Reality Check 3

It was almost midnight as a large, middle age, heavy-set woman with long, flowing red hair made the decision to go out.

 “It is just too warm to stay in here, Momma,” she said. “Maybe tonight is the night I will meet prince charming. He might be waiting outside for me with his golden carriage and six white steeds, right now. It would be so exciting to finally meet him!”

Her heart raced at the thought, as she carefully braided her hair and pinned the long braids on the top of her head.

“Perfect,” she said, as she put on black eyeliner and powdered her face. She put rouge on her cheeks and applied bright red lipstick to her lips. Her eyesight was deteriorating rapidly, so she overdid it a bit. “Momma, you promised I would meet him, someday! Maybe that someday is today.”

She looked in the mirror and blotted her lips with a large, white bath towel.

“No matter, there will be a fresh, clean one for me in the morning,” she muttered to herself. “When my prince kisses me, he is not going to be thinking about lipstick. He will kiss me, Momma! I know he will. Maybe he will kiss my hand first.”

The woman opened her tiny closet and pulled out a long, red dress with a lace trimmed neckline and short sleeves. She talked non-stop, as she got dressed.

“You made this dress for me, Momma. I know that I seldom wear it, but it will be cool on a hot night like tonight. My white shoes, gloves and sandals all fit perfectly. My prince will love seeing that everything I wear matches.Oh, where are my long white gloves? I need my purse, too!” she said, as she pulled them out of the small drawer of her only dresser. “I found them, Momma.”

Moments later, she headed out the door of her tiny apartment and headed for the front door. She walked right past a young, dark-haired woman mopping the long, hallway floor.   

“That is enough sweeping up cinders and washing floors for today!” she said. “You need to find your prince charming.”

“Rose is on her way out to meet her prince charming again,’ the cleaning woman reported to the night attendant of the retirement home, who was writing a report at the front desk. “She is all dressed up!”

“It’s almost midnight. I wonder if she realizes that the prince's golden carriage turns into a pumpkin at midnight, and that his white steeds become mice. Her Cinderella complex may be reversed.”

“She is probably afraid of mice. I must ask her that next time she walks by, as it never hurts to do a reality check,” said the young woman. "Maybe I should ask her about her sisters, too."

“Don’t worry too much about Rose, as she usually goes out every night. She only stays there for half an hour or so, never goes beyond the front gate and comes back content, and at peace with herself and Momma. By the way, her mother died about twenty years ago, but Rose keeps right on talking to her. She may ask you where Momma is. Occasionally she goes out looking for her at night.”