Chapter 4 Dress Hunt

• Mom loved the way these two people made me happy. We don’t expect big things; these small moments we live with our friends and family will be our lifetime memory.
• Olivia and Ivy grabbed my hand as we went into my room.
• “I am leaving, Al,” mom called before leaving.
• I ran down and hugged her.
• “Thank you, mom, for everything you have done for Cassie and me.”
• A mother knows everything even when you don’t say it.
• “And thank you for allowing me to go with my friends.”
• I hugged her tightly.
• “Ok, ok... there is an envelope under my bed; you can take it for your shopping.” She patted my back.
• “No, mom. I don’t want money. I can manage by myself,” I answered.
• She touched my cheeks and said.
• “I know you are a big girl. But for me, you are still that little girl who wanted everything to be done by her mom.”
• She kissed my cheeks and took her coat from the hanger.
• “Mom,” I whispered.
• “Choose a beautiful dress for yourself. Maybe you will get your Mr. Right in that Masquerade ball.” She winked at me.
• I stood there as I watched her praying before leaving the house.
• As humans can’t survive without oxygen, my mom couldn’t survive without her prayers.
• I came back to see my friends fill my bed with my clothes.
• “Guys, what are you doing?” I jeered.
• “Nothing. We were checking your dress for a masquerade ball,” Ivy answered in her thin voice.
• “I don’t have a dress for such an expensive ball. We have to go shopping for that.” Answered in a lower voice.
• All three were quiet at the thought of going to the ball, but none of us had the money to get new dresses for ourselves.
• “I think we should leave the idea.” Ivy purred.
• We looked at each other as we lay on the bed in messy clothes.
• “But, Why did you say we’ll manage?” I replied to Ivy.
• “I thought to ask her permission first,” she sighed in a low voice.
• “Hmm...” We replied.
• Suddenly, Olivia jumped up with an idea tingling in her mind.
• “Guys,” she screamed.
• “What?” we replied in an exhausted voice.
• “Give me your phone.” She snatched my phone and dialed a number.
• “Hello... Is this Mario? Hey, sweetheart...”
• She walked outside while talking on the phone. Ivy and I looked at each other with a confused look.
• Between the three of us, Olivia is the problem-solving girl. She never gave up. We were sitting quietly, accepting our situation, but Olivia gave her last shot to get the dresses.
• She entered the room with a big smile, rolling the phone between her fingers. Her confident walk passed the message; she got good news for us.
• “Say,” we screamed.
• She threw the phone on the bed and said.
• “I know a designer ready to give us the dresses.”
• “How?”
• “He was our company’s ex-designer. My boss threw him out for some silly mistake. Now he wants to establish his name.”
• She answered.
• “But why he will give his creations to us?” I asked.
• “No excuses. Get ready; we are going to meet Mario.” She replied.
• “But before that, we have to buy a bottle of expensive wine. Let me check how much money I have.” She searched for her purse.
• We needed more money than what we had in our hands.
• I remember mom told me about the envelope.
• I ran into her room and took out the envelope.
• “How much?” They asked.
• “Hundred,” I shrugged my shoulder.
• “Cool, give me.” Olivia counted the money.
• “Is it enough?” We asked.
• “We will see; let’s go, guys.” She yanked at our back to move our asses as fast as we could.
• We left the house in a rush, holding our fluffy coats and scarves to cover our bodies. The chilly weather of New York reminds us of the unforgettable howling winds again.
• We called a taxi and settled inside.
• Olivia sat in the passenger seat. Ivy and I settled ourselves in the back of the taxi.
• “Girls, here are the rules we need to follow.”
• “Best country?”
• “America- my home.” Ivy jumped.
• “No, Italy. Next question, best designer?” Olivia said.
• “Ralph Lauren,” I said in a lower voice.
• “For us, it’s a yes. But where we are going, we have to say, Donatella Francesca.” She updates our intel.
• “Best dish?”
• I googled it.
• She said, whatever Mario would love to hear from us.
• “Remember to appreciate his work as the best in the town.”
• She winked at us.
• The taxi driver gave us a strange look as he heard the conversation.
• We settled our bill and stepped out of the taxi.
• Olivia told us to wait outside a wine shop; she bought an expensive wine.
• “You spend our savings to buy this expensive wine,” Ivy whispered; she grabbed her sleeves.
• “Trust me, girls,” she winked at us.
• We quietly followed our leading lady and remembered what she told us to do; pretend Italy is the best country even though we are American. If you are reborn again, the country you will choose will be Italy.
• “One last thing; show your girls move, pump your boobs and booty,”
• she showed us how to expand our chest and ass to their limits.
• “Whatever you are doing, I hope it will work.”
• I glared at her as she told me to take out my warm coat to show my body curves correctly.
• We went inside the boutique.
• The street looks simple, but we never know what’s inside.
• We three entered, and a cute, sexy girl came to us.
• “Hello, how may I help you?”
• Olivia stepped out and kissed her cheeks in a classically Italian way.
• “Ciao, sei Bellissimo,” Olivia changed her language.
• “What was that?” I whispered from her back.
• “I said hello, and she looks beautiful.” She replied.
• “How come, you know, Italian language?”
• We investigated.
• “Shut up, guys, and smile.” She yanked her hand.
• The lady took us to Mario.
• The guy looked in his middle forties, wearing red suspenders pants with a parrot green mandala shirt. Clean shave and green eyes. He turned towards us and looked at us with a strange gaze.
• Olivia introduced us.
• “Hello Mario, this is my friend, Ivey and Alyona.”
• Mario greeted us; he turned towards me and kissed me on my cheeks.
• “She is beautiful. Beautiful eyes.”
• His eyes observed my face and body, making me a little uncomfortable.
• “You are a rare beauty. Are you an Italian?” I stood there with no noise.
• Olivia presented him with an expensive wine bottle. That diverted his peer from my face to the wine bottle.
• He greeted us and told us to sit on the couch.
• “Would you like to have some coffee or tea?” he asked.
• We gave our choices, and he got busy on his intercom to call our drinks.
• “This man makes me uncomfortable.” I punched Olivia’s thigh.
• She glared at me and told me to be quiet.
• “Are you afraid of me, baby girl?” Mario said, looking at me.
• I gulped my confusion and anger.
• “Don’t worry. I am not interested in women. But I do like to appreciate their beauty.”
• He answered.
• Confused, I look at Olivia.
• “Are you gay?” Ivy interrupted in between this tense situation.
• Olivia stressed out, but Mario laughed at her question and made the environment lite.
• “Yeah, blondie. I am gay.” He answered.
• That thought relaxed my mind;
• “I assume you guys are here to see my creation, masquerade ball theme?”
• “Yes,” we answered him immediately.
• “Let’s go then,” He stood and told him to follow him.
• “Are you made?” Olivia screeched at Ivy.
• “I am sorry. He was making Al uncomfortable,” Ivy answered.
• We walked towards a big room. The carpet was soft and new.
• The gigantic mirror stood there to show your dress from every angle.
• We settled ourselves as he came out with a big rack of dresses.