Friday, May 8, 2009

Promenade

My sisters went to prom tonight. Where did these beautiful, half-grown women come from, and what did they do to the little eight-year-olds I remember?

It's even more poignant because Kathy is wearing my dress, the dress I wore to my senior prom. I bought it in March - after I'd been losing weight for two months. I loved the slinky, Hollywood-starlet way I felt in it. And then when it came time to wear it, I'd been losing weight for almost five mon
ths. I was a very well-made-up head on a spiky, bony frame. My mother grimly took pictures and didn't smile when I asked how I looked. "Not good," she said. Six months before I would have been devastated to hear her say that. By then I was numb, and too chronically angry with her (well, with myself) to care.

It's been four years. I thought about trying on the dress when I arrived home today - to see if the fabric still felt like water on my skin; to see how it fit me. I didn't. It's not mine anymore. Kathy wears it in a way that I never did - tall, confident, strong. It's hers now, more than it ever belonged to me.

I'm so proud of those two.








6 comments:

ola said...

And I am sure your sisters are proud of you!
Are they twins? I love the way how you three look original and similar at the same time.

Lisa said...

Yep, Ola, they're 17-year-old twins. They are brilliant people.

Harriet said...

Aww, they are beautiful! What a great photo.

Sarah at Journeying With Him said...

This is so cute. Which dress is yours? I like them both!!!

My 17 year old bro went to prom on Saturday. Apparently, he only put deodorant on one arm and his whole group made fun of him (in a nice way) because he was majorly pitting out on one arm only. I thought you'd appreciate this slightly gross tale.

I Hate to Weight said...

Cool sisters! i love that they're confident. hope they had fun.

Marilla said...

I'm playing catch up--Great pictre, great story--i'd bet the green dress was yours.