Jack smiled. "You look beautiful."
I couldn't help but feel proud, even though I felt like an ornament on top of a sweet sixteen birthday cake.
"I have more to try on…," I finally said, heading back to the dressing room.
After I tried on a dress in every color of the rainbow, the Madison mother-and-daughter Prom Dress Finding Team were growing weary.
I got dressed in my black-on-black threads.
"So which one do you like?" my mom asked, holding up a pink dress in one hand and a blue one in the other. "I think they are both wonderful."
"Uh…can we keep looking?"
I just imagined Alexander, sporting a midnight black tux, arriving at my house to find me all puffed up in pink.
"Why are you frowning?" my mother chided.
"They may be wonderful…But they're not…me."
My mother sighed. "For my senior prom, Grandma bought me what she wanted me to wear—a lavender satin dress with a white sweater and brand-new crisp white gloves."
"Gloves? But you were a hippie."
"Exactly."
"So you wore them?"
"I did until I got to the prom. Then I switched into a sundress I had hanging in my locker. Now I'm doing the same thing to you. Insisting you dress the way I'd like you to dress instead of the way that makes you comfortable."
I was impressed that my mother had such insight. "Let's give it one more try," she continued.
There was a simple black strapless dress, lined with lace, on a mannequin. I could accessorize it with an onyx choker, black studded bracelets, and spiderweb earrings.
Jennifer Warren, a varsity cheerleader, stood behind me as I studied the dress, glaring at me as if I wasn't worthy of eyeing such a beautiful gown.
"Hey, Mom," I called, catching up to her at the accessory counter. "I think I've found a dress that fits both our tastes."
I led my mother back through the maze of satiny garments.
We reached the mannequin, only to find a salesgirl unzipping the black dress and handing it to Jennifer.
"Mom," Jennifer exclaimed to a delighted woman. "It's stunning."
My heart sank. I tugged at my hair and dug my boots into the masonite tiled floor. My eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. My mother's smile strained, as if she were as heartbroken as I was.
"That's fine," I managed to say. "I don't have to go."
"What do you mean you're not going?" Jack asked from behind the sales counter.
"They just sold the perfect dress," I admitted.
"You mean you didn't like the pink one?" he asked, helping a salesgirl with the register. "It looked gorgeous."
"Well…"
"Not your taste…I understand."
Jack thought for a moment as he finished the transaction. "Why don't you come with me…"
Jack motioned us behind the sales counter and we followed him down a hallway. "A few gowns just arrived this afternoon. It's been so busy, we haven't even had the chance to put them on the floor," he whispered. He unlocked a storeroom and led us through boxes of merchandise and hanging layaways to a rack of fancy junior dresses. "Take your time. If you are interested in anything, bring it to the sales desk."
"What are these?" I asked, pointing to a rack of costumes.
"Inventory from Halloween," he answered, heading for the door.
"Halloween?" my mother asked, horrified. "You're going to prom, not a Monster Mash."
"Please. Let me see!" I said, pushing past a rack of men's suits. "Thank you, Jack!"
"Yes, Jack. Thank you for all your help," my mother added.
I was as happy as a bat in a dusty old attic.
I rummaged through the hanging costumes—a fairy costume, a firefighter uniform, and a mermaid outfit.
"This is cool," I said, holding up a red devil dress.
"Absolutely not!" my mother said.
I frowned and returned it to the rack.
"This is not what I had in mind when I said let's buy a dress for prom. Shopping in a storeroom," she said, continuing her search. "However…take a look at this one."
I didn't even notice what my mom was holding up.
At the end of the rack, I saw a blood red skirt with black lace calling my name. I pulled the dress out and gasped.
On a hanger hung a dark red corset with black lace, black strings, and a matching ankle-length skirt.
Attached to the hanger was the most fabulous accessory I'd ever seen: a gloomy parasol.
"I love it!" I exclaimed, showing it to my mother. "It's not torn, and it doesn't have staples or safety pins."
My mother paused. "It's not really what I had in mind…"
I modeled it over my clothes and danced around.