It was June in Leamington, Ontario; the town was a-buzz with talk of weddings and graduation ceremonies. One of those all a-buzz was Meghan, our fourteen year old firstborn grandchild. She was graduating from Grade 8, and nothing was more interesting, exciting or important to her. Every conversation centred around her “Grad.” While she obsessed about this momentous event, we adults relived those bittersweet precious little everyday events that had come before.
Kindergarten seemed so long ago. Living only two streets behind us, she and her siblings had been integral to our daily lives. Newly enrolled in Junior Kindergarten, Puppa had enjoyed walking Meghan to school every morning in spite of the regularly occurring power battles over whether she would go or not. After taking off the training wheels, he had taught her to ride her 2 wheeler and once she had accomplished that, it seemed there was nothing she couldn’t do. We had watched her learn to do handstands and cartwheels, play T ball and soccer, swim; you name it, she could do it. Her blue jeans seemed always to be dirty and torn at the knees. Watching her prepare for graduation was a right of passage for her and for us; one we were wholly unprepared for.
For weeks before the graduation ceremony, she & her friends had planned their outfits. Straps or strapless? Knee length or floor length, high heels, kitten heels or flats? Up-do or long, loose & flirty? Her “Grad” was the highlight of her life.
Finally, the big day came. Meghan had shown us her dress immediately after she had bought it but refused to model it for us. It was to be a surprise on the big day and we were definitely looking forward to seeing her in it. We knew it was knee-length, mauve and strapless, with a snug fitting bodice and a full, gauzy skirt. Although many of her friends were planning to wear heels, Meghan had worried she wouldn’t be able to walk up the stairs to the stage in heels, and was terrified of humiliating herself by stumbling. She had opted for flat, sparkly sandals.
As we walked into the building on the evening of the event, we were lost in a sea of young people; some were in small groups surrounded by family members and others in groups of two or three classmates all dressed up for the occasion. Big smiles and nervous giggles filled the room. Finally, we saw Meghan off in the distance talking excitedly in a group of young women all of whom were dressed in frilly, pastel coloured dresses, most of them strapless. All apparently, had spent the day in the salon getting manicures, pedicures, hair dos, and make-up applications. Almost all were wearing high heeled shoes. While animatedly talking and giggling among themselves, they continually shifted weight from one foot to the other, unable to keep their ankles from toppling over their shoes. With one arm holding an evening bag, the other was constantly in use tugging up their strapless bodices.
