After Isis
finishes filling out her mailing list card, Melinda rings up our purchase and
slips our lipsticks in separate bags. As Isis drops hers in her Brooks Brothers
shopping bag, I catch the frown on her face. I don’t think she was having a
sticker shock from the lipsticks, I think she was feeling uncomfortable about
her own femininity.
As we head out
of the store and start heading up Madison Avenue, I catch her forlorn eyes with
my smile. Maybe I can cheer her up. “You want to go get some lattes at Barnes
& Noble?” I ask.
“Nah, I think
I’ve spent enough money today.” Isis sighs.
“Still reeling from
the sticker shock?”
“Er…Yeah. We
just spent what people spend on groceries for a week on two lipsticks.”
“I don’t know
why you’ve got the case of buyers’ remorse, my wallet is the one taking the
hit.”
“Hit? It’s more
like a knockout punch.” She snaps.
“Maybe we ought
to get back to your place so you can recover.”
A flash of light
takes us from the bustling streets of Madison Avenue to the living room of
Isis’ apartment in the Lenox Terrace. Isis drops her shopping bags in the
center of the sofa and flops down onto the cushion next to them. I ease into
the cushion on the other end of the sofa and cross my legs. When I look over at
Isis she huffs a sigh and folds her arms. This must really be a sore spot for
her.
“Are you gonna
be pouty about a little tube of lipstick?” I ask.
“I’m not
pouting. I’m brooding.” Isis snarls.
“I don’t see why
you’re so upset. You just spend a over a thousand dollars at Brooks Brothers.”
“Yeah, but I can
use this suit more times than I can that lipstick.”
“Hey, never
underestimate the value of good make-up.” I reply. “A color that works for your
face will get worn more than that suit ever will.”
“I’d feel more
comfortable with my crimson scarlet.”
“I think the
Coral Red is more you.”
Isis gives me a
quizzed look. “Since when did you get into make-up like this? I always thought
you were an intellectual.”
“Well, I didn’t
get the title of the fairest woman in
Egypt with my face buried in a scroll.” E’steem replies. “Queen Isis taught
me a few things that helped me earn that title.”
Isis gives me a
piqued look on the revelation. “I never thought you two were that close.”
“We had a pretty
good relationship.” I reply. “Don’t you and the Queen ever talk about this kind
of stuff?”
“Not really.”
“As close as you
two are, I thought she’d have shared some of her beauty secrets with you.”
“Make-up has
never really been my thing.”
“Well, I think
it could be something if you gave it a try Princess.”
“Er…I’m a princess
in the technical sense-”
“Well, it wouldn’t
hurt for you to flaunt some of that royal beauty sometimes Your Highness.”
“Not with make-up
that makes me look like a court jester-”
“I think you
could look quite elegant if you made an effort-”
“Elegant? I
can’t even get that blasted tiara to stop falling in my face-”
“You could make
it work for you if you incorporated it into your own style-”
“I have found my
own style.”
“I don’t think
Jeans and T-shirts are fitting attire for a goddess who calls herself the Daughter
of Knowledge.”
“Y’know I didn’t
really need to be so stunning to do my Sword of Nubia duties-”
“Well, I think
it’s time you explored your softer side Princess.”
“I think my
traditional New Heliopolitan look works for me-”
It does work for
everyday labors. But I’d love to see her something a bit more regal sometimes. “I
think you’d look great in a pleated gown-”
“With this skinny
body? I’d be swimming in that thing.”
“I think you’ve
got the hips for it.”
“I’d have the
hips for it if I had your hourglass figure.”
“Hey, don’t put
yourself down-”
“You look more
like a goddess than I do.”
If she only saw
me when I got up in the morning. “There’s more than one way to look like a
goddess. You just have to find a style that fits you.”
“Maybe you can show me some looks that I could
try tomorrow night.”
There’s a way
two sisters can connect. “Is that an invitation?”
“I’d like to
think the former fairest woman in Egypt could show me a thing or two about
creating a new look for my new role as the Daughter of Knowledge. Do you think
John can give you the night off to help me with my fashion dilemma?”
“I think he can
manage an evening without me.”
“Great. I’ll
provide the gelato-”
“And I’ll bring
the fashion magazines.” I say jumping off the sofa and disappearing into a
flash of light.
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