Never Been Kissed

- THREE -

                                                                      -• THREE •-

 

“Opal, come on, can we just get ready now?” I asked my little sister, who had decided that today was the day to be stubborn.

“I wanna’ wear this swimsuit,” she said with a defiant pout, dangling one with Hello Kitty splashed all over the fabric off her tiny index finger.

“Opal, that’s too small for you and you know it.” I replied with a frown on my face. “Now just put on another one; how about this one?” I held up the watermelon one my grandmother had brought back from England last year.

“Nuh uh!” she said shaking her head wildly, her brown hair flying over both of her shoulders. She started to stomp her feet. “No, no, NO!”

She grabbed the watermelon swimsuit and a skirt that I had given her to wear and threw them on the carpet, then proceeded to irk me by stomping her feet on them.

“Opal, don’t do that,” I said sternly turning to her and kneeling down so she was eye to eye with me. “Remember when we went to the lake with mom and dad last year? And I wore that pretty, pink swimsuit?”

I stifled a grimace as I remembered the spandex creation. Not one of my best moments.

 It had tons of sequins and glitter around the bodice and straps that only squeezed what meager boobs I had flatter down on my chest, baring too much of my overbearingly pale skin to the world. Because I didn’t tan well, I was quite the pasty one, and the swimsuit did nothing for my body at all.

“Yes.” Opal began hesitantly, wiping her wet eyes. “You got red lines all over your back and your legs.”

I grimaced.

Did I mention that the swimsuit was just a little bit too tight?

“Yeah, that was because my swimsuit was too small.” I explained and watched Opal’s eyes grow wide and her tiny, pink, mouth stretch into an ‘o’ of understanding. “Do you want that to happen to you?”

She shook her head. “Nuh-uh! You looked gross.”

Way to make me feel better.

“Then let’s find you a proper swimsuit, okay?” I told her and she nodded and pulled out another swimsuit from the drawer hanging lopsidedly out of her armoire. This one had rainbow ruffles along the bodice and bright pink straps.

“I like that one,” I smiled.

“Me too.” Opal replied, putting it on her bed and dragging her swimming bag out from under the bed.

I started to pack in all the things she’d need for her class while she got ready—a freshly laundered towel, blow up arm bands, eye goggles, a swim cap and the most important of all of them: sun block.