ELIZA

CHAPTER ONE: PARTIES

"How could you?!" Barb was shouting at her man in the next room, and I was standing in the kitchen, hunched over, feeling guilty.

The last person invited to a surprise party on Barb's birthday had just left. And as soon as the front door was locked, my friend launched an attack on Tom, yelling he had no right to organize a party in her apartment without her knowing.

I was wondering if I should support him. After all, it was me who suggested a themed party. It seemed to me that if we were all dressed up as Disney characters, Barb would feel as a star, because she was the only one who wouldn't have to wear a silly costume. Unfortunately, I was wrong. She was angry because she was the only one who hadn't changed clothes. I took a deep breath as I leaned out of the kitchen.

"Barb," I started, unable to listen her scream. I walked towards her and Tom in my Tinkerbell Fairy costume, hitting my wings on the door frame. "You should be angry with me".

She didn't care about my opinion. They didn't even notice me, looking at one another with angry glances. As if I wasn't here at all.

"I need to talk to you too, but not now," finally she said to me. "You've known me for so long and you know I hate surprises."

"I know," I admitted. Even Tom knew about it, because I had disclosed it to him a month ago, and yet we did it anyway. I was ashamed to admit I had too much fun setting up the party to just cancel it. How selfish I was...

"I think you're exaggerating," Tom's voice was sad. "We meant well." 

He was dressed as a pirate, so I almost snorted with laughter at the thought the world had not yet seen such a repentant corsair. Fortunately, I was able to hold back.

"And you couldn't tell me, could you?!"

"We did," I said. After all, I myself told her a bit about our plans, but Barb didn't seem to listen to me.

"Yes, but you were saying some nonsense, that's why I thought that just you two would come to me! That we'd go to the cinema, or the pub together! You know what... I'm sick of you, I don't want to see you."

"Stop it," Tom snapped. "You behave like a five-year-old, and we're adults." 

In a pirate costume it was difficult to take his words seriously, which made even Barb smile involuntarily. Immediately after that, of course, she became serious again.

"I wanted to disguise too," she said finally, her voice bitter. I looked at her understandingly. So she was angry not about the surprise, but about the fact that she wanted to dress up too.

"I even have the princess costume I want to wear one day," she moaned, sniffling. "If only you had told me..."

I felt remorse again.

"I'm really sorry," I began regretfully, "I thought you wouldn't want to do it. Do you remember two years ago we went to a party where everyone was disguised as elves? You said the people were really stupid, they looked comical, and that you'd never wear something like that."

"Well, don't compare the disguises of an elf and a princess," my friend scolded me. "Just because I hate chocolate ice cream, doesn't mean I don't like fruit ice cream either."

She was right and it was hard to question her words. Both Tom and I once again apologized to "our Barb", which must have satisfied her, because after a while she started talking about our friends and their costumes. She talked about people who tried to please her, and who ignored her party and put on something old from the wardrobe.

I didn't want to upset her by telling her to be kinder to our friends. After all, what mattered was their presence, and that everyone (absolutely everyone) brought a gift. A costume from the rental shop cost money, so I wasn't surprised if someone couldn't afford to spend cash on a disguise. But well... Barb had money and she couldn't understand those who lacked it. But she had other advantages. For example, she couldn't be angry for long, and for that I was immensely grateful to her.