The Price of Loving You

The Recital (c2)

You know that feeling of a deep sleep that you wake up to in the morning as the sun shines brightly against your eye lids but you refuse to get up, in thinking that if you lay there long enough you will fall back asleep?  That feeling is exactly what I felt as I snuggled deeper into my covers, my hair disheveled into a rats nest along my forehead. The cool morning air slipped through my unsealed comforter and tickled my toes as if a ghost were to be lashing ice cold air onto my bare skin. With a jump I jerked my knees to my chest, making sure to cover every inch of me that I had sworn before was covered. In the process I mumbled something incoherent into my pillow.

“What was that?”

A mocking tone had taken over my silence and with a groan I grudgingly flipped over. There, standing at the foot of my bed, with her hands folded over her chest and unpleased eyes, mother stood.

“Go away” My voice gave way as if I was a wild animal. To be honest deep down I was a little embarrassed at the sound of my groggy like tone, but then again I was just so tired I just laid there unstirred.

In one swift moment she gripped my covers and threw them on the floor. Cringing at the staggering coldness of my room I rolled out of bed, and like a ninja I was on my feet in an instant.

“15 minutes”

Without another word she was out of my room, my eyes glaring at her the entire time in aggravation. Throwing my comforter on my bed I walked over to my closet and took a hanger from the back rod.  Out of all the clothes I own, my mom decided THIS dress, that I didn’t even own before three days ago, was what I would be wearing to play all of my pieces in.  Staring at the ugly one shoulder bedazzled black dress I found myself slipping on, was like looking into a black hole.

  The gems that were embroidered along the hip curved into a giant treble clef in the rib area making it obvious just what I was auditioning for. It amazed me to think she even thought this dress would be ‘the one’.  Ironically enough, she found the mid-thigh silk cut dress rather attractive; as I would have thought she would have bellowed in disgust if I had ever picked it out.

Looking at myself in the mirror I looked as if I was going to a funeral. Laughing internally; the only funeral I was about to go to was mine, for the embarrassment of wearing this horrid dress in public!

After putting on the essential make up I needed and deodorant I pinned a few curls to the back of my head and let the rest fall where they may. I then grabbed my wallet, took a fifty out and stuffed it into my strapless and gave my bust one last push up before smoothing out the wrinkles that had appeared. Sighing heavily I stormed down the stairs.  ‘Welp, better get this over with’ I thought.

“Oh you look like such a lady!” My mother cheered from the island in the kitchen, where she sat dialing on her PDA.

Grimacing I walked to the door, slamming it after I had gone through and hopped into the car waiting out front for me.

“Good morning Lizzy” –Jerry, my limo driver, said as he stood with the opened ready door for me to climb in.

Smiling cheerfully I beamed my pearly whites at him and in a British accent replied-“Good morning jerry!”

Laughing lightly he shut my door shaking his head. This has been a constant thing of mine ever since he had become my driver.  Jerry was a five foot eleven black man with hair that over the years had slowly died grey.  His humble eyes featured his most wealthy companion with the scenario of the nice guy always finishing last. –Not this time Jerry!  His humble features are what made me choose him in the first place.  He wasn’t some prick who knew my family; no, he was more like a stranger. Back when I was seven my parents had decided I could pick the driver of my choice. …This was way back when, when my parents found out I had a skill for the piano and ultimately needed someone to watch after and drive to recitals.