Nails and Getting to know you

Pulling into the mall parking lot Candi made a comment on Bailey’s makeup. “That red shade of lipstick looks just amazing, what kind do you use?”

“I’m, like, not sure, Aunt Megan did my makeup.” Bailey said opting to go with the truth with not knowing anything about makeup. Looking in the Mandy’s purse that he borrowed for what Megan added he saw a small pink wallet, a tampon, pack of tissues, a compact mirror, mascara, a handful of the pills Megan mentioned earlier, another condom and the lipstick. Pulling it out he made a mental note that again he didn’t have keys to his own apartment.

“It is, like, MAC matte Ruby Woo.”

“Wait Bailey, do you not like know how to do your own makeup?” the comment made Bailey blush. Intellectually he knew that was nothing to be embarrassed about he was a man and had no need to know such things, but the way she said it made him feel like he should considering he was wearing it and holding a tube of lipstick between his fingers painted a glossy pink.

“Candi honey, Bailey has been a major tomboy for a long time. She even used to wear men’s boxer briefs. Recently she has decided to embrace her feminine side like her mother and I am just so happy to help her.” Megan said as she pulled into a parking spot.

“OMG that is like perfect, I am like so happy that you're coming out of your shell! I, like, have a YouTube channel where I teach things like makeup, I could totally teach you how!” Bailey looked over at Candi with a look that said ‘Oh no, please no, god no.’ if you knew who he really was, but to drive home the torment Megan chimed in already having twisted around to look into the back seat.

“Look at her, she is speechless. No wonder she said she wanted to be like you Candi, you are just the sweetest.” unbuckling her seatbelt Candi reached over and gave Bailey a hug from the side so that they were both looking forward pressing their cheeks together. “Don’t worry girl, I got you!”

“Aww if that isn’t the cutest thing, I have seen all day. Bailey give me your phone dear, and do that again I want to take a photo of that for you.” having learned his lesson on fighting the woman he handed over his phone without complaint so that Megan could take the photo.

“OMG yes, send that to me! Oh, and let's take some more shots outside!” Candi said pulling away from her friend and getting out of the vehicle. Bailey was the last one in the SUV, unbuckled himself and opened the purse taking one of the pills out and dry swallowed it down. “I hope these things work.” he said getting out of the car to start his day of shopping.

Candi and Bailey were taking a few selfies with each other when Candi looked over to Megan. “Miss Best do you mind?” she said waving the forty-year-old over to her.

“You want me to take a photo of the two of you again?” she said starting to walk over holding out her hand, expecting Candi to hand over her phone.

“Oh, no not at all, I wanted to get one with you in it too. You were kind enough to drive here and someone as pretty as you must have better things to do then hang around with teen girls all day.” this caused Megan to stop walking as the kind words hit her emotionally like a ton of bricks. Her daughter Becky was always a daddy's girl even before her ex poisoned the girl against her, and here she had a sweet teen girl wanting to include her. With a large smile she joined the girls for a few rounds of photos. When Candi put away her phone to looked to Megan and spoke. “Bailey is so lucky to have a beautiful Mom and Aunt like around to help her and look up to. At home it is just daddy and I, it means a lot to me that you are spending the day with us.” Candi hugged Megan and a tight embrace, while Megan did what she could to keep herself from crying tears of happiness.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to knock some of his punishments out to avoid a spanking later Bailey joins the hug so that Megan is being embraced from two sides. “I love you Aunt Megan, Candi is right. Like I’m super lucky to have you.” he said as sweetly as he could.

“Awww, you two are just so precious. If you like Candi, I wouldn't mind if you called me Aunt Megan, or Aunt Meg. You two already look like you could be sisters, you can sound like it to.” Megan said that with some hope in her voice, wishing she really did have a niece as kind as this girl.

With an extra squeeze from the hug Candi let go giving the older woman a thousand-watt smile. “I would super love to call you that, this is like the best trip daddy has taken me on. You are just the best Aung Meg!” she said grabbing Megan's hand indicating she was ready to head inside.

When Megan looked over to Bailey the disguised man took her other one and the three walked hand in hand into the mall.

Just as they crossed the threshold into the air-conditioned building gave a little squeeze to the two girls hands. “I have a few surprises for you two today, first I made an appointment at the nail salon for us to get mani-pedis, the second surprise is a new dress for both of you for your date this week. While my little Bailey has spent time with boys this is her first real date and that is thanks to you Candi.” while Candi looked super happy and was about to voice the emotion it was Bailey that spoke up first.

“You are?” he said with surprise.

“I love you like you are my own Bailey, but you can be such a ditzy girl, forgetting something like that. Now what do you say girls?”

Candi’s response was letting out a little woop sound showing her happiness before thanking her, while Bailey’s was a fake smile saying “Like can’t wait!”

The first stop for the day was a store called Phenomenail where Megan checked the girls in letting them know they were each scheduled to get some classic French tip nails set at the glamour length of eight millimeters past the end of their natural nails.

Bailey had to admit the pampering felt nice, but the end result was not one he was happy with. He wasn’t sure how long acrylic nails lasted, but he sure hoped he could get them off after Friday when he could drop this act. He was looking down at his hand regretting having them there, but to the outside world it looked like a pretty teenage girl examining her new nails.

“Before we, like, go and start out little shopping, I had an idea that we could like do to get to know one another better. If there is like a dollar store in here lets like each go in and buy five things that say something about us or a memory to share.” Candi said looking to the two Best woman.

“That sounds lovely way for the two of you to get to know one another better. After that we have more than a little shopping to do. Not sure if you saw those boxes in the back of my vehicle, but that was all of Bailey’s tomboy clothes. We have been saving to afford it, but I thought now was the perfect time to get Bailey the clothes she really loves.” Bailey’s eyes grew wide, this was not part of the plan and he didn’t want to voice anything or be called a ditzy girl again or worse earn another strike.

“That is like so amazing, today is such a good day! You hear that girl, I can help bring out the real you!” the fake smile returning he looked at Candi. “Fer Sure, like the best day.”

“Oh, and Aunt Meg. I didn’t like mean for just me and Bailey to get five things in the store, I would like love to get to know you too. Is that okay?” Megan brought the knuckle of her index finger to her eye wiping away a tear that escaped. “Yes...Yes that would be fun dear.”

Inside they all separated to different areas of the store to start, alone Bailey stared at a shelf wondering how he was going to handle this. Maybe some items that did reflect his life and some things Megan would like him to get. He knew she was enjoying watching him squirm, and maybe if he played into the role, it could robe her of some the sick pleasure she was getting.

When they met outside, they headed over to a bench each holding a plastic bag to go over what they purchased.

The first to go was Megan as she pulled out some red yarn. “My mother taught me how to knit was I was younger and I have always loved it.” the second item she pulled out was a puzzle with the picture of a pie on it. “This one actually tells you two things about me. I love to bake, something I would love to pass on to my niece and I enjoy puzzles, something I know she doesn’t like. Let see the third object is this, a tiny figure of Wonder Woman, I always loved her and wanted to be strong and powerful like her.” she said holding up the tiny figurine to eye level. “Next we have this fun blow up flamingo, because when I was much younger for my honey moon we went down to Florida, not a glamours honeymoon, but I enjoyed the beach and we went to Sea World and I got to see the handlers walking a flock of them across the park and I just loved it.” she said placing the item back into the bag before pulling out the final item a bag of water melon flavored red vines. “I have a bit of a sweet tooth and I love this flavor.”

Candi piped in next pulling out the same bag of candy. “This isn’t one of my items, but like I love them and wanted them, so I guess I have like six items.” with the one item out of the bag she just dumped the rest onto the bench next to her. A piece of cheap sunglasses, a mug that said number one dad, a bag horse figures, a toy camera and some brushes. “Okay, so like first I guess it was the candy, we have sun glasses because I love being outdoors by the pool, the mug because I have like the best dad ever. We then have some horses; I just love them. Then the last two are makeup brushes, cause duh, makeup! Then the last is a camera, I love taking photos and like I said earlier I have like my own YouTube channel, it like even pays me a little, but whenever I post daddy has to approve the video first because I’m not eighteen yet.”

Last up was Bailey, and he was surprised that some of his items were similar to Candi’s. “Umm I like have a few things here. The first is this.” he said pulling out the same exact pair of sunglasses Candi had chosen. “I thought they were cute and stuff and also like being outdoors, but I like burn easy.” the second thing he pulled from the bag was the same bag of horses though his reasoning was much different from Candi. “My dad and I like used to go horseback riding every Saturday growing up and it was like one of the last things we did together.” before Bailey could put the bag down Candi was holding her own eyes tearing up. She was thinking about the number one dad mug she had and how it must have hurt her friend seeing it when one of her own items was about such a precious memory. She pulled back and smiled a tight-lipped smile with tears still in her eyes squeezing Bailey's hand, encouraging her friend to continue. The emotions from sharing that memory and having a girl almost crying as she held him did get to Bailey and he had to fight back some tears of his own. He was happy when she let go or he wasn’t sure he could have held it in.

“The, umm, next time was this...” he said fishing out a best mom mug and looked sheepishly to the teenage girl, who only kept smiling and squeezing his hand. “We then of course have some fake flowers, because if you couldn’t tell by my phone case, I just love them. The way they look, the way they smell and the last item is like some princess playing cards. Man.. Mommy and I sometimes play cards together and I like always wanted to be a princess.” the two apparent teenagers hugged again as Megan stood up and walked in front of them and squatted down to embrace them both saying. “Thank you for including me in that, it was a lot of fun, how did you even come up with that idea?”

Candi smiled and said “It was what my daddy said he did on the first date with my mother.”