Page 31 of A Place for Daydreams

Samantha made some kind of happy murmuring noise beside her, but for the next few minutes, they were both quiet, listening to the relaxing sounds that filled the room, feeling the hot water of the foot soaks on their tired feet, and smelling the wonderful, calming aromas that filled the room.

“Hey.”

Hazel opened her eyes, feeling Samantha tap her arm gently.

“What is it, honey?” she asked, feeling almost as if she was being roused from a nap.

“Face masks,” Samantha said, holding up a couple of shimmery plastic packets.

“Right.” Hazel nodded. “Good call, we almost forgot about those.”

They unwrapped their face masks and placed them gently on their faces. The cool, moisturizing mask felt incredible on Hazel’s skin. She adjusted it carefully, smoothing the damp fabric across her face, and then sat back, feeling a wave of contentment. She closed her eyes again, thinking to herself that she was starting to feel the stress that she’d been carrying ever since finding out that Jacob had a girlfriend begin to melt away.

After a few more minutes of relaxing in silence, she and Samantha began to talk. They giggled over a story that Vivian had told them the other day of something Julia had done as a little girl, and they discussed things that they wanted to bake together.

“How’s school going?” Hazel asked after a while.

“Oh, school is great. Sometimes I feel tired and I’d rather be doing something else, but I like being there with my friends. And we’re learning a lot of interesting stuff.”

“You’re still doing really well, according to your teacher. I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Samantha’s smile looked funny through her face mask, and it made Hazel laugh, and then Samantha started laughing too.

When their attack of giggles was over, Samantha said, “And I’m really excited about the school dance. I’ve never been to one before. Everyone talks about it almost every day.”

“Oh, I remember school dances.” Hazel smiled, feeling a surge of nostalgia. “You get to wear a pretty dress and all your friends are there. We always thought the decorations were socool—there’s usually a lot of color and sparkly things. It’s so much fun to listen to the music and dance. And you start to feel a little more like an adult, I guess. I remember that being really exciting when I was your age.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Hazel felt a pang of sadness. She didn’t feel ready for Samantha to be growing up. Her little girl was still so young and innocent, and she thought about all of the big girl problems that Samantha would have to be facing soon. She didn’t want her daughter to have to deal with the struggles that came with growing up.

There are a lot of joys involved in growing up too,she reminded herself.It’s not as though it’s all bad.

Still, she felt a sudden cloud of worry for a moment. Then she brushed those thoughts aside, reminding herself to focus on the present and enjoy the time that she was spending with her daughter right then and there.

“I’m so excited.” Samantha wiggled a little, looking up at the ceiling as if she was seeing other things in her imagination. “The theme for the dance isThe Wizard of Oz, so there’s going to be a yellow brick road in the gym, and they’re going to make one of the back walls look like the Emerald City. All green and sparkly. We’re going to take so many pictures.” She laughed.

“That sounds like fun! Do you know what kind of dress you want to wear? Do you want to try to match the theme?”

“Oh, I do. Willow is wearing a black dress and red shoes and she’s going to give herself green eyeshadow, so she kind of looks like the Wicked Witch of the West. Oh! And she’s going to wear striped stockings with her dress. It’s going to be awesome. And then?—”

“She’s wearing makeup?” Hazel hesitated. She’d told Samantha that she didn’t want her to wear makeup until she was older, because she didn’t want her to be too preoccupied with her appearance.

She wondered if Samantha would ask to wear makeup to the dance, and what she should say if she was asked for permission. Hazel thought that maybe a special occasion like that would be an okay time to wear makeup, especially if her friends were already doing it. She didn’t want Samantha to feel left out. Then again, what if all of her friends started having bad habits? Then Samantha would have to feel left out, because Hazel would never agree to certain kinds of things?—

“Mom?”

“What?” Hazel turned back to Samantha, shaking her head as if that could clear away all of the thoughts that had suddenly swarmed her. “Sorry, honey.”

“You totally checked out for a second. I said, ‘Yes, she’s wearing eyeshadow, but I don’t want to wear any makeup.’ Maybe paint some glitter on my face, but I don’t want to try to wear lipstick or anything like that.”

“Oh.” Hazel smiled at her daughter, feeling relieved. “Sounds great. I’d love to help you put glitter on your face.”

“Thank you! That goes with my theme. See, Willow is going as the Wicked Witch of the West, so then I thought that I could go as Glinda, that good witch who shows up at the beginning of the movie in a pink bubble and she’s all smiley and stuff.”

“I remember. That sounds like an awesome idea. You’re going to make an adorable Glinda.”

“Thanks, Mom. I have my dress all picked out. Well, I have four different dresses picked out, and I just have to decide between them.”

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