Chapter 3- Girl's Night Out plans and some old Memories

“I don’t know Rose,” Sasha said to her best friend.

“Why not?” Rose asked. “You totally need a girl’s night out.”

“I suppose you could be right,” Sasha said thoughtfully. “Alright when?”

“How about next Friday?” Rose said. “You’re free then right?”

“Yeah as a matter of fact I am,” Sasha replied.

“Great! Your place sound good?” Rose said excitedly.

“Sure,”  Sasha said smiling.

“Yay!” Rose laughed, happy that she was going over to her best friend’s house for a girl’s night. They hadn’t had one in so long and Rose knew Sasha could use the fun.

Smiling at Rose’s antics, Sasha said “Ok girl I’ll see you then.”

“Ok bye chick,” Rose said.

“Bye bye,” Sasha said, smiling despite herself. It was a Monday morning and Sasha had been writing since 4:00am.  Stretching, Sasha thought “I need to go out.” She yawned and then got ready to take a shower. While Sasha was taking a shower, there was a knock at the door.

“Oh great,” Sasha thought. “Right in the middle of my shower.”  Sasha turned off the shower, savoring the last drops of heat against her skin, and wrapped her robe around her.

“This better be good,” Sasha thought as she answered the door. Outside, there was her mailman, Tom, with a large package.

“Oh I wasn’t expecting a package Tom,” Sasha said.

“Apparently,” Tom smiled. He was an old widow with his hair beginning to grey at the temples. Tom knew about Sasha and how her parents really didn’t care for her or her brother so he tried his best to look after the two.

“Who’s it from?” Sasha asked, curious as to who would be sending her a package.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Tom replied. “I know it’s insured and it’s from someone named Katherine.”

“Aunt Kathy?” Sasha asked. “I didn’t know she was sending something.”

“It comes with a letter,” Tom said as Sasha signed the receipt for the package.

“Thanks Tom,” Sasha said, taking the package inside.

“Anytime,” Tom said. “Have a good day.”

“You too,” Sasha murmured as she tore open the letter from her Aunt Kathy.  “Hmmm this is strange,” Sasha thought as she scanned over the letter. The letter had said that Aunt Kathy had found her long forgotten Cherokee wedding dress going through some old trunks and had insisted that Sasha have it. Smiling, Sasha pulled open the package, pushed the tissue paper aside and gasped. The dress was a single shoulder, white deerskin dress, (as was the nature of such dresses in those times) and was hand beaded with thousands of tiny shimmering beads. At the bottom of the dress, there were bleach white feathers from doves and with the dress came with a single piece of jewelry; a single, bone white seashell carved into a howling wolf on a choker necklace.

“It’s beautiful, Sasha said to herself as she felt the delicate choker. Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Begrudgingly leaving the dress on her bed, Sasha went to answer the phone.

“Hello?” Sasha asked.

“Did you get the package I sent?” Asked Aunt Katherine.

“Yes I did,” Sasha responded. “But what is it for?”

“I had a vision,” Aunt Kathy said. “It was of you and a handsome young man.”

“Oh really?” Sasha asked, highly doubtful of this vision. “Are you sure it wasn’t just wishful thinking or rather wishful dreaming?”

“No I’m positive it was a vision of your future,” Kathy replied.

“So you sent me a wedding dress?” Sasha asked.

“No dear,” Kathy said laughing. “I sent you MY wedding dress that my grandmother gave to me and her grandmother gave to her. It’s filled with the magic of our people.”

“The magic of our people…” Sasha said thoughtfully. “How do you know?”

“Try it on darling,” Aunt Kathy urged. “And you’ll feel the magic.”

“Ok I will,” Sasha said. “Thanks Aunt Kathy. I love you.”

“I love you too little pup,” Aunt Kathy said. “Goodbye.”

Sighing, Sasha hung up the phone. It had been a long while since someone had called her little pup, the name she had been given by her grandmother’s tribe before she had died. It brought back happier memories, memories of a time when her mother and father had been mama and papa and they had loved her and her brother much more than they did now.

“Oh Memah,” Sasha thought as the tears rolled down her face. “Why did you have to die?”