The week flew by. Friday was there before she knew it. Racing home from work, Elizabeth ran upstairs and immediately jumped in the shower. Scrubbing as fast as she could, a faint ringing reached her ear. Someone was trying to call her but she had no time to jump out and answer it. Shutting the water off, she barely paused. Drying off quickly, she stayed in the bathroom to dry and straighten her hair. The phone rang again. Her leg was bouncing but she couldn’t go with wet hair and needed to finish.
Bounding to the closet, she pulled out one of two black dresses she owned. Slipping it over her head, she adjusted the low V-neck, making sure her breasts and bra were covered. Glancing in a full-length mirror she did a quick turn. It was a simple form-fitting dress with small white polka dots covering it. A little bit of ruching around the waist made her look even thinner than she was, but what woman doesn’t like that? Slipping on a pair of heels, the phone rang again. Hopping on one foot, she struggled to get her second shoe on while trying to get to the phone.
Seeing Claire’s number, she immediately answered it. “Hey I’m coming. I’m leaving right now.”
“Okay, get here quick. You’ll never guess who just showed up.”
Grabbing her keys and her purse, Elizabeth ran down the stairs as fast as she could in heels. Not wanting to disappoint Claire, she asked the obvious question. “Who?”
“That guy from the bar.”
That really didn’t narrow it down. “What guy from the bar?”
“You know,” Claire said. “The hot one. Mr. Blond Bombshell.”
Elizabeth froze. She was halfway out the door but didn’t take another step. Glancing back at the stairs, she actually contemplated not going. “Elizabeth? Elizabeth! Are you still there? You better not have hung up on me!”
“No, no, I’m here. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” Hanging up, she didn’t wait for Claire to answer. Locking the house, she dreaded where she had to go that night. She owed it to Nicole to be there though, no matter who else showed up.
The drive to the funeral home took less time than she would have liked. She was even able to find a parking spot quickly. Letting out a sigh, she sat in the car for a minute. This was going to suck, and for a few different reasons. Dragging herself out the car, she shuffled into the funeral home. It felt like the energy had been sucked out of her. Thankfully Claire was waiting outside the room, and seeing her gave Elizabeth a tiny spark of energy.
Claire’s eyes were red and puffy. She’d been crying again. Despite seeing her friend so upset, Elizabeth couldn’t help but glance around nonchalantly, praying that Mr. Clark had already left. It was a typical funeral home. There was a large gathering area in the center surrounded by several smaller rooms on either side where services could be held. Bland off-white walls and cold tile floors were paired with an assortment of bright, fake flower arrangements