F.I.S.H. – 3.5 What Not to Wear

Melody had been dreading the night she agreed to go out with Presley and her college friends. On one hand, she knew she needed a break and kind of wanted one. But, on the other hand, it was too much. She had a limited amount of emotional energy each day, and a lot of days she ran on fumes. Each day, she got up, styled her hair, and put her makeup on. It took a lot of energy to put herself together, but it had to be done; she had to do something to make her feel good about herself. Melody barely left the house in general, but as of late she never did. She hadn’t even visited her parents. All she wanted to do was get her work done, deal with her kids, and go to bed; that’s all she had the energy for. But, Presley had been nagging her for months about meeting these friends; she couldn’t avoid them forever. So, she decided to suck it up and get it done.

The afternoon of the outing, she stood in her room trying on every piece of clothing trying to find a decent look. She loved clothes and looking pretty in them, but as of late, her confidence had plummeted in tandem with the ascent of the number on the scale. Something was wrong with every outfit: too busty; stomach pokes out; too much trunk. She sighed and fell backward on her bed in defeat. Calling and cancelling was what she really wanted to do, but she would only have to go through that humiliating process again some other time. So, she sat herself up, picked a dress she felt comfortable in, grabbed a cardigan, and put on her shoes. Sure, she looked frumpy, but she didn’t care. It’s not like she had to impress anyone. Despite what shape her marriage was in, she had a man and did not need to attract another.

When she arrived at Club State, the buzz from the bass met her at the door. It was the beginning of happy hour. She fixed herself for the thousandth time, took a deep breath, and went through the door. She was nervous about what these ladies would be like and what they would think of her. Presley always spoke very highly of them, but she had known them for years. And, they sounded like quite the lively crew. Melody had doubts about getting through this night with all her wits.

The ladies were sitting at the bar when Melody came in. Imani was in the middle of a story, so Presley waved excitedly when she spotted her lost friend. Melody smiled awkwardly and found a seat next to Dr. Hailee Smiley. Lakiesha was standing behind her. From what Melody could hear, Imani just had a baby. Apparently she was having a fling with a much younger man. Needless to say the fling was over, but the younger man just so happened to be the Malcolm Landgraab. Melody tuned in at the part when she was boasting about how the Landgraab family will take care of this child or else. If she’s single, Melody thought, who’s taking care of the baby right now?

She knew daycares and such existed, but she never had to use such services and couldn’t imagine leaving her children with someone she didn’t know. Either Imani was crazy or very brave, she thought. Shortly after the child support speech, Imani moved onto the “let me tell you how he is in bed” story. Melody tuned that one out.

The four women weren’t that much older than Melody, but they were old enough. Melody admired Imani’s tenacity. She was so fierce despite being in a terrible situation. And that dress. Melody used to wear dresses like that but wouldn’t dream of wearing them now. But there was Imani, who clearly had things to hide, wearing that dress like a boss. It gave her something to think about.

“Ahem…”

Someone in front of her demanded her attention. She looked up and saw Lakiesha staring at her like she was diseased.

“Melody?”

“Y-yes?”

“What in the world are you wearing?” She had an accent like people from the city. She must have been from Bridgeport.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry, sister, but you look like a grandmother.”

Her squeaky voice, the way her tongue put A’s where the ER’s should go, and her forwardness annoyed Melody. Before she could open her mouth to contest the woman’s insult, Lakiesha continued.

“Look, I know you’re having a hard time with your life and everything, and I’m sorry. But you came here to have fun, right? You’re not the only one with problems. We all got problems, ok? But when we go out, we leave all the problems at home! You put on your good clothes, put your makeup on, do ya hair, and look fierce! Not because you want attention but because you deserve it and it makes you feel good!” She took a breather to let her sermon sink in.

“Look, honey, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. But everyone can tell what you’ve been through. It’s written all over your sad face and frumpy clothes. Listen, don’t let strangers in your life that way. They don’t need to know your business! Ok? They don’t need to know you’ve gained a few pounds and you’re not comfortable with yourself. You got a cute face and a nice shape…heh, you’re doing better than most of the women in here!”

Melody looked around to see if she was right. There was Hailee sitting next to her whose style always baffled her. Behind her was a thin woman who was also bald and had the nerve to wear a baseball cap. Presley was perfect, Melody thought, and Imani was the most voluptuous of them all.

“See? You ain’t so bad, girl. Next time, you strut your stuff, ok? We’re gonna have fun and not think about our problems. It’s what we do!”

Melody saw how these women persuaded Presley to change her look. “Persuaded” was probably the nice way to put it. Although she didn’t appreciate her approach and wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Lakiesha, Melody understood what she was saying. It was part of the reason Presley had been trying to get her out of the house. When Melody had problems, she turned inward and didn’t let anyone in. The fact was she needed friends the most in those times. She needed friends who wouldn’t let her turn into the gloomy mess she had become. She knew all too well she needed it too, but she hadn’t found the energy or even the will to try.

Next thing she knew, she was being dragged onto the dance floor. Presley was smart and knew the chances of Melody joining them was slim. Although she was taken by surprise, Melody appreciated the gesture. She was going to need some catalyst to get her out of that seat. They danced, and Melody learned that Imani was one of those “talking dancers.” It was both annoying and hilarious at the same time.

“Woo! Yeah! Uh, uh, drop it like it’s hot. Drop it like it’s hot.”

“Go, grandma,” Lakiesha yelled to Melody. “You keep moving like that, no one will be looking at your clothes!”

“Leave her alone,” Presley said.

“Your friend here needs to learn to take a joke,” Lakiesha said.

“Go easy on her, ok? You’re gonna scare her away,” Presley said.

Melody remained quiet. She hoped that under less stimulating circumstances these women would be less annoying. How in the world did she end up with these two?

Lakiesha did leave Melody alone, and she began to enjoy herself a bit more.

A young man stepped to Lakiesha and wanted to dance. “Hello, my beautiful flower…come Cha Cha with me.”

She laughed. “Really? Is that all you’ve got?”

Yikes…she’s tough! No wonder she’s still single.