“So, where are you going tonight? “
Bridge asked on a Friday morning after the shift.
Mari looked up from her station. She
noticed the smile from Bridge’s face, teasing her. As if her Team Leader knew
that she was attending a fancy event later that evening. Bridge was tall with
shoulder length hair. She was slender and boyish but she was carefree and fun
to be with. Everybody from the team loved her and Mari was not an exception to
that. Bridge was the only person she confided her secrets but as much as she
wanted to tell her about the Ball invites, there’s something inside her wanted
to keep it to herself. It’s not that she didn't trust her, she just like the danger of knowing it alone.
“Oh! I’m just meeting a friend from
the province.” She said defensively.
But Bridge arched her eyebrows. She
knew Mari too well not to notice that she was lying. She knew that Mari is up
to something but she was also a friend and if Mari was not ready to tell her,
she respected that. She just wanted to assure her that she would be there when
Mari needed someone to talk to.
Bridge face broke in a genuine smile.
“Okay, just be careful.” She reached
out and touched Mari’s arm.
“Thank you Bridge.” Mari said.
On her way home, Mari hailed a cab and
chose to sit at the backseat of the vehicle. Her eyes drifted out of the
window, watching the sun mounted from the sky while the normal buzzing chaos of
the Metropolis began to take shape. Her mind was sewing the intricate web that
beguiled her for the past days. The phantom from the roof, the red rose and the
mysterious invitation she received and later on Tuesday, a huge box was left in
front of her apartment containing a perfectly tailored ball gown that hugged
her body like a second skin.
Then there was the cursive hand writing again.
A Gift… Kisses,V
Mari was mesmerized with the writing
and the more she stared at it, the more she wanted to get to know the person who
wrote it. She was so certain that it was the phantom she saw on the roof of the
neighbor’s house. But deep inside it was just her assumption. She wanted it to
be the phantom. She bent down to get the box on the floor and carried it inside
her apartment. The box wasn't that heavy but her heart was ready to explode
with excitement. When she finally opened the box, the one that took her breath
away was the color of the gown. It was crimson red. She brushed her fingers on
the surface of the fabric before pulling it out of the box.
From how it looks, the gown must have
been heavy. But Mari was thrilled to know that it was made out of light fabric.
Immediately, she ran to the bedroom to try it on. Undressing in haste and
carefully put the gown on with contained excitement. She couldn't imagine the
look on her face when she finally stood in front of the mirror gazing at her
reflection. The gown was strapless with
dotted crystal sequence elegantly embroidered in the front all the way to the
back. The waistline was perfectly fit accentuating her hourglass figure. From
the waist down, the floor length gown went on with the right amount of trail
ribboning on the back. Obviously it was a custom made gown only for her. But
how? The question formulated in her mind along with many others.
She carefully undressed the gown and
searched for the name tag. She covered her mouth with surprise when she found
who created the ball gown. Valentino.
With caution, she folded it nicely and
put it back in the box and set it aside. She stared at the note on top of the box
cover. The one who wrote it signed the initial “V”. That couldn't be Valentino
for sure, the thought of it made her laugh. But what was V stands for? Mari
walked back to the bed and sat on the edge thinking. A beautiful gown needs
equally beautiful shoes, she thought. She placed the note on top of the
invitation letter she received on her bed table.
The hunt for the shoes was a challenge
for her. Since she was a girl who could careless about fashion, she had no idea
what shoes was outdated or not. Let alone choosing the perfect shoes that could
match a ball gown fit for princess. The next two days was a series of shopping
spree for her, from Shoe Salon to Shoe-Mart Department store. She waited for the
Mall to open after her shift from work, though she didn't really know what she
was looking for, she needed to give it a try. In the cab on her way to
Greenbelt, she was considering if she should choose style over comfort or if
she could find both. Remembering what she read from the latest issue of
Cosmopolitan Magazine, it was written in there somewhere about buying shoes…
There’s something about trusting your gut. The fashion bible said that you’ll
feel it when you finally see it, like it is calling you. Mari smiled thinking
about it; probably it was the right time to prove how true the saying goes.
It was already 12-noon on Thursday and
Mari was determined to find her shoes. She was beginning to feel light headed
from sleepiness. After paying the cab driver, she went straight to Coffeebean and Tea Leaf for a caffeine
shot. She ordered a large Ice Blended Caramel coffee without whip. It took time
for the caffeine to kick in but she couldn't wait for it. She started walking
to the entrance of the mall. The moment she entered the establishment, a
spectacle of elegantly decorated windows from different high end boutiques greeted
her. Immediately, Mari felt a pang of excitement. There’s something about
boutiques and women, she thought. She went on window shopping at first, looking
at displayed shoes from the window outside. She went from store to store
gasping every time she saw a cute pair of stilettos. But Mari figured that she
couldn't really fashion a high heeled shoes, those shoes were only for girls
who have talent walking on it. She was afraid that if she pushed it, she would
end up injuring herself. She considered this thought as she continued to walk
while sipping her caramel coffee. She realized that it would be a deadly sin if
she chose to wear flat shoes with the crimson gown. She could imagine the
designer Valentino appearing before her and snatched the dress from her body.
The visual of Valentino and her in a tag of war for the gown made her laugh and
suddenly a woman who was walking towards her giving her a strange look.
Immediately she bit her lips and looked down as the woman passed her. She was
embarrassed for looking like a lunatic laughing alone. Mari pulled herself
together and went on her way. Feeling desperate for her lack of fashion
expertise, she was beginning to feel annoyed at herself. She was a young girl,
she should know these things.
Suddenly, a peculiar pull of gravity
made her looked on the window beside her. Mari held her breath as she stared at
the most exquisite pair of red stilettos inside the store. She couldn't figure
what the store was, in fact she didn't care. All she knew, the store sell
different designers shoes.
She saw her fainted reflection from
the window smiling.
Finally, she found her shoes.
To be continue...
