Post by angela on Oct 14, 2012 9:22:09 GMT -5
Claudia had spent the better part of the evening trying not to step on the hem of her dress, which was about two inches too long even with the heeled shoes she had chosen to wear. She did not understand why she did these things to herself--attending masquerades that she really had no interest in and wearing heeled shoes that did nothing more than hurt her feet. Usually, her shoes did not bother her. But since these shoes were her daughter's from prom almost three years ago, they did not fit her properly. Her daughter had broken them in according to her feet: she walked differently, shifted her weight differently, and her feet were just different in general. So wearing her daughter's shoes was a little awkward for her, and the discomfort was obvious. After she had had enough, she sneaked out through one of the side doors of the gymnasium where the dance was being held and went into the cafeteria. Nobody else was there--they were all to busy dancing--and she was relieved. She could sit down, relax, and just try to get her headache to go away. She could still hear the music from down the hall, but it wasn't quite as loud. The ambiance in the gymnasium proved to be more than she could handle. She had no idea why she offered to be a chaperon at these events because it always turned out the same. She always wanted to check out early so she could get home to her kids, take something for her headache, remove her dress and shoes, and then climb into bed. But she always wanted to show that she was an active participant in the students' lives, so she sucked it up and did what she was supposed to do.
Sometimes she wished that the faculty could choose whether or not they wanted to actually go along with the theme. She probably would have dressed up, just not as formally, but she would not have worn the mask that her daughter had bought for her. She liked the mask... it was just frustrating since glittery was falling off it and getting all over her face, her dress, and the floor. The evening would have been more enjoyable for her if she didn't have to worry about it--or if she could have just carried it around instead of wearing it.
Claudia found a seat near the door. She first removed her mask and set it on the table, wiping her face in hopes of getting rid of the glitter. It was actually making her itch--not because she was allergic, but because that was what glitter did. Once she felt that majority of the glitter was off her face, she lifted her dress to her knees and proceeded to take off her shoes. As soon as her feet were free of the foot-killers, she sighed in relief and set those on the table with the mask. It was a relief for her feet to finally be free of the shoes. She wiggled her toes and massaged her feet gently with her hands. Why did women have to wear uncomfortable things to look good, she thought. A heavy sigh escaped from between her lips as she continued to massage her feet, especially her toes. She looked tired, like it was past her bedtime. In another hour or two, it would be. She was used to climbing into bed and relaxing. Even if she didn't fall asleep right away, she was used to having that option at this hour. But she was trying to broaden her horizons, do more things for herself... Or was she? Was she doing this for her? No... she was doing this for the students. They needed chaperons to be able to have the masquerade dance, and she had offered. She sighed and brushed her hair from her face, finally tossing it over her shoulder so that it wasn't hanging down in front of her. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Two more hours, she thought. Just two more.