The Dress I Didn't Buy

     For the second time in one year, I went shopping for a Mother of the Groom dress with my 2 best girlfriends.  A fun expedition, it afforded me time well spent with my BFF's, as well as sharing the joy derived from another of my sons being set to marry soon, and the prospect of my family expanding again.  Upon arrival at the store of choice, the young lady at the front desk initially expressed horror when she thought we were there seeking wedding dresses.  (The thought of that causes me horror-ever marrying again, anyway).  Our young stylist was considerably more gracious, enthusiastically leading us though crowded aisles, pulling dress after dress from the racks, dresses that were either downright revolting or  that met with my approval.  "Are you looking for a dress with bling?" she asked.  "No" I replied, in my ignorance, "and I don't want a lot of sequins and baubles either"!  Cognizant of the communication gap inherent in our age difference, she sought out dresses that were not overly ornamented.  A sojourn through the mothers' dresses resulted in but 2 possibilities, neither of which I was crazy about.  The stylist then suggested looking through the bridesmaid's dresses, which I found a little startling.  That resulted in two more mediocre possibilities.  Then it was my turn to express horror when the stylist suggested looking through... the Prom Dresses!  I don't want to look ridiculous, I firmly opined.  (I imagined I would look ridiculous enough just being in that section, at least without a teenager in tow).  She persisted, and felt there just might be something among those dresses that I would find appealing.  Quite frankly, I found most of them to be too revealing, and some just ridiculous.  I am not into those feathery looks.  I don't want to attend my son's wedding resembling an aging ostrich.  Much to my surprise, I did find a dress in that section.  Of the five varied dresses that I tried on, it was a toss up between it and the other  dress of a certain color, that I might never have considered if not for a stylist with vision.  It was a tough choice, as I tried them on repeatedly, back to back, trying to ascertain which was the most flattering.  I felt the black and white had a uniqueness to it that would not be repeated, unless one of the younger set decided to wear her leftover prom dress.  (The only thing that could be worse than both Mothers wearing the same gown, would have been me and a teenager in the same dress).  Neither of the dresses possessed one matronly looking fiber, which was one of my priorities.  I really liked the black and white, but oh! The other one..  So I did not choose the black and white.  If only I had another wedding to attend!