“Hurry up!” my father bellowed into the next room as he struggled with his tie.
My mother usually did his ties for him, and he didn’t seem to be doing very well. He’d tied and untied it two times already. First it was too short, and then too long.
I loosened the loop in mine — my mother had tied it for me the night before — and then slipped it over my head and around my neck. The tie, combined with a long-sleeved white shirt with a collar, black dress pants and black leather shoes, made it feel like I was heading to church.
“Come on, guys!” my father yelled again. He stood before the mirror making the final adjustments to his tie, now satisfied that it was the right length.
David, followed by Jamie and then Mark, came into the room. They all looked equally dressy and equally uncomfortable. The only noticeable difference was that David was wearing one of his shiny black dress shoes and holding the second in his hands.
“Those things both go on your feet, you know,” my father said to David.
“I can’t get it on,” he said. “It doesn’t fit.”
“Didn’t you try them on before you packed them?” my father asked.
“I wore them to church last month, but I think my feet have grown since then.”
“Come on, your feet couldn’t have grown since…“My father let the sentence trail off because he realized that David could have grown since then. I knew that I kept outgrowing my shoes before I ever had a chance to wear them out.
“How could only one foot grow?” Jamie asked.
“Most people have one foot slightly bigger than the other. Have a seat here,” my father said, patting the bed, “and I’ll try to get your shoe on.”
David sat down and my father took the shoe from him.
“Point your toe and take a deep breath,” my father said.
“A deep breath?” Jamie questioned.
“It can’t hurt,” my father said with a shrug.
He put the shoe on David’s foot and wiggled it around as David grunted and groaned.
“Press harder!” my father commanded as he pushed so strongly that David skidded slowly across the bed.
“I’m trying!”
“Try harder! You can’t go there wearing one shoe and – there!”
David stood up and wiggled his foot around. “I just hope I can get it off afterwards.”
“Where’s Tristan?” my father asked, looking around the room.
“I’m here,” Tristan said as he stepped into the room.
“Wow!” I gasped.
Tristan was dressed in a fancy dark suit and had an even fancier bow tie around his neck. His hair was all gelled and done up.
“It takes a little longer to get perfection… not that any of you guys would know.”
“Pretty sharp, Tristan,” my father said.
Tristan did a little twirl like he was a model on a runway, holding his jacket slightly open to reveal the shirt.
“I still think you look like you belong on the top of a wedding cake,” Jamie commented.
“Jealousy… nothing but jealousy speaking.”
“Okay, so everybody’s ready… where’s Kia?” my father asked.
I looked around the room. I’d forgotten all about her.
“I’m in here!” she called out from behind the closed bathroom door.
“We’re all ready to go,” I called back. “Are you dressed yet?”
“I’m not going anywhere!” she yelled back.
“Of course you are!” my father called out through the door. “Come on, Kia, we have to go! Are you dressed?”
“I’m dressed, and that’s the problem!”
“What do you mean… how is that a problem?” my father asked.
“You wouldn’t believe what she packed for me!” she said through the still closed door.
“It can’t be that bad,” my father suggested.
“Yes, it is!”
“Come on out and let us see,” my father said.
“I’m not coming out!” she protested. “Nobody’s going to see me dressed like this!”
“Kia, be reasonable. We have to go. Just come out and let’s see… it can’t be that bad.”
There was no response from behind the door.
“Come on, Kia,” my father pleaded. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Okay… I’ll come out… but nobody better laugh.”
“Nobody is going to laugh.”
“They better not,” she said.
I heard the lock click, and the door slowly started to open. Kia stepped out even slower. I gasped. She was wearing a short, pink, summer dress. It was covered in little blue flowers. On her feet were white platform sandals. She looked… she looked… completely un-Kialike. “Okay, let’s hear your stupid comments,” she said.
Nobody said a word. I think we were all too stunned to say anything.
“I’ve never… um… seen you in a dress before,” Jamie stammered.
“Neither have I,” I agreed, and I was thinking of all the way back to when we were in kinder-garten together. “I didn’t even know you owned a dress.”
Tristan chuckled. “I didn’t even know you were a girl.”
“Shut up or I’ll — “Kia started to threaten and then fell forward off her platform shoes, landing in Mark’s arms. They both struggled and strained to disengage themselves from each other and get her back on her feet.
“Everybody just stop!” my father yelled, and the room fell silent.
“I don’t care what anybody thinks or says,” he continued. “I think you look just… just — ”
“Beautiful,” Mark said, his voice just above a whisper.
Everybody turned and stared at Mark.
“Is that a crack?” Kia demanded.
Mark turned beet red and stared down at his feet.
“No, you do look beautiful!” my father agreed.
“Yeah, you look sort of like — ” “And I don’t want to hear a word from you especially!” Kia said, cutting off Tristan.
“Me? Why me?”
“Because you’re the only one here who’s dressed even stupider than me,” Kia snapped.
“I’m not dressed stupid!” he protested. “I’m sharp and stylish is what I am!”
“Enough, enough! You’re all dressed wonderfully, and we’re not going to talk anymore about it!” my father yelled. “All of you out into the hall… now!”
Kia opened her mouth to protest, but my father’s angry gaze made her think better of saying anything. My father opened the door and pointed out into the hall.
David limped forward. Mark followed behind, still staring at his feet, avoiding any possibility of making eye contact with Kia. Tristan came next, head up, sort of strutting as he walked. Next, Kia stumbled, putting a hand against the dresser to steady herself. She mumbled something under her breath, but kept going.
Jamie looked at me. “Great, all we need is for her to fall down and sprain an ankle or something,” he whispered.
I shrugged in response. Jamie and I followed after them. My father shut the door behind us, as he was the last to leave the room.