MY COUSIN ANNIE HAS INHERITED THE SHOE GENE IN THE WORST WAY, SHE GOT IT FROM MY MOTHER (MY DAUGHTER, MARGARET INHERITED IT AS WELL.) OUR MOTHERS WERE SISTERS, AND WE WERE EACH NAMED FOR THE OTHE
R. THEY WERE DECLARED WITH PRIDE BY THEIR PAPA TO BE, THE "PRETTY" ONE, MY MOM - AND THE "SMART" ONE, MY AUNT ALYCE. MOM SAID THAT THAT MEANT SHE WAS STUPID AND ALYCE WAS UGLY, REVEALING HER SOMEWHAT JADED PERSPECTIVE ON THE DOWNSIDE OF COMPLIMENTS. PAPA DIDN’T REALIZE HIS MISTAKE, HE THOUGHT HE WAS TOUTING WHAT HE PRIZED AS THEIR BEST ASSETS.
BOTH MOTHERS LOVED FASHION AND WERE INSTRUCTED BY THEIR PARENTS ON THE BEST WAY TO DRESS AND ACT. I WAS SO TOTALLY UNINTERESTED IN SUCH THINGS, THAT MY BEING THE FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER WAS A CRUEL TRICK PLAYED ON MY MOM. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH A FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER WHO IS KIND & LOVING AND OBSESSED WITH ACCESSORIZING, LIFE GOES FULL CIRCLE.
COUSIN A
NNIE DID HAVE THE SHOE GENE - AND HAD IT BAD. IT WAS AN ERA OF PUFFED SLEEVES AND FULL RUFFLED SKIRTS THAT POOFED OUT BELOW A TIGHT FITTING WAIST. FASHIONABLE DRESS NECESSITATED A PETTICOAT MADE OF LAYERS OF STIFF NETTING, LIKE BALLERINAS WEAR, WHICH “POOFED” YOUR SKIRT OUT AND ACCENTUATED YOUR WAIST. ANNIE HAD NO SUCH PETTICOAT. SHE PLEADED AND ARGUED THE NECESSITY OF THIS WARDROBE ESSENTIAL, BUT WAS REBUFFED WITH PARENTAL DECREES OF “ITS NOT A NECESSITY”, “THEY’RE TOO EXPENSIVE”, “PLENTY OF GIRLS GET ALONG JUST FINE WITHOUT ‘POOFY’ SKIRTS, THEY MAKE IT THROUGH THE WHOLE DAY AND EVEN SLEEP AT NIGHT". HER MOTHER WAS STUDYING PHILOSOPHY IN COLLEGE AND HER LOGIC CLASS PROVIDED THE TOOLS FOR ARGUMENTS THAT WERE IRREFUTABLE. PREOCCUPIED WITH READING AND STUDYING THE GREAT BOOKS, AUNT ALYCE HAD EVENING SOIREES TO DISCUSS PLATO AND SOPHOCLES WITH LIKE-MINDED SOULS. THEIR THOUGHTS WERE DIRECTED TO FAR LOFTIER HEIGHTS THAN THE DICTATES OF ELEMENTRY SCHOOL FASHION REGARDING LITTLE GIRL’S PETTICOATS. BUT, BEING THE RESOURCEFUL AND DETERMINED KID THAT SHE WAS, ANNIE WORKED WITH WHAT SHE HAD. BY LAYERING ALL THE SLIPS IN HER ARSENA- THE FULL-LENGTH, SOMEWHAT LIMP, NYLON ONES, THE SLINKY SATIN ONES, THE ELASTIC-WAISTED HALF SLIPS, SOME WITH ADDED RUFFLES ON THE BOTTOM, SHE MANAGED TO GET HER DRESS TO AT LEAST BULGE OUT A BIT. THE TOP PART OF HER DRESS, ALREADY TIGHT FITTING, WAS SO STUFFED WITH LAYERS THAT HER BREATHING BECAME LABORED AND THE ADDED WAISTBANDS MADE HER STOMACH GRUMBLE WITH RESENTMENT. STIFF UPPERLIP, SHE WENT OFF TO SCHOOL, BUOYANT WITH DETERMINATION TO MERGE WITH THE ELITE. SHE KNEW HER DRESS DIDN’T CRACKLE QUITE LOUDLY E
NOUGH (DESPITE THE EXTRA STARCH IN EACH METICULOUSLY IRONED COTTON RUFFLE) AND BY THE END OF THE DAY, HER SKIRTS DROOPED, ALONG WITH HER SPIRITS. DAY AFTER DAY THIS WENT ON. THE MORNING LAYERING, THE AFTERNOON WILTING, BEGGING HER UNHEEDING MOTHER FOR A FULL AND FANCY PETTICOAT, IT WENT ON INCESSANTLY - A DRUMBEAT OF CRINOLINE CRAVINGS . HER MOTHER WAS UNYIELDING, HER PARENTAL RESOLVE REFUSING TO BEND TO THE WILL OF SILLY SCHOOL GIRL FASHION. THE SITUATION WAS HOPELESS, BUT ANNIE KEPT UP THE RITUAL OF LAYERING, MORNING AFTER MORNING, RETURNING FROM SCHOOL EACH DAY DRAGGED DOWN IN DEFEAT. IT WAS ANOTHER HOT AFTERNOON, SHE CAME HOME, WILTING AND SWEATY TO HER ROOM TO UN PEEL. THERE ON HER BED, LAID OUT IN THE FULLEST ARRAY OF PRISTINE POOFINESS WAS A NEW, THICK, FULL, CRACKLY PETTICOAT. IT WASN’T HER BIRTHDAY. IT WASN’T A SPECIAL OCCASION. THERE WERE NO WEDDINGS TO ATTEND - SHE HADN’T EVEN BEEN PARTICULARLY GOOD LATELY. IT WAS A MAGNIFICENT GIFT, FOR NO REASON.
R. THEY WERE DECLARED WITH PRIDE BY THEIR PAPA TO BE, THE "PRETTY" ONE, MY MOM - AND THE "SMART" ONE, MY AUNT ALYCE. MOM SAID THAT THAT MEANT SHE WAS STUPID AND ALYCE WAS UGLY, REVEALING HER SOMEWHAT JADED PERSPECTIVE ON THE DOWNSIDE OF COMPLIMENTS. PAPA DIDN’T REALIZE HIS MISTAKE, HE THOUGHT HE WAS TOUTING WHAT HE PRIZED AS THEIR BEST ASSETS.BOTH MOTHERS LOVED FASHION AND WERE INSTRUCTED BY THEIR PARENTS ON THE BEST WAY TO DRESS AND ACT. I WAS SO TOTALLY UNINTERESTED IN SUCH THINGS, THAT MY BEING THE FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER WAS A CRUEL TRICK PLAYED ON MY MOM. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH A FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER WHO IS KIND & LOVING AND OBSESSED WITH ACCESSORIZING, LIFE GOES FULL CIRCLE.
COUSIN A
NNIE DID HAVE THE SHOE GENE - AND HAD IT BAD. IT WAS AN ERA OF PUFFED SLEEVES AND FULL RUFFLED SKIRTS THAT POOFED OUT BELOW A TIGHT FITTING WAIST. FASHIONABLE DRESS NECESSITATED A PETTICOAT MADE OF LAYERS OF STIFF NETTING, LIKE BALLERINAS WEAR, WHICH “POOFED” YOUR SKIRT OUT AND ACCENTUATED YOUR WAIST. ANNIE HAD NO SUCH PETTICOAT. SHE PLEADED AND ARGUED THE NECESSITY OF THIS WARDROBE ESSENTIAL, BUT WAS REBUFFED WITH PARENTAL DECREES OF “ITS NOT A NECESSITY”, “THEY’RE TOO EXPENSIVE”, “PLENTY OF GIRLS GET ALONG JUST FINE WITHOUT ‘POOFY’ SKIRTS, THEY MAKE IT THROUGH THE WHOLE DAY AND EVEN SLEEP AT NIGHT". HER MOTHER WAS STUDYING PHILOSOPHY IN COLLEGE AND HER LOGIC CLASS PROVIDED THE TOOLS FOR ARGUMENTS THAT WERE IRREFUTABLE. PREOCCUPIED WITH READING AND STUDYING THE GREAT BOOKS, AUNT ALYCE HAD EVENING SOIREES TO DISCUSS PLATO AND SOPHOCLES WITH LIKE-MINDED SOULS. THEIR THOUGHTS WERE DIRECTED TO FAR LOFTIER HEIGHTS THAN THE DICTATES OF ELEMENTRY SCHOOL FASHION REGARDING LITTLE GIRL’S PETTICOATS. BUT, BEING THE RESOURCEFUL AND DETERMINED KID THAT SHE WAS, ANNIE WORKED WITH WHAT SHE HAD. BY LAYERING ALL THE SLIPS IN HER ARSENA- THE FULL-LENGTH, SOMEWHAT LIMP, NYLON ONES, THE SLINKY SATIN ONES, THE ELASTIC-WAISTED HALF SLIPS, SOME WITH ADDED RUFFLES ON THE BOTTOM, SHE MANAGED TO GET HER DRESS TO AT LEAST BULGE OUT A BIT. THE TOP PART OF HER DRESS, ALREADY TIGHT FITTING, WAS SO STUFFED WITH LAYERS THAT HER BREATHING BECAME LABORED AND THE ADDED WAISTBANDS MADE HER STOMACH GRUMBLE WITH RESENTMENT. STIFF UPPERLIP, SHE WENT OFF TO SCHOOL, BUOYANT WITH DETERMINATION TO MERGE WITH THE ELITE. SHE KNEW HER DRESS DIDN’T CRACKLE QUITE LOUDLY E
NOUGH (DESPITE THE EXTRA STARCH IN EACH METICULOUSLY IRONED COTTON RUFFLE) AND BY THE END OF THE DAY, HER SKIRTS DROOPED, ALONG WITH HER SPIRITS. DAY AFTER DAY THIS WENT ON. THE MORNING LAYERING, THE AFTERNOON WILTING, BEGGING HER UNHEEDING MOTHER FOR A FULL AND FANCY PETTICOAT, IT WENT ON INCESSANTLY - A DRUMBEAT OF CRINOLINE CRAVINGS . HER MOTHER WAS UNYIELDING, HER PARENTAL RESOLVE REFUSING TO BEND TO THE WILL OF SILLY SCHOOL GIRL FASHION. THE SITUATION WAS HOPELESS, BUT ANNIE KEPT UP THE RITUAL OF LAYERING, MORNING AFTER MORNING, RETURNING FROM SCHOOL EACH DAY DRAGGED DOWN IN DEFEAT. IT WAS ANOTHER HOT AFTERNOON, SHE CAME HOME, WILTING AND SWEATY TO HER ROOM TO UN PEEL. THERE ON HER BED, LAID OUT IN THE FULLEST ARRAY OF PRISTINE POOFINESS WAS A NEW, THICK, FULL, CRACKLY PETTICOAT. IT WASN’T HER BIRTHDAY. IT WASN’T A SPECIAL OCCASION. THERE WERE NO WEDDINGS TO ATTEND - SHE HADN’T EVEN BEEN PARTICULARLY GOOD LATELY. IT WAS A MAGNIFICENT GIFT, FOR NO REASON.
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