May 29 - The Running of the Bachelorettes

For as long as I could remember, every summer my mom would always take me downtown to see the Running of the Bachelorettes, where all the unmarried women who had turned 18 in the previous year would put on a wedding dress and heels and run through the streets of our town in the hopes of landing themselves a groom.
What a sight they were! As beautiful and fit as you could hope for, running, giggling, blushing, and sweating.
Every year my mom would tell me that one day I would be there, too, running through the streets in the wedding dress she had chosen for me, racing to find a husband.
"But mom," I would always tell her. "I'm a boy."
"Don't' be silly," she would reply. "You're a girl. Someday you'll see."
And again and again, she would try to make me what she wanted me to be. Dolls, play kitchens, and princess tiaras when I was in kindergarten. Pony camp, flute lessons, and Barbies when I was in elementary school. Makeup, bras, and feminine hygiene products when I was in high school. All designed to mold me into her little princess. All designed to groom me for the Running of the Bachelorettes when I too turned 18.
Ever since my dad died, I was all she had. And just as she had won him during her year's Running, so too she had dreamt of me claiming a husband in my 18th year. My entire upbringing has been in preparation of the event.
High school wasn't easy. Nor were middle school or elementary school. You know how cruel kids can be to anyone different. There I'd be walking the halls in a mini skirt and makeup. I guess my mom thought looking like a hussy was the way to go. And it did get me a lot of attention, but I could never figure out how I felt about it. It was all so confusing. The only times when anything made any sense was during each year's Running of the Bachelorettes. Seeing those hundreds of exuberant young women racing through town in their gorgeous dresses as the whole town cheered them on, I could understand why my mom wanted that for me.
But then after a few weeks, the memory would fade and there I'd be, just another freak trying to survive high school.
Well, I turned 18 three months ago, which means I'm eligible for this year's Running. It starts tomorrow at noon.
I've long since decided I'm going to run. How could I not? And of course I've already tried on the dress for my mom. She wants to make sure it is as form fitting as it is flexible. Her friends all agree I look beautiful in it, but I don't know. I think it makes me look fat.
When I'm out there tomorrow, I'm sure some people will laugh at me, and some people will be supportive of me, but most people probably won't care one way or the other. As far as the outcome goes, I think it's safe to say I'm not going to be walking away with any husband offers. Either way, by this time tomorrow it will all finally be over, and my mom will get off my back. At least until I go away to college and she tries to get me to rush her old sorority.