Her grandmother always told her that if you see a cardinal when you walk outside first thing in the morning, it’s going to be a day to remember.

She walks out to her car, and a flash of red catches her eye. She wonders what she’ll remember when the day is done and she’s climbing into bed.

It’s a good day. She watches wedding band videos with him all afternoon, and actually looks forward to returning to the office later that night. The cardinal is still sitting in the tree when she returns, and she flutters her fingers at it as she lets herself in, then feels a warmth spread through her stomach that might be anticipation.

She wore it once before, when she was in Roy’s sister’s wedding. It came with a sash, but she decides she doesn’t need that as she removes it from the plastic dry cleaning bag and inhales the fresh scent.

Slipping it on, she realizes the hem is loose, trailing a “V” behind her right knee. She stands on tiptoes and twists, using a few pieces of clear tape to secure it; her Grandmother never did tell her how to sew.

Her hair is carefully put up; as she wraps sections around a curling iron and piles it on top of her head, she thinks, not right, and takes it down again. She feels like she’s sitting in Roy’s truck after Prom, pulling out bobby pins and counting them, lining them along the dashboard as he sips a beer and watches her hair fall, piece by piece. She looks at the neat row along the sink and tries again, counting to seven before her hair is secure, some falling down her back. She’s satisfied.

Her Grandmother was right; it’s a day she’ll always remember. The cardinal’s gone by the time she gets home, tiptoeing along the hallway. She climbs into bed next to Roy, wondering why she said what she did; why she didn’t say try again, you can catch me this time as he walked away, taking his net with him.

She turns, pushing her head deeper into the pillow. Something along the back of her head catches and she realizes she never did take down her hair.

She doesn’t bother now.

Prompts:

a roll of clear tape
seven bobby pins
a cardinal
the scent of something clean
a net (fishing, sports-related; it's up to you!)