Page 5 of Hidden Gem
Luna shot her an icy look. “That’s harsh, Marnie. You may think you’re joking, but anything you think or say about yourself becomes part of you. That’s why I never say something like that, even as a joke. I control the narrative. I am fabulous, savvy, sexy. That’s my story, and when I tell it consistently to everyone, they start telling it too. You can feed people lines you want them to repeat. Just like politicians do. You just slip it in there, have the media absorb it, pass it on, and voila! It becomes the truth.”
The champagne arrived, and Marnie gulped a mouthful, her eyes watering from the smooth fizz rising to her nose. Fake Nigella had a point, but she wasn’t here to work on her self-esteem. She just needed a dress for one night. If Tom hadn’t booked this lady, she’d already be in a changing room somewhere, squeezing herself into something uncomfortable.
“Look. I just need help choosing a dress, or I don’t know, maybe I can do it myself. I’ve lost weight, so it should be a bit easier to find something that fits. I know Tom really wanted to gift me this... experience”—she made a hapless hand gesture at Luna—“but you shouldn’t waste time on trying to fix me. If it’s at all possible, could you just bill me for the time you’ve spent so far and refund Tom? I think he went a bit overboard with all this...” She flashed the stylist an apologetic smile, gathered her saggy canvas handbag and got up. Her legs felt like pool noodles.
“Sit down.” Luna’s low voice froze Marnie in mid-motion, and she dropped back to her seat, perfectly in sync with the firm downward gesture Luna made with her hand.
The stylist eyed her for a moment, then slid her champagne glass aside and leaned forward. “I see where you’re coming from. Most of my clients have a goal like getting someone’s attention, advancing their career, making someone jealous. You just want to get through this one night, right?”
Marnie nodded, her cheeks suddenly hot. She hated sounding like such a sad sack, but this was the best she could do. Her body had failed her, making her push pause on any dream she’d had of reinventing herself. This perfectly made-up, sexy woman would never understand.
Luna placed her hands against the table. “I can work with that. One dress, make-up and hair, and I’ll make sure you feel nice and presentable for that gala. Tom told me about it. There are some very interesting people there, it’s quite an opportunity to mingle, if you were looking for that. But I can see that you’re not.”
Marnie caught a glimpse of disappointment, as if her invitation to this party constituted a terrible waste, an opportunity someone else might have used to great advantage. She was probably right.
They finished the champagne, left the restaurant and walked towards the city centre. The bubbly lightness of the drink carried Marnie to the first shop, a small boutique off Lambton Quay. Presented like a gallery, it was one of those retailers that regarded price tags as distasteful.
“We’re working to Tom’s budget,” Luna assured, noticing Marnie’s alarmed face. “Don’t worry about the price. I’ll let you know if anything is out of our range.”
Marnie’s eyes widened. “What’s the budget?” She couldn’t let her boy pay some exorbitant amount for a dress she’d only wear once. Despite his success, he paid ridiculously high rent for his inner city flat. Wellington’s rental market was out of control.
Luna pushed her towards a private fitting room with luscious couches and a disturbing number of mirrors. “I agreed not to discuss the budget with you. Now, I usually like to start by taking a ‘before’ shot, but I have feeling you’ll fight me on this?” Her voice carried a tinge of tired resignation as she held up her phone.
Marnie cringed. “Is it going to end up on social media or something?”
Luna gave her a condescending smile. “That’s kind of the point.”
“I ... I...” Marnie searched for the nicest way to shut this down, a heavy feeling in her stomach. She detected the flicker of exasperation on Luna’s face, and it amplified her guilt. But she couldn’t.
“It’s okay.” Luna sighed, guiding her to a gold-and-purple armchair. Marnie sat, sneaking a peek of herself in the massive mirror on her side. She looked smaller than she remembered, but utterly lost, like a stray cat they’d dragged in from the street.
Luna disappeared and was immediately replaced by a young, impossibly skinny shop attendant carrying a tray of cold drinks. Marnie picked one of the organic sodas and twisted it open, wincing at the pain that shot through her finger joints.
An hour later, her whole body vibrated with exhaustion. She’d been in and out of a dozen dresses. There was nothing wrong with most of them – the beautiful, shiny materials and figure-hugging cuts suited her new shape – but she couldn’t imagine wearing any of them in public.
Masking her apparent impatience with a professional smile, Luna handed her yet another dress –a shiny, champagne-coloured number with a low-cut cleavage. Dutifully, Marnie wiggled herself into it and stepped out from behind the curtain.
“Absolutely gorgeous! That chest is going to steal the show!”
Marnie blushed, hovering her hand over her chest like a palm leaf.
Noticing her discomfort, Luna grabbed another piece off the rack. “It comes with this little bolero, but I’m not sure...”
Marnie slipped on the little velvety jacket and breathed a sigh of relief. Ah! Something dark and soft to hide under.
Luna pursed her lips. “Too bulky. You can take it to shield you from the wind, I know it’s a bit chilly out there, but promise me you’ll take it off when you get inside. Let that dress shine.”
Marnie nodded obligingly. She’d never take it off. “I think this is it.”
She changed back into her tunic and jeans while Luna organised the purchase.
Back on the street, Marnie turned to the stylist. “Thank you so much for your help. I don’t want to keep you any longer. If you just let me know where you think I should get my hair done, I can take it from here.”
Luna smiled, hooking arms with her again. “I’ll take you there. I’ve booked you in for some treatments, hairdo and makeup. But I need to discuss the details with the team.”
She led Marnie around the corner and a couple of blocks down a side street. “Don’t worry. The Beehive’s just around the corner, so your hair won’t get undone by the wind. And did you say your hotel was close, too?”
“On Ballance street.”
