Saturday Story

Hi there! Thank you for joining me to read part 11 of my Saturday Story: Rags to Riches. If you’re new to my blog, please feel free to catch up by reading parts 1-5 here, and parts 6-10 here.

I look forward to sharing part 12 with you next Saturday. Have a great weekend!

Give your life the green light. It’s A Go!

Amber Green

Rags to Riches: Part 11

To Riches:

White gloves and caviar.

Themes, tastings, flowers and a professional team of event planners.

Couture dresses- each of them costing as much as my first car- and designer tuxedos.

Sound checks, dance floors and award-winning bands.

Hosting events is a lot more work than they used to be. Gone are the days that we’d run to the dollar store for party essentials, or rifle through discount store bins or shelves of second-hand shops in order to make our own centrepieces and decorations.

Having money is nice, but it changes things a bit. My family and close friends remain, but sometimes I miss our old community; people like my old regulars at the diner, and the neighbours who lived next door to my parents for decades.

Please don’t misunderstand me-  I’ve met so many wonderful people.

Coming from my background, I note when I learn that the new people I’ve met grew up with wealth, and those who came from nothing and have toiled to earn every dollar. Oftentimes, I find it’s hard to tell. Is there really anything different between us? I wonder, lost in thought.

“Franca, the guests are arriving,” a pleasing baritone voice said behind me. He opened my dressing room door just enough to peek in, and grinned as he looked at me. I was dressed in a red, elegant gown that was fashioned to cling to just the right places. “You look stunning.”

I smiled and blushed slightly. “Thank you,” I said and walked over to kiss him. “Shall we?” I took his arm, and we walked out to greet my guests in the hall downstairs.

……

From Rags:

I thanked Dave and Chris for the ride home. They waved and drove off when I got to my door and rummaged in my purse for my keys. I could hear laughter and music playing inside the townhouse I shared with my roommate, Anna. She must have friends over, I thought, happily. (Yes, okay, I was tired, but it had been such a stressful day that it would be nice to relax with friends.)

I went in our front door, avoided the extra pairs of shoes in the hallway, and saw Anna manning the blender in the kitchen. She was dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt, her blonde hair up in a messy bun.

“Hey!” she smiled as she greeted me. “I invited people over; I hope you don’t mind.”

I grinned. “No, it will be nice to hang out.”

“Rough day?” Anna’s smile faltered, as her pale, blue eyes studied my face. We knew each other well, as we had been friends since high school, and roommates for years.

I paused to consider my answer. “Kind of? But it was a good day- I’ll- I’ll tell you later. Whatcha makin’?” I asked, brightly.

“Margaritas!” Anna exclaimed.

“Margaritas!” A few voices repeated from the living room.

“Not our first batch,” Anna said smiling, by way of explanation. “Have you talked to Kevin?”

“Uh, no, I haven’t talked to him since we hung out last night. I’ll text him to see if he wants to come over.”

“Are you sure? That would mean that you’ve seen each other two nights in a row!” She said with mock-surprise. “You’d better be careful! After six years of dating on and off, you two may be getting serious,” she grinned.

“Yeah, yeah. Clearly we’re in an upswing,” I said, rolling my eyes. I texted Kevin, who responded that he’d be over soon.

I took the pitcher of margaritas from Anna and greeted everyone in the living room.

…

We had polished off two pitchers of margaritas by the time Kevin arrived; considering I am not a seasoned drinker, and had been out at a pub for hours already, I had moved well beyond just ‘feeling tipsy’.

Anna greeted him at the door, laughing at a joke he told upon coming in. Kevin’s hair was slicked back; he was wearing jeans and my favourite leather jacket that always reminded me of old biker-gang movies. “Hey honey,” he smiled as he kissed me in the living room. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, a little too much, I think,” I responded, thickly. Kevin put his arm around me, as he drank his first drink. Anna appeared at my side.

“You okay?” She asked me. “I can help you upstairs, if you want?”

“No, no. That’s okay,” I told her.

“Are you sure? It’s not a big deal if you need to lie down,” she continued.

“No, no, thanks, but you know- I’m almost in my mid-thirties. Not my first time,” I explained.

“She’s just trying to help, Frankie,” Kevin said sharply, in Anna’s defence. Even in my altered state, I felt that his tone was an overreaction.

“I know,” I said, as I tried to decode the last 90 seconds in my alcohol-induced state. I saw Kevin and Anna glance at each other. It was nothing, really, but it was enough to make me feel uneasy- and this wasn’t the first time.

Alcohol was clouding my judgment, and music from the stereo filled my ears. It wasn’t the time to work out what I was missing, but even if I drank until dawn there was no way that I would forget the uncertainty I was feeling right now.

…………

Please enjoy reading part 12 of Rags to Riches here.

*This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

© 2018 Amber Green