Chapter 1: Once Upon a Dark Night...

"Samantha Jackson! Let loose and have fun tonight! You seriously need to turn those frown lines into more pleasing smile lines! You look like a rundown old woman with diarrhea, sucking on a sour lemon!" Nelly frowned at her friend.

Samantha chuckled. Her friend rarely called her by her full name. Whenever she did it was because she wasn't happy about something Sammy did.

"I have a bottle of some wonderful red wine that I have been saving for this very day. I am very comfortable with staying indoors, watching Netflix and drowning my sorrows in it!" Sammy replied.

"Drown what sorrows? You just graduated from the most elite Culinary colleges in the country and all you want to do is stay indoors? I so miss the old Sammy who was a happy go lucky girl."

Sammy found herself frowning. Yes, a few years ago she was a free-spirited girl with no care in the world. That was before the world dealt her a bad hand of cards and a terrible car crash took away her mother and left her father in a vegetative state.

Visiting her father at the AW care facility was always an event that came with mixed emotions. She enjoyed seeing her father, but seeing her once vibrant and hardworking father helpless, was a pill she still found too big and extremely bitter to swallow.

"I know I have a lot to celebrate. I also have the anonymous donor to thank who paid off my pending school fees and made this graduation possible. However, I still find it hard to see any silver linings in the dark clouds that hover over my life. The savings my father had are running out. How will I pay AW to continue caring for him? If I decide to bring him to this my small studio apartment to care for him, I hardly know where I would start, or how to give him the care he needs. I should have opted to study nursing." Sammy felt like someone was squeezing mercilessly at her heart.

Sammy was alone and she felt like she was drowning in a sea of the unknown. Problems seemed to constantly be attracted to her like steel to a magnet. She wished a breakthrough would come in one way or the other. Never being lucky, she doubted good things could ever happen to her.

Given all she was going through; she wasn't so sure she had any reason to celebrate.

"Come on, Sammy. I know things look dark, but just for tonight friend, have a bit of fun. You are young and you deserve this, Chef Jackson! Just a night to forget. The college said they will place you somewhere for your internship. I am sure everything will be alright!" her friend begged her as she walked over to the small bed where Sammy sat, shoulders sagged in defeat.

Nelly sat next to Sammy, put an arm around her and squeezed.

Sammy was grateful for Nelly. They had met in college, but already she felt like they had known each other for most of their lives.

Sammy took a deep breath and smiled at her friend. Nelly was probably right. Sammy was twenty-five years old and yet felt like she was triple that age. Her problems and misfortunes had left her guarded and sworn off anything that could possibly give her any joy.

She felt like she didn't deserve it. Call it survivor's guilt. Many times she would catch herself laughing and stop. She would mentally see a picture of her father, who probably had no idea who she was and had no idea his wife was dead, and a bitter taste would rise in her throat.

Sammy had to cut herself some slack. If only for a night, she probably could celebrate. She had been to hell and back to finally graduate. She would let go of any inhibitions tonight and celebrate this one achievement. Who knew when next another good thing, if any, would happen to her again?

"You know what, Nelly? Screw everything, tonight I will celebrate and forget everything. Let's do this!"

Nelly's eyes lit up. "Really? Heck yeah! Now, this is the Sammy I know. Fun Sammy!"

The two friends giggled. Nelly stood up and headed to Sammy's closet.

"What do you want to wear? Sexy but not available, or hot and anything goes?"

Sammy couldn't help but laugh. Watching her friend's excitement was priceless. Nelly was holding up two dresses. One was short, black and strapless. The other was red and shorter than the latter with crisscross straps.

Sammy bit her lip as she tried to make a decision. These were her dating clothes. Seeing as she hadn't done much dating in the past years, she wondered if the dresses even still fit her well.

"Ummm, it's just a girl's night out, right? I am sure either one will be fine!" Sammy answered.

Nelly looked at the two dresses in her hands.

"Yep, just a girl's night out, but hey who knows? Limbo club usually has the cutest guys, so you just have to be prepared. Meaning you have to shave, sweetie. I am sure you haven't been doing that lately. Your legs look like a jungle during the heavy rainy season!"

Sammy grimaced, drawing her legs up to her chest and trying to hide them under her oversize jersey. She had bathed for the sake of being clean, but had found no reason to be going overboard in the grooming department. With no boyfriend and no prospects, she wondered why she should even bother. She hadn't realized that her legs looked that bad or even that anybody noticed.

"Argh! Alright, I will shave but I am not planning on any hookups tonight. Just a night out with you and a few of our college friends, after which I plan to head back home," Sammy answered.

Nelly gave her a naughty grin as she placed the short red dress on the bed.

"Then, red it is!"

"Hey...doesn't red mean love or trying to get me some?" Sammy frowned.

"Oh. I thought like a traffic stoplight, red meant stop! What does black mean then?"

"Black means approach only if you want to moan!" Sammy replied without a second thought.

"Moan? As in 'ahhh..yes baby' type of moaning?" Nelly pulled her face, mimicking a moaning face.

"No! Moan as in a funeral. Hurting and heartbroken moan. You are just impossible!" Sammy threw her hands up in mock surrender as Nelly broke out laughing.

"Alright friend. You can choose either one, but be forewarned, both colors could mean anything. Red as in that beautiful lady in red...ready for anything. Or the black widow...that will make you moooan!"

Sammy stood up and took a fresh towel from a shelf in the small room. She was going to go take a long bath and shave. She planned to feel good tonight.

"Red or black doesn't really matter. Tonight will be one of those nights, so just call me Sami with an 'i'. 'I' for 'intoxicatingly fun!'"

The strappy silver heels looked amazing, but they were torturous in terms of comfort.

Whose clever idea was it to turn girls and women into professional stilt walkers?