A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson

Author:Melody Carlson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780307498991
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2010-06-22T20:00:00+00:00

Is it a date?” Holly asks as I towel dry my hair. She stopped by on her way home to pick up the present I was unable to take to Tina’s shower last week.

“No, it’s not a date.” I tighten the belt of my bathrobe. Okay, I honestly don’t think it’s a date, but I suppose there’s a little part of me that wishes it were. And that bugs me.

“But you’re going to spruce up a little, aren’t you?” she asks hopefully.

“Spruce up?” I laugh. “Who says that anymore?”

“My mom. And me.” She reaches over and gives my hair a fluff. “Anyway, aren’t you going to fix yourself up a little, Gretch?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Why?”

“Because, in case I haven’t mentioned it before…” She laughs. “You kind of let yourself go this past year and a half.”

“Thanks, Holly. With friends like you who needs—”

“I’m sorry,” she says, “but if your best friend can’t be honest with you, who can?”

I roll my eyes at her. “Look, I need to hurry, Holly. As it is, I’ll only have about half an hour with Dad. I can’t waste time fix—”

“Then get moving!” She grabs me by the arm and drags me into the bathroom, positioning me in front of the mirror. She quickly digs through my weird assortment of cosmetics—mostly things that she’s talked me into buying since I’m not naturally talented when it comes to this sort of thing—and she starts having her way with my face. And I must give her credit, not only is she quick, but she’s good. Unfortunately, I’m not paying very close attention to her techniques. “You know, Holly,” I say as she finishes up with some powder blush over what I can only assume are my cheekbones, “someday you should teach me how to do this for myself.”

She laughs. “I’ve tried. You never listen.”

“Maybe if you wrote it down.”

But she pulls me into my bedroom and rips open my closet to forage for … for what? “You really need to go clothes shopping, Gretchen. Or else lose some weight.”

“Just keep the compliments coming, Holly,” I say sarcastically. “I needed that little ego boost.”

She turns and looks at me, then her expression changes. “Actually, now that I’m looking at you, I think you have lost weight,” she says.

“Okay, now you’re just messing with my mind—”

“No, seriously, you look thinner.” She pulls the scale out from where it’s tucked next to the cabinet, then forces me onto it.

I’m about to give her a piece of my mind, but I notice the number. “Hey, you’re right. I have.”

“See, don’t you feel better now?”

I stand up straighter. “Actually, I do.”

“It’s probably from giving up ice cream and working on your house project.”

“That and Dad’s heart attack. I haven’t had much appetite since he was rushed to the hospital.”

“So…” Holly pulls out a broomstick skirt that’s various shades of earthy greens and golds and holds it up. “This is pretty, and it should be no problem since the waist is elastic.

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