Teresa was a bit angry. She had had to wear a long dress, yet all she had done was to walk one of Jerry Nesbitt?s prize goats while it pulled a cart in the Midsummer Festival Parade. Now, she wandered around the parking lot looking for her mother and a change of clothes. She had on shorts under the dress; she had taken off her half-slip in the public restroom right after the parade ended, but she needed a top to cover herself up so she could take off the dress. She realized now she should have worn a skirt with a T-shirt, but she thought having three waisted garments (not including her underwear) would make things too hot. At least the dress fit loosely. She could have worn the skirt without the slip, she now realized. The problem was that she would have preferred to not wear the shorts during the parade, but she had nowhere to carry them. Not that that mattered: she had nowhere to carry a T-shirt, either.

Finally, her mother pulled up in the minivan. ?Here?s some jeans, Teresa,? she said. ?You?ll have to wear them under your dress. I couldn?t find a T-shirt.?

?Mom!? Teresa tried to say, but her mother had already pulled out into traffic.

Teresa was now carrying her half-slip and a pair of jeans. Some of her friends came up.

?Teresa, you gonna change?? asked Anne, who was also wearing a long dress. She had walked behind Teresa, also leading a goat.

?I want to,? Teresa said, ?but Mom screwed up and didn?t give me a T-shirt. She told me to wear these under my dress. It?s too hot to do that, and besides, I?ve already got shorts on.?

?Your mom?s weird,? said Anne. ?Kinda like mine. She brought me a T-shirt; that?s all.?

?You wanna wear my shorts or my jeans?? The girls were about the same size.

Anne had to think out loud for a minute, even though she understood Teresa?s idea. ?I can wear your jeans with my T-shirt and take off this dress, but you?re no better off. If I take your shorts, you can wear your jeans under your dress, and I can take off this dress and wear shorts and a T-shirt instead. But you said it?s too hot to wear jeans under a dress?and I think you?re right. Or I could wear the jeans under my dress and let you have the T-shirt . . .?

?You got scissors?? Teresa asked. Anne shook her head.

?If we can find some scissors, we can cut off the pant legs on the jeans and we?ll each have a pair of shorts. These jeans are old; they?d make better cut-offs anyway. You can wear them with your T-shirt and take off your dress. I?ll just keep my dress on. I?ll put the slip back on, too. If it gets too sweaty, it?s Mom?s problem to figure out how to wash it.?

Anne laughed. ?I?ll keep my dress on, too. If we stink, we stink. If our clothes stink?well, that?s our moms? fault!?

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