Gloria Takes Center Stage

As Gloria Sykes exited the elevator and entered the lobby talking on her phone, some folks could hear part of her conversation:

“...so Madame Mayor will be by with her group in a few hours?...I see...and her personal attorney and assistant will come by first?...Wonderful... Good day.” then froze in bewilderment.

“What the devil is going on here? What is the meaning of this?” demanded Mrs. Sykes.

Spotting the damaged, pink lingerie on the floor, Gloria stopped to pick them up. Holding them aloft for all to see declared:

“I’ll be glad when you people are all out of here. You treat this place as if it were a pigsty. You throw your laundry on the floor and leave it. Who belongs to these vulgar undergarments anyways? These are something a strumpet would wear.”

Unable to look past the throng of spectators to see what all the commotion was about, Gloria did what Gloria always did. Still clutching the pink lingerie, she charged forward and shoved aside anyone in her way.

“Diana!! What in God’s name are you doing!!!??? Why are you naked?? Why are you scooting around on your behind like your stupid Pekingese, Winston. And why are you covered in...in...in God only knows what that is.!” shrieked the enraged Queen B.

Diana stopped scooting about and tried to hide her exposed body from her mother’s unwanted gaze.

“These people ripped my clothes off, underwear and all, and left me naked. Then they threw pies and food at me.” blubbered Diana.

“You mean these obscene objects are yours!!??” Gloria’s voice rising.

“Yes. Well, no. Not really. You see...”

Before she could finish her sentence, Gloria began to cuff her nude daughter.

“You stupid child! You stupid, silly, child! What is wrong with you??” screeched Gloria as she continued to smack a defenseless Diana, who was more concerned with shielding her doughy body from the howling and laughing crowd than avoiding her mother’s blows.

The repeated exertions were causing Gloria's white, full length slip to begin sliding off of her shoulders and droop down beneath the hem of her blue, one piece dress, until it dragged on the floor. Unaware of the impending wardrobe malfunction, she kept trying to slap at Diana who was now hiding behind a large serving cart.

While Gloria was so engaged, an astute observer saw a golden opportunity to teach the haughty woman a lesson and discretely pushed another heavy cart forward just enough so that one of the large castors rolled over and tangled the hem of the exposed slip, wrapping it firmly around the wheel and pinning it to the floor.

“When I get my hands on YOU I’ll...I’ll!!” yelled a fuming Gloria and lunged across the cart to get at Diana. Before she could reach her errant daughter, the crowd’s laughter was pierced by a loud...

R-I-I-I-P!

“Wha…?”

She tried again.

SHRIIIP!

“My slip! What the...I’m caught. This thing is tearing my slip off. Get over here and help your mother, Diana!”

“I can’t. I don’t have any clothes on.”

“My...my...unmentionables are on display! These ruffians can see my...er, underthings!”

Gloria turned and mashed her backside up against the cart for leverage and tried to push it off her trapped undergarment, intensifying the ripples of laughter at her plight increased. So did their anticipation as everyone but Gloria could see that the seat of her dress was also now firmly snagged by the cart’s utensil hooks.

“Uhhh...ugh. I can’t move this thing by myself. Don’t just stand there you louts. Somebody help me! And stop looking at me!” she ordered.

“Sure. We’ll help.” offered a couple of the spectators.

Not even attempting to untangle the dress and errant slip, the two abruptly shoved the cart forward.

SHRIIIIIIIIIIP!!

Gloria’s entire slip along with a large part of the back of her dress ripped off and rolled right out into the main floor of the lobby with the cart.

“EEEPPPP! Oh dear.” came Gloria’s very restrained and for the moment, controlled reaction as her white slip and the back of her dress were torn off.

Not a sound was heard as Diana and everyone around took in the unbelievably comical scene. They were intently watching Gloria’s face turn into utter embarrassment as she began to realize what had just happened to her clothing and dignity.

She turned her head to the side and then slowly looked down and at the back of where most of the rear of her blue, one piece dress used to be, hoping it wasn’t true.

“EEEKKK! My God! My dress! People can see my undies!”

“Hey, look everybody, looks like granny wears ‘granny panties’ after all!!” Then came snickering and giggling at the sight of ‘Miss High Society’ exposed in her sensible white panties, trying to hang on to the shreds of her torn dress.

Gloria threw her hands over her derriere and closed up the tattered remains of her dress as best she could as she spun around, her beet red face contorted in surprise, her mouth forming a huge ‘O’ in shock.

SPLAAAT!

Came the sound of a hefty fruit pie flattening against Gloria’s face, crust and gooey innards sliding down into her still eye catching bosom.

“Oh, oh...I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life.” as her fingers raked the slop from her face. Her arrogance evaporating. It was game on now.

While the crowd was preoccupied with congratulating themselves, Diana did a low crouch duck walk and waddled over to hide behind a small, cloth draped table next to the slowly rotating ‘kinetic gears’ wall art to await developments and enjoy her mother’s chastisement. Glad for the moment that she wasn’t the object of derision.