One Year of You and I

December 14th

Saturday, December 14th, 2013

Holly

  I swallowed hard as I walked into the kitchen. 

  There was Olive, sitting at the island, reading a magazine. The window above the kitchen counter displayed frost, the trees in the backyard swaying back and forth in the wind. I made my way to the pantry, grabbing a granola bar and taking a bite. 

 The house was quiet. Our mother had gone out with a friend to do some shopping downtown. Overhearing the conversation she had had on the phone, her friend has described it as “Prescribed Binge-Buying”. My mother always had loved spending money on clothing, and seeing her finally excited about something had made me grin from ear to ear. 

  I leaned against the island and looked at my sister. She put her magazine down and met my gaze, grinning at me with her perfectly straight teeth. “What’s up?” She asked me.

  I shrugged my shoulders, though I knew fully what I wanted. “I was wondering if you wanted to do something.” 

  She leaned her head in her hands, nodding her head enthusiastically. “Sure! Did you have anything in mind?”  

  I let my eyes wander around the kitchen. “We could watch a movie, go for a walk, go shopping...” 

  When my eyes landed back on Olive, her jaw had dropped and her eyebrows had raised. “Excuse me, but you can’t be my sister. Holly Hardison offering to go shopping?” 

  See, Olive was like my mother in the way that she lived for walking through stores and trying on shoes or modeling handbags and sunglasses. If you sent the two off to the mall with a gift card, they would be gone for hours. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stand doing so. I found no joy in walking through crowded shops for hours upon end, looking at clothing whose amount were way out of my price range. Since I had been a young girl I had been this way, leaving for me to wait for birthday’s and Christmas time in order to receive new clothing.

  What changed this? The dance. The dance that Luke had invited me to proved to be only a week away. He had described it to be more of a formal event. It was at this that I had realized that I owned nothing that suited such. Once again, I was more of a sweaters-and-jeans kind of girl. Ballroom gowns had never made their way into my wardrobe. 

  I let out a laugh. “I must have eaten something that had gone bad this morning,” I told her. “What do you think though?” 

  She stood up from her seat. “You know me,” She pointed out, “I can never say no to shopping. What are you thinking of getting?”

  Unable to look at her, I glanced shyly at the ground. “A dress.” 

  Olive made her way to me and placed the back of her hand on my forehead, her other on her hip. She let out an over-dramatic gasp. Looking up at her shocked face, she questioned, “Who are you and what have you done with Holly?” 

  Before I had the chance to respond, she let out an actual gasp. “You’re going to the Orchid dance, aren’t you?” 

  I gave her my own shocked look. “How the hell did you know that?” 

  She offered me a satisfied grin, crossing her arms happily. “I have a few friend’s-of-friends at Orchid. Some guy invited me, but you know how Sammy is my number one.”

  Leave it for all boys to me at Olive’s heels. Nevertheless, her and Sammy had had many dates making up for the one that had been ruined. He had dinner with us a few times and so far seemed to seem sweet. Olive found herself extremely happy simply being by his side, a never-ending smile on her face.