GOOD RIDDANCE by Needleman Diane “Bend down so I can zip you up.” Linda bent her knees and glanced at the clock radio on her desk. It was Linda stood in front of her dresser impatiently waiting for her mother to come upstairs and help her put ‘on her gown. Her dresser-top was cluttered with an assortment of make up. Her aqua gown covered tthe length of her bed. Linda had carefully put her gown on the bed to keep it from getting wrinkled. Her white cape and her white satin evening bag were arranged around her first formal. Linda _ shuffled over to her bedroom door, opened it, and walked hall. “Mom,” as she bent ter. “It’s a Ralph said thirty.” “Really,” out into the him, dark she shouted downstairs over the wobbly bannisquarter after seven and he’d come around sevenher mother said. “Who ‘twenty after seven. “Oh no,” Linda thought and started to panic. “TI hope Ralph is late.’”’ Linda snickered. ““Maybe he won’t show up at all. Oh, well, thank heaven we're doubling with Randy and Patricia. I won’t have to stay with Ralph the whole evening. I don’t know why I ever said I’d go to the Prom with — ever heard of a girl being ready on time?” “I did,’ Linda replied, watching her mother walk up the steps. Linda and her mother had both had their hair done that afternoon, but the grey roots of her mother’s hair showed through the red ends. Because tonight was Prom night. she wore her green print dress with a belt instead of her usual shift. “Now who’s fooling around?’ Linda’s mother kidded when she reached the top of the stairs. “Come on and get dressed.” Linda walked back into her room. She stopped at her desk, took off her robe, and put it around her desk chair. She stuck her head into the bottom of her formal and her mother pulled the bell skirt down over her hips. anyway.” “Okay,” Linda heard her mother say. “All you have to do is put your shoes on.” She plopped down on the bed beside the dresser. Linda walked over to her dresser and picked up one pearl earring. She looked into the mirror and noticed the red and blue pieces of sparkle in her brown hair glittered when she tilted her head a certain way. “Linda,’ her mother said quietly and then hesitated. Linda finished screwing her other earring on and turned to face her mother. “What?” she questioned. “Here comes a lecture on how to act tonight,” Linda thought sarcastically. “I can tell by the tone of her voice.” “Linda,” she continued, unsure of herself. “You will be nice and polite to Ralph, won’t you?” “I knew it,” Linda thought. “She thinks he’s a nice little boy because he acts nice when she’s around. “Why should I be nice to him? I can’t stand him.” “You can still be nice to him... Linda interrupted, “He’s a pain in the neck. You haven’t forgotten about the time he grabbed that freshman by his shirt collar and practically choked him at the bus 9 stop, have you? And all because that kid called me skinny. Or the time he just about followed me into 20 cocoa-brown chair and extended his arm to Linda. She wanted to ignore his hand, but she took it and flashed a smile across the living room to her mother. “Thank you,” she said _ politely after she got up. “Randy and Patricia should be here soon. It’s a quarter of eight and the Prom starts at eight.” “Randy said they may be late,” Ralph volunteered. Linda nodded and sat down on the sofa. “He looks handsome in his tux,’ she admitted to herself. ’’He’s tall, anyway. But those’ white socks.” Ralph sat close to Linda and put his arm around her. Linda got up and walked over to the table in front of the double window. Ralph followed her and put his arm around her waist. “Mom made this flower arrangement, Ralph. Don’t the lilacs smell good?” She heard a car door slam and looked outside. | Ralph bent down to smell the lilacs but kept his arm around Linda. “It’s Randy and Patricia,’ Linda exclaimed before Ralph could answer her question. “Thank heaven,” she muttered. She walked over to the door to let them in. Patricia had trouble stepping up because Randy was standing on the train of her gown. Linda cleared her throat and glanced in Randy’s direction. Randy looked down. “Qh,” he said blushing, “Hey, Lida, I’m glad you left your porch light on. I don’t think I could have found your house if you hadn't. Linda smiled. “Mom wants to take some group pictures,” she explained. “Do we have time?” “Certainly,” Randy said. He pulled his cummerbund down and straightened his black bow tie. the lavatory at school? The whcle junior wing talked about that little incident for weeks.” _ “Linda, please,’’ her mother begged. “Be nice to Ralph.” Linda stopped frowning. “Oh, okay,” she said in defeat. She walked over to the other desk and slipped heels. The doorbell bed into rang; beside her her tinted the chimes sounded like funeral bells to Linda. Linda’s mother glanced at her and then went downstairs to answer the door. Linda picked up her evening bag and walked over to the dresser. She put her necklace on and stuck a tube of lipstick in her bag. Then she picked up the small bottle of French perfume and dabbed some on with the glass applicator. Linda put the bottle down and arranged the other items in her bag. She turned off the light, picked up her cape and gloves from the bed, and went out into the dark hall. “She Linda’s mother grinned. won't bite you, Ralph.” “IT wouldn’t bet on that,” Linda thought. “I know he's stupid, but how can he wear a blue handkerchief with a tux?” Linda folded her gloved hands on her lap; she glanced down at the wrist coursage Ralph sent her this afternoon. The tiny pink rosebuds went well with her aqua gown. “Now give me a nice smile--both of you,” Linda’s mother ordered as she raised the black camera in front of her glasses. “Say cheese.” Linda felt like saying grapefruit just for spite, but smiled a “forced” smile as Ralph put his arm around her; she shivered inside as his cold hand touched her bare back. “Alright,” her mother said. “I’m done.” Ralph got up from the arm of the 21