I got invited to the 5th grade end of year swim party at Marybeth’s house. I’m from a small town, so yes that really was her name, still is I imagine…and if you’re wondering she did have wavy blond hair and blue eyes, but that’s not really what this story is about. Anywho, I needed a new bathing suit, so one day my mom came home with my aunt Jess(name changed to protect privacy;-P) and they brought two bathing suits for me to try; one was a bright colored patterned bikini, bright orange, pink with yellow and white, very summer very festive, and the second one was a rust colored one-piece with white piping and geometric cutouts on the sides, a more conservative choice.
They waited while I made my choice. I chose the one-piece rust colored number with the cutouts. I hadn’t developed anything yet. I was just modest I guess. Done. My Aunt Jess looked at my mom and said, “told ya” or something to that effect and went home. It turned out that my mother thought I would chose the bright colored bikini and she and my aunt had a bet. I don’t think anything was wagered but certainly pride was at stake.
On the day of the swim party I was not allowed to go. She didn’t actually say, “You can’t go,” she just happened to be too tired to take me. My mother was so embarrassed because she could not accurately predict her daughter’s behavior, so she decided to punish me by not letting me go to the party.
I don’t remember what happened to the two bathing suits, but two years later my mother bought a flowery-patterned rust colored fabric with thread to match when I needed sewing supplies to make a skirt for home economics class. I hated it, but after she died I kept that thread for a very long time. I still have and use those sewing supplies.
WhiteHausRules 