I
looked at myself in the mirror, then smiled. No, not quite like
that. It should be a different smile. I tried again. That’s it! That’s my perfect smile. Open and confident. Radiant
and a little bit cheeky. OK, try again…
After good ten minutes of practising
I felt I could put that smile on my face any time. I smiled again – this time naturally, feeling very satisfied with
the results of my training. Good for you, girl, I said to myself. Way to go…
A perfect smile was only the last touch
to the picture, in addition to a perfect dress, perfect hair style and a perfect make-up. I was going to the wedding. Trouble
was, my best friend Laura was coming, too…
If you knew exactly what it was like,
having Laura as a best friend, you would understand me better. No, nothing was wrong with Laura. And that where trouble was
– there was nothing wrong with Laura. Never. Not a thing. She was a picture of perfection. Almost ridiculously good-looking,
charming, good-natured, successful. She wasn’t even vain, like
you would expect a very beautiful girl to be – well, maybe she was, but to an extent. And she was intelligent, too.
And generous. Indeed, sometimes I admired her the way I would admire a work of art, not a person. I wasn’t even jealous
– not at those moments.
But sometimes I was. Out of the two
of us, it was Laura who got all the male attention. Showing her kindness, she tried to introduce me to some friends of her
numerous admirers, but it somehow never worked. I can’t say none of them liked me – I just wasn’t much interested
in those who did, and if I really liked somebody, they most definitely preferred Laura.
But tonight things are going to be
different. I will definitely not be in Laura’s shadow any more. Not in this dress, on which I spent quite a handsome
sum of money. It was worth every penny though. It was more than perfect – it was magic. It made my slim waist look even
thinner, and my full bust looked splendid in it. As for my hips, a bit wider than desirable – well, the dress somehow
took inches off them. And its colour was perfect too, and suited me marvellously. Golden colour. Just perfect.
My hairdo could also be described as
perfect. The money I paid to the top stylist wasn’t wasted. For some reason, I’ve never tried to tie my hair up
before. Now it was obvious that this style suited me most. It made my face look more enigmatic, or so the stylist said. That’s
why I had to practise a new smile – an enigmatic smile that would give my entire face a new expression. And now, the
mission of creating a new me was finally accomplished. I smiled again. The next important detail of the plan was trying to
stay away from Laura, as opposed to following her like a shadow, which I used to do before. Not any more. I was going to be
my own girl at that wedding. A golden girl…
First it seemed to have worked perfectly.
The wedding ceremony was marvellous. A dashing bride in her ivory dress was radiating a special beauty – the beauty
all the brides in the world sparkled with, the bridal beauty. A proud and happy bridegroom, laughing and bubbly bridesmaids,
charming little flower girls and pageboys… And Laura. Laura was beautiful as always, but my golden dress was also noticed
at once. Out of all the ingredients of my new look, it was my dress that was first to attract attention. And then it was my
new hairdo. And then it was a spark in my eyes. Well, the latter was mentioned by some male guests, including the bride’s
father, who has always been a ladies’ man, or so the rumours reported. Well, I couldn’t boast the compliments
from representatives of the opposite sex that Laura got, despite of turning up with her new boyfriend, but it was just the
beginning. I lacked the experience, you see. The smile I tortured my mirror with – oh yeah, it was my perfect smile,
but it wasn’t Laura’s special smile. I didn’t know what was in that smile, but there was definitely something,
because nine men of ten were quite unable to get their eyes off her face.
