Friends and Lovers and other Stories: Short Stories by Rochelle Jones by Rochelle Jones

Author:Rochelle Jones
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Antrobus Bindings & Prints
Published: 2015-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

THE END

3. UNCLE LOUIS

3. UNCLE LOUIS

'What do you think of it?' I asked my friend Maria as I proudly paraded myself in the dress I had chosen for the Christmas party.

Maria looked at me and assumed the pained expression I knew so well. Once again, it seemed I had made a blunder.

'Well, what's wrong with it?'

'Why did you choose that hideous brown? It does nothing for you. You want something that will play down your sallow complexion, not emphasize it!'

'Very well, next time you had better choose my dress.'

'But you ought to have developed a clothes sense by this time, surely.'

'No matter what I had chosen, you would have found fault with it. You always do.'

'That's because you are always certain to go for the worst possible choice.'

'Then you should be willing to help! Let's see if you can do any better. I've told you before; it's easy enough to look good if you are good looking to begin with, like you are. But, what about me?'

'I would know what to do.

'Go on a diet and stick to it. Change your hair. Anyone can make the most of themselves if they try.'

Though I tried to assume an air of nonchalance, I was quaking at the thought of having to attend the party. From the time Maria and I had been in school together and I had learned that Maria was popular and I wasn't, I had hated social gatherings and avoided them like the plague. This time, however, there was no getting out of it.

After leaving school we had both found jobs in the same large firm. Our boss had made it known that he expected everyone to attend the Christmas party and that he would be highly displeased with any absentees. So, I was trapped.

My parents, too, kept an eagle eye on my progress at the office, just as they had done all through my school days. I had always wanted to please my parents, but by the time I was about thirteen I realized it was a hopeless task. I felt nothing short of a miracle would accomplish it. I was their first and only child; my mother had been in her forties when I was born; my birth had nearly killed her, and since then, it seems, I had been able to do nothing right in their eyes.

But to get back to my conversation with Maria: 'Really, Maria,' I continued, 'since you think you know everything, come back to the shop with me and I'll exchange it for one you approve of.'

'Oh, never mind, wear the silly thing. But no one will look at you twice; anyway, they never have!'

'Maria, must you be so nasty; you say you're my friend, but you always put me down and you never help. I sometimes think you don't really want me to do well; in fact you're pleased that I don't.'

'I'm not pleased; I just think you ought to have the gumption to do something for yourself.'

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.