Morning. Running late for no good reason I can figure out. Do you ever have those days where you get up on time and do the same things yet somehow they each take slightly longer than usual and you end up running late with no real explanation. That’s today. I’m hoping it isn’t a trend that holds. So on with the day. Timers at the ready and off we go.
I have no idea where this story is going. I think once I figure that out I will click along with this character. There is something I find oddly likeable about her. I just need a story to put her into.
Wednesday, August 9th: She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail.
She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. She combed her scalp flat and then slipped the band on, twisting her hair through a couple of times before tugging the band tight against her head. Her long hair hung down behind her swaying with her movements.
It felt odd and far more casual than she usually wore it. But there were no hair pins to twist it into the habitual knot she wore on top of her head. She forgot to pack them. This would have to do.
She sighed, hating the break in routine and dressed in the outfit she deemed appropriate for the venue. It was not what she would have normally have worn, but she was told today would be a casual event and she wanted to comply as much as possible. The sundress was loose and cool, which she conceded would be a good choice with the heat. As they would be outside for the better part of the day, she could see the point. In her usual attire she would melt.
She cleared the dress with Catherine and was reasonably sure it was appropriate. Catherine had never been one for practical jokes of any kind so she felt confident that if she was told it was correct than it was correct.
Even if it felt strange.
The outfit was completed with some sandals and she considered herself dressed. The purse she chose for today, purchased for this occasion as nothing else she had went with the dress, was a larger woven straw bag. She saw many people carrying similar varieties when she checked into the hotel and felt good about that choice too.
She transferred her necessary items into the bag and added her room key. Then, despite the butterflies dancing in her belly, she left the room. She had always been uncomfortable with these sorts of gatherings and in truth rarely attended. She had been an only child with a single father for most of her childhood. It was only when she was in high school that her father remarried.
Her stepmother, Catherine, came with five children and a boisterous extended family. After the quiet of the house she and her father shared it was quite a shock, and one that she didn’t really have too much time to grow accustomed to before she went off to college and started life on her own.
The gatherings were held annually and although she attended a few when still in school, she never felt like she belonged and once on her own used work as an excuse not to attend. As the large scale gatherings were typically held in her busy season, it wasn’t hard to find an excuses.
However this time a special request was made. This event was special for reasons no one was sharing. She did not enjoy surprises. Even good ones left her feeling off balance and ill prepared.
Ten til Midnight 