Playing Dress Up

Mom, Dana and I sheepishly walked into one of the thousands of Flamenco dress shops in our neighborhood. The multi-colored dresses like a rainbow hang heavy on the walls. The ladies inside immediately begin to ask us what we are looking for, the style of Flamenco dance we do... etc. To be honest, mom meekly admits, the girls just wanted to try them on, just to feel Spanish. (We would want to buy them too, but the dresses range between 250-500 Euros...a titch out of my price range). Instead of glaring down with a scolding look these two ladies perk up and begin pulling dresses of the rack, handing them to me and push me towards the curtained dressing room. They tell me to step into the dress and come in to help zip me up. In her excitement the lady breaks the zipper of the first dress I tried. I felt awful. No worries, she grabs another dress and zips it with a little less zeal to make sure it goes up right. They reach into their basket of flowers and begin pinning them in me and Dana's hair. They tell me to take of my earrings so she can put her huge dangly ones in. A necklace and a shawl get draped over me, and a mother-of-pearl comb is slid into my hair. In no time I am a proper Spanish lady.