I just stepped out of the shower when I heard my front doorbell ring. I grabbed a towel and quickly dried myself off. And then, just as quickly, I pulled my robe off the door hook and put it on. I couldn’t help but think, who the hell is ringing my doorbell at seven o’clock in the morning? Have they lost their minds?

I rushed to the living room and peeked out the front window. I couldn’t see anyone standing there. I opened the front door a crack, and I saw…. No one. But on the top step, I saw a package about the size of a six-pack of beer. I quickly put my hand out and brought the package to my living room. I opened the package, and the only contents were a large envelope with an engraved invitation in it. Apparently, I’ve been invited to a secret underground event. And the invitation was titled “You Only Live Once.”

I stared at the invitation for at least five minutes. And all I could think was, “This must be some mistake. Or one of my crazy friends’ ideas of a joke. Plus, there wasn’t any name on the invitation. The address was one I wasn’t familiar with at all. And in parenthesis were the words “dress formal.”  

I wasn’t familiar with the area, but I thought, well, isn’t that why I have a GPS and a cell phone? They sure didn’t give me much of a heads-up. The party was tonight. I considered the options: I could tear up the invitation and forget it. Or, I could look through my closet and see if there was anything in there that all my friends hadn’t seen before. My first impulse was to tear up the invitation and forget about it.

And then I thought, well, why shouldn’t I go? It might be fun, and I might meet “someone.” And I hadn’t really gone out in a long, long time. Well, since the break-up with Michael. It was possible I could finally meet “The One.” The one guy who would love me despite my flaws and who would see that I was a “hidden gem.” And so, I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and looked through my clothes closet to see if I had something special. Then I remembered the Dior designer dress I had never worn before, which was hiding in a plastic bag at the back of my closet.

I riffled through my clothes, and low and behold, I found it. It looked pristine. I thought this was the one that would finally help me find my Prince Charming. No one would be able to resist me in this dream of a dress. And I had my aunt Jennifer’s pearls that would be the perfect final touch. The next thing I had to do was get an appointment with my hairdresser and get a new hairstyle.

For the next three days, I prepared to unveil the new me. I couldn’t eat, and I couldn’t sleep. I thought the day would never come, but then it did. I spent the morning at the salon getting my hair and nails done, and then I put on “The Dress.” When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t even recognize myself. I looked like a new me, a new and improved version.

I decided to call a limo service to drive me to the gala. I sure didn’t want to arrive in a 1974 Volkswagon Bug, one that I had been around since dinosaurs roamed the planet. Well, maybe not that far back, but it was ancient, that’s for sure.

My limo arrived at eight on the dot. I believed that this opportunity would only happen once. And this was a big chance for me to start anew and find my one and only true love. The limo driver was friendly after I told him I was going to a big celebration, a gala. He said, “Well, I’m sure you will be the bell of the ball. You look beautiful.

I said, “Thank you.’ But I was sure he just complimented me to get a big tip. We arrived at the gala, and I have to admit it was a toss-up between excitement and terror. I had never been to such a big event before. The limo driver said, “What time would you like to be picked up?” Picked up?” I stared at him and said, “I completely forgot about being picked up. All I’ve been thinking about was the gala and meeting Prince Charming. The driver said, “Any Prince Charming would fall in love with you at first glance. But here is my business card with my phone number on it. Just in case you need a ride home. By the way, my name is Charles Prince. If you need a ride home, or if you ever need a driver in the future. Be careful, I hope you have a wonderful evening.” I was about to get out of the limo, when suddenly the driver of the limo was at my door and he said, “allow me to help you out of the car, and walk you up to the entrance of the Ball. I felt my face blush from head to toe. But, I took his hand, and he gallantly led me to the entrance of the Gala. And then he released my hand and bowed deeply from his waist. When he looked at me, I blushed so deeply it must have looked like I had a fever. He said, “if not tonight, I know we will meet again, ” and bowed again. And I walked toward the Gala’s entrance and turned momentarily to look back, but he was gone, and so was the pristine limo.

I walked up to the double doors and pulled open the door in front of me. I could hear music and laughter. I was feeling a mixture of fear and excitement. I was sure this would be the best night of my life. I knew this would be the night I would meet the man of my dreams, my prince charming. I had no doubt.

As I walked into the ballroom, the flashing lights and loud music startled me at first. But after a few minutes, I grew accustomed to the sounds and sights around me. It wasn’t easy to find any of my friends. So many people were milling around the hall, and it was dark, and the flashing lights made it difficult to get my bearings.

A couple of minutes later, I saw my best friends, Christina and Helen. I’ve known them since elementary school. They looked amazing. “Alicia, you finally arrived. We were afraid you chickened out.”

“Chickened out, no, why would I do that? I have been looking forward to attending this event since I was in high school. Not to mention, I spent all my babysitting money on this dress and shoes.” Christina and Helen laughed. I said, “What are you two laughing about?”

“Because we just said the same thing right before you got here.”

“Oh, I thought it was just me.”

“No, everyone here feels the same way.”

And we all started laughing, and then Helen said, “Hey, I’m starved. Let’s go see what the eats are, shall we?”

“ Yeah, let’s say I’m starved. I have been starving myself for two weeks, so I would fit into this dress.”

They looked at each other and started laughing again. “Now, what’s funny?”

“We have to. I’m going to eat until I explode,” Christina said. And off we went to the dining tables. We each grabbed a plate and tried to fit a little bit of everything on our plates. Then we found a table where some of our friends were sitting, stuffing their faces and laughing. I said, “ I guess all of you have been starving yourselves too?”

They all looked at us, and we looked back at them. And we all laughed. I finally took a break from eating and said, “I’m stuffed. If I eat one more thing, I’ll throw up. Then, everyone moaned. And said, “Me, too.” We just sat there quietly for about fifteen minutes and began gossiping about the popular girls and their boyfriends. And we sighed, “ I don’t see any guys who are not dancing with someone. We must be the only ones without dates. Then, a quiet girl in our group said, “So, who says we can’t get up and dance with each other? That’s better than sitting here and stuffing our faces until we get sick.”

And that is exactly what we did. Christina went up to the band and asked them to play our favorite songs, and then we all made our way onto the dance floor. We spent the next several hours dancing, singing, and having a great time, boys or not.

About two hours into the gala I saw the doors swing open and I saw a tall, familiar young man waving in my direction. I wasn’t sure who it was. But he was the first guy ever to look my way. I waved at him, and he came towards me. And that is when realized who Prince Charming was, he was my limo driver. And if he didn’t look like Prince Charming, I don’t know who would. My girlfriends were all whispering, “Oh my god, who is that gorgeous guy? Who is he looking for?”

I said,’ That is my prince charming, well, not my prince charming, but my limo driver. I guess he got tired of waiting for me outside. And then, in the blink of an eye. Prince Charming said as he walked up to me.’Pardon me for interrupting your gala. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t take this opportunity to dance with the most beautiful girl in the room.” I looked at him, and I could feel my face flush. I couldn’t manage to get a word out, but I took his hand, and he led me out to the dance floor after requesting a song. It was “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” He said, “This is one of my favorite songs’ Elvis Presley originally sang it.”

We danced together until the band began playing their final song. “Last Dance.” by Donna Summer. I felt like I was floating on the dance floor. I had never experienced such a night. And I never thought that my first Prince Charming would be the limo driver that drove me to the event of a lifetime. Who knew that falling in love for the first time would feel this wonderful?