Chapter 18: How Do I Look?

Beau and Carls looked at Marigold while she stood there, looking down at the floor. Beau's eyes widened, and his heart began racing, beating hard against his chest. Beau felt the blood rush to his face, turning his face red, and his stomach began to tingle. Carls glanced over at Beau, seeing him looking nervously, looked back at Marigold, and said, "You look beautiful, Miss Marigold. How do you think she looks, Master Beau?" She held her arm while glancing up seeing Beau staring at her. Beau looked into her crystal blue eyes, quickly looked away, and said, "She looks okay." She looked down, and Carls said, "Just okay Master Beau? I think Miss Marigold looks lovely. It's a very pretty dress for a very beautiful woman. Don't you think, Master Beau." Beau put his hand on the back of his (Beau's) neck and rubbed it while saying, "Yeah, it looks really okay on her. It's a very beautiful dress and I'm glad she likes it." She grabbed her dress, gripping it tightly, and a woman's voice said, "Ah, there you guys are." Beau and Carls looked down the hallway to see Angela walking towards them while Marigold continued looking down. Angela stood next to Beau, giving him a hug, and said, "Your father told me you guys cut the trip short and came home early and I'm glad you did me and Marigold made you guys something to eat and we were just waiting for you guys to come home to try it." Angela glanced over seeing Marigold standing there looking down, walked over to her (Marigold), grabbed her (Marigold's) hands, and said, "My darling you look so beautiful in this dress. It's so perfect for you! You look like a doll, so gorgeous. This dress was practically made for you." Marigold looked up at Angela, saying, "Thank you… Beau bought it for me." Angela said, "Oh Beau Bear, you really know how to pick them! This dress is just stunning, but even more stunning is the beautiful girl who's wearing it. Don't you think so, Beau?" Angela looked back seeing Beau looking away from Marigold, his face completely red. Marigold looked at Beau while he (Beau) continued to rub the back of his (Beau's) neck, saying, "Yeah, the dress is beautiful. It's the p-prettiest t-thing I've ever s-seen. It looks stunning on her. She looks okay in it." Marigold looked away from Beau, and Angela said, "Just okay? She's beautiful! She's even prettier than the dress. How can you just say she looks okay in it?" Marigold said, "It's okay. I probably do just look okay in it. I mean, my hair is not done, neither is my makeup… I just kind of threw the dress on without getting ready." Beau looked over at Marigold feeling his heart sink, and Angela said, "Oh nonsense! You look like a beautiful doll. You are completely stunning even without makeup, and I'm sure Beau thinks so too, right Beau?" Angela and Marigold looked at Beau while he stood there, not saying a word. Angela said, "Right Beau? She looks beautiful," but Beau continued standing there, not saying a word but thinking, 'She looks stunning, she's so beautiful! Why can't I say it to her… It's like my tongue is completely tied. Like words can't come out of my mouth… My whole mind is going blank. I don't know what to say to her.' He (Beau) looked away, saying, "She looks okay," and he (Beau) thought, 'Why did I say that?! Why do I keep saying that?! I'm such an idiot!" Marigold scoffed while shaking her head and went back into her (Marigold's) room, shutting the door behind her, without saying a word. Angela scoffed, saying, "Nice going Beau now she thinks you don't like her." Beau said, "But I-I, I don't understand why I said that." Angela said, "I'm going to go fix the mess you made, and you go get it together! Gosh, you know you're supposed to make the woman you like feel like you like her, not tell her she, 'looks okay.' You got to get it together, Beau Bear." Angela walked over to Marigold's door, knocked on it while saying, "I'm coming in," and entered Marigold's room, shutting the door behind her.

Carls said, "Master Beau," and Beau looked at him (Carls), saying, "I don't know what happened. I couldn't tell her she looked beautiful. I got tongue tied, and it was like I forgot how to speak." Carls shook his (Carls) head while saying, "And you saying she, 'looks okay,' and turning away from her was more comfortable for you." Beau covered his (Beau's) face with his (Beau's) hands while saying, "I know, I know. It was the dumbest thing that I've ever done. I've never not been able to speak, but I felt frozen. Those were the only words I could say. If I said what I wanted to say, I would've told her how beautiful I thought she looked. She put every model in the world to shame with her beauty. She was so stunning I couldn't speak. I was trying to not look foolish in front of her, but now she thinks I don't like her and… UGH what's wrong with me? I can't talk to her." Carls chuckled while saying, "You should've said all of that to her, Master Beau, instead of saying all of that to me. She no doubt thinks you don't like her and all you care about is the dress you bought her." Beau put his (Beau's) hands down, looked at Carls, and said," But that's not what I meant. I didn't mean to make her think I cared about the dress more than her. The dress didn't make her stunning. She made the dress stunning. Why couldn't I just tell her that? Why can't I talk freely around her? When I saw her, I couldn't form words. It's like I forgot how to speak." Carls said, "Master Beau, you're in love with her. The love bug has bitten you, Master Beau. If only, if only you told Miss Marigold how you felt. I can't convince her you like her now, Master Beau." Beau sighed, saying, "Don't you have something to clean Carls?" Carls chuckled, saying, "I do Master Beau, and I can tell you that I won't mess it up like you did with Miss Marigold." Beau rubbed his (Beau's) eyes with his (Beau's) fingers, and Carls said, "Oh Master Beau, I'm only teasing you. I'm sure Miss Marigold will see that you were only nervous, and that's why you said what you did. Though I do suggest that next time you tell her she looks beautiful in the dress instead of complimenting the dress more than you compliment her." Beau sighed, saying, "Alright Carls… Please make Marigold some tea to drink… Hopefully, it'll make her feel better and let her know, I think she looks beautiful." Carls nodded, saying, "Alright Master Beau, but the real way you can show her that you think she looks beautiful is simply by telling her. I'm sure it's something she really would like to hear from your mouth." Carls left while Beau stood there thinking, 'He's right… Just giving her some tea isn't going to show her that I think she's beautiful. I have to actually tell her how I feel… It's just so hard when you can't form words." Beau sat next to her (Marigold's) door, rehearsing how he was going to tell her that he thought that she looked beautiful. 

While Beau sat outside the room rehearsing, Angela and Marigold were instead the room talking. Marigold stood in front of her body mirror, looking at herself while Angela said, "Marigold, you really do look beautiful." Marigold looked down, saying, "Thank you, but Beau…" Marigold sighed, and Angela said, "Beau, what?" Marigold looked at Angela, saying, "Beau doesn't think I look pretty. He thinks the dress is prettier than me, and I get it, I just threw it on, and it was stupid. I just thought he would like it… A part of me just wanted to catch his eye. I wanted him to call me beautiful but… He didn't think I looked beautiful at all." Marigold turned away from the mirror, walked over to her (Marigold's) bed, and sat on it, while Angela said, "Oh Beau Bear loved you in that dress. He thought you looked beautiful. He thought you were beautiful." Marigold looked at Angela and said, "Then why didn't he say that? The only compliments that I got were for the dress. I mean, he called the dress beautiful in a million different ways and only said that I was okay looking. I don't think he thinks I'm beautiful at all." A smile came to Angela's face, and Angela said, "Oh my dear child, Beau Bear was just nervous. He thought you were so beautiful he hid his face because he was embarrassed by it turning red." Marigold said, "Really? Are you sure?" Angela laughed while saying, "Yes. Although I've never seen him so nervous that he couldn't speak before. You made him that nervous. I think my Beau Bear has gotten bitten by the love bug, and you did that to him. Believe it or not, you make him so happy." Angela walked over to Marigold sitting right beside her (Marigold) on the bed, and Marigold said, "I-I make him nervous? I didn't know I-I made him nervous… I can't understand why." Angela said, "Oh Marigold, don't you know that you are a very pretty girl? Of course, you make Beau nervous. You're beautiful, smart, fun, etc… The way he talks about you, I've never heard him talk about anyone else like that. He speaks so highly of you. You were the first person to see him beyond his money, the first one to treat him like a human being. You made him and make him happy." Marigold looked down thinking about the times she shouted at Beau and pushed him away. She (Marigold) looked back at Angela and Angela said, "Now, I'm going to do your hair and get you even more dolled up than you were before and hopefully that'll give you the confidence boost you need to see how truly beautiful you are." Marigold smiled and said, "Thank you." Angela walked Marigold over to a chair, sitting her (Marigold) down in it. Angela grabbed hair supplies that were on top of Marigold's vanity and began to do her hair.

Half an hour passed of Angela combing and braiding Marigold's hair. Angela stood back, saying, "Finally, it's done. Go look in the mirror and tell me what you think." Marigold walked over to her body mirror and looked to see her (Marigold's) hair was done in a half up, half down hairdo. Marigold smiled while she (Marigold) flipped her hair. "Do you like it," Angela asked. Marigold looked at Angela while saying, "I love it so much, Angela. It's so beautiful! I feel so beautiful. Thank you so much." Angela smiled, saying, "You're welcome, Marigold. Just wait until Beau sees it. He's going to go crazy." Marigold said, "You think so," and Angela grabbed Marigold's shoulders while saying, "I know so. He's going to love it." 

Knock, knock, knock

Angela and Marigold looked at the door, hearing someone knocking. Marigold said, "Come in," and Carls entered the room holding a silver tray that had two cups of tea on it and a small glass tin of sugar cubes. Carls said, "Master Beau asked me to make you some tea." Marigold said, "Oh, thank you, Carls, just put it on the vanity." Carls put the tray on her vanity while Angela said, "Carls, what do you think of Marigold's hairstyle? Doesn't she look pretty with her hair all done." Carls looked at Marigold and said, "Not that you were not beautiful before Miss Marigold, but you look absolutely stunning with your hair done. Master Beau is going to love it when he sees it." Marigold said, "You think so? I just hope he likes it." "I-I," the voice of a man said. Angela, Carls, and Marigold looked at the doorway, seeing Beau standing there, his face tomato red. Beau walked up to Marigold, saying, "I-I think you look… You look… I-I, y-you…"