The preparation
27.
It finally came Friday, the day I'll see Jacob. That morning at breakfast, Mom and Dad were deadly silent. No pun intended. They both stared out into the distance like they were having their own little conversation and blocking me out. Lately, I have had a bad eating habit. So I just sat and ate my cereals with milk like a good girl.
"Will you go out today?" I sliced through the thick atmosphere. Both looked up at the same time.
"We'll be here all day. Why are you asking?" Mom pretended she was not interested. I pushed my empty bowl away, got up, and went to wash the dish in the sink.
"Just curious," I turned my back to them. "I'm planning to wash my hair and spend a lot of time in the bathroom," I heard the chair behind me and I turned to face them. Dad was standing with a frown next to Mom. She reached out to touch his hand.
"Edward," she said softly. I just stared at them not getting it. Dad stormed out of the kitchen without a word.
"What's up with him?" I inquired. Mom shook her head, and her long dark curls fell around her face.
"Well, he is just on edge," she gave a quick peek in the direction he had vanished. She turned back with a forced smile. "So, you're planning to be all pretty for tonight?" I nodded eagerly. I couldn't hide my enthusiasm.
After our little discussion and Dad's tantrum, I went to wash my hair. I spend at least two whole hours in that moist room with fog hanging in the upper half of the bathroom. My skin was glimmering when I got out. I couldn't help texting my Jacob sweet little messages. He replied with hearts and smiling emojis. I was too happy to notice something was wrong.
I fidgeted in front of my full-size mirror a thousand times trying on the right outfit. I was wearing a little black dress that made me look way older than I should. I've even put on some lipstick to light up my pale face framed with my luscious brown curls.
"Dad will freak out," I said to my reflection. It frowned at me in agreement. I pulled the dress over my head and it joined the pill of rejected outfits on the bed. I went to dig in my closet and got out a pair of turquoise shorts and a cotton candy-colored blouse. It was buttoned-front with cute fancy flower buttons. A gift from Grandma Esme. I smiled as I slipped into it. There was a knock on the door and mom peeked inside before I could answer.
"Hey," I called. "What if I was naked!" she gave me a huge smile.
"Really? We are already going to do that?" she opened the door wider to get in.
"You know, there's a thing called privacy," I turned back to the mirror. She was standing behind me. Her hand brushed my hair away from my shoulder.
"You look pretty," her eyes were sad. I faced her. She flashed me a quick smile. "So..." she stressed, "what do you want for dinner? Should I order something special?" I wanted to push a little to get her to talk. However, I didn't want to ruin my good mood. Like a coward, I drop the subject.
"Do I get to eat ice cream for dinner?" I teased.
"If you want to get a horrible stomachache and spend all night in the toilet, why not?" she had a point. Maybe deep down she didn't want me to see Jacob, after all. I was nervous. Very nervous. Even without the ice cream, I might spend all night in the toilet. Mom gave me a smile that faded around the edges. She then noticed the lipstick. She reached for my face, and I flinched. She paused.
"You're not going to wear that," she smudged the red over my lip with her finger. "Jacob will not like it," I frowned at her. What did she know about his taste? I stepped away from her.
"I've got this," I marched to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.