The next day I take Kookie and Janna shopping for clothes for homecoming. It’s this coming weekend, so we are running out of time. Janna wants a purple dress. Kookie wants a black suit. Of course!
We visit the suit shop first. Kookie looks like a million bucks in every single thing he tries on. This kid is too cute! He’s going to drive all the girls at homecoming nuts and really annoy all the guys. All their dates will be looking at Kookie!
He finally decides on – what else? – a black suit jacket and matching slacks. I buy him a flowing, white dress shirt too. I just can’t help myself. You’re welcome, Emmie – er, Melody. The dress shirt reminds me of something he wore in Catch, 22! – a story about him by my favorite author, Rainbow Rose. Chapter 9 was especially romantic!
Now it’s time to find Janna a dress. Kookie rolls his eyes because he knows this is going to take forevvvvvvvvver! I’m about to let him off the hook when Janna turns to him with imploring eyes and begs him, “Please, Kookie, I need your opinion! You know what guys like!”
“Oh? So you recognize I’m a guy and not just a human punching bag?” he retorts.
But I can tell he’s settling in for an afternoon of shopping. I can see an ice cream cone in his future. What a good brother he is! He deserves a treat!
We head into the first dress shop, and I recognize how merciful God is when Janna instantly gravitates toward two purple dresses. The first is an off-the-shoulder gown made of violet taffeta that nearly sparkles in the overhead lights. The bottom hem of the dress ends just below the knee. The second dress is more elegant, a sleeveless, royal purple gown with a white sash. The skirt falls in soft folds, flowing down to the top of her knees. She’s beautiful in both, but I would choose the classier one. In my opinion, it’s by far the better choice. But I have learned to keep my mouth shut. I’ll let Kookie help her decide.
As she stands, donning the former gown, observing herself in the mirror, she turns vulnerable eyes towards Kookie, an inscrutable expression on her face.
“What do you think, Kookie?” she asks boldly, but I can still tell she’s nervous. She really cares about his opinion but doesn’t want him to know how much it matters to her.
“Try the other one on,” he responds, his expression bland.
I can tell he doesn’t care for the taffeta, but he’s reluctant to hurt her feelings, sweet boy that he is.
She wanders back into the dressing room. A few moments later, after I help her zip up the dress, she returns to the mirror. She spins around and the folds of the skirt billow open as the material flies through the air. I grin. I think this dress is more fun to wear, for sure. And Janna looks stunningly beautiful in it.
As she stops spinning, Janna stares at her reflection in the mirror. After a moment, Kookie meets her eyes in the mirror.
“That’s the one,” he murmurs. It’s all he says, but Janna nods her head decisively.
“I agree.” Then she glances at me. “Mom, what do you think?”
I grin at her. “I think that both of my children have excellent taste! You two are going to be the envy of everyone at homecoming. You’ll probably be voted king and queen.”
They both groan.
“That would just be awkward,” Janna opines.
“Jerry is sure to be voted king. He’s a senior,” Kookie logically points out.
“Jerry! No way! He is not a nice guy! I bet Adam will win it! And his girlfriend,” she turns to look at me, “Sandy, will probably be voted queen. They’re both seniors.”
I, for one, am so happy my babies are but lowly juniors still! Time has flown too fast already.
“Oh, well, maybe next year, then.”
Once again, they lock eyes for a moment, a mutual understanding passing between them. I smile at them affectionately, so thankful that they are in one accord. At this moment in time, anyway. They are sure to be at one another’s throats again before too long.
