More trouble for the author as she struggles with her colon and the odd comma!

As for the story, if you haven't got the gist of it by now, take up long distance knitting.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad and Phyl O'san.
part 40! (I knew I shoulda done the blog instead).

"What time is Simon collecting you?"

"He said seven thirty," I replied still swishing about in the dress.

"It's nearly five, why don't you have a shower and wash your hair and I'll make us a cuppa." I showed her where everything was kept. "Cathy, I know it's a nice dress, but you'll need to take it off before you shower."

I took her gentle chiding in good part and relinquished the dress. Within fifteen minutes I was back from my shower and sat in my bra and pants waiting for her to play about with my hair. She produced some rollers and showed me how to put in the first then made me do the next. It took me about five goes but I got it eventually. The next one was equally fiddly but by the third, I was beginning to get the hang of it. I suppose it took about an hour before we had them all in, then it was make up time.

Essentially she did one side of my face while I copied the other. I did point out I could end up with two right eyes, at which she laughed. However, she was a good teacher and I learned more about blending and high lighting in half an hour than I could in a month from a book. I looked and felt quite good.

I spritzed myself with Chanel 5 and slipped on the dress, I thought I was as perfect as I could get, but Stella pointed out that I would look even better with the bust enhancing pads, they helped make mountains out of my molehills. Judging from Simon's previous remarks about me being small breasted, I knew that he would realise that I had either been rubbing them with fertiliser all day or had used some artificial boosters. When I told this to Stella she nearly choked with laughter.

"The cheek of it, saying you had small boobs! Huh, then I suppose being a bit of a tit, he ought to know." We laughed some more at her remark and there was a danger I was going to smudge my mascara from the tears of laughter.

"I don't think I'd better tell him that," I said still chuckling.

"Why not, I do it all the time," she retorted.

"I don't fancy walking home from wherever he takes me," I said before the giggles got to me. We were both helpless with laughter like two overgrown schoolgirls.

"I think we'd better do your hair," she said and I sat down, then the hiccups started. It was something I hadn't had happen since I was in junior school. Of course it made her laugh even more.

She persevered with my hair, although my frequent little jumps made her laugh each time.

"I can't (hic) go out like th(hic)is," I wailed.

"Why not? I think it's quite cute."

"I just (hic) can't. Oh, what am I (hic) going to do?

"I wouldn't worry, he knows you're a boy, so why worry?"

"What!" I squeaked, "He knows, why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did."

"Oh Stella, I can't go out with him if he knows." I felt absolutely gutted.

"What difference does it make?"

"All the difference, he'll treat me differently. Oh why didn't you tell me earlier?" I began to sniff and knew the tears weren't far away.

"It's okay, he doesn't know, all right?"

"But you just said he did,"

"I lied, but it got rid of your hiccups, didn't it?"

"You sly cow!" I said then began to chuckle.

"Am I forgiven?"

"Of course. I feel almost as if you were my big sister."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said smiling before she resorted to chemical warfare and sprayed lacquer all over my head. It made me cough.
"You're supposed to keep your mouth shut," she joked.

"I'll taste that all night," I grumbled. As a reply she stuck her tongue out at me. So I reciprocated.

"What shoes are you going to wear?"

It suddenly struck me that I hadn't actually got that far in my thinking. "Erm, I hadn't really thought about that," I confessed.

"What have you got?"

I showed her my meagre collection. I know lots of people in my situation would have dozens of pairs, but I didn't. I had two pairs which were unsuitable, wrong colour and too casual. My recent purchases weren't any help either.

"Oh dear," she said, "Looks like the boots then."

"Oh yes," I said, "I'd forgotten those."

I slipped them on and she shook her head, "No they're too heavy for a silky dress."

"Oh Stella, what am I going to do?" I felt my little world was about to collapse again.

"Well you could wear something else and the boots, or your other shoes."

"But this dress is so lovely I can't bear to take it off," I sighed, feeling bereft.

"There is one other thing," suggested my mentor.

"What's that, anything?" My spirits began to lift even though I knew they could be dashed again.

She dug about in her bag again and pulled out a smaller plastic bag. "I brought these over because they are bit too big for me and I don't want them anymore anyway." She opened the bag and handed me a pair of black peep-toe sling back shoes. "They might just fit you."

I gratefully took the shoes which were hardly marked on the soles, the three inch heels would mean I wouldn't want to walk too far in them, then I thought about how far I'd managed in the boots and decided I'd cope with that if they fitted me otherwise.

"Come here," she said wresting them off me and helped me slip the first on to my left foot, which is slightly larger than the right. I felt like Cinderella. It went on okay, so did the second. The moment of truth came with me standing on them and walking about my room.

I rose with bated breath and stepped across the room. They felt absolutely fine, however, given her prank earlier I began to limp and sat down quickly.

"What's wrong?" she asked concern showing right across her face, "They looked perfect, what happened?"

I sat still for a moment rubbing my toes through the shoes. She looked puzzled until I started to laugh. "You bitch!" she shrieked at me and threw the plastic bag at me.

It was now after seven and Stella decided she didn't want Simon to know she'd helped me, "Let him think you know all about making yourself beautiful."

"I know a little more than I did earlier, thank you so much Stella."

"S'okay, have a good night, order the dearest thing on the menu." We embraced and air kissed, then she left. "What's this on the door?" she asked.

"My neighbours I think, they think I'm a bit aloof and snotty."

"Well if they're like that, it wouldn't be too hard to feel superior," was her parting shot.

I spent the next quarter of an hour hanging up my new clothes and placing those I was possibly not going to need any longer in a bag. Then it was time to make a final check and after collecting my handbag and door key I went out to meet Simon.