Tank Top

“Now stop there, young lady-”

“No.”

There was a rustle of skirts as she turned to her mother, her eyes blazing with rebellion and passion. “I am done listening to your advice on what I should wear! I will wear the clothes I want to wear!”

There was a sudden silence in the living room, and a hot breeze floated lazily inside the stuffy salon. The young woman in a tank top and short shorts wiped at the sweat on her brow as she stared down at the older woman, who was quietly mending a broken pair of pants.

The girl banged her fist on a nearby table, startling her mother. “I’m 13, mom. I don’t need you to dictate my fashion choices. I know that these clothes are part of ‘tradition’,” she made quotation marks in the air as she said the word, “but the fact of the matter is that I’m done adhering to a culture that doesn’t support my ideals and beliefs!”

Feeling proud of herself, she eyed the old woman from top to toe, from her hijab down to the sandals that were peeking out of her long dress. The young woman crossed her arms and smiled defiantly.

Her mother looked at her once, then shrugged. “There’s a price tag still hanging out of that tank top.” The girl stiffened and blushed as the old woman got up and gently pulled off the offending tag. Her eyes then glazed over the girl’s shoulders and the hint of cleavage that peeked from her tank top. “That shirt is also a size bigger than what you should be wearing. Your chest will spill out if you go running around.”

Before her daughter could say anything, the woman tied a little knot on the bottom of her top, effectively showing off more of her curves and a hint of her belly button. With a smile, the old woman ruffled her hair. “There, that should be better. Now go and have fun.”

With a kiss on the cheek, the old woman sat back down on the couch and resumed her sewing.

The young woman stared at the old woman, a blush creeping up to her cheeks. She then moved to the door, leaving a soft “Thank you” to echo in the living room. As the door shut closed behind her, her mother looked up, shook her head, and smiled.

–

For Drew.

–

Image source: deviantart.com/satsukihime1031/art/File-2-Sarah-691364151
First written February 23, 2018.
#144