On One Dainty Day:
It was a breezy afternoon the day I got my first pair of high heels. The Italian piazza off on that tiny island La Maddelena smelled of freshly baked panini, and the air was crisp. As my mom and I visited vendor to vendor often stopping to admire their goods, we indulged in some authentic gelato with premeditated plans for that ever-so-delightful Italian pizza that we often craved. Of course, being born a fashionista (a trait that my mother bestowed upon me), I was automatically drawn to the avant-garde Italian fashions (even at the tender age of 8 or so). The piazza was full of model-types, and I believe that even the average was impeccably draped. At the time, I could not wait to grow up; I couldn’t wait to participate in my own couture. Lucky me, I was amidst the prettiest clothes, and I have a mother who is just as into fashion and beauty as I am. As we walked along taking in the sights and acknowledging the “chao bellas” from afar whilst trying to translate the foreign convos about, that’s when I saw them…what would become my very first pair of high heeled shoes. They were chanting my name from the window, and the leather (I might add that Italy is renowned for its leather goods) was so buttery, I could taste it. There they were, staring back at my eagerness. Holding my hand, my mom must have felt my body jerk as I damn-there gave myself whiplash; simultaneously, she gave me a sympathetic smile. We both knew that the result of that day was one of my first steps into my personal womanhood.

