Page 84 of Red Mountain Burning
Are You Sure About This?
Remi turned from his sports show. “You were out there a long time. Everything okay?”
“It’s better than okay,” Margot admitted. “We’re having a little girl time. I’m going back out in just a minute.”
With incredible determination, Margot ran up the stairs and into her room. As she pulled open the closet, the antique white dress made of French lace seemed to stare back at her, almost taunting her.
You wouldn’t dare…
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” Margot said, reaching for the hanger. “You can take your size eight and shove it up my curvy, beautiful butt.”
Holding up the dress, she admired it one last time. The form-fitting elegance, the tasteful plunging neckline of lace flowers. She’d imagined wearing a crown of woven wildflowers to match. Letting go of what she’d envisioned, she said, “It would have been nice, but it wouldn’t have been me.” Carly was right.
Folding up the size eight in her arms, she went back down the steps. Finding a small tin of lighter fuel in the pantry, she snuck past Remi toward the door. This was a girls’ moment. “Don’t mind us,” she said as she slipped out.
Carly was still sitting on the porch. “I didn’t think you’d actually bring it down.”
“Oh, I’m full of surprises. I would have looked gorgeous in this thing, but you’re right. It wouldn’t have been me.” She held up the dress and tossed it onto the driveway. “Do you know how much this useless piece of fabric has tormented me?”
She pointed at Carly’s hoodie. “Almost as much as that hoodie. Let’s go. I’m desperate to see that thing go up in flames.”
Carly snickered as she pulled it off.
“You have such a great laugh,” Margot said. “Today was the first time I heard it. Now give me a light.”
Carly tossed her hoodie on top of the wedding dress and handed Margot the lighter. “I’ll let you do the honors.”
Margot doused the pile with lighter fluid. “It’s just amazing how much value we women put on clothes and what we look like in them. I’m done. Enough worrying about what other people think. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to shop every chance I get. But I’m done. No more trying to look like women on television. I’m so done faking it. I’ll wear polka dots to my wedding if I want to.”
Margot looked at Carly. “Do you have anything to add?”
Carly blushed. “This feels kind of stupid, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all. Let’s go. What do you have to say?” Margot was on a mission and couldn’t wait to see that darn dress on fire.
“I promise I’ll try harder,” Carly finally said.
Margot lifted up the lighter. “That’s all any of us can do, right?” She lit the flame and bent down toward the dress. “Your father is going to kill me.”
“I think he’ll be all right.”
This ritual was about so much more than the dress; it was a cleansing.
“Mother Earth,” Margot started, “please forgive me. I’ll plant a hundred trees to make up for it.”
She lit the edge, and the dress ignited, burning much faster than she’d expected. The hoodie caught next, and within several seconds, a huge flame rose up into the air as the materials curled into ashes.
Margot couldn’t recall ever feeling more fulfilled. She glanced over at Carly, who looked possessed with life. They nodded at each other and turned back to the flames.
Remi’s voice came from behind them. “What in the world are you two doing?”
Margot pulled Carly in and put an arm around her. As they both turned to face Remi, she said, “We’re burning all the bullshit.”
He looked back at the fire and smiled. “I don’t know what that means, but I think I like it.”
* * *
Margot was sittingby the unlit fireplace when Remi came down the next morning in his robe and slippers. One of her favorite brown hens sat in her lap. She’d named her Elphaba from the character inWicked. Cannonball Adderley was playing from the speakers in the ceiling.
