! It has to be done or I won't sleep properly tonight.”
“Fine,” Amy said. “Your loss!”
“Another night, okay?” Samantha assured her.
“Fine.” Amy replied.
Samantha drove them home in almost silence. She kept thinking about Kevin. She couldn't understand why. Maybe it was the long distance thing going on between her and Pete. Would Kevin have left her to sort a wedding alone while he furthered his career at the other end of the country? Probably. He'd probably also vent out his sexual frustration on the first piece of skirt he came across. He was a waste of time. She shouldn't even be bothering brain space on him.
She dropped Lauren off at her mother's house and then drove to Amy's.
“So how did your meeting with Kevin go?” Amy asked her, breaking the silence.
“Oh, it was okay,” Samantha replied. “He was a bit late to begin with, so we didn't start off particularly well, but we had a drink at the pub, ate at a pizza place…”
She trailed off her sentence, not really wishing to elaborate much more.
“He still good looking?” Amy asked.
“Yeah,” Samantha replied, with a half smile. “Bloody smelt good too!”
They both laughed.
“But you're okay about him now?” Amy queried.
“Yeah, sure,” Samantha said with false bravado.
“That didn't fool me, you know,” Amy said. “That means you're still angry at him.”
“Fine,” Samantha said. “I give up. Kevin was still gorgeous and charming and happily fished out his wallet and paid for everything left, right and centre. But I didn't like the way he seemed to show off his financial status.”
“What d'ya mean?”
“He talked money a lot. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable. And he sort of managed to insult Pete.”
“He insulted your fiancé? Wow, way to go Kevin (!)”
“I don't think he actually meant to, it was sort of in a roundabout way, I…” Samantha broke off another sentence. “You know what,” she finally said, “I don't care. Kevin was rude and that's all there is to it.”
“So you don't have a crush on him or even felt a tiny bit of regret for breaking it up?”
“You think I shouldn't have broken up with him?!” Samantha said, annoyed by Amy's remark.
“No, I'm just saying…”
“What? That I should forgive Kevin for what he did to me?”
“I thought you already had. You saying it was in the past and everything.”
“It is in the past!”
“You've forgiven him?”
“A bit.” Samantha sighed and pulled into the space outside Amy's parents' house. “Kevin gave me the sob story over dinner, saying that Sheila was chemically attractive and it was only lust and he still loved me.”
Amy's jaw dropped. “He said that to you?”
Samantha nodded. “And I'd told him minutes earlier that I was to be married.”
“I can't believe him! I just can't believe him! The nerve of saying something like that to you at a time… Hey,” she said, quickly. “He doesn't know Pete's away, does he?”
Samantha winced. “It kinda slipped out before I knew it.”
“He was probably taking advantage of a vulnerable situation,” Amy assured her. “I bet he doesn't really still love you, and just wanted to see a reaction out of you.”
“You think? He did seem genuinely sorry about what he did.”
“He didn't try to kiss you, did he?”
“I think he was gonna when we hugged goodbye, but I directed it to my cheek just in case the thought crossed his mind. I wouldn't want anything to happen.”
“You do still like him!” Amy accused her. “Oh my god, Samantha, you're still in love with Kevin!”
“I'm not in love with him!” Samantha protested. “It might be a little crush but it's not love, okay? I love Pete.”
“Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, okay?” Amy said, opening the car door. “Well, thanks for the lovely shopping trip and I'll see you soon, yeah? We have a cake to find!”
“Actually, I'm gonna get Pete's parents' friends to do the cake if they still agree to cater for the reception,” Samantha explained. “It'll be cheaper if it's all inclusive and it means I won't have to trawl around for a decent cake shop that's not too expensive. I really don't need more hassle than I have already.”
“Okay,” said Amy, “well, see you soon, okay?”
“Yeah, I'll call you. Bye!”
“Bye!”
Once at home, Samantha phoned Pete's parents and asked them if they were still dealing with the catering.
“Of course, dear,” Annabel had said. “Peter should have sent you a menu. Mind you, he's so busy nowadays he's probably forgotten to tell you about it.”
“Oh, what sort of thing do your friends do then?” Samantha asked.
“A bit of everything,” Annabel answered. “Peter said you were thinking of a Chinese-style buffet?”
“Yeah,” Samantha replied. “I can go over the small details once I've seen a copy of the menu.”
“I'll get Peter to send you one by tomorrow, dear, okay?”
The phone call taken care of, Samantha switched on her computer and started typing up the items on her checklist that she had sorted out.
“Dresses, check,” she said to the screen. “Suits, check. Shoes, check. Head dress, check. Bugger, forgot to buy the gloves!” She pulled out a red pen from her desktop tidy and drew a big ring around the word 'Gloves' on her list. She continued to trawl through the items, circling the ones she hadn't yet sorted out and adding to her computerised list all the things she had dealt with. She then opened up a fresh email, attached the list, and sent it to Pete with a message:
Hey Pete! I have attached the list of stuff already sorted for the wedding. I also phoned your mum and she said you are to send me the catering menu! I just want to finalise the little details in plenty of time so I have less to worry about in the run up to the big day, okay? Hope everything is going alright in Newcastle and that you'll be able to come home soon. Miss you lots. Love Sam xx
She clicked 'Send' and waited for the notification message to come up to say that the email had been sent. The notification blinked in her inbox and she started to close it all up.
She then saw a link to a selection of laptops at knockdown Christmas prices. With only a couple more weeks left, it was a bit late to start buying herself an expensive present but she was getting rather irritated by the slowness of her current computer and really wanted something a bit faster. She followed the link and was taken to the central shopping order page. Thumbnails of all the latest laptops and base units filled the page. She clicked on a few that caught her eye and skim read the specifications. She didn't really understand half of the jargon used. She did know what sort of memory each had and understood about processing capabilities, but she wasn't really knowledgeable about which would be best for her needs.
After looking at most of them, she went to the home page and, for fun, clicked on the most expensive, top-of-the-range machine that they had. It was a laptop, complete with all the new features available, including wireless access and remote internet connection, a high resolution screen and what she believed to be a pretty decent graphics card for when she succumbed to the enjoyment that was Rollercoaster Tycoon. Kevin had said that evening that she should go to him if she ever wanted a new machine. She copied the link into a fresh email and typed:
Hey, what do you think? You said I should ask your advice on stuff like this, so what do you say? Maybe I should buy this as an early Christmas pressie to myself?! Samantha.
She clicked 'Send' and the email winged its way to Kevin for his seal of approval. He harped on about computers for ages when she saw him. He was bound to know all the latest gizmos and all the best stuff to have on a laptop. He might even tell her what sort of prices she would need to look at so she'd know if she was being ripped off. If he liked this one and said to go for it, she could buy something a little more in her budget in the New Year, when prices were bound to be even lower after the Christmas rush. It was all in her favour, really.
She glanced at her watch. It was 2am. She had to go to sleep. She switched off her computer and dragged her feet along the floor as she manoeuvred into her bedroom and pulled off her clothes before falling into bed.
Back to Chapter VI
Go to Chapter VIII
Samantha had picked up Amy and Lauren in her car and they had made their way to the large retail shopping centre to sample the bridal shop situated in the extension built onto the side of the main building. Samantha didn't really want to go there but there wasn't anywhere else that would have enough choice. She had scouted the local area and all the bridal shops she had found were small, poky places that had a very limited choice and had even smaller choice for the male wedding party.
So Samantha found herself on a busy Saturday afternoon amongst a sea of white dresses and more lace, silk and gauze than a Barbara Taylor-Bradford novel. Amy was positively brimming with happiness and Lauren even seemed to be enjoying herself a little.
She was still having a tough time at home. Lauren had confided in Samantha that she had seen their mother bring home a man and he had stayed the night.
“It upset me a lot,” Lauren had said. “It's not as if she even informed me that someone may be staying over for the night.”
“Maybe she didn't say anything in case you'd object?” Samantha suggested, her heart going out to her sister.
“Well, she's right. I would have objected. Not that it'd make much difference. She sometimes asks my opinion, only to disregard it afterwards because it's not what she wants.”
“So, you saw him then?” Samantha asked.
Lauren nodded with disgust.
“So what did you see?” Samantha demanded.
“You don't wanna know!” Lauren answered.
“I wouldn't be asking if I didn't wanna know!”
“Okay, well, I got up a bit earlier than usual and I was really hungry so I went downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast,” Lauren explained, “Then I heard voices in the hallway so I stopped and crept down the remainder of the stairs and peeked around the corner of the banister.”
Lauren stopped.
“And?”
“And he was there,” Lauren said. “His face glued to hers, his tongue down her throat.”
Samantha's mouth dropped. “Whoa!” was about all she could manage.
“Yep,” Lauren nodded. “I felt so sick I went back to bed and didn't get up again until at least lunch time. I felt so sick.”
Lauren was now joining Amy, pulling out floor-length dresses in various colours off the racks. They were holding dresses up against each other and complimenting how the colour suited their hair, skin tone, or eye colour. Samantha walked over to join them.
“I think I said I wanted short dresses,” Samantha said, eyeing the dress that Lauren was holding up. It was too heavy for her and the ends dragged on the floor.
“Can I help you?” came a voice from behind Samantha.
She whipped around to see a small woman with her hair tightly pinned back.
“Yeah,” Samantha said. “I'm getting married in April and these are my bridesmaids.”
“Oh, lovely!” the shop assistant. “Do you have any idea of the type of thing you're looking for?”
“Well, I really wanted short dresses for the bridesmaids,” Samantha said reluctantly. “I'm kinda on a budget and I'd like them to have dresses they can wear after the wedding to parties and stuff.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” the shop assistant said. “We only do shorter dresses in here for brides. There are some coloured shorter dresses but they're really styled for the parents.”
“Oh, okay,” Samantha said, a little disappointed that she'd have to go elsewhere.
“Look, if you want my advice,” the shop assistant said in a low voice, “I'd go somewhere like Monsoon or even the cheaper high street stores. They have a good selection of glam dresses at the moment, especially now at Christmas time. There'll be a lot of velvet, suede, beaded materials, appliqué… That'd be your best bet if you're on a budget.” She looked about her and then whispered, “Just don't tell the boss I told you so, okay?”
“My lips are sealed,” Samantha whispered back. “Thanks.”
“So,” the shop assistant, “what sort of thing are you looking for?”
“Oh, nothing too fussy,” Samantha said, unsure what to make of the rails of dresses. “I was hoping for a simple ivory design, floor-length, preferably strapless.”
“I'm on it!”
The shop assistant briskly walked to one side of the shop and pulled out various designs. Samantha looked at Amy and Lauren. “Sorry about the dress thing.”
“Nah, it's alright,” Amy said, “I like your idea of being able to use the dress again after the wedding. Makes more sense.”
“Yeah,” Lauren agreed. “Besides, it's not as if anyone is gonna be paying attention to us!”
The shop assistant came back to the group and shuffled Samantha off into a changing cubicle. Amy and Lauren followed behind and sat on a bench outside, facing towards the cubicles.
“Oh, could you sort this out for me?” Samantha said from behind the curtain. She waved a piece of paper from around the side of the material. “It's got the measurements for Pete, Stu and Frank.”
Lauren walked over to the curtain and took the piece of paper from Samantha's fingers.
“What do you want done with them?” Lauren asked her sister.
“Oh, just take them to the front desk,” came the reply. “Pete picked out suits last night, phoned his brother and Stuart to confirm, and everyone's agreed. I phoned this morning to order the suits and didn't have the measurements to hand. I got them all just before we headed out. Ugh!”
A loud thump came from the cubicle.
“You okay Samantha?” Lauren asked, peering cautiously around the curtain.
“Fell over trying to pull my jeans off,” Samantha said. “Man that hurt!”
“I'll just take this to the counter, then,” Lauren said, and headed off out of the changing area.
“I didn't realise Stuart was going to be one of the groomsmen too,” Amy said. “I thought it was just gonna be Pete's brother and a mate of his.”
“Well, he knows Stu from uni,” Samantha explained. “And he couldn't pick from his mates which he wanted. Apparently there's six of them he considers as best friends and he couldn't have all of them. It's too many to cater for!”
“Right… Oh, come on already, Sam!” Amy complained. “I'm dying to see you in a dress!”
“Yeah, don't wear them often, do I?”
Amy heard the sound of a zip being pulled and a series of jumps and then the zipper again.
“I think it's a bit too tight,” Samantha called.
“Come out anyway,” Amy said.
The curtain was swished to the side and Samantha emerged. The dress was a little tight for her, the material crinkling up underneath her breasts and darting across her waist and hips. But it was a gorgeous design: clean-cut lines with a slashed neckline and fitted to accentuate her modest curves. The material itself was ivory-coloured satin and had a concealed zip up one side.
“I think I need the next size up,” Samantha said, tugging at the material under her arms. “It's cutting me up under here and I don't think it'll hold around my hips. I think I'll tear the seams if I try walking.”
The shop assistant reappeared. “So, you like it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Samantha said, trying not to breathe too heavily in case she tore something. “But I think I need a bigger size.”
“I thought you'd be no bigger than a ten,” the shop assistant shrugged.
“I'm a twelve,” Samantha stated, “if not a borderline fourteen.”
“Have you tried on the others?” the shop assistant asked.
“I love this one!” Samantha said, smoothing her hands down the material. “The next size up would be just perfect. It's just the sort of thing I was looking for.”
“But you wanted a strapless,” Amy cut in. “Try on the others and see what you think.”
“I like this one,” Samantha said determinedly. “It covers my upper chest which isn't all that great and this would look better with those long gloves I saw in an accessory shop. Besides,” she added, “I won't have to keep worrying about whether my dress has fallen down if I have this one. And my upper arms aren't covered and that was what I was trying to avoid the most.”
“I'll get a bigger size,” the shop assistant said, and she disappeared and reappeared quickly with both a twelve and a fourteen.
“I got both sizes in case there wasn't much difference between them,” she explained.
“Thanks,” Samantha said, taking the dresses and heading back into the changing cubicle.
“I didn't want to ask for spaghetti straps or anything like that,” Samantha said from inside the cubicle. “I'd only find myself with sleeved dresses and I get too hot and sweaty when I have tight material round my arms like that. Not a good look!”
“The order is fine, Sam,” Lauren said, seating herself on the bench next to Amy.
“Cool, thanks,” Samantha called out.
“Have you decided on a design yet?” Lauren asked her.
“How about this one?” Samantha asked, as she reappeared out of the cubicle. The dress fitted perfectly. “It's a twelve,” she added. “Better, isn't it?”
“I thought you wanted a strapless…?” Lauren started.
“Yeah, we've been through this,” Amy interrupted. “But the woman is happy with her choice so we will go for that!”
Samantha grinned and did a funny little dance.
“Yeah,” she said, “this is the one. I can dance in this at the reception.”
“Where are you holding it again?” Lauren asked.
“Cockfosters Football Club,” Samantha answered. “Matt's doing the decs inside. Oh, and Pete's parents know someone in the catering industry so they're gonna get the food done at a discount.”
“Yeah, I was wondering what you were gonna do, food-wise,” Amy said. “What sort of thing are you doing?”
“I don't know yet,” Samantha said. “I'll have to ask Pete about it so I can chase the booking. It was one of the things he was supposed to be doing.”
Samantha whipped back into the changing room and took off the dress, carefully hanging it on the hanger and pulling the clear plastic over it. She smoothed her hands down it and thought about her impending nuptials. She wished she hadn't seen Kevin so soon before she was going to get married. If she had waited until afterwards, it might have been different, easier even. Every time she thought about him, the past memories would come flooding back. She would remember how much she loved him and how badly he had hurt her. She had thought they were soul mates; the type of person she was meant to be with for life. And when he had… well, your soul mate didn't cheat on you, right?
“Come on Sam, I have a dress to buy!” moaned Lauren outside.
“Coming!” Samantha called, slipping on her trainers and pulling her coat and dress of choice from the wall rail.
Samantha went to the counter to pay up and picked out a small head dress from the display counter next to the till. It was a rigid ring of small white flowers and it was to place over a bun. Samantha had already decided she didn't want a veil, even though her mother had complained about it when Samantha first told her about her impending marriage and how she didn't want all of the traditional trimmings.
The girls then left the shop and trekked around the shopping centre for a place they could buy decent bridesmaids dresses. They went into all the high street names and found richly coloured dresses in maroon, burgundy, navy, black, brown and moss green. Samantha was beginning to wish that she'd just forgone the idea of having a certain colour and just go with the ones available when she saw it. The dress she wanted.
She moved towards the shop window on the other side of the walkway, ploughing her way through the crowds of people walking in all directions in her pathway. She put her hands against the window and let her eyes linger on every seam and detail. The dress had a delicate pink layer of transparent gauze over a lavender layer of satin. The gauze had flowers embroidered sporadically over the dress, and sequins of the same colour were clustered in the flower centres. The straps were spaghetti-style and the total length of the dress would probably reach to just below the wearer's knees. It was the most gorgeous dress and the diaphanous style and lightweight materials would shimmer and float in the breeze, looking almost elfin-like.
Samantha suddenly turned around to find Amy and Lauren. They were looking in the shop window opposite, pointing at yet another burgundy number. Samantha rushed over and pulled their arms.
“I've found it!” she said excitedly to them. “Come, look see!”
She pulled them across the way and into the shop, grabbing the dress of her dreams and spinning around to face them, holding it against her.
“Isn't this the most gorgeous dress you have ever seen?!” Samantha said, her face flushed with happiness. “I am so glad we waited until we found this!”
Amy reached out and pulled up the skirts.
“It's not really my colour,” she said, twirling a finger around her reddish blonde hair. “I don't like pink.”
“It's not really pink,” Samantha said. “It's more lavender with a hint of pink.”
“It's very girly,” Lauren said, uncertainly. “It's not really my thing.”
“Oh come on, you two!” Samantha said, waving the dress around. “It's perfect! And I say you have to wear it. Go try it on,” and she bundled the dress into Amy's arms and pushed her in the direction of the changing rooms. “It's your size and I want you to give a nice twirl and a big smile when you come out!”
Samantha turned to select Lauren's size from the rail and gave her the dress to try on.
“I'll find some shoes to match,” Samantha called after Lauren, who was walking slowly towards the changing rooms, suddenly dejected by having to wear a girly dress.
Samantha practically danced over to the shoe section and immediately found a pair of sling backs in lavender and the same design in pink, white, ivory and blue. She picked out the ivory pair and asked the assistant for them in her size. While she was waiting, she weighed the lavender and pink shoes in her hands, trying to decide which would go best with the dress and that they would be able to wear after the wedding with other things. The assistant came back and gave her the shoebox. Samantha tried them on and paraded up and down the walkway a little.
“They look great,” the shop assistant said to her.
“Thanks,” Samantha said, studying her feet reflected in the full length mirror. “They're for my wedding.”
“Oh,” said the shop assistant. “We have those in white too, if you wanted a colour match.”
“These will be fine,” Samantha replied. “My dress is ivory coloured.”
She took the shoes off and put them back in the box.
“I was wondering if you could hold on to these while I have my bridesmaids try on those shoes there,” Samantha asked, pointing to the sling backs on the shelf.
“No problem,” the shop assistant said. “I'll just write your name on this box and leave it behind the counter for you to pick up.”
The shop assistant took Samantha's name and scribbled it on the lid of the shoebox. Samantha looked up and saw Amy and Lauren waving at her from the changing rooms. She went over and surveyed them in their dresses. Lauren looked great but Amy's colouring didn't quite suit the pink in the dress. Amy saw Samantha's face and said, “Told you pink wasn't really my colour.”
Samantha sighed. “But I love the dress!”
“I know,” Amy said, sympathetically. “I'm sorry.”
“Well, just keep it on for the moment, yeah?” asked Samantha. “I want you to try on some shoes to match, okay?”
The changing room assistant gave them tags so they could leave the main changing area and they all headed towards the shoes.
“These are them,” Samantha said, pointing out the sling backs. “Lavender or pink?”
“Lavender,” Lauren and Amy said in unison.
The shop assistant joined them and asked, “So, you're the bridesmaids?”
The girls nodded.
“Great dresses,” she said. “So, what are we going for?”
“Lavender,” Samantha said. “A six and seven.”
The shop assistant disappeared. Lauren was fiddling with the embroidered flowers on her dress and Amy was admiring her reflection in the full length mirror.
“You know,” Amy said, “if I got some lowlights or went blonder, the pink would look better.”
“You'd colour your hair so the dress matched?” Samantha asked, surprised at her friend's comment.
“If you like the dress that much, I might as well fix things so it goes okay,” Amy replied, shrugging her shoulders.
“Oh, you are the best!” Samantha cried, flinging her arms around her friend.
“Glad you like my idea!” Amy laughed. “Ooh, the shoes are here!”
The shop assistant handed Amy and Lauren the boxes of shoes and they tried them on.
“I like these,” Lauren stated, getting up and walking over to the mirror. “They go well with the dress and would look great with my denim skirt.”
“The idea is that you can wear them with other things,” Samantha said, looking at Lauren's shoes.
“I like 'em, too,” Amy stated. “I can't believe we've managed to get all the clothes sorted out in one day.”
“Neither can I to be honest,” Samantha said. “But I'm glad that's done so I can concentrate on other things.”
“Is everything okay?” the shop assistant asked.
“Yeah, I'll take the shoes,” Samantha said. “You two can get changed now,” she added to Lauren and Amy.
Samantha went over to the counter to pay for the three pairs of shoes. Her mobile rang in her handbag and she pulled it out with her purse.
“Hello?” she said.
“It's Pete,” came the voice, crackling slightly from the bad reception inside the shopping centre.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“Fine. Missing you.”
“I miss you too,” Samantha said, smiling at the assistant who was positively beaming back.
“The groom?” the shop assistant mouthed.
Samantha nodded.
“Where are you?” asked Pete. “You sound like you're in a football stadium!”
“Nearly!” she replied. “I'm in the shopping centre.”
“Oh, did you sort out the suits then?”
“Yeah, and I managed to get all the dresses and shoes today too.”
“You are so good!”
“Oh, Pete, Amy was asking about the catering and I was wondering if you could give me all the details so I can get the orders underway.”
She watched the shop assistant feed the receipt out of the till and she handed over her plastic card.
“Oh, I completely forgot about that! You'll have to check with… No, I'll check with my parents and make sure it's still okay for their friends to cater.”
“Don't worry, I'll call Jeff and Annabel,” Samantha said, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder so she could punch her PIN in the verification machine. “I'm sure your parents won't mind filling me in!”
“Samantha, you are a diamond! Look, I've gotta go. The update has stopped printing.”
“Okay, well I'll email you tonight and give you a list of all the stuff that's been taken care of so far and I'll speak to Jeff and Annabel as well.”
“Okay, thanks! See ya!”
“See ya.”
Samantha put her mobile back in her handbag and took her card from the shop assistant. She then grabbed her shopping bags off the counter and made her way over to the till by the changing rooms. Amy had already purchased the dresses and was carrying a bag with her.
“I'll pay you back for that,” Samantha said, gesturing towards Amy's shopping bag.
“Oh, later, don't worry about it,” Amy said, squeezing Samantha's arm lightly. “Home now?”
“Yeah, I need to drop Lauren home,” Samantha replied.
“Yeah, Mum's gonna go weird if I don't get home before dinner,” Lauren put in, looking at her watch. “Not that I want to go home,” she added, as an afterthought.
“Will your mum be going tonight, then?” Amy asked Lauren.
“Probably,” Lauren replied sadly.
“If you want, I'll bring a DVD over and we can watch it together,” Amy offered. “I can bring over popcorn, chocolate, whatever you fancy!”
“Thanks,” Lauren said, gratefully. “That would be really nice of you, Amy.”
“Wanna join us?” Amy asked Samantha.
“I can't,” Samantha said, screwing up her nose. “I have to email Pete a list of things to do, and I have to phone his parents to sort out the catering. And no,” she added, seeing Amy ready to protest, “it can't wait! It has to be done or I won't sleep properly tonight.”
“Fine,” Amy said. “Your loss!”
“Another night, okay?” Samantha assured her.
“Fine.” Amy replied.
Samantha drove them home in almost silence. She kept thinking about Kevin. She couldn't understand why. Maybe it was the long distance thing going on between her and Pete. Would Kevin have left her to sort a wedding alone while he furthered his career at the other end of the country? Probably. He'd probably also vent out his sexual frustration on the first piece of skirt he came across. He was a waste of time. She shouldn't even be bothering brain space on him.
She dropped Lauren off at her mother's house and then drove to Amy's.
“So how did your meeting with Kevin go?” Amy asked her, breaking the silence.
“Oh, it was okay,” Samantha replied. “He was a bit late to begin with, so we didn't start off particularly well, but we had a drink at the pub, ate at a pizza place…”
She trailed off her sentence, not really wishing to elaborate much more.
“He still good looking?” Amy asked.
“Yeah,” Samantha replied, with a half smile. “Bloody smelt good too!”
They both laughed.
“But you're okay about him now?” Amy queried.
“Yeah, sure,” Samantha said with false bravado.
“That didn't fool me, you know,” Amy said. “That means you're still angry at him.”
“Fine,” Samantha said. “I give up. Kevin was still gorgeous and charming and happily fished out his wallet and paid for everything left, right and centre. But I didn't like the way he seemed to show off his financial status.”
“What d'ya mean?”
“He talked money a lot. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable. And he sort of managed to insult Pete.”
“He insulted your fiancé? Wow, way to go Kevin (!)”
“I don't think he actually meant to, it was sort of in a roundabout way, I…” Samantha broke off another sentence. “You know what,” she finally said, “I don't care. Kevin was rude and that's all there is to it.”
“So you don't have a crush on him or even felt a tiny bit of regret for breaking it up?”
“You think I shouldn't have broken up with him?!” Samantha said, annoyed by Amy's remark.
“No, I'm just saying…”
“What? That I should forgive Kevin for what he did to me?”
“I thought you already had. You saying it was in the past and everything.”
“It is in the past!”
“You've forgiven him?”
“A bit.” Samantha sighed and pulled into the space outside Amy's parents' house. “Kevin gave me the sob story over dinner, saying that Sheila was chemically attractive and it was only lust and he still loved me.”
Amy's jaw dropped. “He said that to you?”
Samantha nodded. “And I'd told him minutes earlier that I was to be married.”
“I can't believe him! I just can't believe him! The nerve of saying something like that to you at a time… Hey,” she said, quickly. “He doesn't know Pete's away, does he?”
Samantha winced. “It kinda slipped out before I knew it.”
“He was probably taking advantage of a vulnerable situation,” Amy assured her. “I bet he doesn't really still love you, and just wanted to see a reaction out of you.”
“You think? He did seem genuinely sorry about what he did.”
“He didn't try to kiss you, did he?”
“I think he was gonna when we hugged goodbye, but I directed it to my cheek just in case the thought crossed his mind. I wouldn't want anything to happen.”
“You do still like him!” Amy accused her. “Oh my god, Samantha, you're still in love with Kevin!”
“I'm not in love with him!” Samantha protested. “It might be a little crush but it's not love, okay? I love Pete.”
“Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, okay?” Amy said, opening the car door. “Well, thanks for the lovely shopping trip and I'll see you soon, yeah? We have a cake to find!”
“Actually, I'm gonna get Pete's parents' friends to do the cake if they still agree to cater for the reception,” Samantha explained. “It'll be cheaper if it's all inclusive and it means I won't have to trawl around for a decent cake shop that's not too expensive. I really don't need more hassle than I have already.”
“Okay,” said Amy, “well, see you soon, okay?”
“Yeah, I'll call you. Bye!”
“Bye!”
Once at home, Samantha phoned Pete's parents and asked them if they were still dealing with the catering.
“Of course, dear,” Annabel had said. “Peter should have sent you a menu. Mind you, he's so busy nowadays he's probably forgotten to tell you about it.”
“Oh, what sort of thing do your friends do then?” Samantha asked.
“A bit of everything,” Annabel answered. “Peter said you were thinking of a Chinese-style buffet?”
“Yeah,” Samantha replied. “I can go over the small details once I've seen a copy of the menu.”
“I'll get Peter to send you one by tomorrow, dear, okay?”
The phone call taken care of, Samantha switched on her computer and started typing up the items on her checklist that she had sorted out.
“Dresses, check,” she said to the screen. “Suits, check. Shoes, check. Head dress, check. Bugger, forgot to buy the gloves!” She pulled out a red pen from her desktop tidy and drew a big ring around the word 'Gloves' on her list. She continued to trawl through the items, circling the ones she hadn't yet sorted out and adding to her computerised list all the things she had dealt with. She then opened up a fresh email, attached the list, and sent it to Pete with a message:
Hey Pete! I have attached the list of stuff already sorted for the wedding. I also phoned your mum and she said you are to send me the catering menu! I just want to finalise the little details in plenty of time so I have less to worry about in the run up to the big day, okay? Hope everything is going alright in Newcastle and that you'll be able to come home soon. Miss you lots. Love Sam xx
She clicked 'Send' and waited for the notification message to come up to say that the email had been sent. The notification blinked in her inbox and she started to close it all up.
She then saw a link to a selection of laptops at knockdown Christmas prices. With only a couple more weeks left, it was a bit late to start buying herself an expensive present but she was getting rather irritated by the slowness of her current computer and really wanted something a bit faster. She followed the link and was taken to the central shopping order page. Thumbnails of all the latest laptops and base units filled the page. She clicked on a few that caught her eye and skim read the specifications. She didn't really understand half of the jargon used. She did know what sort of memory each had and understood about processing capabilities, but she wasn't really knowledgeable about which would be best for her needs.
After looking at most of them, she went to the home page and, for fun, clicked on the most expensive, top-of-the-range machine that they had. It was a laptop, complete with all the new features available, including wireless access and remote internet connection, a high resolution screen and what she believed to be a pretty decent graphics card for when she succumbed to the enjoyment that was Rollercoaster Tycoon. Kevin had said that evening that she should go to him if she ever wanted a new machine. She copied the link into a fresh email and typed:
Hey, what do you think? You said I should ask your advice on stuff like this, so what do you say? Maybe I should buy this as an early Christmas pressie to myself?! Samantha.
She clicked 'Send' and the email winged its way to Kevin for his seal of approval. He harped on about computers for ages when she saw him. He was bound to know all the latest gizmos and all the best stuff to have on a laptop. He might even tell her what sort of prices she would need to look at so she'd know if she was being ripped off. If he liked this one and said to go for it, she could buy something a little more in her budget in the New Year, when prices were bound to be even lower after the Christmas rush. It was all in her favour, really.
She glanced at her watch. It was 2am. She had to go to sleep. She switched off her computer and dragged her feet along the floor as she manoeuvred into her bedroom and pulled off her clothes before falling into bed.
Back to Chapter VI
Go to Chapter VIII
© 2004 Clare Benton
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