Penelope narrates:

I call Vickie and tell her I'm coming down after work to Evening Wear to buy my wedding night lingerie. The plan is to get a couple items and just bring lingerie I already have for the honeymoon. With a sigh I add,"...can you also choose some hot pants for me? Prince wants to see me in them and since tomorrow is his birthday, might as well try to please him. "

Vickie is thrilled about my wedding and being bridesmaid so she can't wait to help me. When I get there she has started a dressing room of pretty white lingerie of every feminine style I can imagine...and a few pairs of hot pants.

Might as well start with the shorts. I can't shake the feeling my ass is gonna fall out of the first pair. After trying on a couple more, I'm starting to think the style just isn't me. "How are we doing?" asks Vickie.

When I open the door to the dressing room, she smiles. "You look you should be in a music video!"

Ugh! Why can't I see that? Prince likes my body but I also know it's not going to become the shape I want no matter what I do. It's something I'm learning to live with and I think it's progress. "Vickie, I'm not sure how these supposed to fit." I confess.

"Those look right to me."

"I should get them. It's a little thing, really. Not like he wants me to wear them in public."

"Your friend Spark Elle bought gold sequin ones for his own show"

"Does drag queens shopping here surprise you?"

Vickie laughs,"Did you forget I was a Vegas showgirl for ten years? Nothing will ever surprise me."

Giggling, I start looking at the lingerie. No to the white teddy, it's too Susan. A silk camisole and matching tap pants catches my eye. These are more my style than the hot pants because they are a bit longer. A must for the honeymoon! 

My choice for the wedding night is a long slip with a high slit. I've never had a long slip before. It makes me feel like one of the glamorous old movie stars Prince loves. Picturing Prince's face when he sees me in this before we have our first encounter as man and wife excites me. Man and wife. Me as Mrs. Nelson!  He feels I'm the one he should be with the rest of his life! Prince could ask a total stranger to marry him and she most likely would!

My final choices are the hot pants Vickie liked, the camisole and tap pants set and the long slip. Passing by the shoes, I notice some of those open toe heels with the feather trim that I always brushed off as cut but frivolous . But for my honeymoon, why not?

In the morning I wake up super early to put on my hot pants, a nice top and wedge heels to fix a small birthday cake from scratch using my recipe that Prince adores. 

Just a normal day in the Nelson household, I laugh to myself while getting out the pancake ingredients for breakfast.

Prince sneaks up behind me, puts his arms around my waist and sings softly in my ear "Happy Birthday to me..." He kisses my neck, cheek, jaw and just by the way he's cuddling up to me and kissing me, I can tell he adores me more than my cake recipe. Much more.

 Without words his touches show me how loved I am and I really feel ashamed for every bad thought I've had about myself. "I don't need to go anywhere today, I've got everything I need right here."Prince tells me,"Anyway our friends and family will have enough of celebrating us with the wedding." He chuckles as he stands in front of me, looking into my eyes.

"That reminds me, a couple of packages arrived today. Must be wedding gifts because they are addressed to both of us" I say.

"Wish people wouldn't waste their money. Like I said we've got it all."

"Yes, and you've also got this" I hand him a note

"'Happy Birthday to the man who makes my heart flutter, your first gift is in the same where we keep the butter.' he reads. "Oh, is this like a scavenger hunt?" he smiles as he opened the fridge to find a wrapped gift inside. 

Prince sits down and opens it to find a half gallon of really good gourmet maple syrup. He kisses me and thanks me. He notices a note taped to the syrup bottle. It has a hint to where his next gift is. Before he can read it, he's informed his mom has arrived! We haven't eaten yet so I'm going to have to face her on an empty stomach. I start to leave to change out my shorts. Too late.

"Skipper!" Mrs. Shaw calls out to him. She looks at my legs, judging me. I refuse to feel like a tramp because I work for my body and I was just dressing for my man. "Penny take this cake" she instructs handing me a homemade cake. My heart sinks because I already baked one. She hugs him, exclaims "Happy Birthday, Honey!" and kisses him.

"Thanks, Mom" Prince says.

"How about I fix us some pancakes? I already got everything out." I suggest.

"And she got me some really good maple syrup." Prince comments.

"Maple syrup as a birthday gift for a man who got you a painting?" Mrs. Shaw asks. How dare she bring up the Jean-Michel Basquiat Prince got me for my birthday! Prince doesn't expect something like that from me, it's not in my budget sadly.

"What's the note taped to it?" Mrs. Shaw asks.

"Oh, that's just a clue for where he can find his next gift." I admit

"Sounds silly. "

"I'm enjoying it. " Prince insists even though he hasn't looked for his next gift.

My focus returns to the pancakes, trying so hard to make them perfect. This is the first time Mrs. Shaw has ate anything I prepared. No matter what I do, she'll probably say something.

Mrs. Shaw takes a forkful of her pancakes and mutters, "Not bad". Whew!

After breakfast Mrs. Shaw pulls out an old photo album she brought and sits on the sofa between Prince and me. She talks about various family memories and I pay rapt attention. There's actually a picture of Prince and Margret laughing at a family gathering and they are the definition of good looking 1970's teenagers. "We all were so sure you two would end up marrying" Mrs. Shaw says to Prince about the photo. 

"They were such a cute couple." I comment. Honestly, I'm not jealous of Margaret. She can't help being charming and beautiful.

Prince glances across the room and notices a wrapped gift-the second present I bought him. Desperate for a diversion, he asks if he can open it. I tell him he can. "This is great! I love it!" Prince smiles as he opens a Marilyn Monroe book. He kisses me. 

Prince starts flipping through the book, "Mom! This is by a female photographer who took pictures of Marilyn! It's the sort of book Penelope will release someday!" He proclaims.

"Well, what are you known for photographing?" she asks.

"Fitness." I reply.

"Do people buy photo books of that?"

"Some might," I say sounding confident, almost cocky. 

"I buy Tyka one of Penny's bodybuilder calendars every year." Prince says.

"But that's more of a gag gift." Mrs. Shaw points out. True, why else would Prince buy something with nearly naked men for his sister? But Mrs. Shaw didn't need to say it.  Nothing I do will be enough for this woman, I can feel it.