She stared at the dress for what seemed like ages, until she dared to pick it up. It was a simple thing, its material worn and soft. The embroidery on the bodice had begun to fray, the way all things do with age. A single tear fell onto the cotton, darkening the fabric. How could one article of clothing hold so many memories?
It was what she was wearing that Tuesday night, so long ago. The sticky-sweet summer nights that are so common in the south call for you to wear the thinnest clothes you own in order to prevent yourself from melting away. Pairing comfort with style always proved difficult for the young women. It was hard to look glamorous while wiping sweat from your brow.
She was sitting on the front porch waiting for her friends to show up. They always proved themselves to be a little more than fashionably late, and she had reached the point of frustration that meant going to bed early and not speaking to them for a week. “If you’re not careful, your face is gonna’ freeze that way!” The voice startled her, jolting her out of her angry thoughts. She unfurrowed her brow and glanced over to the glow of the street lamp to see who was addressing her. He appeared to be a young man, tall with curly dark hair. His features were shadowed, but she could tell he was smiling. “Oh my, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anything to freeze in this weather!” she said rather coolly, despite the fact. He threw back his head and laughed. “My, my, my…aren’t you a sassy thing?” They proceeded to banter back and forth for an hour or so, until the mosquitoes became unbearable. He stuck out his hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, ma’am. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” She shook his hand, slightly rolling her eyes at the Casablanca reference. “We’ll just have to see about that.”
She sat the dress on the bed, and wiped her eyes. How could he have known so early that they were destined for each other? It was only six short months after that night that they were engaged, and four after that they were married. He always had that way about him; when you looked into his eyes, they seemed to be carrier of the secrets to the world. They were fathomless like the ocean, and the same shade of blue. She found herself staring into them constantly, hoping to catch a glimpse of her future, but she only saw him smiling back at her. Looking back, she realized she WAS seeing her future when that happened, and she wished she could go back and tell her younger self that. Her future was smiling back at her the whole time.
She remembered trying to squeeze into that same dress in front of the mirror, fretting over the loss of her girlish figure. There were two curly haired children running around the house to blame for the extra “fluff” on her hips, and her waist was a little less noticeable those days. She stepped closer to the mirror, and began tugging on her cheeks, trying to eliminate the wrinkles that had popped up overnight. “If you’re not careful, your face is gonna’ freeze that way!” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “Ugh, maybe I wouldn’t look so damn old then.” His smile faded and he turned around so she was facing him. “Now you listen here missy. I am a rather patient man; I don’t get mad easily and I very rarely feel the need to argue about anything… But there is one thing that I will not tolerate in my house, and that is a liar. If you think you’re anything less than gorgeous, then you’re only lying to yourself. So what if you can’t wear this old dress anymore? I didn’t even notice it that night, because I was too interested in the pretty girl wearing it. Yeah, your waist may not be as small, but it feels better when I wrap my arms around you.” he said, and drew her closer to him. “And these wrinkles? They’re from smiling, baby. They’re just proof that you’ve been happy all of these years.” He wiped the tears that had begun streaming down her face, and leaned in closer. “You’re no longer a girl; you’re a woman. A woman whom I’m deeply in love with.”
She looked in the mirror and touched her face. Those wrinkles she had worried about were now joined by several more, and the young girl was hardly visible anymore. She turned to the right, and walked along the dresser that was covered in frames containing the precious memories of her life. Her and her sister standing in front of the old soda shop, her husband on their honeymoon, their children on their wedding days… She had been happy her whole life, blessed with so many memories, and now she could look at the wrinkles that nearly covered her face and be proud of them.
She picked the dress off the bed and walked toward the closet, but stopped at the rocking chair instead. She sat there many nights the past few months, just in case he needed her. The cancer spread quickly, and the doctors told her that any moment could be his last. He held on longer than anyone though he would, and for once she was glad he was stubborn.
She could still feel his hand resting on her knee. He had started coughing, but when she tried to give him his medicine, he refused. She knew that he had held on as long as he could, but she want to be selfish and keep him longer. “You can’t leave me!” she sobbed, “I’m not strong like you.” He lifted his tired, withered hand and cupped her face. “Nonsense. You’re stronger than I could have ever hoped to be. You raised two beautiful children, ran this household for over fifty years, and you’ve shown me and the kids more love than we could ever imagine. Not to mention, you’ve put up with me for a long-ass time.” She chuckled and gave a little smile. “There. Let your face freeze that way. I never want you to look any other way than that…happy.”
Life would have been hard without him, but that’s something she never did have to worry about. Whenever she felt lonely, all she had to do was remember his smile or those blue eyes and she was right there with him again. She placed the dress back in the closet and walked back to her bed, where she lay down. She slowly closed her eyes, and as her room faded, she found herself on the porch one hot Tuesday night…
I’m so glad that you didn’t lose your posts because I love this post.
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Thank you, my dear. I’m glad that our lovely friend, Chrisselle, was able to use her noggin and save us all. <3
This is a story of you and me a little glory…
I’m glad too. Chrisselle kicks ass even when she is tired. She has earned her rest for today.