The Show Goes On

Bridesmaid's Loaded Friday

Naomi was very meticulous about the wedding. A month before, Hildy, Brandi and some other women Brandi didn't know had to go to a Greek tailor in uptown Westchester to be fitted for bridesmaid dresses. Upon her insistence, they were also supposed to help Naomi pick out a wedding dress. Brandi thought it was strange that the wedding was only a month and a half after Jordan proposed. But then, she thought, most people who had to wait waited because of the lack of money. Jordan wasn't in that situation. Not even close.
In the taxi ride over to the tailor, Brandi listened to a woman named Veronica bitch about Naomi being an idiot for marrying a man like Jordan. Naomi had driven her car to a bridal shop a few blocks down. She'd promised to meet the women after she picked out a few options. They'd all have to go back later and help her decide on one.
"He's an asshole and a drug addict. Why would Naomi even waste her time with him?"
Brandi frowned slightly and some other woman named Ariel started to talk.
"Naomi's always talking about wanting kids and a family. Jordan couldn't raise a kid." Ariel lit a cigarette and puffed on it, offering the box to everyone else. Brandi and a woman named May took one.
"You think she knows about the hookers?" May puffed.
"She'd be an even bigger idiot if she didn't." Veronica hissed. Hildy leaned over to Brandi and whispered that Veronica was just jealous because she'd been married 4 times and still couldn't hold on to a decent man.
"Come on, now," Brandi said. She was always mellow, and she hated to sit there and listen to them insult Jordan. "Naomi's getting married. Let's just be happy for her."
"Boss man paying you to put in a good word for him, Brandi?" Veronica snapped. Brandi clenched her jaw and Hildy got mad and glared into her compact mirror.
"Shut your whore mouth, Veronica. Stop being bitter just because you can't marry someone of Jordan's status." She snapped it shut. "You're supposed to be Naomi's friend. Why don't you start acting like it for a change?"
Veronica's face went red and she turned to face the window. The rest of the women smoked and talked about how nice the wedding would be. When they got to the tailor, a stocky man with curly red hair greeted them at the entrance and immediately led them into the back. Evidently, Naomi had reserved the shop for the rest of the day.
"Hallo," the little man cried. "Call me Pavlos. You're here for the wedding, yeah? Your dresses are in there."
The women walked into the room Pavlos had pointed at and found a rack with 14 silk dresses. There were another 8 women Naomi had asked to be bridesmaids. Hildy explained to Brandi that she had to offer positions to other women she was acquaintanced with because of the level of prestige this wedding was going to be. Brandi thought that was weird. If she was getting married, she'd only invite people she'd wanted to be there. It would still be a good sized wedding but Naomi's would still be bigger. Brandi wondered if she really was so different from all of these women because of the way she thought. Not everything was about appearance. But she thought she might as well get used to the way people thought around here. And the funny thing was that she was getting used to it. If Pennsylvania Brandi met New York Brandi, she would have hated her. She just hadn't noticed. It always amazed her when she thought about her socialite status, too. Her biggest claim to fame was working for Jordan Belfort but apparently, that was a lot more than most people had going for them. Brandi didn't like the dress. It was incredibly hideous, covered in beads and lace. She didn't like dresses period, but this dress was particularly uncomfortable and constricting. Somehow she breathed through it and let Pavlos the tailor take measurements and pin the hem to the right length. Loosen the back and the straps. Brandi's chest was sort of heaving and she wasn't as bony as Hildy and some of the other women. Eventually, Naomi came around. She squealed at the women in the dresses.
"These are gorgeous!"
Brandi pulled up the top of the strapless dress further above her chest.
"Um, hey Naomi, why don't we go look at your dress?"
Naomi beamed. "You're so great, Brandi. Let me just go talk to Hildy."
Ultimately, Brandi spent the next two hours sitting in a chair in an ugly dress (that felt ugly at least) listening to Veronica bitch to no one in particular and watching Naomi pretend not to be offended. She kept wondering how any of them could stand it. For some reason, her thoughts turned back to Jordan. If he'd been here with everyone else, everyone would be laughing and talking about things that really lacked importance - Brandi could have spent every day of her goddamn life doing that. She felt like calling him just to hear him talk. It was such a strange feeling. And as luck would have it, Lenny rang right then and there. Brandi stepped outside and flipped her cell open.
"Hello?"
"Hey, baby," Lenny said through the speaker.
"Hi. What's up?"
"Look, Brandi, the guys and I were thinking about heading to Vegas for the weekend. I think Anthony's bringing his wife Arlene, if you want to come."
"That's okay, hon. I was planning on going into the office on Saturday morning."
She could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"But we never do anything anymore. We used to go to parties and stuff, but you're always at work."
"Well, one of us has to," Brandi sighed.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know what it means. I work, you don't. How are you even complaining?"
"I'm just saying, I never see you anymore. I didn't call you to have you give me shit about finding a job. I told you - no one is hiring right now."
"Whatever you say, Lenny. Have fun at Vegas."
"I'll see you Monday. Maybe by then you'll have gotten over this attitude," Lenny said angrily and hung up.
Brandi was so mad she could have crushed her phone. She was so sick of Lenny complaining. She loved her job, and she didn't care if he had a problem with it. She was rich, and she was happy. And right now Lenny was about to go gamble away whatever he wanted to out of her account. She'd have to stop by the bank on her way home and put a limit on what he could spend. Brandi felt like a mother having to tend to a little kid. She stepped back inside the tailor shop to find that the women were ready to go help Naomi with her dress.
As they walked towards the taxi, Naomi put her hand on Brandi's shoulder.
"Everything okay? You seem a little upset."
Brandi smiled as honestly as she could and dropped her phone in her purse.
"Everything's fine."
At the bridal shop, the women went back and forth about what would make Naomi look the best and Brandi sat quietly, not really caring what they picked. They were all just dresses, all nice enough for a wedding. They eventually decided on a mess of lace and silk with mother-of-pearl buttons.
"What do you think, Brandi?" Naomi said happily.
"It's beautiful, Naomi. You're gonna look fantastic."
Naomi was glowing.

On the way home, Brandi froze her account so that Lenny couldn't take more than 2 thousand dollars. Hopefully he wouldn't try to take more than that. It wouldn't work anyway, chuckled Brandi. She dialed Jordan's number as she walked down the street.
"Lady Bourbon," Jordan greeted. He'd taken to calling her that a few weeks after she started her job.
"Hi, Jordan."
"You need something? You sound pissed."
"Not at you."
"Is it that fag, Lenny? What'd he do?"
Brandi explained what happened.
"Brandi, over and over I have told you - Lenny's a bum. He's been that way since the moment of his conception and there's no way that's ever gonna change."
Brandi realized at that moment she was in front of Jordan's house.
"I'm outside."
"You gonna serenade me at the window or come inside? I think Naomi went with her friends for dinner."
They'd invited Brandi but she didn't want to go. Naomi nodded like she understood.
"Open the door, asshole."
"That's the plan."
The door swished open and Jordan stood there in a suit with a loosened tie around his neck.
"Meet with Madden today?" She asked.
"Yeah. I think we've reached a deal. The IPO should drop in a few months. We've already started printing blue sheets."
"The wolf does it again," Brandi laughed.
"As per usual," he winked. He handed her a beer and a cigar.
The night went by pretty fast, Jordan and Brandi spent the rest of the evening taking and laughing. He really was her best friend. She'd felt better after visiting him. Like she was ready to kick ass and conquer the world.
"Well, thanks for the chat, boss man. I'd better get going."
"Anytime, m'lady." Jordan nodded.
She got her coat and started to head out before Jordan stopped her.
"Hey, Brandi."
She looked at him. "Yeah?"
"I'm getting married."
"You are."
"You think I can handle it?"
Brandi looked at Jordan. He looked at her.
"There's nothing you can't handle."
Jordan smiled and sunk into the couch, calming down.
Brandi let herself out.

Jordan liked when she visited. He felt tons of weight fall away whenever he stopped to talk to Brandi. He wished it would always be that way.