Page 10 of Red Zone Realizations
“Great, I’ll go put everything down in there.”
“I’ll get the girls.” Guinea pigs love having a chance to stretch their legs. I try to keep them out of their cage as much as possible when I’m home, and it’s easy to let them out in the main bathroom while I shower. They love the humidity since they’re from a tropical country and often reward me with their happiest tea kettle whistles.
Nicole brings a kitchen chair for me to sit on and I shut the door behind me and put the girls on the floor. They scatter to explore.
I plop into the chair and Nicole asks, “What are we going for today?”
“Can you do that nice beach wave?” Nicole’s hair is the thickest I’ve ever seen. It never ends. Her ponytails are the size of a golf ball when it’s all tied up. Mine is more like a marble. So I’m hoping beach waves will make it look fuller.
“And makeup?”
“Normal but more, you know what I mean?” I want to look like myself. Like I didn’t try too hard, but also better than the near-death version he sees at Big.
“Gotcha.”
We fall into the comfortable silence that only comes with two decades of friendship. While she works, I let the feel of herfingers in my hair distract and relax me. She’s methodical in her movements, just like she approaches life. A perfectionist at heart, I know she won’t stop until she’s happy. Her standard has always been higher than mine.
I’m surprised she’s done when she tells me to flip so she can spray the curls one more time. She runs her fingers through them, strong from many years of playing piano as a young girl. I guess it’s been a while now, but when we were kids, she was good. I distinctly remember a Taylor Swift piano music song book.
She finally speaks when she moves in front of me to start on my makeup. “How do you feel?”
“More confident now that you’re here to turn me from pumpkin to princess.”
She laughs her wind chime laugh. “You’ve never been a pumpkin in your life.”
“Not even in high school when I had a full set of braces that they took off, realized my teeth were still messed up, and then had to be put back on?” I counter.
“Even then. It was well worth it for your beautiful smile!”
“That is one of my favorite parts about me.”
She nods. “We’ll do a gloss to frame your smile with kissable lips.”
“There will be no kissing.”
“Uh-huh.”
“None.”
“Sureee.” She draws out the end. “I’m not trying to push you into the arms of the first man who pays you any attention. But Audrey, you need to get back out there.”
“I am. Literally tonight.”
“And if things go well?”
I hesitate.
Nicole speaks into the silence. “I just want you to have an open mind. I don’t think it needs to be said, but I’m going to say it.” She puts down the wet makeup sponge and takes my hands in hers. “Noah is not Hunter.” I nod even though my nose is stinging. Obviously, Noah is not Hunter, but aren’t all men kind of the same on the deepest level? Doesn’t society allow them to be that way? My emotions are bubbling under the surface. Thankfully, Nicole doesn’t push me anymore. She just picks up the pink sponge and goes back to work.
An hour later, I have mismatched shoes on. “The heels are hot, but the sandals are much more comfortable.”
Nicole eyes my outfit. “You can get away with a more casual shoe if you want to wear a dress, but if you want to wear these jeans and the silk top, you should wear the heels to dress them up a little.” Who am I to argue with that? Noah is plenty tall. Not that I’m short. I think I’m exactly average for a woman.
Some final touches with earrings, rings, and perfume are all I need.
Nicole hands me the tiny clutch she picked out and wraps me in a hug. “If nothing else, have fun and eat some good food.”
“I love you.”
