The Embossed Invitation

Welcome to Poppy's Blog!

Today Poppy is sharing a writing prompt she completed.  

"Write a story about a character who's nervous about attending a party - their first in a long time."

As she finished her morning meeting, she stopped in the break room to pour a cup of coffee.  She then headed down the hall to her office.  She was balancing her files, portfolio along with the coffee cup.  She dropped the files on her chair as she pushed the office door open.  She then noticed a tiny envelope on her desk that read "Invitation." She grabbed her files from the chair, set them on the desk, and reached for the tiny envelope.  She flipped it over, and it was embossed with a golden seal.  It was so beautiful; she hated opening it.  Carefully she opened it, and it was a party invitation.  She had not attended a party since her office promotion about 4 years ago.  She was determined to move forward in her professional life, which meant "nose to the grind." She looked at the invitation one more time before she dropped it into her satchel.

When she returned home that night, she pulled the invitation out of her satchel while sipping on her wine and set it on the kitchen counter.  She ate dinner, watched a little TV, and went to bed.

The following day, she saw the pretty party invitation on the kitchen counter and smiled.  She then left for work.  Today was the big day for the presentation she worked on, and she was confident she would nail it.  The presentation went well, and she was elated.  Her manager was very pleased.  As she walked down the hall, she was smiling.

She returned to her office and sat looking out of the office window.  There was a knock at the door.  It was Tim from next door.  He asked if she had received the invitation to the party.  She said yes, but she would not attend. Tim said, only certain people from the firm were invited.  She said, nice, but she would have to decline.  Tim said, too bad it will be an interesting party.  She smiled as Tim walked out of her office.

It was party night.  She arrived home and slipped her pajamas on, and decided to watch a little TV.  As she sat watching TV, she kept looking at the invitation on the kitchen counter.  She then got up, walked over, and picked it up.  She said what the heck and made a beeline to her closet.  What to wear. 

She found her little black dress and slipped it on.  She then pulled a black silk scarf with embroidered flowers that would add a splash of color.  She then grabbed her black open-toe shoes, along with a black clutch purse.   On her way out of the door, she looked in the mirror.  She was perfect.

On her way to the party, she was very nervous.  She had not attended a party in a while.  She thought to herself, it's like riding a bicycle. Right?  She then laughed. 

She arrived at the party to find plenty of attendees.  She pulled her dress down, straightened her hair, and walked towards the front entrance.  She knew if she allowed herself to be nervous, her knees would knock together.

She walked into the party and headed for the bar to grab a glass of wine.  As she reached the bar, there was a tap on her shoulder.  She turned around, and it was an old friend Janice.  They struck up a conversation.  As Janice talked, she noticed her manager watching. Janice was a well-known author.  Her manager came over to join the conversation.  She asked right away, how do you know each other?  Janice was excited to say we grew up in the same neighborhood.   She said, interesting.  Tim walked over, and I introduced him to Janice, and he too joined the conversation. We both shared a few stories as the wine flowed.  Our circle started to grow, and most of the attendees had joined us and added to the conversation.  We laughed and had a great time.  

As the evening winded down, Janice gave me a big hug and said she had to go.  Janice then whispered in my ear, "you were the "belle of the ball." She then let out a chuckle.  While driving home, she was pleased that she had attended the party.