THE PROM STATEMENT: Chapter 1
By
Nina Adams

In the heat of debate, Clarence makes a Prom
Statement that would change his life forever.

----------------Standing Up For Some Ideals---------------------------

Springtime is when the powers of nature are in their greatest glory. The frozen landscape slowly shifts to the vivid greens and majestic colors. Amazing changes materialize from the nearly dormant parts of nature. The days grow longer and the ultraviolet lights emanating from the warming skies rejuvenate our souls.

This past spring I experienced the changing seasons in more ways than I could ever have imagined. My life bloomed in ways that nearly defy explanation. I barely resemble the young man that began this metamorphosis on a cold New Year’s Eve in Evanston Illinois. Nature or as some would contend the twists of fate, have unusual ways of taking shape.

My plan was to spend New Year’s Eve at a party being thrown by one of my school friends in chorus. I was never the most outgoing person, but enjoyed singing and was a senior member of the high school chorus club. My silky smooth voice was one of the few distinguishing things about me. I was one of those kids that floated in the background that the majority of my classmates did not know existed. I was not exactly an oddball, but other than singing, I rarely stood out. My grades were very good and I was one of the youngest senior students, due to the fact that I had skipped first grade. I think being young and small in physical stature, probably contributed to my socialization issues.

I had grown probably as tall as I was going to get and was still just shy of 5’7”. With my slight build I just blended into the student body without much notice. I was already planning to attend the University of Illinois in the fall and had already received an early admission to their liberal arts school. I figured a big school like the U of I would allow me to find a true calling and besides, my deceased father had gone there during his college days.

My father had died when I was only three and left my mother a pretty sizable insurance policy. He was a doctor at Evanston Hospital and my mother was a nurse there. That is how they met and he died tragically in a car accident after a long shift at the hospital. Even fifteen years later, my mother has not completely gotten over his death.

I did not have any siblings, as a result of my dad’s accident. I’ve been told they wanted to have one or two more children, but it wasn’t to be. I was named after my great grandfather Clarence. I never really liked that name and my few close friends sometimes called me Clay. My mom still called me Clarence or sometimes Clary. It was an old-fashioned name and I always wished it had been something different. I would rather it had been a name more like my best friend Max.

As I mentioned earlier my story began on a very stormy New Year’s Eve in Chicago. My friend Max and I were planning to go to the New Year’s Eve bash at one of our mutual chorus club friend’s house on the lakefront. There were going to be at least 30 people there and they had an indoor pool, which was going to be the setting for the party. It was going to be a fun change of pace for the cold winter that had set in. Unfortunately, the brutal North wind unleashed a nasty snow and Arctic chill. Over the 24 hours leading up to the party we had over 12 inches of snow, followed by plunging temperatures. The party was canceled.

My mom invited Max to join us at our house for a nice dinner and maybe a movie or two. My mother always liked Max and he only lived a couple of blocks away. Max was my friend all the way back to elementary school and like me was a pretty good student. We were also both lacking a few social skills. We were also an odd looking set of friends, since he was just under 6 feet tall and outweighed me by a truckload. He had really sprouted in high school, while I barely grew.

Spending the evening at my house with my mother was not my dream evening, but it was better than staying home alone. Mom made a festive dinner with crab legs, baby potatoes, and garlic bread. The dinner was more fun than I expected and the three of us exchange some lively conversation. We debated the sorry state of politics, many different social issues, and best and worst parts of high school. I usually took the idealist or liberal view, and my mom usually took a more conservative or traditional view on the issues. Max generally agreed with me, but was careful not to step on my mother’s toes.

I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut, but I chose to mention the prom as one of my least favorite things about high school. I had not gone as a junior and did not anticipate finding a date for the senior prom. It was not that there weren’t any girls that I could take, but I didn’t currently have a girlfriend and the girls that I had a crush on most certainly would not have had an interest in going with me to the dance.

My mother was not happy with my thoughts on the prom. She said that when she was in high school the prom was the highlight of her year. Everyone worked hard to make the Prom the perfect evening. Planning for it began as soon as the school year began. Some of her classmates even worked with their mothers to make their own dresses. She was clearly upset by my cavalier attitude towards the affair.

In a misguided effort to make my point, I brought up the recent story about a girl named Constance whose school refused to let her bring her girlfriend to the prom. The story had gotten so much publicity that she had over 300,000 friends on Facebook. The school went so far as to cancel the prom, rather than let her bring her girlfriend to the dance. Most of the students did not care if she brought another girl, but a few vocal parents and a backward school board, resulted in to the dance cancellation. It created so much publicity, that I bet other urban school systems would probably think twice about cancelling their prom under similar circumstances.

My mother argued that the prom was a traditional affair that had been celebrated for decades and that all of the traditional pageantry was part of what made it so special. She was not upset about the two girls having a relationship, but rather, that they did not conform to the traditions of the event. I had a hard time grasping her argument about traditions, and pointed out that because of discrimination, so many students would not get to experience those traditions even if they wanted to.

I was stubbornly firm in my support in favor of Constance. I even pointed out that Constance really loved her friend and was in no way trying to mock the prom. All she really wanted to do was enjoy it like anyone else.

I related to my mother that I could appreciate her desire to be at the formal affair, but like so many others I had no one I really wanted to splurge on. Max agreed, “I would love to see what it is all about, especially all the pretty girls dressed to the nines.”

My mother made a small frown at his last comment. She made the point that it was still nearly 4 months away and that we should reconsider the possibility of attending. It was my response to her last argument that got me in hot water.

“Maybe Max and I should go together. We could see what it is all about and make a political statement all in one. I never really stand up for what I believe and I think this would be a good time to make a strong and bold statement. I am a senior and I think it is about time that I stood up for something. Constance had as much right to be there, as any of her classmates. Heck, if we went together nobody would probably notice us there anyway.”

“Clarence is that your way of telling me you are gay?”

“No mom! I’m just saying that it should not be reserved for just traditional couples, this is a new century.”

“I think two boys attending together would be assumed to be gay. Is that what you want?”

“Mom I love everything about girls, in fact, I would love to see a few of my classmates looking more like prom queens, than the androgynous way they usually dress at school.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Do you care what people would say?”

“I do care what people say, but nobody pays that much attention to me any way. I believe two people should be able to attend the Prom no matter what their orientation is.”

“Max, how would you feel about going to the Prom with my son?”

“I never really gave it much thought… Clay, would you like to be my date?”

In a sarcastic voice I did my best falsetto, “Big boy, I would love to go with you.”

The fun was lost on my mother. “Are you too serious about this? Do you really want to do this?”

“If you two are serious, I will not have you ruining the evening for others. You will have to act appropriately, and be as traditional as possible. This is not a joke. I understand if you want to change your minds, but if you are serious about this you will need to act in an appropriate and traditional way. Once you decide, either way, I expect you to stick to your choice and see it through.”

“We said we would do it. We will stick to our guns. This is an important issue mom. We are very committed to making this Prom statement.”

“Clarence, I need to give this some consideration and sleep on it. I also cannot speak for Max’s parents. I will discuss it with his mom and give the whole thing some thought. Later, if his parents and I agree to it, we will do a little advanced planning.”

“Mom, you don’t have to plan. If we do it, it shouldn’t be that complicated.”

“The Prom is a big deal to me. Having only 3  ½ months would be hard to plan for a real daughter, it will be much harder for you.”

I sort of heard what she said, but did not question her. We agreed to pick up the conversation over the following weekend. That was the end of the Prom discussion for the evening.

The rest of the evening we watched a movie, played some Scrabble, and finally watched the ball drop in Time Square. My mother insisted that we all hug each other after wishing each other a happy new year. When I hugged Max, for some reason I thought the hug lasted just a bit longer than a casual embrace.

-------------------What Did I Get Myself Into?-----------------

The remaining two days of school break were very relaxing and seemingly too soon, school was back in session. We had some finals the first week back, so I was pretty focused on studying. I did not give it much thought when my mother invited Max and his mother over for dinner on Friday. I never did get a good explanation of why Max’s dad did not join them.

It wasn’t until that evening that I began to wonder if this was related to our unusual pledge to attend the Prom together. I still thought it was a bold social statement and an important precedent, but I was a little uncomfortable about discussing this again in front of Mrs. Rosen. My assumption was correct and when it was time for dessert we gathered around the fireplace and Mrs. Rosen opened the discussion. It was very clear from the get go, that the two of them had discussed this in great detail.

Mrs. Rosen and my mother were completely on the same page on virtually every aspect of the discussion that followed. They both went to great lengths to tell about their proms and how much effort they put into them. They talked about special preparations including clothes, grooming, and that they even learning to dance properly for it. Both were adamant about how couples were to look. The men dressed in tailored tuxes, polished shoes, neatly groomed, and even smelled like men. The women were dressed in gorgeous gowns and looked like bridesmaids. They went into such detail that I was sure they were laying out the ground works for telling us we could not go.

When they felt they had sufficiently painted us a picture, they ask us again if we still felt like this was something we wanted to do. It was almost like they were baiting a trap.

“This is such a special evening and it is very important to Max’s mother and I. We both feel it was one of our most memorable nights of our lives. If you two still want to go together, you will have to follow the traditions and put yourself into it completely. No doing it just to make a point. You will attend just like any other couple. Is this something you are willing to focus on? If not, you can pass on the affair and that is fine.”

Max I looked at each other and we both nodded in the affirmative.

“If you go through with this it will be something that will not just make a bold statement, but could change your view on many things.”

“I know mom, but like Max and I said we are willing to dress up, polish our shoes and be non-disruptive. We are committed to going and are willing to do it properly. I am sure I speak for Max, but we absolutely want to make a bold Prom statement”

“Clary, I am not sure you completely understand what I am saying.”

“ It seems simple enough. We will behave, dress and act appropriately.”

“Clary, if you two are going to go together, one of you is going to be in the tux and the other one is not.”

At that statement, both Max and I froze for a moment with our jaws slightly agape.

Mrs. Rosen broke the silence. “Sarah and I have discussed this, if you two really want to attend one of you will dress and behave gentlemanly, and one of you will take on the other role.”

Almost in unison, Max and I started babbling, “What…? You can’t expect one of us to wear a dress…? This is a joke…? You are not serious…?” After we vented for a minute my mother quieted us down.

“We completely understand if this is too much to ask, but if you are going to proceed, this is how it will be. You two can select which role you would take. Max’s mother and I would assist you the rest of the way.”

Even in leaving the choice of roles up to us, it was obvious, being 5 inches shorter and built like a toothpick, which role I would be stuck with.

“Mom this is unfair.”

“You don’t have to do it.”

“I know, but this was something we felt was very important.”

“Like we said, you do not have to go through with it.”

“Why can’t we just both wear tuxes?”

“Beth and I agree, if you two are going, and as you claim not as a gay couple, then you should experience it like a traditional couple”

I did not completely get their logic, but they were firm with their resolve.

“Mom what would be involved in this charade that you are suggesting?”

“It’s not a charade. One of you would prepare to be the demure one and make every effort to be as completely perfect as possible for the Prom. That would include, clothes, grooming, and anything else Beth and I feel is appropriate. If you move forward with this, we will not put up with any defiance or lack of cooperation. This is an expensive commitment, so if either of you back out, you will both pay us back for all of the expenses. If you are uncooperative, you can just clear out your senior trip fund and pay us back immediately. Like we said, if you do not want to do this, now is the time to speak. You will both be in this together.”

“Mom, Max and I are going to go up to my room and discuss this among ourselves. We need a few minutes to think about this and decide if this is really something we should do. It seems unfair, and we need to think about it.”

“That’s a very good idea. I am glad you’re not making a rash decision and are giving it proper thought. Go upstairs and take as long as you think you need. We will stay down here and have some coffee.”

Up in my room, Max and I did not even know what to say or where to begin. They had really raised the bar on our social statement. It all started as a support for gay and lesbian rights and also just an attempt to do something a little bit out there. While I believed in the rights of the transgendered as well, this little statement of ours might take on new unintended meaning. I was a little surprised that our mothers would even consider this as an option. If one of us showed up at the school looking like a drag queen, it would certainly damage the pageantry of such a sacred event to them.

Max did not help the situation by almost immediately suggesting that I might make a cute girl. We had not even had the discussion of which one of us would take each role. I suggested he go as the girl and he just laughed.

“We both know, that if we go through with this, you are going to have to play the part of the girl. He would look beyond preposterous if I dressed up as a girl and you were my escort. That part of the conversation we can save a lot of energy on. You even have long hair that you need to put in a ponytail to keep out of your eyes. I am not saying you look like a girl, but you have a good start.”

“Thanks Max, I really appreciate that you think so little of me.”

“I’m sorry if that came off wrong, but if this is going to work, we both know which role you will have to play. It may be harder for you, but remember I will still be your date and need to support you all the way.”

“You are already talking about this like we have decided to do it. I am not really prepared to parade myself around a school function in a dress. I may be small, but I am no sissy.”

“Our moms really gave this a lot of thought. I find it very odd that they really would want us to do this. This may actually be just a challenge for them to test whether we really have the guts to stand behind our convictions. They may not even let us do this, even if we agree to move forward. I certainly can’t imagine me taking you to the Prom if you looked like some silly caricature of a girl. Before that would happen, I am sure they would put a kibosh on it.”

“Max you may be right. They may just be testing us to see how strongly we really feel about this issue. If we went downstairs and told him we decided to do it, they may even just tell us ‘NO’ right there on the spot. Then again, they may let us twist in the wind for a while and play along until we give in. Either way, I think they might look at this as a challenge to us and our ideals.”

“Clay, then again maybe it’s not a challenge and they are serious. What then?”

“Max, our mothers love us too much to let us truly embarrass ourselves. They have given this great thought and I don’t think they would do anything that might hurt us.”

“It sounds like you are willing to go forward. Am I hearing you right?”

“If I do this, you have to do whatever you can to protect me and be cooperative. I know you are my friend, but I am going to need all the support I can get from you. If our parents ask you to do something for me I do not want you to hesitate at all. With any luck, this whole fiasco will be a non-starter from the get go.”

“Well I guess little buddy we ought to go downstairs and break the news. I bet they will be a little surprised that we were willing to go through with it.”

“At least the Prom it is not for almost 3  ½ months. I will try not to worry about it for a while. Let’s go downstairs and break the news. ”

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ALL FEEDBACK--- MY STORIES ARE PURE FICTION, BUT ARE BASED UPON ACTUAL EVENTS IN MY FANTASIES….