She was a blowsy,frowsy sort of person. You would always notice something 'not quite' in line with her. Sometimes it was a blouse button that had some threads pulled, or her lipstick was just 'off' a shade.

When she was in grade school it had been the same. One of her knee socks had always been around her ankle and her ponytail had some hairs sticking out. She always had a smile though. That's when you noticed that her teeth were not quite aligned. One of her eyeteeth sort of overlapped on her front teeth. But smile she did, frequently.

When she was in High School she had never really dated. She would hang out with a group of kids, but when they paired up she was the fifth wheel. Still she smiled and laughed, with her slightly uneven teeth and her not exactly on right lipstick.

She drove her mother to distraction. Her mother was one of the town big shots, Mama never had anything even a millimeter out of place. Her Dad was the same way. They had put out a lot of money for braces when she was about 11 years old. She wore them until she was 14 and within a year they were back to the original position, 'just a tiny bit off.'

Her friends went to college, so did she. They went to the Ivy League, she went to Prairie League because she liked the way the campus looked. Her mother was in shock. Her father said,"She's just a late bloomer."

After college, her friends took jobs in big places. N.Y.C., San Francisco, Denver. She stayed in New Jersey and worked in the Library. She had majored in Art but didn't want to work someplace where she had to be too fancy-schmancy. The library suited her just fine.

Her friends started getting married and she stood as bridesmaid for several of them. In the wedding pictures she was easy to pick out. She was the one who had closed her eyes at the moment the shutter clicked. Or moved slightly so she was the blurry bridesmaid. Her bouquet was the one whose petals would be falling as she walked up the aisle.

And still she smiled and laughed.

Her friends started to try to 'Fix her up' with some of the eligible males they knew. They would invite her to thier babies christenings and have her seated next to the guys that were either single or divorced. Nothing ever came of it. Her mother was even to the point of hoping she was gay. That would explain so much and she would have an answer to questions that were asked, "When is your daughter going to have a wedding? Who is she seeing?" Nope. Her mother had arranged a time to have the question come out really naturally. They had gone to a Movie about gays. She sat through it and laughed at all the jokes and enjoyed it . After the movie, on the way home, her mother started talking about the gay lifestyle and finally popped the big one, "I have been wondering if I may not have noticed something? Do you have a girlfriend? I know you don't have a boyfriend so I thought maybe you went the other way, which is just fine with me and your father. I mean love is love and I don't have any issues with you being a lesbian. So is that it? Are you gay?"

She pulled the car over and had a fit of laughter. Here was her mother with not a hair out of place, or a thread not in line, asking her THIS?? She laughed until her mascara ran and her blouse buttons loosened up. As she laughed, two small runs in her panty hose joined forces and became an inch wide one that ran straight up her leg.

"Momma!", she gasped, trying to catch her breath, "I am very much interested in men. I like women, but not that way! Where did you get that idea?"

Her momma relaxed a little and pulled some lint off her sweater and tryed to tuck in some of the hairs that were straying. "I don't know baby. I thought seeing as you don't go out with guys, maybe you went out with girls."

Wiping her mascara streaked face, which of course further streaked it, She told her mother, "Momma, I have been having an affair with a guy since I was in High School. I didn't want anyone to know so we have always been very careful not to be seen. I didn't know how careful we were until now! I have been carrying on with Billy from the fast food place next to the library. You know him? The guy with no hair, a limp and the prosthetic arm? He told me once that I am the most perfect woman he ever saw. He was the one who didn't want anyone to know about it because he said people would think I was seeing him because I felt sorry for him. We were planning on sneaking out of town soon and moving to Alaska where no one would know us." Momma slumped in the seat. She turned to look at her daughter who was sitting there with her crooked tooth,(Just a little crooked.) Her hair flying around, with her clothes wrinkled,(Just a bit) and with the most beatific look on her face. "I found the perfect man Momma, and we love each other completely. I am so happy I finally told you!....Momma? Momma? are you all right?"

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