Hanging By a Moment

I was wearing my black party dress. It was strapless, but still appropriate and sophisticated—more so for my age. It ended just before my knees, showing my pale legs off, just what I needed. Note the sarcasm. I had red hair, and with red hair you don’t tan. You also become blessed with an infinite amount of freckles covering every inch of your body. Mine plastered my face, shoulders, and arms. I despised them as they made me appear to be Pippy Long-stocking.

“Are you ready?” My mother came to my bedroom door and looked in. “Cute,” she said looking at my dress.

“Mom, I wear this at every formal event.”

“I know, and that is because it is a fits-all-events dress.”

My mother’s blonde locks were piled on her head, coming out in small and curly wisps here and there. She wore just the right amount of light pink blush and a lipstick to match it. Her dark-green eyes shined like mine, the only thing similar about us. I had gotten my red-hair gene from my grandma on my dad’s side.

“Let me curl your hair really quick,” she said leading me to my bathroom, her heels clacking as her red dress swished back and forth.

She plugged in the three-fourths inch curling iron and once it was heated up, she curled my red hair in a hurry. The dinner party started at seven o’clock and it was already six-thirty. We needed to get going. To be “fashionably late” would instead be unacceptable since it wasn’t prom or a party thrown by rowdy teenagers.

Once she finished doing my hair I took half up, the other half down, and pinned the rest forming a small bump on my head. Not like Snooki’s obnoxious bump from Jersey Shore—but more simple and pretty. It wouldn’t distract you.

“Let’s go,” she said, and we left our cheap apartment and drove to the Ashworth Mansion.



“This is his house?” I asked in a disbelieving tone as we pulled in the stoned driveway.
In the center of it was a round circle of landscaping—mulch and shrubs, with a bronze water fountain in the middle of it all. A steady stream of water was piling into the last bowl on the bottom. Cars were parked on each side of the house. My mother took a free space in her black jeep next to someone’s red Porsche. Talk about expensive.

We got out of the car and walked around it to the pathway to the front door, palm trees on each side of the pathway. They swayed in the cool summer’s breeze. A chill ran up my spine—the good kind.

The house was beautiful from the outside, so I knew that it would be even better in the inside. The house appeared to be a Tuscan villa on the outside. And to be honest it was the most extravagant house I had ever seen being I had never been to that side of town. Once my father died my mom had no money to support us, so she moved us into an apartment. She wouldn’t take help from my rich grandparents.

You could say I was nervous as my mother rang the doorbell. Ding dong was exclaimed through the entire house in a high soprano. I was nervous in case I hated him. My mom had said he was a good match, but she could’ve been lying. Well, I thought, at least I’ll get to go to college. I’m not sure that sounds that great though considering I could get into a loveless marriage. The ups and downs of life… I sighed as a woman, the maid, appeared behind the door, her tiny form showing through the blurred glass before the door had been opened.

“Hello and welcome,” she said and I stepped in along with my mother. I glanced around as the woman walked away.

The floors were marble, stretching out through the opened-floor plan house. Two rounded staircases greeted you as soon as you came in. They met up once you walked up to the second level. I wondered what it would be like to live in a house as grand as that. Wait a second, I thought, will I be living in this house after marriage?

A couple interrupted my thoughts, as they stepped in front of my mother and me.
“Katherine!” The woman said to my mom. “So glad you could come!”

My mother smiled at her. “It’s so great to you see you Therese! Nice to see you as well, Michael,” she said looking at the man appearing to be in his fifties. I was guessing they were Landon’s parents.

My mother and Landon’s mother did one of those “kiss-kiss, dahling” gestures and I stood at the side awkwardly.

“You must be Harley!” Therese exclaimed, taking my hands and looking me over after she pulled me in for a hug. One thing I hated was when people hugged me that I didn’t even know. Can you say awkward? “You’re so pretty! Your grandmother wasn’t lying. You look so much alike.”

I nodded and smiled politely.

“Well,” Therese said, clapping her hands together as her husband stood at her side—quiet. “We should introduce you to Landon. But your mother and I need to catch up, don’t we?” Therese turned to my mother and my mother responded with a nod. Therese and Michael hurried off into the dining room with my mother and I stood there. Alone.

I turned to my left and walked, unsure of where I was going. I came to a formal living room. People nodded at me as I passed and I returned their acknowledgment with a tight smile.
I searched for a bathroom, as I had a sudden urge to go. I walked out of the living room and into a kitchen, chiefs bustling around preparing fancy dishes that I wouldn’t even be able to pronounce the names of. I quickly got out of there and explored a long hallway. There were doors and entry ways on each said. I glanced in each one. Nada. Where the hell is the bathroom? I asked myself.

I came to the dining room entry way and looked in, seeing my mother with a glass of champagne in her hand in the middle of a cluster of people all joining in a toast. Hopefully not to my marriage. I sighed and went to the foyer, ascending the grand staircase. My hand glazed the rail as I raised a foot. There were about twenty-five steps. What a workout.

When I reached the second floor I looked around and walked to my right and tapped on a dark-stained door. I opened it and it was a hall closet. Wow. I moved onto the next door, my flats making no noise on the carpet. I tapped quickly, expecting nothing. But when I opened the door a young and attractive man looked from a book in his lap to me.

I struggled to speak. “Um… I’m looking for a bathroom,” I said it like a question.

He just stared at me as a girl stepped out of the bathroom to his left. I was oblivious to her as I gazed at him. I guessed he was Landon. He had light-brown shaggy hair. He had blue eyes that twinkled when he smiled. He had a heart-shaped face like me. And I was making assumptions that under his button up shirt he had an amazing body. Overall, my mom was right. He was attractive.

“Ahem,” the blonde cleared her throat. My hand rested on the round doorknob as I was about to close the door but she stopped me.

“Is this her?” She asked.

“She has the freckles,” he noted, smirking at me causing me to shrink down a little.

“Are you Harley?” She spat my name out as if she were saying the name of an STD.

“Yes,” I said standing up straight. “Is there a problem?” I wasn’t afraid of the platinum blonde—which her hair was obviously dyed… badly.

She scowled. “Yes. Landon here is my boyfriend. And your fiancé.”

Uh-oh, I thought. No one warned me about this.

I heard soft footsteps on the carpet behind me. I swiveled around and there was Therese, narrowing her eyes. “Everything okay?” She asked putting her arms around my waist like we were the best of friends.

“Yeah, mom,” Landon said.

“Oh, Arianna,” Therese said in a tone of distaste. “I didn’t know you were here! Would you like for me to make you a plate of food before you go?” So Therese was kicking Arianna out.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she growled, clearly not thankful. “Call me,” she ordered Landon as she left the room, knocking into my shoulder angrily.

Landon set down his book. I looked down at the title. “POEMS BY PAUL VERLAINE” it read in bold in all capital letters.

“Harley, you can hangout up here with Landon, right? You two get to know each other, okay?” She posed her words like a question, but you could tell they were orders—more discreet then Arianna’s.