Dressed to the Hilt

I "gracefully" walked down the stairs to where my dad sat waiting for Mom and me. "WOW! Look at you! You look so pretty, Angel." Dad, in his suit and tie, stood up from his chair and met me at the stair's landing. I ducked my head and mumbled a "thanks, daddy". But I actually wasn't that embarrassed, I knew that I looked nice in my Christmas dress--black velvet on top, with a forest green satin skirt that made a loud swishing sound with my every movement. I looked like I was dressed for a grand gala, in anticipation for the Nutrcracker Ballet we would be attending. Dad looked down at his watch and shook his head. He mumbled something about mom's definition of "ready in five minutes" being seriously skewed, and then yelled "Teresa Jane, are you ready to go?" Dad and I immediately heard the thuds of several objects falling to the ground, which we assumed were probably brushes and a hairdryer knocked over in Mom's haste to get out of the bathroom. Dad and I snickered a little as we waited for Mom to appear. She was slightly out of breath as she paused at the top of the stairs. "I told you I'd only be a minute!" Mom smiled down at us both as she adjusted one of her earrings before walking down the stairs. Dad didn't tease her back. He just grinned, and nudged my side with his elbow. He looked like he was the luckiest man in the world.