EASTER BRUNCH COMES TO AN END
As the family began preparing to depart, Caitlin said brightly, “OK, we have to get a family photo before we leave!”
Claire agreed at once, “That’s a lovely idea!” Aunt Patty and Stephanie nodded as well.
Jack and Justin, however, were a little less enthused. They barely had time to exchange pained expressions before their mother was motioning everyone to their feet.
In short order, they found themselves propelled along, skirts and frills bouncing sweetly, to a cheerful corner of the ballroom where the event photographer was set up. As their pastel Mary Janes clacked softly on the floor, their airy tulle petticoats seemed to tickle their legs even more than before. Every move seemed to amplify the swish and rustle of their layers, ruffles brushing lightly and sending little tingles as they minced along. In the corner, a festive Easter Bunny poster hung brightly on the wall, its ears peeking over a field of painted spring flowers. Staged nearby were baskets overflowing with colorful Easter eggs and fresh blooms.
Caitlin and Stephanie couldn’t help but notice how Jack and Justin kept absentmindedly swishing their tulle and petticoats, fingers idly flicking the ruffles as if drawn to the sensation. Throughout the day, they had observed the boys’ fascination with the soft rustle and frothy layers of their dresses, their movements unconsciously playful and sweet. Each gentle twirl and touch revealed a quiet delight in their frilly attire, even as they tried to hide it.
As the photographer gestured them forward, Caitlin and Stephanie began fussing with the boys’ pretty collars, smoothing the sweet puffs of their sleeves, and lovingly adjusting their bows and curls. “Let’s make sure our ‘girls’ are picture perfect!” Caitlin teased.
Then, Stephanie reached in her purse for a pink plastic tube, “Let’s brighten up those lips too while we’re at it… pucker up!” The boys reluctantly complied, and she held their chins up just so to apply more lip gloss, first Jack and then Justin. In seconds, they each had a fresh coat of the slick pink lip gloss coating their lips.
The photographer, a young woman in her thirties, watched all this with interest. “I’d never have guessed you were boys in a hundred years! Such cuties!” she gushed. “And don’t you smell sweet?” she added as she caught the delicately sweet scent of their powdery perfume.
The twins’ blushes deepened as they felt caught between flustered mortification and the odd thrill of being the center of so much doting affection.
The photographer staged everyone for the photos, with Jack and Justin in the front. She positioned Claire behind her sons with her hands settling maternally on their shoulders. Aunt Patty, Caitlin, and Stephanie stood next to her in a protective row behind the boys, their faces lit with affectionate grins.
The photographer took extra care to meticulously straighten the boys’ dresses for the best presentation. “Such charming Easter dresses! We have to make sure you two are front and center!” she exclaimed.
Once she had them all posed, the photographer recalled how charming Jack and Justin had looked earlier while handing out chocolates to the young girls. “You two were simply darling with those baskets of treats,” she declared warmly. “Let’s have you hold them just like before!” Taking similar baskets from a nearby table, she gently pressed them into their hands, insisting they pose with them. She showed them precisely how she wanted them to delicately hold their baskets in both hands. Their expressions were bashful as they stood side-by-side in their Easter finery, the white baskets cradled sweetly in front of their bouncy pastel skirts.
As the family got settled into their spots, the photographer checked her camera and frowned slightly. Then she spoke to the charmingly frocked twins, “We need to cut down on the shine just a tad in front, darlings.” Before they realized it, she approached them with a soft pink powderpuff. “Hold still,” she directed. Without waiting for protest, she dusted Jack and Justin’s cheeks with a deft hand, leaving a faint rosy glow behind. The velvety powder on their cheeks was now even more pronounced and visible than the blush they had been wearing all day.
The twins tried not to squirm as the powder tickled their cheeks, but Caitlin and Stephanie’s snickers made it nearly impossible to hold still. The boys’ embarrassed looks only deepened under the girls’ amused giggles.
“Much better,” the photographer declared with a pleased smile. She returned to her camera and said, “OK, everyone smile pretty!” Then she counted aloud, “One, two, three!”
Having no other choice, Jack and Justin posed demurely along with the rest of their family for the photos. As they stood demurely under their mother’s care with their precious Easter baskets and skirts arranged just so, the camera clicked away.
Jack said weakly, “just promise these won’t end up on the Christmas cards.”
Claire smiled knowingly as the photographer continued to snap away.
When the photos were done, the family gathered their things to leave the ballroom. Jack and Justin walked preciously beside their mother, their skirts swishing quietly with each step. All the children at the brunch, including the twins, had been given adorable little keepsake Easter baskets to take home. As their pastel baskets dangled gaily from their arms, some of the remaining guests lingered near the doors while the event organizer, Mrs. Abernathy, bade them goodbye. Several ladies paused to smile at the twins.
“Aren’t you two just the most precious things?” one cooed.
Another leaned down to say, “You boys look absolutely darling, and those dresses are just perfect for Easter.”
Mrs. Abernathy, a matronly older woman, said kindly, “You are such little sweethearts to be your dear mother’s ‘daughters’ for the day… I’m so pleased you decided to join us today!”
Jack offered a polite thank you, his voice barely above a whisper, while Justin managed only a shy half-smile.
Caitlin interjected slyly, her eyes twinkling with mischief, “Did you get a chance to see their curtsies?”
Mrs. Abernathy looked momentarily surprised, then shook her head with an indulgent smile. “Curtsies? Oh, I must have missed that!”
Caitlin grinned at her brothers and prodded them, “Oh come one, you have to show her after all your practice!” She held out her hands to hold their charming Easter baskets for them.
Jack and Justin hesitated, cheeks pinking, but then they took small steps forward. With shy smiles, they each gathered their skirts delicately and dipped into bashful, graceful curtsies just as they’d been taught. With surprising grace, Jack and Justin pinched the hems of their frilly skirts between their dainty, polished fingertips. They bent their knees in unison, dipping low as their pastel skirts fanned out.
Mrs. Abernathy was utterly charmed at the display. “Well, aren’t you two just lovely!” she exclaimed, her laughter warm. Watching from a step behind, Claire beamed from ear to ear, pride shining unmistakably on her face.
Mixed emotions tumbled inside them. There was a flutter of pride at having made their mother so happy, her delighted expression still vivid. But that happiness was tangled with embarrassment, as they still felt self-conscious in their elaborate Easter finery, their bashful smiles a testament to the overwhelming nature of the afternoon.
As the family finally departed the brunch and stepped out into the bright spring air, the boys glanced at each other with a shared sense of relief. Their mother’s heart was full, and Caitlin and Stephanie continued to enjoy watching the boys swish their skirts so girlishly.
On the car ride home, all the women were buoyant and happy. Jack and Justin seemed more quietly pensive, however, as they reflected on the events of the day.
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Topic: The Mother-Daughter Easter Brunch (Read 3900 times)
