Snowflakes gently fell onto my face as the bitter cold brushed across my skin. The slow, uncertain footsteps of Hanako crunched in the snow as she led me towards the store. Akira’s footsteps to my right were slow but steady. Each crunch into the snow was firm while Hanako’s was shaky.
“We’re almost there Lilly. You m-might want to hold onto my arm tight here. There’s s-s-some ice.”
“Thank you, Hanako.” I tighten my grip as she leads me through the sidewalk. The outside of my shoe slides just barely as I find solid ground.
“Fuck!” Akira called out as I heard her boot slide and then a big thud.
“Akira? Are you okay? That didn’t sound good. What happened Hanako?”
“S-s-she slipped on the ice I think.” Hanako moved away from me towards my right. “Are you okay Akira?” Akira started to laugh.
“Yeah, I’m all good! Landed in the snow.” I heard her grunt and then her hands moving across cloth. “Gonna need to dry clean these pants later unfortunately but all good. Hanako did I get it all off?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Alright then let’s carry on! And Hanako told you to worry about the ice.” She laughed and nudged me a bit.
“You really should be watching where you step. You run into things more often than I do.”
“Well, one could say it’s easier for you. Your cane moves into anything before you do.”
“Don’t forget my biggest help. Hanako looks out for the both of us.” I squeeze Hanako’s arm as she comes back close. “Especially on days like today. The weather makes it quite difficult for me to move, you know.”
“Yes yes I know, let’s move on to the store.” Akira’s footsteps are moving ahead a bit softer than before. After a few more minutes I hear a bell.
“We’re here Lilly, I have the door open.” My cane searches and finds the edge of the door as I turn in Akira’s direction.
“Thank you.” I move inside with Hanako and a voice calls out.
“Are you Lilly, the bride-to-be?”
“Yes I am ma’am, it's a pleasure to meet you.” My cheeks warm at the thought. I am going to be a bride aren’t I? How exciting. “To my left is
Hanako my best friend,” I hear the door close behind me, “and just behind me is Akira, my sister.”
“Oh, how exciting! Which of you is the maid of honor? I’m Miss Niji if you couldn’t tell. ”Hanako grips my arm a little tighter before taking a deep breath.
“It is nice to m-m-meet you, Miss Niji. Lilly h-h-hasn’t decided yet.” That isn’t quite true. I’ve been waiting for the best time to let her know. I want her to feel confident enough to accept it.
“Very nice to meet you too! I hope you have good taste, Lilly here will need help deciding which dress fits her best. And I’m sure you’ll help too?” Akira coughs.
“I’ll help her partially. I’m not one who wears dresses often so it would be difficult for me to provide good feedback. Hanako’s got it, she knows Lilly’s style better at this point anyway.”
“T-t-thank you Akira.”
“Well let’s get started then shall we? I picked out three dresses for you to try based on what you said your personality was over the phone. Please touch them to get a sense of how they feel. This way to the dressing room.” I followed in her direction. After a few seconds she stops. “Here we are. Close the door behind you please Akira.”
“No problem.” I hear a thud. Hanako stirs beside me.
“Miss Niji, a-a-are those the dresses for Lilly?”
“Yes they are. Do you like them?”
“They’re b-b-b-beautiful. Lilly, you'll look am-mazing.” That’s good to hear. Hopefully, that makes Hanako less nervous about helping me decide.
“Let’s start then. Whichever one you decide first, Miss Niji. Akira, can you put this to the side for me?” I hand her my cane and she takes it.
“I’ll get this dress ready while you start to undress. Hanako, can you give me a hand dear?”
“Y-y-es.” While I take off my clothes I hear soft scraping. This dress must be a thinner one, it doesn’t sound heavy. A whistle comes from where I imagine Akira is.
“Hisao is one lucky guy. Are you going to be able to fit that in one of these?” I should have expected some teasing from her today.
“These dresses are going to be tailored for an exact fit Akira. Besides, I already sent in my measurements to Miss Niji last week.”
“That’s right! I chose the dresses based on design while keeping your sizes in mind. All of my customers fit just right. And dresses are built for curves which is why I work with them. If I wanted to work on flat designs I’d tailor suits.” I stifle a laugh. Akira isn’t wearing a suit today, but I’m sure the comment hits home all the same. Footsteps move towards me. “I have the dress in front of you dear. Can you step into it on your own or do you need help?”
“As long as I can feel it I should be able to get into it.” I hold out my hands in front of me and I feel the dress pushed into them. It’s made of a soft smooth fabric. As I step into it an incomplete image comes into mind. I finish pulling it up and it sits just below my shoulders. The dress hugs my body and feels slightly open at the top. At mid-thigh, it starts to loosen. Niji starts to make changes and pulls at the bottom to open it up.
“Hanako? Akira? What do you think of the dress?”
“Well, it’s certainly curvy.” Thank you for the input, Akira.
“You l-l-look beautiful Lilly. The dress is s-s-sleek all the way down. I like the way it comes out at the bottom. B-b-but.” She quiets at the end.
“But what Hanako? You can let me know..”
“It doesn’t seem l-l-like you. It’s a l-l-little revealing.” I smile at her. I’m glad she’s speaking her mind.
“I agree. Sorry, Miss Niji, but could we get this one off and try the next one?”
“Of course! You won’t hurt my feelings, you like what you like.”
“Hanako, would you please help me get this off?”
“Y-yes.” I don’t need much help with the dress but I take the opportunity to talk to her.
“You know Hanako, you don’t have to be nervous about giving your opinion. Akira was right earlier when she spoke, you do know my style better than her.”
“I k-k-know. But this is a wedding dress! It’s much more i-i-important than your regular clothes.”
“You think I’d do any better? I wear a suit every day of the week. Be a little more confident about this Hanako, you dress yourself pretty well. Besides, Miss Niji here has dressed some pretty important people, she won’t pick something bad. Okay?” Akira is good at calming her down sometimes. I’m glad she trusts her.
“Okay. Let's t-t-try the next one.”
“Perfect! I think you’ll love this next one.” This time as she walked towards me there was a sound of ruffling, like multiple fabrics all pushing against each other. “Hanako dear, help me put this on her. It’s rather unwieldy for one. Here Lilly, put your arms up and forward slightly.” I did as she told and soon I could feel the fabric slide over me. Initially, it barely touched my body and felt rough. Eventually, it started to fit around my upper body with a soft feel. As the dress sits on my body I start to feel it.
“Oh this is beautiful Miss Niji, I can tell by the feel.” From my stomach down the dress flows outwards, doubling the width of my waist. It is certainly very poofy. Above my stomach it hugs everything, with a sleeve from the top going down to my wrist. It’s tight but not revealing. As I spin around I feel it drag on the ground slightly. The length is perfect and with each spin it raises. Each rustle heightens my level of excitement.
“Damn Lilly, I haven’t seen you smile like that in public before. I guess you like the dress huh? She does look good, doesn’t she Hanako?”
“You l-l-look l-like a princess!” Hanako stammers out her sentence, even she is excited.
“A princess? I don’t know if I would go that far.” Blood rushes to my face.
“B-b-but I mean it Lilly! That is my opinion on this dress. There are even f-f-flowery designs around your waist. It’s very very good on you. Tell her Akira!” Hanako isn’t quite angry, but she yells that last sentence. Akira coughs.
“Remember that old story mom used to read to us all the time? About the girl who lost a slipper? You look just like her. A big dress that pushes regality. You even made Mom buy you one but you never wore it. Just felt it every day and told her one day you’ll wear a dress like that.” I start to remember and then laugh.
“Mother always said I’d get to wear one on my wedding day and Father would always get mad. ‘She’ll have a traditional Japanese wedding like we did!’ Luckily for me, Hisao isn’t one to care either way. I hope she can make it to the wedding to see me realize my dream.”
“Does that mean this is the one?” I was so excited I forgot Miss Niji was in the room.
“Of course ma’am. Thank you so much, this is perfect.” Suddenly Hanako envelopes me in a tight hug.
“I’m glad I was h-h-here to help. It means a l-l-lot Lilly that you trust me.” My arms wrap around her in return. This is the best time to let her know.
“You're my Maid of Honor, Hanako, of course I trust you.”
“R-r-really? M-me?”
“Who else would it be? You’re the best for the job.”
“Man, I lost a 16-year head start. But it’s well deserved Hanako.” I can hear Hanako start to sob as Akira pats her back.
“Oh Lilly, I t-t-thought you w-w-were going to pick Akira. I’m so h-h-happy I can’t stop crying.”
“I am very happy for you too dear, but please cry into this handkerchief instead of the dress. There will be plenty of time for that later.”
“Thank you Miss Niji. Please help me out of this dress. I believe it is time to look at those dresses for Hanako?” I smile. “After all, the Maid of Honor needs to look the part.”
Tbh the German tradition sounds easier without the weird idea that your best friend has to be of the same gender.