Short Hair and a Good Date [finished]

Marie is getting dressed for an event she is attending and she is nervous. Her hair is short, but she wishes it wasn't. She tries to love it, though. "love what you have," She thinks.

Marie’s hair was short. She was sad because she always thought she wanted it short but she had cut it one inch too short. She had z-shaped curls in an afro that wasn’t so thick. She couldn’t put her hair in a ponytail without using a zillion pins which also made her sad. This did, however, give her an excuse to buy some bedazzled and gemstone clips with horses and butterflies on them, though. She loves those. 

Marie’s hair went down to the middle of her neck when wet. She got it wet and parted it about a millimeter to the right of her widow's peak at the top of her head. Marie let her hair air dry because she was running late. She put on her red shirt with tiny yellow flowers -- maybe sunflowers or lilies--all over it and it had ruffle shoulders. There was this lovely jean dress with half-inch sleeves that she recently bought. Marie always wanted it. So, she saved up her money and bought it. Marie slipped it over her head and then dug through her drawer for her thick white leggings. It took three minutes to put them on; she had thick thighs so it took some time. Her black dress was sitting comfortably on a hanger in her closet. She sighed. 

“Another time, black dress. Another time,” she said with a smile. Her hands began to tremble. Her nerves ran wild and...I would be an awful third party telling you this story if I didn’t tell you what she was doing. Marie, sweet sweet Marie was getting ready for a date! 

Marie is getting ready to meet a date she met online. She was nervous and scared. What if they think I’m weird? Marie thought. She continued getting ready and pinned her hair back as it fell on top of her head parted to the side. Marie went to a drawer in her room and grabbed the horse pin and clipped it on the left side of her head above her eye. Marie put some pink lip balm on that tasted and smelled like strawberries. It also tinted her colorless lips pink. She smiled in the mirror for only but a moment. 

She put her phone, wallet, lip balm, and book in her white purse with butterflies all over it. Marie put on perfume that smelled like lavender. It made her calm. She took a deep breath and dashed out of her home with her keys in hand. Marie hopped in her little blue beetle car. She plugged in her phone to the GPS and typed in the address to the diner. The sun began to go down as Marie drove past the condominiums and houses down the street. Marie was pleasantly surprised to find out that she only lived ten minutes away from the diner. Wow! Ten minutes? How have I never been here before? She wondered happily. Country music filled the silence in her car. She didn’t blast the volume, it was low, and she felt happy and calm. 

When she got to the diner, she pulled in and parked her car. Marie looked in her rearview mirror, forgetting about the mirror above her head. “You ready?” She asked herself. 

Marie took a deep breath, got out of her car with her purse on her left shoulder, and went to the front door. The moment she opened it she could smell the waft of fresh bread and salad dressing. An unusual combination for sure, she thought, but she also enjoyed it. Marie went to the front and said she was here for a date with a woman and that she was late. The woman named Adri smiled and led her to her table. “Here you are,” Adri said cheerfully and with a smile.

Marie smiled back at her. “Thank you so much, Miss. Adri,”. 

Adri nodded with a smile and walked away. Marie sat down and in front of her was a beautiful woman, unlike anyone Marie had ever seen. 

“Hi, I’m Annabelle,” Annabelle said with a smile. Her curly frizzy red hair was pinned back in a half up half down hairstyle and her curly front bangs popping out to make an appearance on this lovely evening. She wore a similar outfit to Marie except Annabelle was wearing a jean dress, leggings, and nice white shoes. What a coincidence, huh? Marie thought. 

Marie stood right in front of her chair. “H-hi, Annabelle. My name is Marie,” Marie said nervously. She reached out her hand and Annabelle grasped it with one hand, standing up slowly, then put her other hand over Marie’s. 

“What a beautiful name. It’s lovely to meet you, Marie,” Annabelle said flashing her a smile with her blue and green braces. 

Marie smiled “Likewise.” They both sat down and for a moment there was silence. As Annabelle sat down, she released Marie's hand from her grip and Marie placed them at the edge of the table. 

Marie smiled. “I love your braces,”

“Why thank you,” Annabelle said. 

Marie took a nervous deep breath. “Woah,” Marie said by accident. Annabelle looked up at the immediate regret-filled look on Marie’s face. 

“What’s wrong? You sound anxious,”

“I-I am, actually. Full disclosure,” Marie giggled then took a deep breath. “I’m just having a good time. Here. With you,” Marie said with a smile. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her lap. 

“Wow! I'm glad to hear that. I know it just started, but I think our date is going well. Some dates you can tell won’t go well right at the very beginning,” Annabelle said with a smile. 

Marie took a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that,” Marie said with a smile. There were coasters on the table. Salt and pepper on the edge of the table against the wall and the ketchup was turned. The menus were sitting on the table so Marie and Annabelle both had a look at them. 

~A moment of silence passed~

“Annabelle, d-do you think this restaurant has vegetarian options? Like a veggie part of the menu?” Marie asked, looking up at her. 

Annabelle looked at her and dropped her menu slightly. She laughed. “Marie, this is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant. On your profile, you said you were almost vegetarian and your goal was to go vegan, so that’s why I chose a diner with those options,” 

Marie’s eyes went wide. “Oh!” She giggled, which Annabelle enjoyed, and smiled at her. “I see. I see! Okay, s- Okay. Thank you!” Marie exclaimed, breathlessly. 

Annabelle smiled wide. “Hmm, did you know I’ve been here before?” 

Marie put down her menu. “What? You have? Oh, no!”

Annabelle looked confused. “Why ‘Oh no!’?

Marie smiled. “You’re familiar with this place. It’s...it is quite new to me,” She said with a giggle, a nervous one and Annabelle caught that. 

Annabelle laughed. “Should I pretend?” 

“Yes!” Marie exclaimed, opening her menu dramatically. 

Annabelle let out a big laugh. “Ok! I’ll do my best...my best acting. It’s good practice as I do want to be an actress,” Annabelle smiled, speaking dramatically. 

Marie’s eyes widened. “Beautiful! I can’t wait to hear more about that!” 

Annabelle giggled, happy--ecstatic, really--that Marie showed an interest in her career that is shat upon by most humans she knew. 

“Wow! They have water here! This is a fancy new place!” Annabelle exclaimed. That made Marie, quite literally, laugh out loud. 

“I can’t believe this! And they give us forks, too! Oh, and knives? Wow!” Marie exclaimed. 

They both laughed and said, “And spoons!!” They couldn’t stop laughing at what they were saying when suddenly, the waitress, Adri appeared. 

“Hello, ladies. Have you decided what you would like?” Adri asked, her hands clasped together softly as she darted her eyes from Marie to Annabelle and back to Marie. 

Marie froze. “Oh! Oh no, not yet for me,” She peered over at Annabelle, and then she hid behind her menu, smiling at Annabelle. 

Annabelle’s eyes went wide and she hid behind her menu as well, giggly. “May we have another moment to decide?” 

“Absolutely. And apologies for not asking which beverage you wanted so beverages besides wine are on the house tonight. Would you like anything to drink?”

Marie smiled. “Thank you so much! May I have some root beer? Oh! With ice?”

“Mhm,” Adri said, scribbling on a little notepad she took out of her pocket. 

“Do you have root beer floats?” Annabelle asked. Adri nodded. “Can we have two?” Annabelle asked, looking at Marie who’s eyes widened. 

“Can we cancel the root beer please?” Marie asked and Adri nodded at her. 

“Will that be all?” Adri asked. Marie nodded and Adri walked away promising they’ll be here shortly. 

After Adri walked away, Annabelle smirked and leaned into the table like she was telling a secret. 

“Oh my gosh! Marie, we are the worst, the absolute worst guests!” She exclaimed in a whisper. 

Marie smiled and leaned in. “Well, we are new!” She exclaimed in a whisper as well. Annabelle laughed out loud. 

They calmed down.  “I saw you liked root beer on your profile, too, so that’s why I ordered it,” Annabelle said. 

Marie’s eyes went wide. “Woah! You have a great memory,” She exclaimed quietly. 

They both smiled at each other and began looking at the menu. “Do you see anything hot on here?” Marie asked. Annabelle looked up, straight into Marie’s eyes, and Marie realized she must have been confused. “Like, with jalapeños or hot sauce? On the menu, I mean, sorry,” 

Annabelle’s eyes lit up and she laughed. “Well…” Annabelle flipped the page of her menu. “Aha! On page three there is a section on hot foods. Oh! and they show the levels of hot which is pretty cool! How hot can you handle?” She giggled, dropping her menu to the table. Annabelle was quite the silly specimen. 

“That is cool! Thanks. I can handle just a… just a little taste,” Marie replied. 

“I see a jalapeño salad with lots of greens. Do you want that?” Annabelle asked her menu back in her hands and in front of her face. She was being quite helpful and Marie appreciated that. 

“Sounds yummy! But, I'm going to keep on searching and I shall come back to it,” Marie said and Annabelle nodded. “What are you going to get?” Marie asked. 

Annabelle sighed. “I don’t know but I want to try something new,” Marie looked up. 

“Gasp! Me too!” Marie said, shocked. 

“Oh my gosh, we are like twins!” Annabelle exclaimed. 

Marie laughed. “What about the meatless sandwich?” 

“Hmm, what’s on it? What page are you on?”

“One,” Marie said. She waited until Annabelle found the page. “Lots of greens. Looks like arrúgalo, lettuce, kale, honey mustard, tomatoes. All on a whole grain gluten-free bun!” Marie exclaimed. 

“Hmm. That is new for me. So-” Annabelle trailed off. It was silent for a moment. She looked at page one of the menu for a moment. “Hmm. I’ll take it!” Annabelle exclaimed with her index finger in the air. She was quite excited like she was buying a car. 

Marie smiled. “Okay. It’s settled! Meatless burger and jalapeño salad!” 

Annabelle nodded. “It is settled!” 

Adri walked up with the root beer floats. “My apologies for taking a little time.” She placed one by Marie and one by Annabelle, who smiled real big. “Here are your floats. Are we ready to order?” She asked with a smile. She took out her little notebook from her pocket. 

Marie and Annabelle gave Adri their orders and she said they’d be ready soon. Adri took their menus. 

“Thank you!” Marie and Annabelle said simultaneously. 

Adri came back a few minutes later with ice-cold waters. “There you are,” She said, placing down coasters for their waters. 

“Mm,” Annabelle said as she placed down the glasses with condensation on the sides.

Adri walked away with the plate that once held the waters. Annabelle smiled at her as she walked away.

“What should we talk about?” Annabelle asked. 

“Hobbies?” Offered Marie taking a sip of her water. 

“I like that!” Annabelle said jumping up from her seat. “Ok,” she gulped. “I like drawing and painting. What about you?”

“What do you paint?” Marie asked. 

“I like to paint flowers and butterflies. Sometimes worms,” Marie’s eyes grew big. 

“I love worms. I once met a worm,” 

Annabelle smiled wide, her eyes crinkling at the sides. “Yeah? That is so cool! What an honor! Tell me about the worm?” 

Marie took another sip of water. “Ok. so, her name was Cynthia and I met her at a park. She was laying out in the sun. I took a video of her.”

“Wow!”

Marie’s cheeks got flushed. “I-I can take you there someday maybe. They also sell ice cream,” 

Annabelle giggled. “Already planning out on a second date, hmm?” 

Marie was nervous. “M-maybe?” 

Annabelle laughed. 

“Um, I meant to ask you...um…”

“Yeah?” Annabelle asked patiently, drinking her water. 

Marie took a deep breath. “Wow! I'm in awe of you...you draw! Um, I’d love to see them someday. I love art and nature,” Marie giggled. 

“I’m so glad you do and I’d love to show them to you!” Annabelle exclaimed. 

Marie smiled. “Wow! Thank you, Annabelle. That is very kind!” Marie exclaimed. 

“What do you like to do?” Annabelle asked. 

“I like to read and write,” Marie nodded and Annabelle smiled softly. 

“Now that is amazing! What do you write?” Annabelle asked, putting her hands under her chin and her elbows on the table. She leaned in and Marie got nervous again. 

“Oh! Uh...stories. Love stories that I've never experienced and that I've felt, for a long time, that I'll never have; ones that just don’t belong to me. They’re perfect and innocent and beautiful,” Annabelle was smiling cheek to cheek as if she could tell the future that ‘Yes, Marie. You’re going to have that kind of a fairytale’. 

“Wow!” Annabelle exclaimed. “We are some beautiful people, huh?” 

Marie smiled. “I’m working on seeing myself as such and it is hard but my heart is full when you say this. Yes, yes we are,” 

Annabelle reached over the table and placed her hand on Marie’s hand. She put a hand messily on Marie’s right cheek, her elbow on the table, and looked into Marie’s eyes. Marie smiled at Annabelle for what seemed like an eternity until a voice slowly crept in, knowing the softness of the ‘Marie and Annabelle’ moment they were walking into. 

“Hello,” Adri said softly. Marie looked up but she and Annabelle didn’t let go of each other. They didn’t even flinch. Their hands warm in each other’s clutches. “Hi!” Exclaimed Marie. 

Marie took a swig of her root beer float and looked at Annabelle as if to say ‘HOLY CRAP THIS TASTES AMAZING!!’

“Here are your meals. The meatless burger, aka The Nancy for Miss Annabelle,” Adri said, placing the burger plate down in front of Annabelle. 

“Thank you!” Annabelle said smiling. She rubbed her hands together excitedly. 

“And here is the jalapeño salad, aka The Zinger for Miss Marie,” Adri said, placing the meal plate down in front of Marie. Marie smiled. Her mouth was watering. “Enjoy ladies!”

“Thank you!” Marie and Annabelle said with a smile. 

“Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll check in soon,” Adri said, then she walked away. 

Marie and Annabelle began eating. “How is it?” Asked Annabelle, taking a sip of her root beer float. 

“So….good!” Marie exclaimed. “How is your burger?”

“So lovely and light even though there’s like eight toppings,” Annabelle laughed. 

They let themselves eat with minimal talking as they were both hungry. 

“What was the happiest thing that happened to you? Or what was the happiest thing that you did?” Annabelle asked. 

“Agreeing to come on this date and meeting you and being her. The moment is still here. The happy moment is still happening,” 

Annabelle's eyes went wide and she began to feel nervous. She said she felt the same way and she told Marie that. After the date, they both walked out holding hands. 

Outside of the restaurant, Marie and Annabelle stood, hand in hand. It was now very dark and windy. Marie was looking into Annabelle's eyes when Annabelle cupped Marie’s cheek and put a foot up like they do in romantic comedies. Except this was no film, this was real life. Annabelle leaned in and she kissed Marie. Marie couldn't believe this wasn't a dream. After all, she was kissing a girl for the first time and a kind one. Annabelle pulled away slowly and the cold wind cut through them. Her eyes were locked on Marie's, a hand to the back of her head. “Is that strawberry on your lips?” Annabelle asked with a soft smile. 

~Fin~ 

Epilogue: 

You may be wondering who I am and if I am a reliable narrator. After all, I know some of Marie’s and Annabelle’s thoughts and worries. Who am I? Well, it has been three years since that first date night--but again--who am I? Well, I am the girl Marie went on the date with. I am Annabelle Fitzpatrick. I am... Marie’s wife.

Author's Note

How do you like the story? Let me know, please :).

Reviews

[Vertigo Cat1111]

Awww, I just love this so far! The tension between the two is written so well in such a rare way and I adored how you started off the story on the note about her hair. We really get a feel on the character already, her insecurities and plus appearance. And even though the date is so sweet I loved how you added a tinge of that first date awkwardness and nerves. I’d love to read more of your work and will definitely will be reading more! This was written so well and I really applaud you for not only writing it but having the courage to put it out, something that many critics forget is hard, being brave enough to share your work, when your putting yourself under potential scrutiny. But I’m here to tell you this was brilliantly and adorably written and caught me hook, line and sinker with those first few lines and your certainly gonna be pulling other readers in with your charming way of writing. Stay safe and have a wonderful day/night!

[angel frankie]

Thank you so much! yes, it was super scary putting this up and I'm still scared like "what if this is trash and people hate it?" but oh your comment really just makes me so happy! I'm glad you enjoyed it! more is coming soon :,) much appreciation to you

[Vertigo Cat1111]

It was my pleasure! I know it’s hard to post these things, but just remember as long as you enjoy it and think it a good that’s all that matters. But I really did love it!

[angel frankie]

Thank you so so much! I adore writing and I'm so happy to post them here, even if I'm real nervous and anxious to. thanks oh so much for being kind to me. Posting an update in like 3 minutes :) hope you enjoy! ^^

[Adriana]

This is lovely! I loved how you took us through her rational but clever decision on wardrobe and how they almost wore the same thing. They seem perfect for each other as they giggle about the smallest things. Keep writing you’re doing a wonderful job!