I took a deep breath as I peered toward the full floor length mirror that was hung on the other side of the small changing room. The reflection that greeted me was totally alien to me. The reflection showed a girl, who appeared to be around sixteen. She had long, flowing brunette hair that reached down to her shoulders. A modest chest that was just starting to fill out. Her hips were just starting to come in. This girl also wore a strapless coral pink ball gown that reached all the way to the ground. The girl looked like she just stepped off the front cover of the popular teenage magazine “Sassy Magazine”. Her porcelain skin was a light copper color from countless hours working outside along with her sister as they tended to their small garden of row crops. And also from countless hours of outdoor play her wide collection of friends.
The longer I peered into that reflection, the more I found myself at a loss for words, strange considering that I'm a part time writer and that what I do I hammer away with words, sometimes the words flowed like a river from some hidden wellspring that was buried deep within my mind. Other times it was nothing more than a steady stream, steady as the creek that flows behind our house. And then other times it was nothing more than a bare trickle. And still, a few times it was like somebody had cut off the flow of words all together. Then I would go days, maybe even weeks, sometimes months at a time without even managing to write one signal creative line. And so, maybe it was not that unusual that I would find myself at a loss for words right now.
“Darling.” A refined southern accented voice said from behind me. “That dress looks stunning on you.” The voice added and then after a short pause, “You look just like a princess from a story book.”
I slowly closed my eyes, I often shut my eyes when I'm starting to think, and right now I just wanted to soak in those words. Those honey sweet words, slowly I opened my eyes and right off the bat I noticed that the reflection of that girl had been joined by a blonde woman in her mid thirties. The woman had sparkling blue eyes that shimmered like sapphires.. The woman wore a woolen, forest green dress. She was also my second mom, and her name was Heather Ford and she was the famed hostess of PBS's flagship program 'The Heather Ford Show'. And right now she was the one funding this little expedition into the heart of teenage culture, the Metrocenter Mall.
“Thank you mother.” I said slowly as I opened my eyes again. I was still in the midst of processing everything. It was hard to believe that the reflection in the mirror belonged to me. That beautiful girl in the mirror was me. It was just a hard pill to swallow that the reflection belonged to me. One two and a half years had passed since that fateful night that my birth mother and I were in a terrible wreck, a wreck that had killed her and left me as an orphan. And a ward of the state. I mean Kayla, my older sister could have rejected me and pawned me off into the state's ill funded foster care or into one of the many foster homes that dot the region. But instead she bit the bullet and stepped in and took me under her wing. She in short became my new mom. And Heather, her loving wife, could have also rejected me. Instead though she had embraced me as her new daughter. Though by common law I was her sister-in-law.
“A penny for your thoughts?” The blonde woman said as she walked up and placed her hand upon my shoulder.
“Just thinking mommy.” I said, taking a deep breath as I closed my eyes. I always seemed to close my eyes when I was deep in thought, that always seemed to clear away some of the clutter and help me focus on the task at hand. “Like I really love this dress. But it's so expensive. Plus once you throw in the matching shoes, the gloves and the cost of the salon.” I opened my eyes slowly. “How can we afford all of this?”
Heather laughed a little and waved her hand in a dismissing way.
“Oh Madeline darling. You worry about money too much. This is nothing, nothing at all. A Debutante ball is supposed to be fun. It's a rite of passage. It's a fun way to show your coming of age. Its the traditional southern way of showing you're of marriageable age.” She paused. “Both Kayla and I had one hosted in our honor by our families. The only difference between us was, Kayla's Debutante Ball was hosted at the Benton Country Club, where we are going to host yours and mine was held at the famous McRaven Housed. Also rumored to be one of the most haunted houses in Vicksburg.” She said with a small smile.
“It was a magical night, full of wonder and magic, all the young gentlemen of Vicksburg were dressed in tuxedos and all my friends wore formal gowns.” A warm blush colored mom's face. Clearly she was remembering a magical night, one of pure bliss. But then her face started to darken. “Of course then one the McRaven's ghost had appeared and tried to ruin the night. Nearly tripped me coming down the stairs as I was making my grand appearance. Thankfully the banister was there for me to hold on too. Otherwise I might have fallen down the wooden stairs and broke my neck or at the very least shattered my leg.” She said, shivering. “Yes for all its charm, McRaven is a very haunted house.” She added as she started to rub her arms.
Now in the South all indoor malls are air conditioned, and they remain air conditioned all year long. Because no matter the season, the weather down here in Dixie remains hot and humid. You might get a few snow days a year if you're lucky and we normally get snow about once or thrice a year. Normally in either late January or in the middle of February and sometimes we get a snow storm around March at the latest. So yes, I can totally understand it being cold here in what I can only say is a changing room corridor. One that reeks of nineties décor and seems almost too quiet.
“I see.” I said, smiling softly. As I reached down and touched my neckline. “I was wondering if a string of pearls would accent this dress.” I said smiling as I started to once more admire my own reflection in the full, floor length mirror. Normally I would be pumping mom for more information about the myriad of ghosts that were claimed to haunt old McRaven, since mom was born and raised in Vicksburg, and Vicksburg like Benton was among the oldest towns in Mississippi. In fact, if you really want to dig into the lore. Benton was the first township in this region that would later become The Mississippi Delta. A diamond, almond shaped region of land that according to local lore was supposed to start in the lobby of the Peabody hotel and Memphis and ends at Catfish Row in downtown Vicksburg.
And with Vicksburg being the second oldest settlement, the first being Natchez, the queen city of Mississippi, it was quite natural that the city was supposed to be flooded with ghosts. And since I was budding paranormal write, I loved to chase ghost stories. And I've been meaning to make a stab at Vicksburg. So me being lost in my own reflection was odd, but I felt so enchanting.
“Sure... might as well throw in a tiara too.”
“That would be lovely!” I said blushing
At that moment Heather just sighed and shook her head.
“Why not, lord Kayla is going to kill me for this.” She said, cocking her eyes to the side and peered toward me. For a long moment she looked me up and down, it was like she was starting to study me.
Then at last she spoke, “You know. Looking at you now in that gown and seeing how gracefully you walk around the room in heels. It makes it hard to believe you were ever a boy to begin with.”
I nodded my head.
“It's going to be three years in January.” I said in a whimsical tone of voice. “Three years since the accident. And two since I'd last visited Lisa's Grave.” I paused. Shortly after I started calling my older sister “Mum” and Heather “Mom.” I started calling my deceased mother by her first name. The change was slow at first. But neither Kayla or Heather had ever tried to correct me, they just rolled with it.
“Time is just slipping right on by. Soon you'll be graduating from Benton High and going off to college at Holmes. Then you'll head out into this big old world. Soon you'll be getting married too and before you know it. You'll be starting a family of your own.” And at this point Heather or should I call her mum was getting a little choked up. “And before you know it. Both Kayla and I would be grandparents!”
I blinked and blinked again!
“I remember when I first met you at the Discover Benton Festival, If I recall correctly my first impression of you was nothing more than a pretty brunette little tomboy with shaggy hair, who was dressed in an old, one piece, blue bathing suit. Perched in the town's dunking booth. Blushing at all the attention you were receiving. Now you seem to revel in it.” She said smiling.
“I guess you're right. But it feels weird, you know, I'm not supposed to be the one who attends these events. Jamie is more the princess type. I guess sometimes I get a tad bit jealous of how often Jamie gets put into the spotlight. I sometimes feel forgotten about know.” I added.
Heather nodded her head and smiled as she stepped toward me.
“It happens to the best of us. I think the difference between you and Jamie is this, Jamie always wanted to be a princess. And so she jumps at every chance to get dolled up, to wear a fancy gown with all the trimmings. You on the other hand just wanted to be, well you always wanted you. Madeline, who happens to be a bit of tomboy with a bit of princess mixed in. And that is fine, because that is the Madeline we love.” Heather said with a small smile.
I nodded my head.
“The Madeline I know is smart, funny, is an avid collector of ghost stories, is athletic, can work from sunup to sun down on the hottest of days, is a wonderful cook, who can fry, bake, boil or slow shimmer any dish you can imagine. But sometimes, she lets her own doubts take hold of her and that holds her back.” Heather said.
“Okay.” I said looking at myself again in the floor length mirror.
“Anyway, let's buy you this dress and get the heck out of here.” Heather said. “These changing rooms just give me the flipping chills. I swear sometimes I think they're haunted.” She said as if on cue at that very moment the door to the changing room swung open and stayed opened for a few moments before closing with an ear splitting bang.
I turned around and peered at Heather who just peered back at me, we both just rolled our shoulders and shrugged it off. A few moments later, we were out of the changing room. And the sales lady was ringing up the gown with a faux pearl necklace and tiara. Heather just shrugged her shoulders and muttered about getting murdered for spending so much money as the total appeared on the computer screen. But she just heaved a deep sigh and reached into her purse and pulled out her plastic Visa credit card. A few moments later, we were walking out into the main part of the mall.
“Anywhere else we need to go?” Asked Heather as she and I walked through the main concourse of the mall. “Because if we're done shopping we really need to start heading back home.” She said as she checked the time by looking down at her wrist watch. “Though I suppose we do have enough time to stop somewhere and get something to heat before we make tracks back home Benton.”
“How about Hibachi?” I suggested with a small smile.
“Hibachi sounds lovely.” Heather said. “I could sure go for a grilled lobster tail, and some steak right about now.” She paused. “And don't forget about some fried rice too, you can't forget about the fried rice.”
“Make mine a double!” I said smiling.
“Oh to be young again and not have to worry about gaining weight. When I was your age I could pig out on an 'All You Can Eat' buffet and not worry about gaining one ounce of weight. But alas those days are behind me now, now I have to watch what I eat or else I might lose my figure. You'll understand one of these days.” Heather said as she wrapped one arm around me and pulled me along.
And that how another wonderful day in my life comes to an end.
