"the years dropped away..."

It was 1952 she told me as she twirled the heavy
gold signet ring on her right hand...Budd Mitchell
was the President of his fraternity and he asked
me to the spring formal....as a freshman, i'd never been to
a fraternity dance and I didn't know any of the other
boys' girls, but i wanted to go anyway....

the years dropped away, her shoulders lifted, her
soft blue eyes brightened and twinkled with mischief
then she straightened her back a bit before she went on...

i didn't love him, but he was kind and strong and i
knew i would be safe...and then, i did love him
but that's another story...she blushes...

i was walking along lake street after working one saturday at
the bakery and i saw it.  it reminded me of the pale pink
frosting I'd been whipping, earlier in the day, for a baby
shower cake...and I knew it was the one.  a small bell tinkled
as i entered the shoppe and an older woman with straight pins
between her lips came into the room from behind a curtain

may i help you find something....no, i said, that is the one...and
i pointed to the dress in the window....it took her seamstress
magic to make it fit, and four paychecks to pay for it, but it was
it...i was...and now she blushed the same faded pink of the dress...
beautiful...yes, i know you may not be able to image it now, but
i was beautiful....

he said so...