Danicas

"I can't work with this."
The makeup artist, Julianne, didn't whisper. She said it loud enough for the entire bridal party to hear.
We were in the hotel suite. Morning light flooded the room. My dress hung on the door, waiting.
Julianne pointed her brush at my chin. At the cluster of cystic acne that had flared up due to stress.
"My portfolio is about flawless skin," she said, packing her brushes away. "If I put foundation on this, it'll cake. It'll look textured. And I won't have my name associated with… imperfect photos."
My bridesmaids froze. My mother looked down at her lap.
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. "But… we signed a contract. Three months ago."
"And I'm refunding you," Julianne said, tossing an envelope on the table. "Consider it a gift. Go find someone who specializes in… coverage."
She walked out. Her assistant followed, carrying the case of expensive products.
I stood there in my robe. The silence was heavy.
"My god," my cousin whispered. "She's right though. Maybe you should wear more concealer?"
I looked in the mirror. I saw the spots. I saw the redness. I saw the shame I'd carried for ten years.
Then I looked at my father. He was standing in the corner, quiet until now.
He walked over. He didn't look at my skin. He looked at my eyes.
"Julie," he said softly. "You know what I see?"
I shook my head. Tears were threatening to fall.
"I see my daughter," he said. "And I see the most beautiful bride in this city. Don't let a woman with a brush tell you otherwise."
I took a deep breath.
"Okay," I said. "No makeup artist."
" What?" my mother gasped. "Julie, no—"
"I'm doing my own makeup," I said. "Or… maybe I'll do none at all."
The Ceremony
I walked down the aisle without a layer of foundation.
I used a little mascara. A touch of blush. But the acne? The scars? The texture?
Visible.
The guests whispered. I heard them. "Did she not have time?" "Why didn't she cover it?"
Julianne was there. She was a guest of my fiancé's sister. She sat in the third row. I saw her shaking her head, looking embarrassed for me.
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