A prompt a week - 11. Pat's Dress - Prompt 307

“Are you sure there is nothing that can be done?” Donna looked hopefully at woman behind the counter. “I mean one more time to see if it will come out.”

“Ma’am I’d like to say yes, but this is wine, grease, and I am not sure what else that is all over this dress. I will try my best one more time to get this out, but honestly,” the counter girl looked over shaking her head, “I wouldn’t count on it. I think this dress is headed for the garbage.”

“Please, try to clean it again. I’m so dead if it is ruined.”

The woman sighed and took the dress back behind the door to try and send it through the cleaning system again.

Donna walked back to her seat and sat down. She really wanted to cry and knew there would be hell to pay if that dress was ruined. Hell, it wasn’t even hers and she didn’t have permission to take it, but damn it fit her better than it did Pat. Pat would kill her the moment it was discovered the dress was gone and damaged. Donna couldn’t help but think of when Pat brought it home a week ago.

_ * _ * _ *

“Donna! Come here quick. You have to see this.”

Donna got up off the couch and schlepped out to wear Pat stood holding a long white bag. “What? You know I was up all night studying for the test I had this morning. I’m ready to go to bed and sleep for a week. What do you want?”

Pat was nearly bursting. “I got it. It took me five months of saving and scraping every penny I could but I went down and had Antonio make me that dress I wanted.”

Donna yawned.

“Thank you for the support and excitement. It is so … underwhelming.”

Donna flipped the bird at Pat.

“Fine. You don’t need to see it then.”

“Oh stop the bitching and show me already. You know you want to.” Donna dropped down into one of the kitchen chairs as Pat rushed to the door and hung up the bag.

“I wasn’t really sure what color I wanted but Antonio said he knew just what I needed. He was careful about his measurements. I tell you I have never spent so much on anything to wear but it is pure heaven.”

Pat unzipped the bag and withdrew a stunning blue dress. It was silk and lace that went from a light sky blue to a midnight blue at the bottom of the dress. There were little pearls sewn into the lace covering of the bodice. The dress was simply beautiful.

“Christ that is a stunner. I can’t believe you bought something like that.”

Pat blushed. “I can’t either. I plan to wear it for the big party at the end of the month. I wanted something breathtaking. It took Antonio three weeks to make and keep checking to make sure it fit. I swear the moment I slipped it on I felt like a princess.”

Pat carefully slipped it back into the bag and walked down the hall holding the bag like it was the gift of a lifetime.

_ * _ * _ *

Donna was pulled out her memories by her phone ringing.

“Hello?”

“Did you get it fixed?” Terry sort of screeched into the phone.

“I’m at the dry cleaners now.” Donna looked around to make sure no one could hear her. “Pat is going to kill me. They don’t think they can save the dress.”

“Does Pat even know you took the dress?”

“I told you no already. I just figured I could borrow it for the party last night and get back into the closet before it was missed. Who expected the disaster last night turned out to be?”

“Damn. I shouldn’t have told you take it. How much did you say Pat spent on it?”

“I found the damn bill in the bag.” Donna’s eyes began to water as she realized just how much she had screwed up. “It was over a thousand dollars.”

“Christ. I don’t know if I have much for you to go buy another one.”

“I can’t go buy another one!” Donna wanted to smack her boyfriend. “It was custom made for Pat. I can’t replace it just like that and that dress was for the ball next weekend.”

There was silence on the phone and Donna wanted to scream.

“We’ll think of something. We are going to have to explain this first though.”

Donna began to cry as she realized how badly everything had gone.

_ * _ * _ *

“You look stunning.” Terry stood by his car in his rented tux looking very handsome.

“Thank you. I really didn’t have the money to buy something. I just sort of borrowed this from Pat.”

“Well you said it was just in the closet, babe. Besides you needed something for Mrs. McNicole’s party tonight. Not every night we get invited to party like that in the Hamptons.”

The drive had been so relaxing. The party was in full gear when we arrived. People looked like they stepped off the front of fashion magazines. The dresses were gorgeous, the men looked stunning, and everything was like a dream at first. The there were the two women who began a rather heated argument near the pool. Donna had been walking by when the one grabbed a glass of red wine and tossed it at the other. Unfortunately the wine missed the target and went down the front of Donna’s borrowed lace and silk dress, turning the delicate blue a dark purple mess.

“Uh!” Donna gasped in surprise.

The two women ignored Donna and continued to scream at each other like nothing else had occurred.

Mrs. McNicole walked over and suggested that Donna go into her powder room and should try to wash the dress out. Donna nodded and hurried to follow her directions only for the train on the dress to become enmeshed in track of Mrs. McNicole’s electric door. Terry helped to get the dress out of it and suggested they just head right home instead.

“The dress is ruined. Pat is going to kill me.”

“Calm down. Tomorrow you take it to the dry cleaners and have them clean and do any repairs. I’ll help you pay for it.”

Donna wanted to cry. As if the disasters that had happened weren’t enough, as Donna went to climb out of the car when they pulled up at home her heel got caught and broke. Donna fell like a rag doll and she landed on the grass in the dark. It wasn’t till the next morning she found the grass and what she suspected might be dog crap from the next door neighbor’s dog smeared into the ass of the dress.

Donna had spent a part of the morning going through reviews online to find the best dry cleaner in town. As quietly as possible she slipped the dress out of the house and drove to Spangle Dry Cleaners. She had waited while they tried to clean the dress. They had gotten the shit off, lightened the wine stain and the grass stain. The grease stain looked like it hadn’t been touched to Donna. They were trying again.

_ * _ * _ *

Donna sat at the kitchen table waiting for Pat to come home. She knew this was going to be painful. She had betrayed her friend, ruined the dress, and was just waiting to deliver the final stroke that there was no way it could be saved and Antonio didn’t have enough time to completely make a new one in time for the ball this weekend.

She watched as Pat walked into their house tears steaming and barely able to stand.

“Oh my god! Pat, what happened?” Donna rushed over taking Pat into her arms.

“Chris … he … he broke up with me. Said that he could never … go … to the … the ball with someone… someone like me.”

“That son of a bitch. He is such a fucking jerk.”

“I don’t … don’t care. I’m going without him.” Pat bawled loudly as Donna stood numbly by.

“Pat, you better sit down. I am afraid, well; Chris isn’t the only one who fucked you over.” Donna could barely look at Pat.

“Whatdoya mean?” Pat’s words sort of slurred together as the crying continued.

Donna had Pat sit down.

“Look. You have been the best friend I could have ever asked for. You have stood by me through everything since we were five years old. I’ve tried to do the same for you, but you never do anything without asking. I wish I could say the same.”

“Hey, you have been there for me.”

“For the little things and the big I tried to be but face it, I have fucked things up in the past and I have again.”

Pat sat there staring at Donna.

“You always joke they we are so much alike. Hell, you are as small as I am which is saying a lot.”

“Hey. So I’m short.”

“I’m not talking short, Pat. I mean you are as tiny in the waist and all as I am. Hell, I never need a bra and you know it. I’m as flat-chested as they come.”

Pat smiled.

“Look. Don’t think I am out to flatter you. I know I am no prize, but I am lucky Terry likes me as I am. Never pushed or said I should go get a boob job or anything. But, well ….” Donna looked at the floor unable to continue.

“What is the matter Donna? I’m the one who is having a bad day, so what is wrong with you?”

Donna when to the hall closet and got a bag out which she then handed to Pat.

“What’s this?” Pat held the bag up and looked at Donna.

“Just open it.”

Pat opened the bag. With a trembling hand the ruined dress was slowly removed.

“What? What the hell happened to my dress?”

Fresh tears began to flow as Pat looked at the dress that was a mess. The stain in the front was right across the bodice. As the dress was turned over there was this dark mess near the butt, and the train had gear marks and grease ground into it.

“I borrowed the dress without asking. To say it was ruined would be an understatement. I tried to have it fixed but … there was nothing they could do for it.”

Pat looked up but didn’t say anything.

“I know you were planning to wear it to the Coming Out Ball. I’m sorry, Pat. I called Antonio to see if he could make you another one, but there isn’t enough time.”

Pat stood, his slender body shaking as he held the first dress he had ever had made for him. Everything he had hoped for had been destroyed. His boyfriend broke up with him, his dress for the ball was in tatters, and now his best friend had betrayed him. Holding the dress he raced down the hall and slammed the door to his bedroom behind him.

Donna stood listening to the sobs and wishing she could fix what she had unwittingly destroyed.