Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 6
Feel like a Woman
Relief on a hot summer day changes a life.
BY MOLLY DUGGER BRENNAN | ILLUSTRATION BY LINDSEY RICHARDS BARNES
S
6 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
ome of us still remember the first time
we felt womanly. Maybe it's the first time
you wore heels that were yours, not your
mama's that you were using for dress up
games. Maybe it's the first time you successfully baked
something and showed it off to your family. Maybe it
was winning an argument, or getting a top grade at
school. Perhaps it was even your first kiss from a boy,
a milestone to recognize for sure.
Let me tell you about the first time I felt womanly.
Of course, it's not like the stories I just mentioned. As
always, I had to be different. I was 8 years old. It was
a super hot day and I remember feeling that my sundress
was sticking to my back like someone had tossed
a wet towel across my shoulders. It was a Saturday
and Mama and I were in Richmond, Virginia, doing
our weekly shopping. I loved weekly shopping but the
car wasn't air conditioned, the store A/Cs were struggling
to keep up with the August heat that shimmered
when you looked outside and I had on a dress that felt
heavy with sweat. I was wading into the cranky pool,
heading for a hissy fit of major proportions, when
Mama suggested we take a break.
Mama pulled me into Woolworth's, where the air
conditioning was trying its very best but wasn't quite
keeping up. It felt way better than outside, though,
and that's a win. We found a table under a rickety
ceiling fan. I remember someone coming over to the
table and Mama ordering two lime rickeys. I had no
idea what she was ordering but I was interested. If
something sounded exotic to me, I always wanted to
try it. A lime rickey was going to be my new favorite
thing even though I had no idea what it was, especially
because I had no idea what it was.
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 3
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 4
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 5
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 6
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover4
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