“Ooooo. How about.... everything but the rent, always!” Kylie replied with her teeth together but her lips apart and her eyebrows raised.
“What? What are you saying? You don’t have any savings?”
“I’ve got a couple of bags of gold that my Dad gave me but the rest of my cash is pretty much spent from pay to pay, with about two hundred dollars a month for spending money....but me thinks that Outrigging will gobble that up.”
“You need to have savings Kylie! For a rainy day!” Mila said.
“Nah. I never go out on rainy days! I stay at home so I don’t get wet or rain hair, therefore I don’t need to save money!” Kylie smiled.
“You are going to be the best dressed bag lady everhhhhhhh,” Mila said.
“Whatever! Enough chit chat, what are you going to wear today duhlink?” Kylie asked smiling and gesturing like a game show hostess at her boudoir boutique.
The assortment of possible choices was breathtaking. It was like the heavens had opened up to shine a bright light onto a kaleidoscope of femininity. There were at least fifty dresses to choose from and another fifty tops in an assortment of styles and fabrics. She had summer and winter jackets and fitted and flowing skirts. There were jeans in all colours, ball dresses and long pants in addition to the over packed shelves of handbags to accessorise her stock.
“Holy fashionista alert, you have sooooooooooo much stuff! And nice stuff! Talk about spoilt for choice! Is there anything you don’t have?” Mila was still gobsmacked as she looked through all the spoils.
“The only thing I don’t have a lot of, is ear rings. Because I don’t have my ears pierced. But sometimes I get them as presents so I just keep them in case I can make them into clip-ons later,” Kylie said.
“Wow? I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t have their ears pierced. Why don’t you?” Mila said turning back to Kylie.
“When I was younger and wanted them done Mum said if I got holes in my ears, I’d also have to get one in my nose but like a bull, in between my nostrils, so that was that and I haven’t really missed them. I spend enough money on everything else.”
“Wow. My sister and I were told we weren’t allowed to get our ears pierced until we were fourteen so she got a stapler and did her own.”
“Ooooo, Ouch and Messy?” Kylie said cringing.
“Yep. Worked but! Her ears were definitely pierced! I just waited ’til I was 14 and it didn’t hurt much at all!”
“Yeah, waiting is under rated!” Kylie said holding her earlobes thinking about the pain of stapling holes into them. “So, do you want to wear a frock tonight or jeans?” Kylie asked.
“I’m easy!” said Mila.
“Noooooo, me thinks that’s your sister in high school!” Kylie said jokingly then apologised straight away. “I’m sorry, that was mean, I don’t know your sister so that was inappropriate.”
“No, it’s a fair comment after what I just told you. She’s quietened down now, but she was a bit of a ho-bag, team player, mad rooter, so to speak,” Mila said.
“Okay, but I won’t say that again. I was just being silly,” Kylie said.
“Yeah, no worries. I don’t hate her, there just seems to be a closeness that’s missing between us.”
“How often do you see each other or talk to each other?” Kylie asked with her head tilted to the right.
“We see each other every Christmas or family get together, sometimes once or twice a year, and we talk, at those gatherings and maybe a random chat another couple of times a year?”
“Shiiiiiiit!” Kylie said frowning.
“What?” Mila asked.
“Maybe you could be the one who offers a new tide of friendship?”
“What would you suggest?” Mila asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Talking to her. Communicating with each other. And to start with, at least once a week.”
“What are we going to talk about?”
“Anything! Everything! The amount of things you would have missed learning about her would be endless. Ask her about herself and just listen. Get to know her!”
“How do I know she’d be keen on that?”
“You ask her. Engage her. Be honest and put it out on the table. If you feel there is a closeness missing between you two, tell her that and tell her you want to change that. If she is open to it, make the commitment to each other to ensure you talk at least once a week. Open ears and an open heart, just ring her and make a start!” Kylie said putting her right hand on Mila’s right shoulder.
“Mmmmm,” Mila murmured then she shrugged her shoulders.
“Don’t let something that happened when you were kids affect the future you have as adults. A sister is a gift. Any sibling is. It’s up to you but I think she is worth the effort and I don’t even know her. She must be alright if she’s from the same stock as you.” Kylie winked at her. “Mad rooter or not!”
“Righto, I’ll have a think about it. Now is there anything I’m not allowed to wear out of this lot?” Mila said changing the subject.
“Nope, it’s open slather!” Kylie replied sitting on the bed with Mila and picking through the drawers.
As each one found something they liked they would put it on and then try and find something to complement it. The room quickly became a mess and the goal of ‘coming as they were’ proved a very difficult spontaneous look to pull off.
“You know where the shoes and accessories are so just go for it until you find an ensembley you are happy with,” Kylie said.
“Ugh, it’s hard enough finding something that will go with what I like. Like, I’ll like a top but then I won’t like the bottom skirt or shorts.”
“Like totally like!” Kylie made fun of Mila.
“Shut up,” Mila said throwing a piece of clothing at Kylie’s head, covering her face.
“Hey thanks. I was looking for that. Go and have a look in the closet. There’s a summer frock in there that I reckon would fit you nicely.”
“What colour is it?” Mila asked, walking towards the closet.
“It’s coral.”
“Hmmmm,” Mila said lifting her right eyebrow.
“On the right hand side. It’s cute, it’s just too tight for me at the moment.”
Mila sifted through the coat hangers and when she found it she was impressed. “Ohhhh, I likey! I likey a lot!”
“Try it on you hot lil biscuit.”
Mila didn’t need to be convinced, she slipped out of the baggy selection of clothes she just had on and pulled on the strapless coral frock over her head and zipped up the side. It fit her perfectly.
“Oh that’s lovely on you,” Kylie said.
“Yeah I really like it” Mila said swishing the above-knee-length hem around in front of the mirror. “I’m done, I’ll wear this and the shoes I came over in. Where did you buy this?”
“Last time I went to Melbourne in a boutique somewhere in Richmond, Bridge Road I think.”
“Oh, I’ve never been to Melbourne,” Mila said.
“OMG, we have to fix that! Put that on your To Do list. You, me, Melbourne, together!”
“Righto.