Middle school days are numbered and she’s looking forward to a whole new school next year. Even though she’ll only be in Grade Nine, it’ll be the last school she attends before going off to university or college. As the days are getting longer, so too are some of the repeat conversations she has with her peers. Many of whom will be going off to different high schools and there’ll only be a handful that she’ll keep in touch with. Even the teachers aren’t teaching much as they had covered a lot of academic ground and offering students to retake some tests or review more challenging concepts in preparation for high school. “Sounds like everything is winding down in an orderly fashion,” I said to my daughter. “How is the graduating class going to celebrate?” We’ll have a school dance. “Oh you mean like a prom?” Kinda. “What will you wear?” Probably that short dress from vacation and a pair of sneakers. “That’s a definite no!”
“Every young lady needs a little black number. And a nice pair of pumps to go along with it. Not stilettos, not nine-inch heels, but nice comfortable elevated footwear that are platforms or block heels.” My daughter didn’t know what I was talking and I think I lost her at little black number. Daddy, how do you know so much about women’s wear? “Cuz, your old man dated countless.” Ewwwww. “Enough, let’s go dress shopping.”
We went to several stores and at each, she tried on one or two dresses until she discovered her own little black number. It was elegant, tasteful, contoured and multipurpose. It didn’t look like a school prom dress adorned by countless teenagers. It was just a very understated but classy dress she could wear to a formal dinner party. We also went to a few shoe stores for her to try on black 3-inch heels. She took them home and I suggested that she practice wearing her heels in the house for 10 minutes a day until prom night. Why? “Cuz, you don’t want to break in these shoes on the night you will be standing in them!”
While I recognize the dress I had bought for her, the person who put it on is a young lady I am only just beginning to know.
I had never planned on going dress shopping with my daughter and just assumed that her mother wanted to do this with her. Well. It turned out to be a great bonding experience for father and daughter. I got some insight into what she felt was her developing style of ‘mature wear’. She got out of it my sense of grown-up style and I was able to help her glam it up. Although I might be completely useless in dressing myself, I know what looks good when I see it (on other people). When we were done, she didn’t look like 13 year-old anymore; she looked like a million bucks! I finished off by saying that on the day of the prom, we’ll go to the hairdresser to straighten your hair from all your time in chlorinated pool water.
As I dropped her off, I could see every one of her friends decked out. For some, it was a tidier outfit. For others, especially as Grade 8’ers knowing they would be leaving the school and some friends behind, they dressed for this special rite of passage event. It was a beautiful night. Around ten o’clock that evening. A line of cars queued by the school for pick up. It was a bit of a surreal scene as the usual parents were assembling to do a very usual pick-up but at night! Everyone knew the situation was very different. With school being cancelled for the next day, the kids said their long goodbyes and they departed in their respected chariots. My daughter was bursting with stories to share and we went to a late-night Korean restaurant and grabbed a bite to catch up.
It was at that moment when I realized that sitting across from me wasn’t a child anymore. While I recognize the dress I had bought for her, the person who put it on is a young lady I am only just beginning to know.
