Prom Night
Merci didn’t know what to do next. A cute jock had asked her out. Parker wasn’t just Highmount High School’s best soccer player, but one of the state’s top wrestlers as well. Merci could just feel Parker’s strong arms around her now. She smiled.
Parker had asked her to go to prom, which was tonight. What should she do? How should she behave? What would be expected of Merci in the wee hours after prom was over? Had she been asked at the last minute because she wasn’t cute enough, feminine enough to have been asked by others first? Merci had just learned that Parker had broken up with another girl. Was Merci only an afterthought? The thought troubled her. After all, no one else had invited her, and now to have the reputed “love machine” invite her was a little overwhelming. Maybe Parker’s rep was just that, a rep. Merci decided to put her misgivings aside and just enjoy the evening.
Actually, Merci had been asked to prom by one boy, but when she politely declined, he got sore and told her he only asked her because no one else word. It was a pity invite, he’d snarked at her.
Now it was prom night. Merci stood before her cheval mirror, inherited from her grandmother, and looked at her reflection. She had chosen an A-line dress, in a pastel shade of blue. She hoped it would go alright with her date’s sequined black tuxedo. Merci’s father had told her that it made her look older, more adult-like, and she had beamed at the compliment. She fleetingly longed for her mother to have lived to see her attend prom.
“Merci,” shouted Dad from downstairs. “Your prom date is here.”
Merci drew a deep breath, released it and eased nervously down the staircase, careful not to trip. At the foot of the stairs she observed Parker, resplendent in tuxedo and vest and bow tie. As the two came together and held hands, Merci’s father said, “You take care of my girl, now, Parker.”
“I will,” she promised, and the two slipped through the door and to the car, where Parker drove them to Highmount’s first-ever LGBTQ prom.
This “Prom” made me do a double take! After reading the surprising ending, I went back and perused the entire story again for clues and even did some research on “sequin tuxedos’. The line “What would be expected of Merci in the wee hours after prom was over?” brought me to a familiar feeling of dread I felt when I was asked to the prom by THREE girls in high school! What did they expect of me? As it turned out, they only asked me because I was a “safe” choice, and they never defined what they meant by “safe” and I never asked.
The other line, “she wasn’t cute enough, feminine enough” also is relatable. Who wasn’t insecure in high school? Especially if you fell into “the other” category of those who were deemed “different”. “It was a pity invite” also resonated for its showcase of the insecurity we tend to feel at any age but more so high school age.
And the detail of the “cheval mirror, inherited from her grandmother” added a familiar touch and visual that I found to be reminiscent of cinematic romanticism…And finally, her date’s “sequined black tuxedo” was the clue that tried to connect to the alternative ending. The secondary character was not defined as male or female but simply referred to as “Parker” which according to my research for this story, is a gender-neutral name, predominantly used for boys but increasingly popular for girls.
This unassuming story revealed my own tendency to make assumptions based on societal expectations and traditions. It brought me to one of the most memorable moments in my life and celebrates cultural diversity and in a way that is germane to the times. Loved it! Two snaps up!
–Jacques Fleury, author of “It’s Always Sunrise Somewhere and Other Stories”
Hi Jacques,
Thanks very much for not only reading my story–twice!–but in offering up such an expansive, detailed and thoughtful evaluation of it. I too did research on “sequined tuxedos” and the androgenous name of “Parker.” I’m very happy the story was so well-received. Thank you.