Week 18: The Prom Dress

Some of the old timers in Peril County say that if you can’t buy it locally, you didn’t need it, anyway. But that doesn’t stop folks from traveling to a more urban area for this and that when the need arises. A strip mall, a Super-Center and a Speedy Quick had all brought modern convinces to this corner of the mountains over the years, but a few folks had it in their mind that if an occasion called for something fancy or elegant, then there was no way you could find that in these parts. 

Josephine Burns was one such person. She hadn’t grown up poor, exactly. Not by Peril County standards. But life had never been easy in her family home. And she had promised herself that she was going to give her daughter everything that she never had. Josephine’s daughter, Brittany, appreciated everything her mother and father did to enrich her life. But even she could feel that her mother came on a little strong at times.

As a girl, Josephine was not the best of students. An undiagnosed learning disability resulted in her being placed in more remedial classes. Thankfully, the educational system has come a long way since then, but it still scarred young Josephine being classified as “slow.” Then, as a teen, she found herself outside of “the clique,” at least as she perceived it. She was chubby, not terribly athletic and unable to take part in extracurriculars. She had friends, of course, but she never saw herself as one of the best of the best: head cheerleader, top of the class, starting quarterback or track star. She was just a wallflower, sitting in the commons area, watching life pass her by. And when she found herself pregnant with Brittany a few years later, Josephine vowed to make sure that her daughter had the life her mother had dreamed of. 

And having Brittany for a daughter made Josephine beam with pride. She was everything anyone could want from a daughter and more. Smart, kind, active in the school and accepted by her peers; she was everything Josephine had wanted to be. And now, with Senior Prom just days away, Josephine was going to make her baby look like a movie star! 

“Mom, I promise we can go to Tootsie’s over in Hazard. Or even to Ginny’s in town. We don’t need to go all the way to Lexington for a dress.” Brittany sat in the passenger seat of her mother's SUV, her hair done up in a messy bun. She was wearing athletic shorts and a green Peril County Panther sweatshirt. 

Josephine shook her head. “I’ve been savin’ up for a special dress. It’s your last prom and I want to splurge!” It was clear that she tried to hide her Peril County accent, but it still snuck through on certain words. 

The drive to Fayette County took a little over two hours. Mother and daughter talked about prom and boys and college. Representatives from Columbia had reached out to Brittany about attending their school and taking part in their writing program. She was exited, but nervous. In truth, Josephine dreaded losing her daughter to college. She would much rather keep her home and have her attend community college, a secret she wouldn’t share.She wrapped up so much of her identity in being Brittany’s mother that, whether consciously or subconsciously, she didn’t want to see her baby bird fly out of the nest. 

Carrie White is the premiere formal wear shop owner in Central Kentucky. Her boutique has been featured in national magazines and televisions shows, so naturally, Josephine HAD to book and appointment for her daughter. “Look at this hot little number,” Carrie said as Brittany made her way into the shop. “We could throw rags on you and you’ll have the boys in tears.” Brittany blushed. “And look at you, mom. I see where she gets it.” Josephine blushed as well.

“I can’t thank you enough for getting us in. I know this is your busiest season,” Josephine said as Carrie showed them both to a viewing area. 

The shop owner waved her off. “Heck no, honey. We’re happy as hay flowers to have you. Now, I’ve pulled five or six options for us to try. Brittany, you mom gave me your measurements, but we still might have to take in or let out these depending on which one you want. And if none of these suit you, we’ve got tons more options. But I’ll tell you both, every one of these six is a showstopper.”  

She reached out her hand to Brittany and pulled her into a dressing room. Over the next hour, Carrie and Josephine scrutinized every inch of Brittany as she tried on dress after dress. To anyone off the street, they would have said that the young woman was stunning in any of the six, but Josephine was a woman on a mission and she would not be deterred from finding the perfect dress, whatever that meant. After modeling the initial six, plus three others, Brittany was tired, hungry and ready to be finished. “Mom, I really like the black and green one. It’s our school colors, it fits me well and doesn’t show off too much.”

Josephine crossed her arms and tapped the side of her head with one finger. “Yes, but that baby blue one made your eyes sparkle. Don’t you think, Carrie?” 

“The black with green is the bolder choice. You won’t find many doing that look. Makeup and accessories will make or break that. It will either be amazing or Elvira.”

Brittany pursed her lips. She kind of thought Elvira was amazing, but thought better of saying anything. 

“What do you have in terms of accessories and shoes for the green and black?” Josephine asked. She sounded a little defeated, but if Carrie thought that this dress was better, she wasn’t going to disagree with the expert. 

Carrie disappeared into the back. “Slip the black and green one back on, dearie,” she called from the other room. As Brittany was changing, Carrie came out with a few small boxes. “Faux antique’s!” she squealed. 

Josephines eyes widened. She starred down at the sliver and emerald costume jewelry with amazement. “That’s just gorgeous!” She took a few pieces and darted into the dressing room to place them on her daughter. After a moment, the two emerged.

“OH! You look like old Hollywood, dear!” Carrie said. 

Brittany made her way to the fill length mirror on her left and for the first time saw her ensemble in full effect. The emerald and silver necklace with matching earrings paired perfectly with her dress. She found tears welling up in her eyes. “Mom, I love it.” 

“Me too, baby. Me too!” 

A quick change back to her street clothes later and Carrie’s team bagged up her dress and jewelry. “Mom, this is too much. Really. I love it, but it’s too much.”

“Baby. I wore a second hand dress that was sea foam green to my senior prom. It was missing as many sequins as it had and it was probably two sizes too big. But it was the best my momma could do. And I loved her for it. Well, this is the best I can do for you, so I’m gonna do it. You deserve the best and I’m gonna get it for you.” Josephine smiled as a tear fell down her left cheek. Brittany reached her arms around her mothers neck and hugged her. 

Carrie handed them two bags. “Ladies, I sure do appreciate y’alls business. Brittany, you are going to rock prom baby girl!”

Brittany smiled and nodded as she and her mother made their way to the door. “Mom, what was your senior prom like,” she said as they climbed into the vehicle. 

“Well, I told you my dress wasn’t the greatest. No one asked me, so I went with two of my girlfriends, Cathy and Tammi. We went to the diner to eat and had paid for each other's dinners. At the prom, we took pictures together and danced most of the night. There was a boy, Gary, who I had a crush on all year. I’d never had the guts to talk to him. But the three wine coolers we snuck in gave me the push I needed, I guess. He was sitting by himself and I asked if he’d dance the last dance with me. And that was the night I started dating your father.” Josephine took in a short breath and lost herself in the memories for a moment. 

Brittany was smiling over at her mother. “I’d never heard that story before.”

Josephine blinked her eyes a few times and was back in the present. “Now, that does not mean that you need to be sneakin’ any booze into the prom, little miss. You’ve already got a boy to dance with and don’t need any liquid courage to help you!” 

She laughed at her mother. “I had been planning to spike the punch bowl, but I guess you changed my mind.” 

“Now that we know you will be the hottest thing at the prom, what is Graham gonna wear?” 

“Well, at one point, he wanted to get a sherbet orange tux with a ruffled shirt, matching top hat and a cane.” Josephine looked over at her daughter like she was insane. Seeing that Brittany wasn’t joking made her eyes bulge out of her head. “I think I’ve talked him into a white jacket and a cowboy hat.” 

“Is that really an improvement?” Josephine asked.

Brittany laughed. “He’s still getting a cane, though.”

“I swear, sometimes that boy ain’t right.”