Vivienne

Spotting her big handbag with the supplies she would need for her class, Denise sighed and grabbed her coned shaped bullet bra and snapped it in place, adjusting her small breasts to fit. “Whatever is working against me tonight, isn’t going to work.”  Denise told herself just as the shoulder strap on her bra snapped. “No problem.”  stretching over her bed, Denise opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out a very large set of scissors then cut the four connections making the garment strapless. “Fixed.”

Finally in her undergarments, Denise took the time to sit in front of her vanity and work on her hair and light toned makeup.  Unable to get the naturally straight hair that her mother had, Denise learned through the years of dealing with her mostly curly dusty-blonde hair that she could accentuate the curls and pin the rest back with bobby pins.

Denise had started dusting her face with a light powder when a sound much like screeching chalk on a board rippled through her room. “Ahhh!”  Denise yelped and jumped away from her mirror.  Scanning between the two curtained windows, the young woman realized quickly that it was a branch from the dogwood tree outside that had crossed the glass. 

Pulling her robe back on, Denise opened the curtain and lifted the shade to confirm her suspicion.  Gnarled like a crooked finger, the branch tapped and scraped the window between gusts of wind that had started while she was in the shower.  Tilting her head once more, Denise looked up and saw darker clouds than before. “Open…Awaken.”  Denise muttered trancelike until the tree tapped her window once more.

Jolting herself awake, Denise pressed her fingers to her temples then rubbed her eyes. “Just wake up…your mind just told you to wake up..”  Closing the shade and curtains, Denise finally saw the clock and nearly panicked.  Without any time left to waste, the young student first breezed through the rest of her makeup application and topped it off with a light red powdered lipstick.  “No more distractions.”  Denise commented as she pulled her stockings over her legs, careful to not get a run in them.  Jumping into her deep green dress, Denise wiggled and twisted herself until she got the small zipper to the top. “Whew.”  Denise leaned over in the mirror and flattened out the thin collar and adjusted the bow that was fastened to the upper left side, adding a bit of flare to the plain dress.  Happy with the outcome of the dress, Denise wrapped the cloth belt around her and tightened it so that it gave her a moderate hourglass from the hips up.  

Once again in front of the mirror, Denise turned to both sides and then to the front, making sure that the look was what she wanted.  Nibbling on her bottom lip for a moment, she snapped her fingers and ran to her closet and picked out a small beret that matched her belt. “There we go.”  Adjusting the small hat around to where she thought it looked best, Denise secured it with more bobby pins. “I wonder if this is how they look in France?”  Waving at herself like she was being silly, Denise slipped on her knit sweater and fastened the top button. 

Her look complete, Denise grabbed her art supplies and slipped her feet into her well worn low heeled Mary Janes then headed downstairs.

Lorraine met her daughter at the base of the stairs. “I thought you were going to bring down the house.”  She commented softly as she handed Denise the sandwich she had promised. “Keys are on the table, you drive safe.  Don’t worry about your dad, just get in before midnight.”  She winked, “Have a little fun.”

Denise kissed her mother on the cheek as she slipped on her form fitting light brown leather gloves. “I’m a little jumpy tonight, Mother.”  She took the sandwich and smiled. “Dropping the soap was the start of it all…I’m alright though.”

“Maybe it’s a sign for you to stay home tonight, dear.”  Lorraine shifted her weight to her right side, “I mean the fog is getting thicker outside too.”  She rubbed her own arms, “Nights like this give me the creeps.”  Lorraine walked up and fitted the beret on Denise’s head. “I do like the look, trying to get a date?”

Sighing once before she grabbed the keys, Denise shook her head. “No. I haven't met anyone I would like to have dinner with.”  She patted her art bag. “If I have the chance, I am going to make a scene of the Crater where we had a picnic years ago.”

“That was a fine day.”  Lorraine tucked a loose strand of hair behind Denise’s ear. “I suppose it will go with the others in the barn?”

Denise shrugged and opened the door, “It could go up in the house.”

“Drive safe, dear.”  Lorraine commented as the door closed.

Skipping lightly through the loose rocks of the driveway, Denise made her way to the powder blue car her father had recently purchased.  Pushing the key into the lock, Denise happened to look up and see her father watching her from the open barn door.  Sending and receiving a wave, Denise quickly opened the heavy door and scooted into the driver’s side. “Sheesh, dad.  I’m not going to wreck the car.”  Denise muttered and placed her art bag on the passenger side floorboard.

Moments later, Denise had the big Bel-Aire in reverse and made a quick turn in the gravel before heading down the lane to the edge of the road.  Denise looked both ways through the thickening fog, then raised one of her shapely eyebrows when she noticed her father was no longer at the door watching.  Pressing hard on the accelerator, Denise felt the power of the engine rise quickly then the car lurch quickly forward first tossing rocks then squealing the tires when the rubber hit the road. “I’ll hear about that later, but I don’t care.”  Denise’s wiry smile crossed her lips and she turned on the small radio in the car.