I was 16 at the time and was growing out of my tom-boyish ways and into a pretty young girl. Gone were the faded shorts, the dirty cap that hid my long hair, and so were the dirty and mud-caked feet.
My hair had been washed, left hanging long down my back and I was dressed in a nice dress and smelling good for a change! I had a vacation job during the school holidays at a company and I was proud of myself.
It was Saturday night and the company was having its annual celebration. There was a band playing, the dance floor was filled with people moving to the music when I arrived with some girlfriends. We were giggling and standing to one side of the hall watching the people dancing. Suddenly, a man approached us and his eyes were focused on me.
“That man over there wants to dance with you,” pointing to a handsome, tall, blonde guy standing to one side and as our eyes met, the man smiled and walked over, held out his hand and walked me to the dance floor. If my heart had had the power to jump out of my chest at the time and take off, it would have done so! We moved to the music and then the lively music changed, it was slow and dreamy. He pulled me into his arms, had his cheek against mine and all I could think was, “He smells wonderful!”
After the song finished, he took my hand and led me out to the open area right under the stars. I kept looking back at my friends signaling frantically for them to follow and they did. Once outside, he asked, “Are you a contestant in the beauty contest?” They were having one later that night. “If you are, you will win!” He was a top manager from California, there for a visit and why he was interested in me I had no clue but I was enjoying the attention!
That small moment had a huge significance. It catapulted me from this tom-boyish and wild child who loved hanging out with the boys to someone all the boys wanted to hang out with for another reason! The power was mesmerizing but I learned later on in life that “beauty” is just a covering, there is more to it than that outer shell.
However, I still think about that moment from the past because it was my beginning, one that took me from tom-boy to the belle of the ball! After that moment, my dirty clothes were put away forever and I was on my way. There are moments even now when I would love to get back into those dirty clothes and run wild again!
Life was simple back then.
What’s a small moment from your past that you still think about years later?
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