well?”
“Oh, ha ha.” Caroline gives her a friendly shove and turns to the makeup artist. “We will now leave you to make my friend even more beautiful than she already is.”
“Not a problem,” says the makeup artist, with a smile, and Caroline and Jennifer walk off giggling, as Sarah tries not to look at her tired reflection in the mirror.
Twenty-five minutes later the makeup artist stands back to survey her work.
“You look awesome.” She smiles. “Ready to see?”
“Go for it,” Sarah tells her, as she swivels her chair around so Sarah can see her new face in the mirror.
Caroline is busy talking to Lisa and Nicole when she feels a tap on her shoulder and they all turn around.
There’s a silence as they all look blankly at the woman standing behind them, and then, in unison, all three of them gasp.
“Oh—my—God!” Caroline’s hands fly up to her mouth.
“Sarah?” Lisa whispers.
“Is that you?” Nicole’s mouth drops open, and then she leaves, muttering something about finding the makeup artist.
“Oh, great.” Sarah rolls her eyes. “You’re making me feel like I normally look like Quasimodo.”
“No! But you just look so different,” Caroline says. “I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
“I see that.”
“You look amazing.” Lisa laughs. “Seriously. I can’t believe what you look like. What do you think? Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding me? I love it. Even though it feels as if I’m wearing about a ton of makeup.”
“But what did she do with your hair?” Caroline frowns.
“You mean, where’s the gray?”
Caroline nods reluctantly.
“She had some colored mousse. Apparently it will come out when I wash my hair, but it temporarily covers the gray.”
“Okay. I’m your best friend,” Caroline says, “so I think I’m allowed to say this.” She takes a deep breath. “You look about ten years younger.”
“That’s it!” Lisa exclaims triumphantly. “I was trying to figure out why you look so completely different but that’s exactly it! You look like a school-kid!”
“I’m not sure that’s the look I was going for.”
“Okay, so I’m exaggerating a bit, but you look so much younger. Eddie’s going to freak out when he sees you!” And then the three of them fall into an embarrassed silence. Lisa didn’t mean to say it, had completely forgotten that Eddie wouldn’t be seeing it tonight, nor any other night.
“I’m sorry.” Lisa is mortified. “I really didn’t mean to say that. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay.” Sarah puts a hand on her arm to soothe her. “It’s fine, and anyway, you’re right. Eddie would freak out if he saw me.” And as she walks off on the pretext of getting everyone more drinks, her shoulders sink. What is the point of doing all this, making all this effort when there’s no one around to appreciate it? Sure, her girlfriends approve, but for the first time since Eddie has gone, it hits Sarah that she is now on her own, and excusing herself from the party she goes into the office, where she allows the loneliness and fear to overcome her, and she lays her head down on the table and weeps quietly before slipping out the back door and going home.
The makeup may have been washed off by the next morning, but Sarah still gets a shock when she looks in the mirror and sees her rich, chestnut-colored hair.
She pulls open an old makeup drawer and rummages around until she finds some eyeshadow, mascara, blusher. Trying to think about how the makeup artist did it last night, she plays around a little, painting the eyeliner on slowly, smudging it like the makeup artist did, sweeping the blusher over the apples of her cheeks.
Not bad. She looks at herself in the mirror. Not, admittedly, nearly as stunning as last night, but with the gray gone in her hair and some makeup on, she has to admit she looks a hell of a lot better.
“Mommy!” Walker and Maggie come running into the bathroom and stop still,
“Oh, ha ha.” Caroline gives her a friendly shove and turns to the makeup artist. “We will now leave you to make my friend even more beautiful than she already is.”
“Not a problem,” says the makeup artist, with a smile, and Caroline and Jennifer walk off giggling, as Sarah tries not to look at her tired reflection in the mirror.
Twenty-five minutes later the makeup artist stands back to survey her work.
“You look awesome.” She smiles. “Ready to see?”
“Go for it,” Sarah tells her, as she swivels her chair around so Sarah can see her new face in the mirror.
Caroline is busy talking to Lisa and Nicole when she feels a tap on her shoulder and they all turn around.
There’s a silence as they all look blankly at the woman standing behind them, and then, in unison, all three of them gasp.
“Oh—my—God!” Caroline’s hands fly up to her mouth.
“Sarah?” Lisa whispers.
“Is that you?” Nicole’s mouth drops open, and then she leaves, muttering something about finding the makeup artist.
“Oh, great.” Sarah rolls her eyes. “You’re making me feel like I normally look like Quasimodo.”
“No! But you just look so different,” Caroline says. “I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
“I see that.”
“You look amazing.” Lisa laughs. “Seriously. I can’t believe what you look like. What do you think? Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding me? I love it. Even though it feels as if I’m wearing about a ton of makeup.”
“But what did she do with your hair?” Caroline frowns.
“You mean, where’s the gray?”
Caroline nods reluctantly.
“She had some colored mousse. Apparently it will come out when I wash my hair, but it temporarily covers the gray.”
“Okay. I’m your best friend,” Caroline says, “so I think I’m allowed to say this.” She takes a deep breath. “You look about ten years younger.”
“That’s it!” Lisa exclaims triumphantly. “I was trying to figure out why you look so completely different but that’s exactly it! You look like a school-kid!”
“I’m not sure that’s the look I was going for.”
“Okay, so I’m exaggerating a bit, but you look so much younger. Eddie’s going to freak out when he sees you!” And then the three of them fall into an embarrassed silence. Lisa didn’t mean to say it, had completely forgotten that Eddie wouldn’t be seeing it tonight, nor any other night.
“I’m sorry.” Lisa is mortified. “I really didn’t mean to say that. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay.” Sarah puts a hand on her arm to soothe her. “It’s fine, and anyway, you’re right. Eddie would freak out if he saw me.” And as she walks off on the pretext of getting everyone more drinks, her shoulders sink. What is the point of doing all this, making all this effort when there’s no one around to appreciate it? Sure, her girlfriends approve, but for the first time since Eddie has gone, it hits Sarah that she is now on her own, and excusing herself from the party she goes into the office, where she allows the loneliness and fear to overcome her, and she lays her head down on the table and weeps quietly before slipping out the back door and going home.
The makeup may have been washed off by the next morning, but Sarah still gets a shock when she looks in the mirror and sees her rich, chestnut-colored hair.
She pulls open an old makeup drawer and rummages around until she finds some eyeshadow, mascara, blusher. Trying to think about how the makeup artist did it last night, she plays around a little, painting the eyeliner on slowly, smudging it like the makeup artist did, sweeping the blusher over the apples of her cheeks.
Not bad. She looks at herself in the mirror. Not, admittedly, nearly as stunning as last night, but with the gray gone in her hair and some makeup on, she has to admit she looks a hell of a lot better.
“Mommy!” Walker and Maggie come running into the bathroom and stop still,
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