Thirteen is not just a difficult number, it’s a difficult age. Poor Annabel knew that all too well. My lord she felt like people either treated her as if she were a lady or a child and there was no in between. Now the person who accepted her and who she thought was the absolute picture of sophistication and class was none other than her mother. With such a lovely smile and bright eyes it’s no wonder. So of course she respected all her wishes, including having to attend her prideful Aunt’s annual garden party. Although Aunt Cora Lee has held this party every year this was the first year Annabel was cordially invited, however she wasn’t quit looking forward to going.
You see aside from Aunt Cora Lee being rather dreadful, Annabel also had the displeasure of looking forward to spending time with the company her Aunt kept. You know the kind of women who had to show off the old family money and pretend as if they were queens living in their big estates. She had always despised the way the women looked her, she felt as if they were treating her like nothing more than a show dog. Who were they to judge a person by appearances and not by character? Unfortunately Annabel had only two choices either suck it up and make her mother proud or let her down. She knew that she was gonna have to go, after all it was her Aunt’s party and it would awful rude if she didn’t. So you know what she did, Annabel decided that if she was going to be forced to wear a dress and hat she was going to go all out.
She spent that entire week looking for an absolutely perfect dress and hat with no luck. Then finally she decided she wouldn’t be able to find it in one of the new shops down town. She realized if anybody were to have a beautiful, high society southern dress it would be her darling Grandmother. They had a special kind of relationship, every afternoon they would sit in the sunroom and drink a glass of sweet tea as they held polite conversation. Annabel always used her absolute best manners when around her, she was the kind of woman who made you feel as though anything and everything could be dealt with in a dignified way.
As Annabel walked up the drive way she felt a certain sense of belonging. The large plantation home always made her smile, with its grand entrance way and apple orchard. Once she had finished having tea with Grandmother Annabel explained the situation and was promptly told to go climb up into the attic. Once she was up she was told to find a blue dress box with pink roses on it. Although the box seemed filthy on the outside Annabel couldn’t wait to see what it held. As she climbed back out of the attic she couldn’t help but ask “are you sure this is going help my situation”? With a smile grandmother politely said that she could just rest them on floor. Once she finally cleared all the dust off of the boxes and opened them Annabel realized all that searching was finally over and just in time the party was tomorrow. Inside the box laid a beautiful cream colored lace dress with a sweetheart neck line and sleeves that were just off the shoulder. Annabel looked up with the face of a child who had just been given the best present in the world. She was unable to put into words just how much this meant to her.

“Now don’t be silly, go and try it on” was all her grandmother said as she rushed off to do just that. Well wouldn’t you know it that dress fit her like a glove. She felt just as pretty and delicate as a magnolia in spring, and she looked it too. Now she was ready to go and attend the garden party, and show those women just what for. However she was still missing one thing, a hat. Well after she realized this, Annabel told her grandmother who said “just stop by the house on your way tomorrow and I’ll take care of that”.
Well the day had arrived and Annabel did just as she was told. Right before she left the house she informed her mother that she would meet her at the party. She was feeling rather nervous on her way to her grandmothers, due to the fact that her mother looked absolutely ravishing in her peach and white sundress with her beautiful blue jewelry and floppy hat. Annabel rushed to her Grandmother’s house and was greeted at the door, but by her grandfather. He was a kind old man who always had the fain smell of peppermints. He told her to head out back to the flower garden. As she was walking through the kitchen she could smell that her grandmother had spent all morning making homemade biscuits, but Annabel didn’t have time to stop and look she had things she had to do. Waiting out back for her was her grandmother, holding a fresh picked rose to place in her hair. “There now, you’re ready to go and show them just how much you’ve grown”. After a quick hug goodbye, Annabel was off to heading out to the party she had so dreaded. Yet at that moment she felt as though all that were to come would be unable to affect her.
The party in its self was everything she had expected it to be. The food was as bland as the stories the women were telling, and yes everyone did have stuck up way about them. In fact the only memorable moment was when her mother had gotten the chance to put some of the “good southern women” in their places. Aside from that the whole party seemed to be nothing but superficial. Yet it was okay, for through the time leading up to this “grand” event Annabel had realized that all of it didn’t matter. Those women were not going to determine whether she was classy or not, in fact their opinion meant nothing. She no longer cared whether people saw her as a lady or a child as long as she made her family proud.