My matric dance was a family affair. My aunt, a dressmaker was given the task of sewing my dress if I knew then what I know now I would have gladly bought an affordable dress from MR PRICE. While my aunt is very passionate about her job, she rarely listens to instructions. I had asked for a long dress, with a fishtail and a belt. Well the dress I wore to my matric dance although fairly cute was very different to my request. Aunt dearest sewed a two piece which also happened to be a stomach out. Yip! middle of winter and all. To say I almost froze to death would be a underestatement . Although at the time freezing to death was the least of my worries, I had to suck my tummy in the whole evening. Pure agony!


Even though my dress was not as disastrous as it could have been, my date was! He was a blind date that my aunt knew from church. My mother told my aunt and everyone who cared to listen that I like light-skinned guys (which of course was not true). It so happened that my aunt knew a guy from her church who was “very well mannered and behaved, nothing like the youth today”. If anyone from high school forgets me, at least they will remember my date. I never really heard the end of it and especially after word got around school that he was a teacher at a nearby unruly school. He was old, short, round and light-skinned. I hardly said anything to him and I pretty much deserted him. I spent the evening in the bathroom, chatting to people’s dates and getting away from cameras.


My hair was a depressing sight. The lady who was doing my hair was sickly, this is not me being sarcastic she really was coughing and stopping every two minutes to catch her breath and my scalp was on fire as a result. Not only did my hair not look anything like I had requested but I was also late and I missed the principal’s speech… even though I doubt I’m going to be wondering about what he said that evening one day on my death-bed.


The entire evening was spent looking at the time. The food was of no comfort either. I hardly ate (mostly because the circumstances would not allow me to stomach any food) we had juice on our table, yes good old diluted juice in a glass jug.


I was a fool to think that my matric dance would be compensation for the miserable time I had endured in high school. Unlike in the movies where the nerdy girl gets this hunky guy as her date, looks absolutely breathtaking and has the time of her life at her dance, the nerdy girl in this case regretted every second of every moment leading up to the fateful night. It was a friendly reminder that my life was not a movie that my happiness is not dependant on circumstances and most importantly blind dates are a bad idea! These are lifelong lessons I will take to the grave with me.