Alterations

It wasn' t just Daisy' s prom gown that needed changes¼

It' s too hot. Do I have to wear it?' Elliot asked on Friday evening in the lounge, pulling at the tank top Claire had just slipped over his shirt as he sat looking at his phone.

Yes, you do,' she told him. Aged 14, he knew how to pout. Do it for your auntie. She dotes on you two, not having any kids of her own.'

He nodded. Claire' s sister had moved to the States years ago to marry. There, in the depths of rustic Alabama, she' d learnt the art of quilting from her mother-inlaw, among other crafts, including pottery and dressmaking. She often sent handmade presents, usually clothes knitted jumpers, blouses and shirts for school.

The only problem being she tended to send things that were dull and out-ofdate. Her gifts tended to languish in cupboards therefore Claire' s kids deeming them embarrassing.

Nobody ever let on.

In fact, Claire sent gushing thank-you emails and made sure Elliot and Daisy did the same. She dispatched photos too, family shots of them all dressed exclusively in Anna' s Designer Woes, as her daughter sarcastically christened her styling.

Now matters had reached a crisis point.

You look fine,' Claire told her son. `And your aunt will be here in half an hour.'

Claire herself wore a blouse in a dull grey tone

a colour she' d never have looked at twice in a store. She frowned down at it as

her daughter barrelled in.

Oh my God, look at this thing!' Daisy tugged at the floral dress she wore. It had a high collar that seemed to strangle her. Exactly what did Auntie

Anna think I' d wear this for?'

Church perhaps?' Claire' s frown deepened. The family her sister had married into were rather religious. Please, do this for me, will you? It' ll only be until she leaves for the hotel.'

And for whenever she decides to pop in afterwards,' Daisy grumbled, pulling at one tight sleeve. You always tell us not to lie, yet here you are.'

This doesn' t count. It' s to spare her feelings. I do only have the one big sister, you know.'

Daisy treated the ceiling to a roll of her eyes, then pushed back her long dark hair. Have you seen what Dad' s wearing?'

A big shirt, it buried him. He kept threatening to pitch it like a tent.

OK, are we all ready?' He smiled, making light of it as he came in again, the sides of his monster shirt flapping.

I'l l never hurt my sister, Claire thought as the bell rang 20 minutes later and she hurried to open the door.

Tears welled. There stood Anna, looking sweet and quaint, her blue eyes sparkling, her brown hair windblown.

Both in their 40s now, they hadn' t hugged in years, not since Anna' s wedding in a rural church in the USA. Her reception had been held outdoors, the food resting on trestle tables in her husband' s sprawling backyard.

You look just the same in the flesh,' Claire sniffled in the hall as they held each other at arm' s length and studied the lines time had added, the ones they both ignored. Come in. Come in.'

Hugs all round followed, Claire' s family smiling through it all. Her husband went off then to make tea and bring in biscuits, determined to stick to

She often sent them handmade clothes the only problem being they were dull and out of date

English traditions.

Claire and Anna chatted on and on all afternoon about the years they' d missed, taking turns to share anecdotes of Claire' s two growing up and Anna' s life on the farm where she lived. She spoke of the locals, her in-laws and the fact she was looking to adopt a baby soon. She was, she claimed in her now very evident Alabama twang, all set for the trials of motherhood.

The day went brilliantly right until she dropped a bombshell.

I' m so glad I came over at this time of year,' she said. Just in time for your prom, Daisy. I love the way you' ve adopted the custom over here. I know you haven' t found a dress yet. So guess what? I' ve made you one!'

Daisy' s face froze. Her eyes met her mother' s.

I want you to come over to my hotel tomorrow and try it on,' her aunt went on. Then I can make some final adjustments before I travel up to London to meet Gary.'

Her husband, on a jaunt for business, would meet her there to see Nelson' s

Column like a proper tourist. She planned to show him all the sights before the pair travelled down the country again to say their goodbyes.

Oh¼ lovely.' Claire filled a large gap of silence, her eyes burrowing into Daisy' s.

Don't you say a word. Don't you dare go into a strop!

It' s so important for a young lady to look just right,' her sister went on.

Somehow Daisy managed to keep it together. Scrunching up the skirt of her church' dress in her fist every few seconds probably helped. She managed not to explode right up until Claire hugged her sister again in the hall and they parted.

soon as the door closed, Daisy detonated. I am not wearing a dress she' s made to my prom! It' ll be horrible. Everything she makes is awful. You should have said something ages ago, Mum.'

With that, she made a dash for the stairs. The sound of her door slamming could likely be heard 12 miles away along the coast. She didn' t appear again all evening. She knew how to sulk.

Daisy?' The next morning, Claire tapped on her daughter' s door. Getting no reply, she turned the handle.

She expected the door to be locked, but it swung ajar. The room stood empty. On the bed lay a note.

Gone to see Auntie Anna. I'm going to tell her what I think of her idea!

Claire gasped, imagining carnage her sister sobbing after finally discovering the truth. Her stomach rolled at the prospect.

They' d been through rather a lot as siblings. The night their father died, they' d huddled in bed together as two paramedics tried to revive him from a heart attack. They stuck together when their mother disappeared into wine bottle after wine bottle for months afterwards. They' d backed each other up when bullies appeared at school in the following years too.

Im going to see Anna!' Claire yelled as she ran down the stairs, snatching her car keys from a shelf on her way out. She drove through the town, hurrying to the hotel on its outskirts. Daisy must have taken the bus to get so far. The girl wouldn' t stay silent. Her teachers didn' t call her forthright and assertive for nothing.

After drawing on to the hotel car park, Claire found a parking space.

She crunched across the gravel, then hurried into reception. Behind a glossy mahogany desk, sat a young girl, looking bored.

Hi, hello. I' m here to see my sister, only I don' t know her room number. Could you help me out?'

Minutes later, Claire rode up in a lift to the second floor. The receptionist had rung through to Anna. Claire couldn' t hear any screaming on the line, nor any tears. Her stomach still knotted as she traversed a corridor full of swirly blue carpet.

Outside number 24, she closed her eyes, gathering her courage before she knocked.

Her sister answered the door, her face wet, tears dripping.

Claire bit her lip. Poor

Anna was so naïve in the ways of children. They did tend to give you a cast-iron hide. If her sister did adopt she' d soon

discover every day could feel like a trip to a battlefield.

Oh no, oh no what' s Daisy done? Was she horribly rude? I' m so, so sorry.'

Anna hiccuped past a sob. It' s fine.'

No, no, it' s not. Teenagers can be so tactless. They can be so selfish, so wrapped up in themselves. We were never like that, were we? We looked after each other.'

Her sister, wiping her eyes with a tissue, began to frown.

Then, from behind what Claire assumed must be the bathroom door, came a voice. Mum, it might be best to quieten down now.'

That was her daughter, as ill-mannered as ever.

You come out here, right now,' Claire snapped. We need to talk, young lady. How dare you disappear and do this.'

The door opened and Daisy walked into view in a shimmering royal blue gown.

Look, Mum,' she said pointedly. Look what Anna made me.' She swished the skirt left, then right, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Isn' t it wonderful?'

Caught off guard,

Claire blinked. Is it? It looked it to her, but she couldn' t be sure. Had Daisy decided to fake it or was she

genuine? Er¼ yes. It' s lovely. Beautiful.'

That' s what I thought when I saw her in it.' Anna wiped at her cheeks. I told her that seeing her all dressed up made me wish all the more for a daughter of my own.' That explained her unruly emotions. I just need to take up the hem a little.'

Yes, and add some more sequins to the bodice so it catches the light?' Daisy stood grinning widely, as she dismantled the straps to reveal a perfect bustline. Then it' ll be perfect, Auntie Anna.'

Yes, yes,' Anna agreed, appearing not to notice any criticism. Then it' ll be just right for you. I' ll find my tape measure and some pins.'

As she bustled off to a drawer where she must have deposited all her sewing gear, Claire hurried over to the daughter. Do you really like it?' she whispered

I hated it at first,' Daisy confessed in low tones. It' s so old-fashioned, but then I thought: It's from Auntie Anna. You always said that, growing up, you made the best of everything. You had to. Then I started thinking: Surely we can make the best of this dress¼ t ogether?'

Daisy had already made a few alternations of her own it seemed, and not simply to the fabric of the gown. She' d remeasured and remade herself to fit the situation. She hadn' t lied either¼ like Claire.

Mum, why are you crying?' You' re so beautiful,' Claire said, tears leaking down her cheeks.

Actually, Daisy would have looked stunning wearing a potato sack at that precise moment.

I need to follow her

example, Claire decided.

Everybody can be happy. You just need to find a way to make it happen.

Her sister came rushing back, waving her tape measure and pins, and smiling. Right, let' s make some alterations, shall we?' Too late, thought Claire.

We'v e made all the important ones already.

Look what Anna made me.Õ She swished the skirt left, then right, grinning like a Cheshire cat