This morning, I woke up to grandma singing happy birthday with a hot plate of pancakes. She added blueberries and chocolate chips just how I love, serving a mountain of whipped cream on top.
The play isn't until seven o'clock, so I spend the morning with her and Angie who tells me happy birthday, but doesn't lose the cold shoulder.
We catch an early movie, because grandma loves the senior discounts. I sit between them, kicking my feet up since there's no one in front of me. The chilly room darkens and the romantic comedy begins to play.
On my left, grandma pulls the snacks out of her purse, and on the right Angie is already glued to her phone. She couldn't fake it for two hours.
When we're back home I call Penny, letting her know that she can come over now. You'd think that she could teleport from how fast she arrives on my porch. She's got a duffel bag thrown over her shoulder, and a long dress bag in her arms. She beams, heading straight for my room.
"Can you grab that bag outside?"
I find a backpack stuffed with who knows what. "You could've warned me that it weighed a ton." I pant, dropping the load by my bed.
"And I thought that I needed to workout." She pulls out her equipment.
There's enough makeup to fill a beauty supply store, and enough hair products to open a salon. Blow dryer, hair rollers, and the one tool that I most resent. A flat iron.
"You're not about to straighten my hair!" I pull my curls into tight bun, refusing to let her burn my babies.
She waves dismissively. "I haven't used that thing in years, it was just in my bag. The rollers will give us enough stretch." She hands me some bottles of hair products. "Use these, they work miracles."
After being shooed into the bathroom, I take a hot shower and use the products she was raving about. Like cutting butter, my fingers glide through my curls. Whatever this stuff is, I'm begging grandma to buy it for me.
Once Penny's out of the shower, we play music and take turns putting rollers in the other's hair and painting our nails a deep red.
Night rolls around, and we transform into elegance. Our hair droops in straight loose curls, perfumed skin glows from body butter, and delicate makeup enhances our features.
Penny's hair usually sits at her shoulders, but now grazes the middle of her back. I'm sure it would be longer if she had used the flat iron.
"You two look nice."
Angie startles me.
"Thank you," Penny says with a curtsy.
I smile invitingly, but she goes back to her room without another word.
"Come on, AJ says they're outside."
There's a knock at the door shortly after. We find the boys downstairs talking to my grandma. She's got her phone ready for pictures.
"You're such nice young men," she says, kindly. Her small frame is comical next to them. They're athletic and over six feet while she's below their shoulders.
"Thank you, ma'am," Ben and AJ say. Matt, however, calls her Miss B.
"Stand over there, and smile."
We're motioned to the fire place. We take group photos before she gets one of me alone since it's my birthday.
"Lord, how do I do this?" She squints at the phone helplessly until Matt shows her how to zoom in.
"Grandma, we have to go." This is beginning to feel like prom or something.
A black hummer limo waits for us. Ben shrugs when I smile.
"What?"
"What's with you and limos?"
He adjusts his tie. "I always ride in style."
Flowers greet me inside, roses of course, but I don't mind the cliches. I've watched enough romance movies, and now I want to live in one.
We listen to music during the ride. Matt still seems a little lost. I feel bad that he's dateless, but I know that he wouldn't miss one of my birthday parties. Date or no date, and I love him for that.
When we arrive at the theater, we enter a magnificent room with breathtaking architecture. The floors glisten, and the walls are tall and detailed. The ceiling is incredibly high, lifted by enormous pillars. Our steps echo on our hike up the grand steps. Dark statues of people in drapes hold warm candles high in their hands, further illuminating the bright room.
"Yooo! This is dope!" AJ's accented voice travels through the room.
"Seriously," Matt says, taking it all in.
"Good thing we clean up nice." AJ winks, brushing off his dark suit. "Except for you, Ben. You always look formal."
Ben chuckles at this, but doesn't disagree.
"What do you guys think?" Matt asks.
He raises his arms so that Penny and I can get a good look. He, like the others, is wearing a jet black suit with black dress shoes and gold cuff links. AJ's tie, however, is a nice green, Matt's is a smooth blue, and Ben's tie is maroon of course. As much as he wears it, he still doesn't believe that it's his favorite color.
Matt's brown waves are slicked back for the occasion, making his icy eyes even more noticeable. This along with his stubble makes him appear older.
I tell him that he looks nice, but Penny doesn't answer. Instead, she looks around at all of the well dressed people passing by.
"We should order our food now," Ben says.
"Order?" I ask.
"What do you want, they'll bring it to our seats?"
I rub my hands together. "In that case, I'm feeling a little fancy." My tone is goofy.
He laughs. "Don't get new on me now."
We place our orders, and are told that it'll be brought to us since we're sitting in the orchestra seats. Penny does her order, and I realize that she hasn't said much since the boys arrived. I nudge her before we go into the theater.
"You okay?" Even though my voice is low, I seem to have startled her out of a daze.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."
She doesn't look it. I'm sure there's something on her mind.
"You've seen this movie a hundred times, right?" Matt asks her. He holds the door open for us.
She doesn't even look at him when she walks passed. His jaw sets, but when he catches me staring he tries to play it off. "Come on, birthday girl."
The play room is chilly, dark, and crowded. We're in the highest seats, getting the best view of the show. The stage lights make the rest of the room disappear until only the world of "Pride and Prejudice" exists.
The actress playing Elizabeth Bennet is so believable that I feel like I'm rewatching the film. Ben holds my hand for the majority of the time, pointing out a few actors here and there that he knows personally. They're far away, but their voices ring clear and loud as if they were right beside us.
By the time our food arrives, the scene is set at the ball where Mr. Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth. I ordered a finger food to be safe, not wanting to ruin my dress.
Matt sits on my left, and Ben on my right. Beside Ben is AJ, and then Penny. Though the room is dark, I catch Matt's eyes flicking over more than once. He's probably still upset about her blowing him off.
We lean back to give Penny some room when she excuses herself to the restroom. As the show continues, I lean over to tell Matt something about the play, but his seat is empty.