Roots

Roots - Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Russian Bible

Some girls will tell you that when you are stressed, mad, or just needing to get out of the house, shopping is the best remedy. Yet, for me it only made me more stressed out. I couldn't let myself enjoy Saturday's shopping trip with Mandy a few of our other friends for our graduations dresses. My mind was consumed with questions and assumptions about the photographs and all the hidden treasure my mother and I had pulled down from the attic.

 "So, have you found out if the photograph was your great grandmother or not yet? Oh! What about this one?" Mandy asked me as she held up a dark blue sundress.

 "Oh I like that one for you, and no I haven't yet. I'm going to show Mr. Poloski tomorrow and then ask my great grandmamma on Thursday more about it." I replied as I went to go search through another rack filled with dresses.

 "No, I mean what you think about it for yourself. I think you would look great in it, what do you think Rach?" Mandy asked as she placed the blue dress up against me showing our other friend Rachel Hopkins. Rachel was great to go shopping with, she could always find the best deals and you could say she was the fashion diva of our group. Somehow she always manages to wear random article of clothing but yet it was always stylish.

 "I looked at her shaking my head, oh no, I'm not really a blue dress kind of girl." I said as I turned around to keep looking.

 "Yeah, I agree with Lisa, she needs a dark purple or ooo what about this one Lisa?" Rach said as she held up a dark red satin dress. My eyes followed the lines and the style of the dress, it wasn't really my style...with it being a strapless, just above the knee dress.

"Oh Lisa, you are so trying it on." Mandy said as she started pushing me towards the dressing room with some other dresses. Today just wasn't really my luck, possibly I just wasn't in the mood to shop around anymore so nothing really was catching my eye. However I convinced myself I'd try on a few more dresses and then let them finish their shopping as I went to go check out the vintage store a few shops down.

As I stepped out of the dressing room I looked at myself in the mirror, okay yeah I was totally not wearing this one, I thought. It clanged to every inch of my body, yeah very not me.

"Yeah no, sorry Lisa, I thought it would look great, what about this one." Rachel said as she handed me a white cotton dress with dark purple flowers at the bottom.

I let out a loud sigh as I took the dress and went back into the dressing room. But as I zipped up the dress, it was if I was having a mental flashback, as if I was having déjà vu. I came out and I literally didn't see me but the same young girl in a faded brown and cream photograph. The dress had a vintage look to it, with the cotton ruffling around the collar and shoulders.

"Oh, now that looks great Lisa!" Mandy exclaimed.

"Yeah you should totally get that one." Rach agreed.

"Yeah maybe, how much is it?" I asked as I tried to feel for the price tag.