Free Bird Song by S. L. Naeole

there a while.”
    There are some faces that guys have reserved just for women’s eyes.   Graham made one of them at that moment.   Perhaps it was the first time he tried it out, because it looked new—amateurish.   It spoke clearly of how he did not want to know any details involving my bathroom activities.   I probably should have been pleased that the idea of my taking a shower grossed him out to such an extent, but in truth, I felt offended.
    I was, after all, still a girl with some pride.
    As Graham went to gather his stuff, I went upstairs to my room to hunt down the items that Robert had requested I wear.   After our first date, I had thrown the dress and all of the accessories that he’d purchased for me to wear at him, too upset with his behavior afterwards to treat them properly.
    That was the first night he had spent in my room, and I had woken up to find that he had put everything away neatly, organized in ways Janice could have only dreamed of accomplishing.   I didn’t ask him where everything had been placed.   I was content with the knowledge that I wouldn’t have to put them away myself; I was so lazy when it came to cleaning my room that I was content to leave my closet looking like a war zone and my bed looking like a tornado had hit it.
    After eliminating the obvious locations for the dress, shoes, and undergarments, I was left hunting for the amber earrings and necklace that he’d bought to compliment the stones that adorned the front of the dress.   I found them in a box hidden in my underwear drawer, along with the dragonfly clips that he’d purchased that day as well.
    I felt the blush that had spread across my cheeks earlier start to burn my skin again as I realized that Robert had gone through my underwear in order to place the box in there.   “So much for innocent,” I mumbled to myself, a secret smile causing the corners of my mouth to curl upward.
    “Oh no,” I gasped as I opened the zipper to the garment bag that contained the moss green dress.   I hadn’t realized the damage that climbing the gate to Robert’s home had caused to the dress as I took in the torn chiffon and stained satin staring back at me, the sorry casualty of my own recklessness.   The largest gems that were supposed to sit on the bodice of the dress were missing.   “Oh dear bananas, it’s ruined,” I moaned.
    I glanced at the clock and saw that it was only five.   I had several hours before Lark was supposed to arrive, but what was I going to do about the dress?   I could fix holes, sew a rudimentary blanket, but fix a dress that probably cost more than I made in a month of working at the library?
    Well, there was nothing for it.   Robert entered my life when I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and had found that quite acceptable.   He’d even kept that chili-stained t-shirt, for goodness sakes!   I quickly went to my t-shirt drawer and pulled out one of the shirts he had given to me for Christmas.
    “At least I’ll be comfortable,” I told myself, and laid the shirt on the dresser.   A pair of jeans and my sneakers would complete the outfit.   As much as I wanted to be normal Grace, instead of Grace the Freak, it didn’t seem right that I start out the New Year dressed as someone else.  

    ***

    After a simple dinner of soup and cold turkey sandwiches, I felt the need to take a nap.   I woke up a few minutes before ten, and rushed to take a shower.   I threw my clothes on with very little care and felt very thankful indeed that I had decided on dressing normally.   It had taken nearly an hour to get dressed for the wedding, and that had been with Janice’s help..
    Grabbing a jacket from my closet, I went to the window to wait for my “ride”; I leaned out and saw that Graham’s car was gone, which meant he was already at Lark and Robert’s house.   What would he think when Lark stepped away for a while and left him alone with Stacy?
    He’ll think I’m being cruel and horribly