For Every Missing Shade

Entry 16

"Would it look better than anything here?" she still looked scarred from the other shirts.

"I think so. I'll just pick a good one."

"Okay," she said, "go change. Please brush your teeth and do your hair. We need to look good so we can fool these people."

I tried to look as amazing as Emma, but with no success. I was wearing ironed pants and a navy blue polo. I had more gel on my head than hair and I even had a mirrored pair of sunglasses draped over the buttons on my collar. I strutted down the stairs and was almost in my kitchen when I heard the noise of two voices instead of one.

I peeked my head around the wall of my kitchen, and Emma waved me into the room. She was sitting at our kitchen island, right across from none other than my mom.

My head almost exploded.

I scanned the ground for my running shoes so I could make a break for it.

"Israel, you never told me the girl you've been so friendly with was so pretty!" She cooed.

Emma acted bashfully. "Oh, stop, Mrs. Taylor, you're too nice. You should see me under all of this makeup, it's truly horrifying." she put her hand up to her mouth like she was telling a secret. "Luckily, your son hasn't taken me to the pool yet."

My mom erupted with laughter, and I laughed nervously alongside her.

Emma looked over at me. I motioned my head towards the door.

"Well, Mrs. Taylor, it was amazing to finally meet you. I hope it's not the last."

"Oh, honey, please. You are always welcome in this house, come back anytime. You two have fun out there. Fool them good!" She waved goodbye to us as we headed out the door.

Once we got outside, I turned to Emma. "So... that was my mom."

"Oh Israel, she's so nice! I mean, I'm usually good with parents because I've had to literally sell myself to some of them, but your mom is just so cool."

"Wow, we must have met different women. She's just constantly working, and it gets her so high strung that she can't have a stress-free conversation to save her life."

"Well maybe," she said as she swung her car door open, "you should be less stressful."

She played classical music and we tried to only talk in proper British accents. Emma put on a playlist of classical music as we fell into our fake characters for the day.

"Oh dahling," she said in a horribly over-worked British accent, "I must have forgotten to ring the butler and tell him I would be absent from the manor today."

"Ah, yes, I must also ring him. I left a crumpet in the oven, and I would be aghast to find the whole kitchen engulfed in flames upon my arrival back. The repairs would keep me from my yacht for at least a fortnight." I stuck my chin up when I said it.

"Shall we take these enormous logs out of our butts at some point so we can actually speak to people without driving them away?"

"Mmm, yes. I concur with you, Elizabeth."

"Alright, but seriously. We need to fake these people out, big-time."

I nodded in agreement as we pulled up to the gated community. The security guard looked at my car quizzically when I explained the nature of our visit, but let us through.

We drove through the neighborhood, following the signs that took us to the event. We stared with open mouths at mansions and laughed at the fact that my car was driving past them. It looked more than out of place with every house we drove past, each one getting more prominent than the last.