When I was in the fifth grade a new girl attended our school. She had a freckled face and bright, bouncy red hair. I was instantly mezmorized by her. I'd had this secret passion for red hair for quite some time. My hair was thin, stringy and blonde. I found a piece of rope in Daddy's garage so I snuck it into my bedroom and untwisted it. I "sorta" combed it then cut it into two lengths. Each weekend I'd put two sections of my hair in rubber bands then pin the braids to them. It wasn't red but I had a great imagination, so pretended. For awhile I had long, beautiful red braids. I'd twist em, I'd flip em, I'd pull em across my face like a mustache. Oh, I loved my new hair---except it wasn't red. Now here comes this new girl. Well, I thought if I couldn't have red hair, I'd be friends with someone who did! That's how Donetta Mae came into our circle of friends.
Years passed and suddenly we were in Jr. high. It was a BIG deal! Suddenly we began to notice boys, and of course we made sure they noticed us! We paired up, broke up, paired up again. On weekends we took turns having slumber parties at each other's house. We turn on the tv to Dick Clark's American Bandstand and dance across the living room until we thought our feet would fall off!
My mother sewed all of my clothes. I'd see somthing in a magazine, cut it out and take it home to mama and she'd cut herself a pattern out of the newspaper and make my new outfit. The only time she'd complain was when I wanted pencil skirts. I had no hips, but neither did Donetta. We were both skinny as a rail. We pretty much ignored the fact until one day at school Donetta grabbed me by the arm and shoved me into the bathroom. " Guess what?! Oh you'll never guess it , but try anyway!"
I didn't have a clue so just shrugged my shoulders at her. She looked at me with flashing brown eyes.
She was serious! (I could tell by the way she raised her eyebrows up and down) "Oh never mind! It takes you forever to guess anything so I'll just have to tell you!" She proceeded to lean over and whisper into my ear. No one else was in the bathroom but she made such a big deal out of it, I knew I'd better pay attention. "Somebody we both know is wearing a B-R-A today!" My mouth fell open and my eyes grew large. "Who is it Donetta? Tell me who it is!" I was breathless! "If I tell you, you gotta promise to let me tell the others!" Of course she meant our other friends. She didn't want me to steal her thunder. I agreed and she whispered," its Carol McKinny!" I gasped. Carol always got the best of everything and usually was the first to get it so the fact that it was her didn't surprise me. Now the bathroom began to fill up so we washed our hands and left.
I thought about it all week. One by one Carol's group of friends showed up at school wearing a bra under their blouse or dress. By Friday I got an idea and told Donetta to call and see if she could go home with me. We walked home together and I told her my plan. We both agreed it was an excellent idea.
Mother was working on somebody's dress when we hit the front door laughing and squeeling together. Mothr wasn't well but did the best she could. She was so eat up with kidney stones when I was four, they had to remove one kidney. She was cut almost half into. She never really got over it.
I saw the sink full of dirty dishes so put the tea kittle on the stove to heat up some hot water. We didn't have hot tap water. Didn't have a bath tub or indoor bathroom either but I still took a bath every night in an old aluminum tub that Daddy would fill up then set it on the floor in front of the kitchen stove with the oven lit and the door down. We finished the dishes and I gave Donetta a signal. We walked over and stood on either side of Mama.
" Mama, Donetta and I need to talk to you about something." She gave us both that "what did you do now" look. I told her how the other girls in school were wearing bras now and Donetta and I needed a bra too. "We're desperate! Yep, desperate!" Donetta echoed. Mama looked at both of us like we were crazy then a faint smile escaped her lips.
"Desperate you say?" she remarked. Her face grew serious then. "Hmm-m-m-m I guess I could make a bra. I've never made one before but it shouldn't be that hard." By now she was thinking out loud (as she'd put it many times). "Let me think about it," she said and turned back to her sewing.
The next day was allowence day. Daddy gave each of us a quarter and we took off to the Spot theatre. We dwadled all the way home afterwards, laughing and gossiping all the way. When we walked into my bedroom I stopped dead still causing Donetta to bump into me. Our eyes grew huge, for there on my bed lay the prettiest bra either of us had ever seen. It wasn't plain cotton like the other girls. It was made out of a satiny material with delicate lace held onto the top by a light blue satin ribbon. Without a doubt, it was the most exquisite bra I'd ever seen. We squeeled and clapped our hands! We have a bra, we have a bra we chanted together. "I get to try it on first," I said. "After all my mother made it!" Donetta reluctantly agreed. It felt so soft next to my skin. The cups had just enough padding to show under my shirt. Donetta took her turn and it strangly fit both of us perfect.
It was dubbed "our bra" and that is how it should be for two best friends. I wore the bra for a week then on Friday I'd go into the girls bathroom, take it off and fold it gently, then Donetta would put it into her book satchel, take it home and wear it the next week. On Friday she'd repeat the process until we wore it out. We missed it and the closeness that brought us together but by now we'd graduated up to 8th grade and each of us had a real store bought bra, size AAA.
Years passed and suddenly we were in Jr. high. It was a BIG deal! Suddenly we began to notice boys, and of course we made sure they noticed us! We paired up, broke up, paired up again. On weekends we took turns having slumber parties at each other's house. We turn on the tv to Dick Clark's American Bandstand and dance across the living room until we thought our feet would fall off!
My mother sewed all of my clothes. I'd see somthing in a magazine, cut it out and take it home to mama and she'd cut herself a pattern out of the newspaper and make my new outfit. The only time she'd complain was when I wanted pencil skirts. I had no hips, but neither did Donetta. We were both skinny as a rail. We pretty much ignored the fact until one day at school Donetta grabbed me by the arm and shoved me into the bathroom. " Guess what?! Oh you'll never guess it , but try anyway!"
I didn't have a clue so just shrugged my shoulders at her. She looked at me with flashing brown eyes.
She was serious! (I could tell by the way she raised her eyebrows up and down) "Oh never mind! It takes you forever to guess anything so I'll just have to tell you!" She proceeded to lean over and whisper into my ear. No one else was in the bathroom but she made such a big deal out of it, I knew I'd better pay attention. "Somebody we both know is wearing a B-R-A today!" My mouth fell open and my eyes grew large. "Who is it Donetta? Tell me who it is!" I was breathless! "If I tell you, you gotta promise to let me tell the others!" Of course she meant our other friends. She didn't want me to steal her thunder. I agreed and she whispered," its Carol McKinny!" I gasped. Carol always got the best of everything and usually was the first to get it so the fact that it was her didn't surprise me. Now the bathroom began to fill up so we washed our hands and left.
I thought about it all week. One by one Carol's group of friends showed up at school wearing a bra under their blouse or dress. By Friday I got an idea and told Donetta to call and see if she could go home with me. We walked home together and I told her my plan. We both agreed it was an excellent idea.
Mother was working on somebody's dress when we hit the front door laughing and squeeling together. Mothr wasn't well but did the best she could. She was so eat up with kidney stones when I was four, they had to remove one kidney. She was cut almost half into. She never really got over it.
I saw the sink full of dirty dishes so put the tea kittle on the stove to heat up some hot water. We didn't have hot tap water. Didn't have a bath tub or indoor bathroom either but I still took a bath every night in an old aluminum tub that Daddy would fill up then set it on the floor in front of the kitchen stove with the oven lit and the door down. We finished the dishes and I gave Donetta a signal. We walked over and stood on either side of Mama.
" Mama, Donetta and I need to talk to you about something." She gave us both that "what did you do now" look. I told her how the other girls in school were wearing bras now and Donetta and I needed a bra too. "We're desperate! Yep, desperate!" Donetta echoed. Mama looked at both of us like we were crazy then a faint smile escaped her lips.
"Desperate you say?" she remarked. Her face grew serious then. "Hmm-m-m-m I guess I could make a bra. I've never made one before but it shouldn't be that hard." By now she was thinking out loud (as she'd put it many times). "Let me think about it," she said and turned back to her sewing.
The next day was allowence day. Daddy gave each of us a quarter and we took off to the Spot theatre. We dwadled all the way home afterwards, laughing and gossiping all the way. When we walked into my bedroom I stopped dead still causing Donetta to bump into me. Our eyes grew huge, for there on my bed lay the prettiest bra either of us had ever seen. It wasn't plain cotton like the other girls. It was made out of a satiny material with delicate lace held onto the top by a light blue satin ribbon. Without a doubt, it was the most exquisite bra I'd ever seen. We squeeled and clapped our hands! We have a bra, we have a bra we chanted together. "I get to try it on first," I said. "After all my mother made it!" Donetta reluctantly agreed. It felt so soft next to my skin. The cups had just enough padding to show under my shirt. Donetta took her turn and it strangly fit both of us perfect.
It was dubbed "our bra" and that is how it should be for two best friends. I wore the bra for a week then on Friday I'd go into the girls bathroom, take it off and fold it gently, then Donetta would put it into her book satchel, take it home and wear it the next week. On Friday she'd repeat the process until we wore it out. We missed it and the closeness that brought us together but by now we'd graduated up to 8th grade and each of us had a real store bought bra, size AAA.
