The Secret Singer

Chapter 10

She finally finds the dress she thinks is best and I put it on once she's left the room. It's a light blue, tight strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline that goes to just above my knees. Carrie's paired it with 4-inch designer heels that I know will give me blisters by the end of the night, and a white, flowy cardigan. I look at myself in my full length mirror and sigh. I know I look good, but I just can't get excited about this. I don't care about it; I'm not from this world. Admittedly, having money can be pretty great, but it's not what I want. A house full of chandeliers and grand rooms doesn't mean much to me if I can't fill it with the kind of love my old, modest house had.

I think about my dream as I walk downstairs, and can't help but compare my father from that memory to the person he is now. He's nowhere near as loving or dedicated to family as he was before. He used to be home from work at 6 pm on the dot, and now it's a miracle to see him before 10. When mom died a part of me died, and I know my father feels the same way, but it's like he just gave up. He married the she-witch a year after her death, and worked his way up in his law firm. He isn't my sweet daddy who'd dance with me for no reason, anymore. I can't even remember the last time I had a real talk with him that wasn't just a hello and a goodbye. Now he is father, and I'm not sure how to get back the man who made my mother fall in love all those years ago.

I reach the kitchen, where my father is reading a newspaper while drinking coffee, and Carrie is eating a mini fruit bowl while inspecting her nails. I shake my head, and go to Matt whose taking muffin trays out of the oven.

"Oh my God, please tell me those are the jumbo cinnamon muffins I love so much," I beg as I salivate over the smell of sugar and cinnamon goodness. Matt laughs.

"Yeah, I figured you needed some sustenance before you left. You've been whining about wanting these muffins for weeks, so I figured I'd give them to you before you went to the land where lettuce bowls are considered fattening." He tells me with a Cheshire cat smile. I grin and grab one of the muffins, biting a piece of the sugary crust before sitting at the table. I moan at the amazing flavors, and proceed to devour it.

"Honestly, Stephanie, you should take better care of your figure. You haven't even been running this week like you normally do to counteract all this food. No man wants a heavy girl, so you need to stop while you can." Carrie says.

I look at her with a defiant expression, and plop a big piece of muffin in my mouth. I chew extra loudly just to grate her nerves, and she shakes her head in disgust.

I look over at my father and I'm suprised to see him looking at me with an amused and nostalgic expression on his face. That's the first time in years I've seen him show any emotion. He comes over and kisses my forehead as I sit there stunned.

"You're just like your mother, baby girl." He says in a soft voice. I look at him with tears begging to brim out of my eyes. He gives me a small smile with pain filled eyes and walks away. I blink rapidly to get these dumb tears to go away, and see Carrie sitting with a hurt look on her face. She gets up, her fruit bowl barely touched, and walks away also. I stare at the door for a long time trying to figure out my dad's sudden emotional moment. Why wasn't he like this before? He just shut out the world when mom died, and tried to move on as quickly as possible, barely acknowledging his heartbroken daughter.

I shake my head and gather myself up to go get Amy. She won't want to be late, and there's no way I'm going to that dumb society without being completely put together. Those girls are voltures, and if I show any weakness they'll pounce.

***

Amy and I reach the society's building and I sigh as I give my keys to the valet. I don't want to be here, but I promised Amy to not let her go through this alone so I have to do this.