Green Porcupine

My week with Tre was all too short, as usual. I was back at my apartment yet again. I pick up my mail and sit on the sofa and flip through it. Bill, bill, advertisement, bill, bank statement, advertisement, wedding invitation. I open the invitation first.

Jillian Thomas & James Atwood
Request the honor of your presence
At their wedding
On Saturday the fifth of November two thousand and five
Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort
78-6740 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

I pick up my phone and dial Jill's phone number. The phone rings twice before she picks it up. "Hello."

"Jilly baby!" I yell.

"Arnold?" she asks in a mocking tone.

"It's Bianca you moron. So Hawaii."

"Yeah, we didn't want a HUGE wedding, so we decided to tie the knot in Hawaii."

"That's awesome."

"You and Adie's dresses, I was thinking simple, you know a nice summer dress."

"Yeah, sounds great," I say, happy for my best friend.

"Oy, are you coming to Oakland anytime soon?"

"I can't, Tre just dragged me away for a whole week," I whine.

"So are you two getting pretty serious?" Jill asks, I can tell she was dying for gossip.

"I don't know," I murmur.
"Since you're not coming over here, what size are you so I can order your dress?" Jill says remembering her big day ahead.

"Three in dresses and seven in shoes," I mumble.

"Dear God child," she says in disbelief.

"I'm fucking dancer, I have to keep slim," I say, embarrassed.

"But for fuck's sake, I'm a size five and that's considered slim, you're anorexic," she complains

"So who's your flower girl?" I ask getting back on topic.

"Ramona and Estelle," she says happily. "And Joey and Jakob are going to usher them down the aisle. Oh and Frankito is the ring bearer."

"Awe that's so sweet. James has no problem that it's all your friend's children."

"Well, he's part of the gang, it's like if you and Tre were to get married, you have all the same friends," Jill explains.

"True. What about family?"

"My parents are coming, and his mother and brothers are coming," she says apathetically.

"What about his father?"

"Oh, his father left when he was a little kid, so yeah."

"Oh okay," I say, nodding.

"I have to go now, James just got home," Jill says as I hear James in the background.

"Bye," I say hanging up the phone.

***
About two weeks later there's a knock on my apartment door. I open the door and a UPS guy is standing with a fairly big box. "Sign," he says handing me the clipboard. I sign my name and take the box from him. I place the box on the kitchen counter and open it with a pair of scissors.

Bianca!
Here's your dress, does it fit? Good. I also sent Ramona's in here as you can see. The blue one is your's, the white one is her's (DUH!). Four more weeks! Yikes! I'm so excited! Well actually by the time you'll get this it will be in three weeks. Oh jeez so much to do before then (Hyper-ventilates). I just got my dress, it's so beautiful. It's a simple cotton ankle length, with a slit up to the knee. I mean, I didn't want to go all out with the frilly stuff especially since the wedding's out doors in Hawaii no less; I don't want sweat stains on my dress. I just thought of something; what if Frankito swallows the rings? You mind taking the flower girl dress to Ramona? Thanks, you're the best.
Jill

I pick up the phone and dial Lisea's number. "Hello."

"Hey Lisea, it's Bianca."

"Hey, I know this is short notice, but can you watch Ramona tonight?"

"Uh yeah," I say trying to remember the reason I was calling. "I just called to -" She cuts me off.

"Oh you're a life-saver, I have another date with Craig." She gibbers on then hangs up. I look over at the kitchen counter and realize I didn't tell her I got the dresses. Twenty minutes later Ramona is standing at my door.

"Hi Ramona, guess what I just got?" I say letting her into the apartment.

"I dunno," she says looking around the apartment.

"The dresses for Jill's wedding."

"Awesome, mine too?"

"Yeah," I say leading her into the kitchen where the box is lying. We take the dresses out of the box and she runs off the bathroom to try her's on. She comes out in a beautiful white summer dress with a blue sash around the waist. "Oh she also sent sandals," I say handing Ramona a pair of white flip-flops.

"Wow, I look awesome," she says looking herself over in the mirror. "Aren't you going to try your's on?"

"Oh, uh yeah," I say picking up the blue dress and flip-flops. I step out of the washroom and Ramona is in awe.

"You look awesome." I look in the mirror to see myself in a spaghetti strap dress the falls just bellow the knee and blue flip-flops.

"We should call Jill and tell her the dresses fit and we look awfully good in them," I say, laughing as I pick up the phone.

"Hello?" James's voice bellows out.

"Hello groom-to-be."

"Bianca?"

"Yeah, it's me, can I talk to bride-to be?" I ask.

"Uh, she's in the washroom, she should be out in a sec."

"So is she a total bridezilla?"

"Nah, she's pretty cool about the whole thing. Just the past week, she's been double checking everything like crazy," he says, chuckling. "Oh here she is."

"Hello?" Jill's voice asks.

"Jilly!" I yell a little too loud.

"Bianca!" she yells just as loud in order to mock me. "Did you get the dresses?"

"Yeah, me and Ramona just tried them on. Well actually we're still wearing them," I say laughing. I pass the phone to Ramona.

"We look slamin'!" she screeches happily. I put the phone back to my ear.

"So they look good?" Jill asks.

"Awesome."

"And the sandals?"

"Fit perfectly," I say, reassuring her.

"Okay good."

"You need to chill, Frankito won't swallow the rings, he prefers candy to solid gold," I say, mocking her letter.

"Yeah, yeah," she says, annoyed with my mocking. "Oh I'm so excited, I can't stand it!"

"Me too. I mean how often do you get to be a bridesmaid at your best friend's wedding," I joke. "And I'll get to see Tre."

"Hey no leaving my wedding early so you can have one testicled sex," she says laughing just as hard.

"Don't mock it!" I say laughing.

"What, no perverted jokes?" she asks evilly.

"I have plenty, but Ramona is standing right next to me."

"Oh sorry," she says embarrassed.

"Oh gotta go pizza's here!" I say as I hear a knocking at the door.

"Take off the dress before you go anywhere near that pizza!" she yells as I hang up.