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Chapter Eight

The moment we walked into Bridals by Lori I was blown away. I almost feel bad calling it a boutique; it was a humongous couture bridal shop. I could tell that the names Vera Wang and Arnsale were heard often in the store.

With the sure air of someone who had already done the paces through the store, Leighanne and I walked through the store and ended up at a collection of bridesmaids dresses. The moment her hand touched one of the fabrics, a sales associate appeared out of the thin air.

“Hello. Welcome to Bridals by Lori. My name is Candace. What can we do for you today?”

Leighanne smiled. “Hello Candy.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Oh, Mrs. Littrell. It’s so wonderful to see you!”

“I need to get a bridesmaid dress. I was in a few weeks ago and found a couple dresses to try on.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“July 2,” I said.

Candace’s eyes widened. “Oh dear, that’s six weeks away.”

“I know.”

She looked at me. “And you are?”

“She’s the bride,” Leighanne interjected. She put an arm around my shoulders and smiled.

In that second Candace’s whole demeanor changed. All of a sudden I was just as important as Mrs. Littrell.

“Have you found your dress yet?” she asked.

“Actually, I thought I would look around today.”

“Absolutely. Why don’t we see to that bridesmaid dress and then we can pull out some gowns.”

Candace pulled out several gowns that Leighanne pointed to.

“All of these can be ordered in mermaid, right?” I asked. Candance nodded.

“Absolutely. What a beautiful color choice.”

As we headed to the dressing room, Leighanne and I looked at each other. We rolled our eyes at the same time. There was such a thing as trying too hard.

“Now, will you have had the baby by July 2, Mrs. Littrell?” Candace asked as she hung the dresses in a large private room.

“No,” Leighanne said sadly.

“Well that shouldn’t be a problem,” Candace cajoled. “We’d be happy to rush any last minute alterations. You’re one of our best clients.”

Leighanne smiled. “Thank you.”

Candace disappeared and we were left alone in the private room. I smiled.

“One of their best clients, huh?”

Leighanne laughed. “Any time the guys have an event I come here first. It’s like a one stop shop. The least they could do was rush a last minute alteration.”

If I had thought getting into a dress six months pregnant was bad, I should have tried it almost eight months pregnant. I felt a deep pang of guilt as Leighanne teetered as I helped her get into the first dress. I couldn’t zip the back at all. She barely glanced at the mirror before she shook her head.

“No way. Even in a bigger size it would pull across the belly too much.”

The verdict was the same for the second dress. On the third try, I felt more confident from the moment she stepped into the dress. I zipped it up easily.

The dress she tried on was a champagne color, but I could already picture it in that turquoise color called mermaid. The dress had thin shoulder straps and a beaded bodice. It had an empire waist and then just flowed right down to the ground. If you looked at Leighanne head on, you almost couldn’t tell she was pregnant. Only her profile showed the bump.

“What do you think?” Leighanne said. I smiled.

“I think this one’s great. Is it comfortable?”

She nodded. “Extremely.”

We spent a few more minutes analyzing the dress. She turned in every direction.

“It would be easy to alter,” she added.

“It also supports the girls,” I mentioned. She laughed.

“Shall I call Candace back in?” Leighanne nodded.

I found Candace and we walked back into the dressing room. After listening to her gush for several minutes, we got down to business and placed the order.

“I can rush this in. It should be about two weeks. We’ll order it in a bigger size. Like I said we can do last minute alterations for you.”

“Oh, I appreciate it,” Leighanne said kindly. Of course, she was pretty much always kind. The woman had the patience of a saint.

Candace left us to place the order and I helped Leighanne slip out of the dress. Her hands rested on her belly for a moment.

“Have you thought of any names?” I asked. Leighanne smiled.

“Kayleigh Danielle.”

I smiled. “Oh, I love that.”

“Really? You’re the first person I’ve told. Don’t tell Brian. He wants to keep it a secret.”

I laughed. “My lips are sealed. But no, I love it.”

“I can’t wait to see her,” Leighanne said. She began to get dressed.

“I know exactly how you feel,” I said. I could still picture Brooklyn’s tiny little eyes staring up at me for the first time and the look on Nick’s face as he caught her.

We walked out of the dressing room, both lost in thoughts of baby; however, we won’t lost long. Candace was waiting right outside.

“So how about those wedding dresses?”

I smiled. “Sure.”

“Let me show you the one that caught my eye…” Leighanne said. The three of us walked through the stores. After we got past the bridesmaid section we walked into a sea of white. I felt like I was in a blank comic strip. It was just that white.

Leighanne stopped by a dress front facing on the wall. It was a beautiful dress with capped sleeves. I nodded.

“I’ll try that one.” I said. Candace picked it up and draped it over her arm.

I walked along feeling overwhelmed. For my first wedding my choice had been easier; the plus size section definitely did not have the selection that was available for the size 12 and under set. I picked out a few more dresses and then we began to make our way back to the dressing room.

As we rounded a corner that’s when I saw it. I first saw it on a mannequin from the back and yet right away I knew I had to have the dress.

“That one,” I said, pointing out. Candace bumped right into me, buried under the pile of silk and lace that I had already accumulated.

“Which one?” she asked. She lowered the pile.

“Oh that one?” she said. “That’s a one of a kind.”

I turned to look at her. “Can I try it on?”

“It’s a size eight.”

I stifled a curse. I had done a little dance when I had finally been able to button my size tens again.

“Can’t I try it on?” I asked hopefully.

Candace looked at me. I could tell she wanted to say something, probably along the lines of ‘Ir’s never going to happen,’ but she didn’t.

“I’ll come back and get it off the mannequin while you try these.”

Candace dropped Leighanne and I back off at the dressing room and disappeared. Half-heartedly I began to try on the other dresses.

“That one’s nice,” Leighanne would say; or “I like the beading.” Each time the dress went into the discard pile. I had just put on the last of my selections when Candace knocked on the door. I opened it eagerly.

“Oh look at you!” she gushed. “This one’s beautiful. I love the bare shoulders and the way it gathers right along the middle.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t really like it,” I said politely. I took it from her hands. I stared at it thoughtfully. Leighanne did the same thing. Candace bit her lip.

“Like I said, it’s a one of a kind. Size eight.”

“You know,” Leighanne said hesitantly. “I swear by Spanx. Have you tried Spanx?”

I looked at Leighanne gratefully then turned to Candace.

“Do you have some Spanx? I think I want some Spanx.”

Candace ran off. While she went in search of magical Spanx I admired the dress. Its thin white straps criss crossed to allow for a bare back. The sides and bottom of the dress gathered perfectly just above the backside and flowed down in perfect folds. The train was long, but not too long. It seemed like the perfect beach dress. The front of the dress was just as lovely. Light beading dripped down the bodice and the front of the dress. Unlike the other dresses it felt light in my arms.

“I’ve got to fit into this dress,” I said. Leighanne smiled.

“I felt the same way about my wedding dress,” she said.

At that moment Candace slipped back into the room holding a package.

“Here you go.”

I took the package; she stood awkwardly in the room. I smiled.

“I think that’s all I need. Thank you.”

“Let me know if you need any…help.”

She left the room and I opened the Spanx.

“Pray for me Leighanne.”

I had never been in a dry wet suit, but I had a feeling that would be the best analogy to the feeling of putting on and trying to breathe in the Spanx. With a shaky sigh that I tried to attribute to the lack of room to inhale or exhale, I reached for the dress. I undid the hidden zipper along the bottom and decided to go in head first.

I was fine until I reached my hips. The material stubbornly stopped and I had a few seconds of panic. I couldn’t see anything but white and my arms stuck out of the top of the dress like seaweed.

“Here, lemme help,” Leighanne said. I felt her working at the material, unbunching it in placed to give me the last few centimeters that I needed. We both let out a sigh of relief when I felt the dress fall to the floor.

“I’m in,” I declared as Leighanne slid the zipper up.

“You’re about this much from zipping up all the way,” she said, putting her fingers just barely apart. I turned towards the mirror.

The Spanx had worked fairly well. As I did a complete turn, I decided to make quiet bargains with God. If only I could lose about ten more pounds before the wedding I wouldn’t cuss so much. Or lose my patience. I’d volunteer at a soup kitchen. I’d donate clothes to Goodwill.

I just needed this dress to fit like a dream.

“What do you think?” I finally asked Leighanne. She smiled.

“If you’re like me when I was in the homestretch for my wedding, you’re going to spend the next six weeks living off lettuce,” she said with a laugh.

I looked back at the mirror; I bounced on the balls of my feet. I was tough; I was like Rocky Balboa. I could do this. Hell, maybe I’d even get out Nick’s Wii and do some Wii Fit. Aw crap, I just promised God I wouldn’t cuss anymore.

Maybe that could start after I bought the dress, right?

“I’m going to get it,” I said. Even though the zipper didn’t close all the way, I loved the look of my exposed back with just the thin white straps crossing across the skin. The front wasn’t extravagant, but it just felt like a beach dress. The dress was even the perfect length without shoes. I wouldn’t even need alterations. I just needed to lose a few pounds. Spanx would do the rest.

Spanx was my new miracle drug.

At that moment Candace knocked on the door. I opened it and smiled proudly. She looked surprised.

“Oh!” she said. She cleared her throat. “How lovely.”

“I’m going to get it,” I said happily. I turned around in a circle.

“The back isn’t closed all the way,” she pointed out. “I don’t think we’ll be able to alter it because of the hidden zipper.”

I waved her off. “It’s fine. I’m good. Don’t worry. I’m taking the Spanx too.”

She nodded and disappeared. Leighanne helped me wrangle the dress up and over my head. I took of the Spanx and began to resume normal breathing again.

“Are you going to wear your dress while you get your hair done?” Leighanne asked me. I studied the gown appreciatively.

“I’m going to have to. Maybe. We’ll see,” I said.

I redressed and Leighanne and I walked out. I held the gown in my arms. As we made our way to the counter, I heard a nasally voice let out a little cry.

“That’s my dress!”

The voice was so nearby, I couldn’t help but turn. When I did I saw a skinny blonde with her hair pulled so tight that her forehead looked like a blank billboard, pointing a thin finger at me.

“What are you doing with my dress?” she demanded.

I looked at her incredulously; on instinct I hugged the dress closer.

“I’m buying this dress,” I said calmly.

The girl whirled around to look at who I could only assume was her mother.

“That’s my dress!” she wailed.

I decided that it was probably in my best interest to just keep walking. I nudged Leighanne and we continued towards the counter; Candace seemed to have completely disappeared.

The word ‘surprised’ was an understatement when I felt a rough hand grab my hair and yank my head back. I let out a surprised yell as I lost my balance and landed hard on my tailbone on the showroom floor.

Skeletor was hovering over me again. Her hands reached down and for one crazy instant I thought she was going to choke me. Then I realized she was headed towards my dress.

My fight or flight instinct kicked in. With her fingertips barely a hair’s breath away from the dress, I grabbed her wrist and turned with all my might. She screamed and then did something I never expected any refine Southern lady to do:

She bit me.

I yelled out a string of cusswords. Desperate to get the barracuda’s teeth out of my hand, I reached around and yanked the blonde pony tail. Her head swung back, I saw her eyes water in pain. Even so, she grabbed my leg and twisted it at an unnatural angle.

In the melee, I lost grip of the dress. As I continued to struggle with the Paris Hilton lookalike, I saw Leighanne and the girl’s mom head towards the dress at the same time. Leighanne got their first and scooped it up. She backed up slowly.

“Is there a problem here?”

It was Candace. I wanted to smack her. What did it look like? I let go of the girl’s pony tail; she let go of my leg. I stood up; my leg protested.

“She attacked me,” the girl wailed. I looked at her incredulously.

“She attacked me, first,” I corrected.

“That’s my dress!” she yelled.

“No, it’s my dress!”

“Ladies, ladies,” Candace said. “There’s no need to fight.”

“Candace, I was in here last week. That’s my dress,” the girl said. Her lip overextended in a horrible pout.

“In all honesty Ms. Garber, you just tried it on last week.”

“So?”

I folded my arms; I just wanted to get out of here. Leighanne had disappeared with my dress. While Candace talked with “Ms. Garber,” the piranha, I snuck away.

Leighanne was waiting at the counter. Another girl was carefully bagging up my dress.

“Just whip out your credit card and that dress is yours,” she whispered. I smiled.

“Good thinking.”

With a slid of the card and receipt and bag in hand, the dress was mine. Unfortunately we had to walk by the girl and her mother on the way to the door. She freaked out the moment she saw me. I quickly waved to Candace.

“Thanks for the help!”

Leighanne and I couldn’t help but laugh when we got out the door. I had some puncture wounds on my hand and a pulled muscle in the back of my leg, but it was all for a good cause.

I had the dress.