Sanctity by S. M. Bowles

with.”
    “Sounds stuffy,” my mom interjected.
    “Not at all,” my dad
quickly came to his defense.  “He was very gentlemanly,
though, and certainly said  please ,  thank you  and  sir  more often than was
necessary,” my dad grinned.  “As we were talking, trying to
get to know one another, he asked if I were married, any
children.  So of course I told him all about the two of
you.  He listened so politely and seemed so genuinely
interested that I must have rambled for nearly an hour.  He
never interrupted except to have me clarify a point here or
there.  Eventually I came to my senses and apologized
prolifically.  He just smiled and shook his head, “No need to
apologize,” he said.  “This is exactly what I was hoping
for.  You’ve told me more about yourself through your family
than you would have if I had asked you more pointed
questions.”
    “I wasn’t sure what to say
to that and while I hesitated wondering how to reply he reached
inside his coat and pulled out the tickets.  “I have a box,”
he said, “at the Arts Center.  I would really like it if you
and your family would join me for the Nutcracker this
weekend.”  He was so earnest and sincere that I felt compelled
to accept them.  For some reason I just couldn’t
say  no .”
    My father looked from me to my mother for
some sort of confirmation that he had done the right thing by
accepting the tickets.  I had no hesitation about them and
quickly joined my father’s appeal to make sure my mom agreed.
    She broke down after a minute or two, “Of
course you did the right thing.  When will Elayna ever have
another opportunity like this?  A box even; it will be quite
an experience for all of us.”
    “Yes,” I did a little fist pump like I’d
seen my dad do when he was trying to be funny about some silly
little success or other.
    We finished our dinner and talked about what
we would need to do in order to be ready for the show. 
“There’s not much time to put together something to wear,” my mom
regretfully said.
    “I’m sure you’ll find something.  And
you, too,” my dad swiped my nose with the tip of his finger. 
“You can shop for yourself while Elayna’s in school tomorrow and
when she gets out you can take her.  Make it a two-step
process so you’re not trying to do everything at once.”
    My mom tilted her head reflectively, “That’s
a good idea.  Do you need me to pick anything up for you?” She
asked.
    “Nope, I’m good,” he assured her.
    After dinner we all sat together in the
living room and watched TV.  There wasn’t much on of any
interest to me at that time of night so I sipped my hot chocolate
and cuddled with my dad while he flipped through the
channels.  After a while my mom called out the time and I knew
I needed to get ready for bed.  I peeled myself off my dad’s
lap and headed to my bathroom to brush my teeth. 
    When I was finished with my nighttime
routine I called to my parents to let them know that I was ready to
be tucked in.  My mom came and took a storybook from my
shelf.  “Daddy dozed off, just us girls tonight.”  She
read the book to me then tucked me in and kissed me
goodnight.  After all the outdoor activity I was exhausted and
fell right to sleep. 
    The next day dragged by.  I had never
really cared much for shopping but the idea of going to see the
ballet and getting dressed up had been all I could think about that
day.  By the time my mom picked me up from school I had worked
myself up into a bit of a panic that there wouldn’t be enough time
to find a dress or I just wouldn’t find one that I liked. 
Part of me felt like everyone else went to the mall that day and
bought all the good dresses before I could have a chance. 
    Once we were finally there,
though, I began to relax while my mom led me to one of the
department stores.  Against my suspicions there were not that
many people shopping and the racks were full of holiday
dresses.  The