The Little Dress (A Short Story of Love)

Published on by thelonelyauthorblog

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The Little Dress

Fidgeting in his chair, he watched her try to squeeze into the dress. The little dress he so adored. The little dress she refused to acknowledge no longer fit.

“Just a little tug here and there,” she groaned.

He felt awful. Why did he suggest that dress?

She look at him with determined blue eyes. “I need help with the zipper?”

He stood behind the woman that changed his life. The woman that gave him children.

He stared at the stubborn zipper that would never close. How could he tell her she wasn’t a size six? Perhaps, she would never be a size six, again.

He kissed her pale back and sighed. “Honey, I was thinking, let’s not go to the party.”

She spun around. “You said this event was important.”

You are more important, he thought.

“What about the baby sitter?”

“Babysitter’s paid for. Let’s change into our jeans. Drive around. Maybe park in that little spot we used to park in to make out.”

“Are you sure?”

Uncertain he was doing the right thing, he embraced her. Across the room he noticed their wedding photo hanging on the wall.

His doubts evaporated, “Absolutely.”

 

Photo borrowed from google images.

 

139 thoughts on “The Little Dress (A Short Story of Love)”

    1. Thank you. I was going to ask a question at the end. Our hero took the coward’s way out. In the past, I tried to be gentle and honest, and it only caused hurt feelings. Is his approach right? Or does it depend on the woman? Thanks for stopping by.

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      1. Honestly, I think he did the right thing. She mattered more to him, which is the way it should be. Even though her body wasn’t the same, he still loved her and didn’t want to make her feel bad. She gave him children and even though the dress no longer fit, he still felt the same about her. To me, that’s what matters.

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      1. We have a saying in my faith that you must not put a rock in front of a blind man. What does one get out of letting someone get injured? Out of hurting another person when it could have been avoided? She certainly knew in her deepest self that the dress no longer fit, and she knew why. Saying it aloud doesn’t do anything positive for either of them. It’s important to be honest when someone you love is too drunk to drive safely. But when you really love someone, you suggest that you will drive, and then later, when everyone is sober, you do everything to teach the person you love to drink more responsibly.
        I’m frequently around people who have Alzheimer’s disease. It is not honesty to tell them that their spouse or child has died – it’s cruelty. That person can never work through their grief because their illness locks them into a permanently damaged mental state. Very shortly after my dad died, of a massive stroke, my mom, who has Alzheimer’s, started telling me that she had dream that my dad was on the floor, begging her to call 911. She just looked at him, terrified at his injured body on the floor, unable to process what had he wanted her to do. She couldn’t call 911. She’d forgotten how. We knew from evidence that was exactly what had happened. He lay helpless on the floor for 24-48 hours. What I told her was that it couldn’t have happened that way, that her sorrow at missing the man she loved so much made her believe an incorrect account. She told me the story many times. I assured her over and over that she was wrong, that it hadn’t happened that way, that she had taken good care of dad. Eventually she stopped blaming herself and forgot the story. She could never work through the grief process properly because the disease interrupted any chance of progress. But at least I didn’t prolong her guilt. Was I dishonest? Will God hold me accountable for not telling my mom the truth, that had she called 911 right away he might have survived?
        There are ranges of everything in life. Learning to recognize all the million shades of gray is so much more valuable than insisting that only black or white exists. This was never about the dress – it was about how much he loved her despite the changes time wrought on both of them. His answer was that he loves her forever and that if other people can’t see how lovely she is, no matter her age or weight or wrinkles or thinning hair, if other people might hurt her feelings, then only he will get to gaze. If love is only about a sexy body in a skinny dress then there was never any true love to begin with. That’s the honesty.
        Forgive me if I’ve interpreted your story incorrectly. I found it touching for the sweet sympathy he had for his beloved. He moved the rock out of the way.

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        1. You interpreted my tale perfectly. He needed to attend this event but she was much more important to him. Parties & events will come and go, his spouse is here to stay. As for that saying of the rock, genius. I love it. Your story of your parents left me in awe. I had to read it twice. What an amazing story. For me, that story shows love can overcome everything. It is the greatest power of all. Thanks for sharing it. And thanks for your great comments. I always treasure reading your thoughts. Have a good one.

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  15. This is such a beautiful story and shows how thoughtful, loving and kind you are. Kudos to you. I like the mushiness you’re adding day by day 😀
    It is true that we women sometimes forget we can’t perfectly fit back into our clothes from before pregnancies sometimes. With my daughter I had taken on 20 kgs and lost only 10 after the delivery. Tried fitting into my old jeans that my ex had bet would not fit me and sure enough it was not going to happen even in hell. My ex was getting impatient telling me that I should just accept that I had lost and that the jeans was really really not my size anymore. After some battling and as we were getting late for the movies, me being the stubborn thing I am I remember cutting open the sides of the jeans on the top and wearing a longer sweater coming out of the bathroom with an angelic face and a wicked devilish feeling of triumph inside. I can get highly creative when I want to win a bet 😀

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      1. Bla bla honesty, the chimp. Everything is a question of dosage and interpretation if nothing has been clearly defined to determine what is the truth. The jeans were fitting everywhere except at the waist. We had not actually set rules on what would define fitting and whether the jeans actually had to be closed with the button without any alteration. I think this one was won “haut la main” as they say in french. It was not like I had ripped open the whole jeans and then stitched them back 😀 😀

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        2. OK now I am actually replying to myself as I realised that I pressed send highlighting a part that got cut. I think your hero is not being dishonest, he is merely being loving and kind. If she had asked him a direct question and he lied it would be slightly different but he was just being supportive and loving in a creative way. I’d take that dishonesty anytime over some honest brutality

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  16. You don’t think he was being honest? I don’t know… I felt such honest love emanating from his words and actions, that I sense no contradiction at all. What he wanted most was to share some beautiful moments, cherishing the one he loves, and so he chose that path over one full of unrealistic expectation and less eager anticipation. I don’t think you can get more “honest” than that…

    Honestly… lol!

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      1. What the hero did was very nice, but do you let the lady go on thinking she can still fit into a size 6 dress? What happens the next time she ask the hero to zip her up again? Is the hero going to find somewhere else for them to go? Smiles

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    1. LOL Not too many. I am careful of what I eat. Not sure if you understood the point of the story. Or perhaps you didn’t read in full. He would never judge her. He accepts her additional pounds with love. And he found a way to evaporate her discomfort.

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        1. Hahaha Too funny. Hey, I used to try to be sweet & honest. Hey, maybe the dress doesn’t fit anymore. Disaster every time. I learn from failed relationships. This approach is working pretty well. Thanks for reading. I am laughing hard.

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  23. To be able to right these words, one must truly experience compassion and love. These are emotions in people that often never go beyond budding. You were gifted with a heart that remains in full bloom. You are a lucky man!

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