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It was true though. Ellen with her pristine skin, looked like she was born to wear the white dress she had on. She looked as innocent as the dress proclaimed her to be.
It made Alaska jealous. Not jealous in that she wanted to hurt Ellen, because Ellen had been nothing but kind to her, but jealous in a way that she wished that she would have had Ellen’s life. If she would have had a start like Ellen’s, she could look like that, too. Instead, she looked exactly like she was, someone who had lived a lot of life, and lived it in places where there wasn’t a lot of love and kindness to go around.
She wanted better for her children. Hopefully, this opportunity that Travis had opened for her would give her the ability to offer a better life for her children. Maybe someday one of them would go into a bridal shop somewhere, try on a gown, and look like they were born to wear it.
She could only hope that was in Alice’s future. She wanted Alice to be like Ellen, not like herself.
“I don’t know. It just feels... Too much.”
“It looks perfect on you. And we wouldn’t even really need to do too many alterations. Maybe a little tuck here, and possibly letting the hem out just an inch or so, depending on how high your heels are.”
“I haven’t decided about that,” Ellen said, a little shyly.
“We have a great selection, and I can bring you some samples.”
“I think maybe I’ll think about it. I really appreciate all the time you’ve put into us.”
The sales lady smiled benevolently, and continued to adjust the long train of Ellen’s dress.
“What do you think?” Ellen asked as she looked over at Alaska.
“I agree. I think maybe I’ve had enough for now, and we need to think about it.”
“I’m starving. Maybe we can have lunch and make a decision while we eat.”
“Food always makes decisions easier,” the sales lady said as she stood back and admired the picture Ellen made as she stood with her dress perfectly arranged. “But I can say this is most definitely the nicest gown that you’ve tried on.”
“It’s also the most expensive,” Ellen said, with a self-conscious laugh.
“That’s true. Quality isn’t cheap,” the sales lady said, and to Alaska it sounded like a rehearsed comment.
It was another forty-five minutes before they had the gowns off and their regular clothing back on and they walked out of the store.
“You could afford to buy any gown in there,” Alaska said. She didn’t know exactly how much money Travis had, but the rumor around town was that he was a multimillionaire. Perhaps a billionaire, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Ford Hansen was a billionaire. Travis was practically his son. Everyone knew it.
“I don’t know about that. I suppose Travis could. And I guess he’d probably buy it for me if I wanted him to. But... I don’t know. That just seems like such a lot of money to spend on a dress I’m only going to wear once. And, I don’t really care about the dress.”
“You don’t want to look beautiful?”
“Oh. That’s not true. I love looking like a princess. Feeling like a princess. But...there just seems to be so many other more worthy things to spend money on. I just don’t want to waste it on a dress. Not that kind of money.” Ellen hooked her arm in Alaska’s, and they walked down the street together.
“What kind of food are you hungry for?” Ellen asked as they strolled casually, looking in the store windows at the displays of dresses and business suits and nursing uniforms, passing other shoppers who carried armfuls of packages, and chatted excitedly with the friends they strolled with.
Alaska couldn’t remember if she ever walked on the street and had nothing more to do than just look at the windows and have not a care in the world.
“I’m so hungry I really don’t care. Anything sounds good to me.”
“I think there’s a Chinese place up ahead. Will that work?” Ellen asked.
“Sure.”
“I guess I do have to wear a dress. I’m just not sure —” Ellen cut off in mid sentence.
Alaska looked at her, and saw that her gaze was caught by something across the street.
Alaska followed her gaze over and saw that she was looking in the window of a second hand store, where a wedding dress was prominently displayed on a mannequin in the window.
“That one is pretty,” Ellen said. She nodded across the street. “Do you see it?”
