Go the distance for a perfect dress

Michael, Crystal, Dana, Jonathan, Sally, Ashley and Misti

By RuthAnn Hogue
WP Syndicate

My car was finally in the shop for its regularly scheduled maintenance and I was getting ready to settle in for the wait with a good book when Sally's phone number lit up my cellphone."Hello, Mom?" she said, in a questioning tone that seemed to suggest something was up."Hi," I replied, somewhat cautiously.

"So, I was wondering what you're doing today."

"Nothing much," I answered.

"Just getting my oil changed. Why? What's up?"

"Well," she said, hesitantly. "I was wondering if you could meet me in Mesa. I found the perfect wedding dress and there is only one in my size. I need to put a deposit on it today or they won't be able to hold it."

"Now?" I asked. "If you'd called a few minutes ago that might have been possible, but I already gave them my keys. Can it wait?"

She said it couldn't. If the bridal shop sold the dress of her dreams her spring wedding would have come and gone before another could be ordered.

"What are you doing in Mesa today anyway?" I asked.

After all, hadn't she and her sisters and I planned to go look at dresses together? A last-minute trip to the Valley with a roommate, however, led them past the brick-and-mortar bridal shop Sally had so often visited online. It wouldn't hurt to look, the two surmised. And before they knew it, she had fallen in love.

I suppose I had always known my little girl would one day dress in white to declare her eternal loyalty and love. I just never thought it would be so soon.

Granted, Independence Day 2006 will mark her 21st birthday. She's lived on her own since shortly after turning 18, supporting herself by teaching less-advantaged children through the Head Start program. She's well on her way to earning a degree from Pima Community College, from which she's already earned a certification in early childhood education.

It seems safe to say that Sally Michelle is well on her way to a rich and rewarding life.

So when she hatched a hair-brained scheme that involved having the car dealership drop me off at her Tucson apartment to meet another roommate who would give me the keys to her car, which I would drive at light speed (er, I mean, the speed limit, of course) to Mesa and back just in time to pay the dress deposit and retrieve my car before the dealership closed, how could I say no?

After all, isn't that just what moms do?

There are no words, however, to describe how it felt when I watched her step onto a wooden box to pick up some of the slack as she adjusted a magnificent train bordered in lace with pearl beads and sparkly sequins. Somehow, it didn't seem to matter that she and Jonathan hadn't yet been officially engaged. The ring and proposal would surely come. And when they did, she'd be ready.

We've since been back for one of two required fittings, and the wedding shower was a smashing success, thanks to Sally's soon-to-be in-laws who hosted the lovely affair. Sally and I still haven't found the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress, however.

Then again, it is about time to take my car back in for service. Perhaps I should stop putting it off and dig up another paperback to devour. You never know. It might be just the inspiration we need.

RuthAnn Hogue teaches high school English and American literature in Avondale. She can be reached at ruthann@ goodbye-walter.com.

Editor's note: Sally Hogue and Jonathan Hays will be sealed at 11:15 April 8 in the Arizona Temple in Mesa. The reception will be later that day at the Rancho Vistoso chapel in Oro Valley.

Post Script:
The wedding was beautiful! Here is a photo of Sally and me posing outside just afterward.