Bows and Ribbons Everywhere

By Laurie Fishero

I love dresses, not pants, or shorts, just dresses. My mom makes my dresses and is teaching me. We pick out bright fabrics and patterns with swirly skirts. We put silky bows and ribbons on each one. That is my favourite part.

On the first day of school, I skipped in wearing my favourite dress with bows and ribbons everywhere. As the skirt twirled and swirled around my legs, I heard the other kids laughing.

Someone shouted, “Look at all those bows!! are you a Christmas present?”

“My dresses are made special, just for me,” I said a little too loudly. The kids laughed hard.

Every day I heard them laughing at my bows and ribbons. I wondered how I would ever make friends wearing these silly homemade dresses. One day I tugged and pulled all the bows from my dress. It left rips and holes everywhere and made it worse.

I was wiggling and squiggling as pins poked my arms and legs while being fitted for a new dress. Jerking away and stomping my foot, I barked “why can’t we just buy a dress like everyone else?”

“You have always loved to pick out the fabric, pattern, and ribbons for the bows. No one will have a dress like this, it is special, like you,” said Mom. All I could think of was the laughter.

I was invited to a party. I showed the invitation to my mother.

“Everyone is going, and I want to go too but, I cannot go in a raggedy old homemade dress. I want a plain store-bought dress,” I demanded. Mom smiled she did not say yes but she did not say no. I thought this was a good sign.

My heart raced when we went shopping before the party, but it slowed down when we got into the store.

“Look at all these dresses, every dress has a bunch more just like it, exactly like it!”  I cried. “I might look just like someone else.”

I finally picked a dress without bows or ribbons. A very plain dress. That night I had a dream that every girl at the party was wearing a dress just like the one I had bought! I did not like that one bit.

My mom finished my newest dress. With extra bows and ribbons and a lace collar. Oh, how I loved this dress. I looked at both dresses every day trying to decide which one to wear to the party. I tried them on over and over. I even tried to put the store-bought dress on over the homemade dress, which was a mess!

Thinking only about the laughter I decided to wear the very plain dress to the party. Getting ready, I remembered my dream and secretly stuck leftover bows and ribbons in my pocket. I took a needle and thread too, just in case.

As I walked into the party. A girl shouted and laughed “Hey, it is the Christmas present, where are all your ribbons and bows?”

I stood quietly. The bows and ribbons felt silky as I pulled them out of my pocket and the girls gathered around. They started to ask about my dresses. They did not laugh.

I told them how my mom makes them and how I am learning to make them too.

“I brought a needle and thread; do you want me to sew a bow on your dress?” I asked.

“Oh yes,” cried the girls. I sewed a bow on each girl’s dress and soon we were twirling and swirling around the party laughing and playing. I could not wait to wear my newest dress to school, and I could not wait to tell my mom about the new friends I had made because of my bows and ribbons.

- Total nr. of readings: 1,031 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.