Story Time

 Having drained the class, she wandered upstairs and opened her paint chipped closet door. There in the middle was her grandmother's mink coat. Fortunately it did not still hosts the face of the little creature from whom the fur had come. It was a beautiful coat. She had worn it the day of her wedding over the basic white wedding dress which was just pulling at the seems from the baby growing in her belly. She had felt terrible about the unplanned pregnancy and that they had had to move the wedding forward 3 months but they were already engaged and that was something...When she told her paternal grandmother about the baby, she cried, "It is like putting the cart before the horse." Her loving southern grandmother replied, "Honey, you are not the first to put that horse before the cart." It was comforting to hear her say those words. She loved her for her unconditional love. Before the wedding it was decided that she would not wear the corset as that additional layer only made the dress tighter, puckering at the seams. Without the corset it smoothed out the creases and fit nicely. Thankfully, she had been running to keep her weight gain to a minimum. 

Next to Bebe's mink coat was her mother's wedding dress from her marriage to her father. It was a Jackie O-inspired dress, off-white brocade, knee-length, and classy. For years, the dress and its beautiful, long overcoat had been relegated to the dress-up bin since her mother had remarried and had another child.  The years of neglect were evident in the brown rust stains and missing buttons. "One day'" she thought, "I will die the dress and fix it up and wear it." That had not happened yet...other than Halloween which was saying something. 

Beyond the mink and the sad Jackie O dress were an assortment of dresses worn at various points in her life to various functions. Dresses worn to receptions, to formal dinners, and those purchased with the hopes that they would one day be worn. Since she was bored, as usual, home alone, not as usual, she had decided to have a special lunch with margaritas and fajitas. It was serendipitous. She loved those types of words...the ones that end in ous-tenuous, strenuous, magnanimous, etc. She had rarely used the words in conversations but she loved to roll them over her tongue. She excitedly reached for the 1970s maxi dress that sparkled like fish scales. The brooch had been removed and used as a prop in a play but the dress was otherwise intact. It was purchased from Montgomery Ward and worn to an election after-party to celebrate a Democratic win in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Mom was newly divorced with two young children. She was beautiful in that dress. She had pictures taken sans children at Olin Mills. This dress too had been in the dress up bin. Bebe used to have tea parties where everyone would bring a bag of dress up clothes and they would talk, laugh, and eat. She had worn this dress multiple times because it brought out her dark hair and olive complexion.