Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: WEAR / WHERE (03/09/23)
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TITLE: Missing Armor | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
03/13/23 -
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“Where is my blue dress?” Stephanie hollered. “I need to wear it tonight.”
"It was in your closet last Sunday,” Rhonda replied, halfway down the hallway. She straightened a picture frame boasting her three daughters at various ages and stages of life. Stephanie, the youngest, Elizabeth, the oldest, and Sherry, the one in between.
“Nothing’s in my closet anymore,” the teen continued. “Did you wash it?”
Leaning against the wall by the bathroom, she took a deep breath. “I think that dress has to be dry-cleaned. Did you put it in the wash?”
“Mom! I don’t have time for this. Jamey will be here in half an hour and I still need to shower. Can you look in the laundry basket?”
Rhonda stepped back toward her daughter’s closed door. “Where is he taking you?”
Silence.
“Honey, where are you two going today?”
“Mom, I need to find that dress. He said something about skating and a movie or ice cream and a Bible study. Did you look in the laundry yet?”
The knob turned easily but she refrained from pushing the door open. “There’s a big difference between skating and a movie and ice cream and a Bible study,” Rhonda said. “Maybe you could find something to wear besides the blue dress.”
"No! Jamey saw me wearing it at church and told me how much he liked it. I have to find it. Did you look in the laundry yet?”
Rhonda slipped away and sauntered into the laundry room. The wicker basket held a pair of her socks and undergarments but nothing else. Only a year ago, before the fatal crash, it had overflowed with her husband’s jeans, running gear and her other daughter’s clothing. If only she hadn’t insisted that he pick up that necklace for Valentine’s Day on his way home from skiing with the girls. The police report said that the dump truck’s brakes had failed at the stop sign and that her husband and girls had died instantly. She shuddered and gazed out the window.
“Mom, did you find it?”
Stephanie was standing half-dressed behind her. “Mom, Elizabeth gave me that dress for my birthday last year. I need to find it.”
“Didn’t Elizabeth get that dress for Christmas?” Rhonda asked.
“Yes! But she gave it to me,” Stephanie said. “It’s the only thing of hers I still have. I need it.”
“Maybe, check her closet,” Rhonda said. “Sometimes I forget which dress belongs to whom.”
Stephanie faded away.
Rhonda was still gazing out the window when the doorbell rang. It rang again.
“Mom, can you get that?” Stephanie yelled.
Jamey sported ripped jeans, a faded Bruins T-shirt and a Red Sox cap. His broad shoulders and clear blue eyes gave off an air of self-confidence. “Morning,” he said. “I’m here to take your daughter out.”
Ronda opened the door wider and stepped aside. “She said you’d be by. Where are you planning to go with her?”
The newcomer stepped inside and scanned the room. “Thought I’d ask her where she wants to go,” Jamey said. “Skateboarding at the park, feeding the ducks, Bible study, Ice cream, movie, cruising. We’ve got all day.”
She thought you wanted her to wear her blue dress,” Rhonda said.
“I guess that strikes out skateboarding,” Jamey said. “How’s she doing without her sisters around?”
There were no words. She’d forgotten to wear her emotional armor. Silence imprisoned her tongue.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he said.
Stephanie emerged in her own version of jeans and a hoodie.
"What happened to the blue dress?” Rhonda asked.
“I looked out the window and saw what Jamey was wearing,” Stephanie said. “Didn’t look like the blue dress would match his style. I’ll save it for another day.”
“Wear what you wear wherever you are,” Jamey said. “Don’t worry, I’ll take solid care of your daughter. She told me you’d want to hear from us every hour and I’m good with that. Remember, you’re never really alone.”
Rhonda shut the door and headed for the avalanche. Every piece of clothing held a memory and she relived every one as she returned things to their hangers.
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