My Jama Dress

"Mom! Did you know I'm a princess?" I'm so excited to tell her!

"Of course, Melody, you're my princess."

Gasp, she knows! This means, does this mean... "You're a Queen!" Oh, I'm so excited, both of us in one day! "Princess and Queen! Princess and Queen!"

"Alright, Princess, let's put on pajamas and go to bed."

"Mom, what jamas are you wearing tonight?"

"Come. I'll show you." I love when she smiles like that. It makes my insides feel warm. Warm and snugly right before bed! "I'm thinking this one."

She's holding a dress! It's beautiful, and pink, and has lace instead of lines. It feels like... it feels like the slippery bed sheets. "It's beautiful! Can I wear it?"

"But it's way too long."

"It's okay, I'll hold it up until I'm lying down!"

"Alright, let's get you changed."

Ugh, why is it so hard to get my arm out of my sleeve! Ugh, you too? Hmg, how do you get stuck on ears? "Here you go, Mom." Sit, sit, sit, it's faster to kick them off. "Here you go, Mom, I'm ready!"

"Haha, I bet you are, hands up!"

"Haha, it's cold!" I'm swimming in pink water. I see the sun. I see the Queen. "Queen!"

"Princess!" I love when she hugs me like that. It makes me feel like nothing can make me cry again. "Time for bed."

"Okay, good night!" Oh, there is a lot of dress here. I'm stepping on it, again, again, again. "Oh no! My sleeves!"

"Oh my, haha, it's too big everywhere. Here turn around."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm tying the straps together, so they won't slide off."

"Oh, thank you!"

"You're welcome, now off to bed."

"Okay!" Lots of dress. Step, step, step. Wow, Mom is tall. "Got it! Good night!" The princess runs to her tower, she will sleep, because sleeping brings the day, and I will see my jama dress in the light!

* * *

"Melody, it's time to wake up. Melody."

"Am I still beautiful?"

"Of course you're still beautiful, you will always be beautiful."

"But what about my jama dress?"

"It will always be beautiful too, why don't you hop up and see?"

Oh yes, it's light now, I can see in the mirror! "Ugh, why won't the sheets come off?"

"What sheets?"

"Oh, haha, that's my jama dress." I forgot, so much to grab. Easier sitting down though. Mirror, mirror, mirror, mirror, mirror. "Wow... you're right, Mom! It will always be beautiful!"

"Just like you, Princess. Don't you forget."

* * *

"What's this box of clothes?"

"Stuff I'm going to be donating."

"Why are you doing that? Did you buy new stuff?" Hmm, I wonder what she's getting rid of…

"A little bit of that, a little bit of some items not fitting anymore."

"The jama dress? Mom, you can't get rid of this!" Oh, it's still so smooth!

"I haven't worn that for a few years now. If you want to keep it, you can."

"I do wanna keep it." I want to put it on now. How silly. Maybe just really quick, over my clothes. "Uh..."

"Oh dear, need to figure out how to get rid of the knot in the straps first, it's too tight now."

"Pull it off, please." Ooog. "Thank you, why did you leave the knot in it?"

"You wore it so often, by the time I planned to wear it myself, this knot had gotten too tight for me to untie, but you're good with knots, give it a try."

I can get this knot out. Simple. How did it get so tight? Oh! Something came loose! Urr... urr... ah! Wow, that's wrinkled. Oh, my jama dress! Mirror, mirror, mirror. "Wow, you were right, Mom." It will always be beautiful.

"Right about what?"

"I got the knot out, it fits now!"

"That's wonderful. You always did love that nightgown."

"Jama dress."

"Jama dress." I love it when she follows my lead. It makes me feel like I can do anything.

* * *

"Melody, I'm so glad you were able to come home for Christmas!"

"Thank you, Grandpa, me too."

"How's school?"

"It's been amazing! I'm learning how fabric is made, and what fabrics work well together, we sew scraps together so we can feel what is good or not so good. They say by the end of the year we'll have at least three full outfits."

"Only three?"

"Were talking made with quality work, Grandpa, this isn't for basics."

"Guess I need to learn more about fabrics, ha."

"Dad, can you help me? I can't reach this."

"Be right there! Go rest a little before supper, I'm sure you'll stay up late tonight catching up."

"Sound like a good idea to me, I'm exhausted." I wonder how long before supper is ready.

"Darling Daughter, you look beautiful." Aww, Grandpa. What is she wearing?

"This old ugly thing? I only keep it because it's comfortable."

"That dress will always be beautiful, just like you."

"You’re right, beautiful, Dad. Give me a hand?"

She learned it from her dad? That's so sweet. Maybe one day I'll teach my daughters, but until then, I'm going to see if I can find my jama dress.

* * *

"It's still here." How did I forget to grab this on Christmas break? "It was in the laundry." Well, not this year, I'm packing you right now, no losing it to the laundry bin again. Crazy to think we've had this jama dress for fourteen years.

"Melody! The Bassets are here!"

"Coming!"

* * *

"I can't believe you're moving out of state!"

"Eek! I know!"

"That's incredible and I'm jealous. What's the plan, take it all? Store it?"

"Get rid of as much as I can, will you help?"

"Yes, let's do this, let's start now! Ahh, I can't believe you're moving!"

"Let's start with the clothes."

Man, some things are easy to let go of, but why am I struggling to donate clothes that don't fit me anymore. Yeah, it's cute, but I can't wear it. "Somebody will love these clothes, right?"

"Each item is another happy girl. Wow, this is tattered. Bet it was beautiful once."

"Oh, that old thing. Yeah, it was, that was my favorite nightgown, used to be my mom's, she basically gave it to me when I was five and it was too big. She tied the straps for me, ha."

"I want to change my statement. This looks great for a 25-year-old fragile nightgown."

"I keep misplacing it somehow. I didn't wear it as much as I mean to."

"Hm, happens. Keep or toss? You can't donate this."

"Keep. For some reason, I can't imagine tossing it out."

* * *

My wardrobe is getting too full again. Come on, Melody, just get rid of anything you don't wear anymore. Out with the old, in with the new. Wow, I still have this nightgown? Goodness, this is too flimsy to wear anymore. Thirty years? I think you had a good run. It might be time to move on, but you're still beautiful, just like me.