Chapter Twenty-Eight
The car ride home was slow, with Matty behind the wheel. Melvin sat up front again, with Mikey and Mia in the back. They all complained they ate too much; the third milkshake was one too many over the line. Mia was ready to crash. All her responsibilities were done; all she had to do was wait for graduation day. When they made their way up to her floor, Mia slid her keycard on the lock.
“Oh shit, here.” She said, pulling her extra guest pass out. She handed it to Mikey, his eyes wide.
“One?” He asked, Melvin taking it from him.
“Yeah, the other one…” she paused, pushing through the door, the boys following behind. “Aurelio has it.” She said quietly. Her brothers looked between each other and gave hmmp’s.
As they reached her door, they realized her broken mirror was gone.
“Huh,” Mia mused, “maybe someone took it.”
They all shrugged. Once they entered the loft, and the door was locked, Mia looked at her phone—a quarter to twelve. Aurelio was definitely in the middle of the job; the time would only count down to when she got to see him again. Matty and Mikey fought over blanket space as Melvin settled on the couch.
“Goodnight, guys,” Mia called, slipping out of her jeans and untying the knot in Aurelio’s shirt. She placed her pants and jacket on one of the stools as grumbles of “Goodnight, bug” echoed from the living room. She pulled the little privacy curtain closed and fell into bed.
The next few days went by like a blur to Mia, thankfully. She was distracted from Aurelio’s absence by her brothers. They went around the city, exploring all the sights. They bought two small air mattresses and more blankets. Mia had a blast; she loved having her brothers around. They made her feel safe, the same kind of safe Aurelio made her feel when he was around. They wanted to see her school, so on that Monday morning, when Mia had to return her books and pick up her gown, they eagerly agreed to go. The morning was a bit chaotic; Melvin and Mikey went for a run, and Matty did his “room drills.” Mia couldn’t help but feel very unfit compared to her brothers. When the routines were done, they all dressed quickly, and Mia locked herself in the bathroom despite the boys’ groaning that one bathroom wasn’t enough. Half an hour later, they were in the car, with Mia driving, heading towards her school.
“I have to go deal with the books, and then we can walk around,” she said as they parked. “If you guys want, you can go check out the little cafe in building E. That’s my favorite one. I’ll meet you there in like half an hour.”
They headed in the direction she pointed as Mia went to the library, meeting a few students as she passed. Thankfully, the return process was easy, and the librarian didn’t say anything about the slightly damaged books.
On the way to the cafe, Mia decided to take a quick detour to Professor Soara’s office. But as she approached, she saw a janitor scraping off the name plaque on the door.
“Excuse me? What are you doing?”
“Professor Soara passed away this weekend,” the man said plainly. “She left mid-semester to be with her family during the last of her illness.” He kept working, not even glancing at Mia. “The office is being given to a new teacher, and I have to get it ready.” He stopped for a moment as if realizing how insensitive he sounded. “Sorry, but I have to get it done now, or else I’ll have to come back right after school lets out, and I like to take a vacation.”
“Right.” Mia nodded; her mind was unable to wrap around what she had just been told. “You said this weekend?”
“Yup,” he groaned, going back to scraping. “Cancer.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Mia turned, running down the hall. Tears were hot on her face as she exited the building, phone in hand. She dialed Aurelio before she even knew what she was doing, and his voicemail beeped.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed into the phone. “I’m fine. I really am; I just, ugh.” She groaned. “A teacher I really like died, and I’m upset. But I’m okay. Sorry.” She clicked the phone off, hanging up.
“BUG!”
She turned around to see her brothers running out of the little cafe with concern on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” Matty asked, wrapping her in a hug. Melvin and Mikey did the same as Mia sobbed quietly.
“A teacher I really like died. And I didn’t even know she was sick.”
“How could you know if they didn’t want you to?” Melvin reasoned, his hand on her head.
“I was her T.A. She left midsemester, and I knew something was wrong. But I was so distracted.” Mia was blaming herself for, well, she wasn’t sure what.
“Bug.” Mikey lifted her chin so she’d look at him. “She didn’t want pity. She wanted people to pay attention, to learn from her one more time.”
They were right, of course. Mia let them hold her for a few moments, her eyes finally drying. When Melvin asked if she was ready to walk around, she remembered she had to get her gown from the front office first.
“I’ll go get it. It’s under your name, right?” Matty asked, pulling away as Mia nodded. She let the warmth surround her, letting herself fall into him. She breathed in his warm scent, the smell of home overwhelming her. She felt her tears dry as his arms held her there, the comfort of not being alone. This is what she had been missing, the only missing piece now Aurelio. With her brothers around her, she could see the light at the end, she could picture the future clearer and clearer. All she needed was Aurelio and the puzzle would be complete.
She couldn’t have been more grateful for her brothers, and once Matty was back with a gown wrapped in plastic, they walked around the campus together. She showed them all the buildings she had classes in and the lawns where she had watched summer night concerts. They listened intently, nodding along as she spoke and soaking in her memories. When she was ready, they headed to the car and drove off.
“I don’t even have a dress yet,” she admitted quietly, thinking of the suit Aurelio would be wearing.
“What?” Matty gasped. “That’s a problem.”
Melvin nodded in agreement. “Where is the nearest dress shop?”
Mia shrugged. “I don’t know. I have never needed to buy a nice dress before.” She pulled out her phone and searched until a local boutique popped up. Melvin immediately redirected, heading towards the shop.
“You guys don’t have to do this with me,” Mia insisted right before all three brothers pushed past her into the store. She sighed and followed.
A woman in her late forties came out to greet them. “Most graduates have a dress picked out months in advance,” she said after Mia explained the situation. “You are pretty curvy; that’s a good thing.” The woman winked, sizing Mia up and making her blush.
Her brothers collectively groaned; Matty slapped a hand over his eyes.
“Unfortunately, something off the rack is really your only option now.” The lady pulled a few dresses in shades of red and blue.
Mia sighed, “Do you have anything in a dark grey?”
“Hhhmmm, maybe.” She disappeared among the racks, and just as Mia was beginning to lose hope, the woman reappeared with a dark grey dress. “I have this. It’s going to be a bit long on you, but I may have enough time to hem it.” She pulled off the dust bag.
It was a grey gown, simple but beautiful. The hem was long, but slim. Not puffy or over the top. It looked sophisticated with long sleeves. The V-neck would show off more cleavage than Mia thought she would be okay with, and the back dipped low, creating a deep v shape.
“Wow,” Melvin breathed. “For her?” He pointed at Mia; his face was uncertain. He still pictured her in the overalls and t-shirts she had worn growing up.
“That is…” Mikey chimed in, his jaw opening and closing a few times before he could finish. “…wow”
“Let’s see it on,” Matty encouraged, excitement on his face.
With help from the woman, she was able to slip into the dress in the cramped dressing room.
“No bra, dear.”
“Huh?” Mia had never worn anything without one. “I can’t.”
“You will be fine,” the woman assured with another wink. “Trust me.”
Mia shrugged and unsnapped her bra, setting it on her folded clothes. She slid the dress over her head; the silky-smooth fabric was cool on her skin. The dress had a slit up one side that was mostly hidden by the folds of the falling fabric, but it let Mia move freely.
“Beautiful,” the woman praised. “Let’s show those boys.”
Mia followed her out, stepping onto a little platform and twirling. There was silence behind her. The woman moved around her diligently, tucking fabric around her ankles and marking the hem.
Mia chanced a glance behind her; all three brothers were gawking. “What?”
“Holy shit, bug.” Matty’s face broke into a huge smile. “You are fucking beautiful!”
“Well, gee, thanks for noticing,” she said sarcastically, catching Melvin’s eye.
His eyes were sad, and his face formed a soft smile. “Dad would have loved you in that.” The other brothers nodded their heads in agreement.
Mia turned away; she didn’t want to cry again. “Thanks,” she softly murmured, her back to them.
They all waited in silence while the woman pinned a new hem and measured the rest of Mia, making sure the dress fit just right. Mia decided the sleeves were too long, so she asked if they could be changed to three-quarter sleeves.
“Sure; that’s easy enough,” the woman said as Mia handed her the dress after redressing in her regular jeans and band shirt.
“With both alterations and the cost of the dress itself…” the woman started, eyes on her computer screen and typing lightly. “…that will be $1,439.76.”
Mia’s eyes widened in shock; she did not have that kind of money. “Uh, any chance I can pay at pick up?”
“Sure.” The woman gave her a smile.
Mia’s brothers looked at one another uncomfortably. “Mia,” Melvin said. “We can pay for it.”
“No.” She put a hand up. “I’ll figure it out.”
“You can pick it up and have your final fitting…” The woman looked at her calendar. “…Friday at four pm. Does that work for you?”
“Yes,” Mia said, making a mental note of it. “And I will have the money for you then.
“Sounds wonderful, dear.” The woman nodded politely to them as they exited the shop.
Mia did not know how, but she would find a way to get the money and buy the dress or go to graduation naked.