Easter Monday meant a trip to my grandparent’s house for a special roast dinner. Mother got a print made of my Brownie photo and took it to give them. Nana said I looked very sweet but didn’t hesitate in pointing out the fact that I wore boy’s shoes. My Grandfather, on the other hand, said I looked like a girl and questioned why I’d joined the Brownies at all. Mother and Nana explained that it’s because I’m going to be part of the May Queen parade and possibly the May Queen herself. Granddad felt it was too out of the ordinary and muttered something about ‘in my day’ it’d never be allowed. Father told him that the world is changing. “No one bats and eyelid when Judy goes rock climbing or plays football, so in this day and age, it’s fine for boys to do girl things if they want to.” I should have piped up myself and made it clear that I don’t want to do any girl things, especially take part in the May Queen parade… but with so many people encouraging me, I felt the right thing to was to keep my feelings to myself. It’ll all be over before long, I reminded myself.
The rest of the Easter break was filled with playing with my pals and going for family days out to the coast and countryside. My pals don’t seem to mind the fact that I go to Brownies. Of course they teased me at first but they’ve kind of got used to it, as have I. When school resumed after the two week holiday, my classmates wasted no time in reminding me that they’d seen me at church wearing my Brownie uniform, which left those who haven’t seen me wearing it in the minority. They also made fun of the fact that I was with Benjimin and Antony Preston and they were both wearing dresses, with tights and girl’s shoes too. I expect Benjimin and Antony are experiencing the same treatment, or worse, since they both wore ‘proper’ dresses on Easter Sunday. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like having to wear girl’s shoes with heels, tights, petticoats and pretty dresses in front of so many familiar faces. Come May Day I’ll find out, I suppose.
Brownies resumed on Tuesday, as did our preparations for the May Queen parade afterwards. Tawny Owl showed us how to make paper flowers which would ultimately be threaded together to form garlands that would decorate the float and throne. We half filled a huge plastic tub with all the paper flowers we’d made. There must have been almost a hundred of them. Brown Owl praised our work and told us we’d need hundreds more, but right now, we need to practise for the parade itself. We spent the last ten minutes prancing around the hall in an uncomfortably ladylike manner. “Stop looking at your feet Benjimin!” Brown Old advised. “Smile Janet … Very nice Barbara … Head up Clare … Slow down Paula or you’ll get dizzy!” she’d say. “Keep an eye on Barbara.” she suggested. Barbara was almost waltzing whilst the rest of us meandered around. We moved our hands and arms around whilst she gestured with elegance and grace. Barbara goes to ballet, it transpired… no wonder she’s a natural when it comes to this elegant prancing malarkey. As we all prepared to leave, Brown Owl and Barbara were chatting.
Mother was waiting in the car and asked if I’d had a nice time. I told her it was OK. She asked if I’d earned any new badges, I shook my head. “Oh that’s a shame.” Mother said. “Maybe next week eh?”
I informed her that we don’t get a new badge every week and that Benjimin, Antony and myself probably only got so many so quickly just to help us fit in and feel like part of the group. I told her about the paper flowers we’d been making and how they’ll be made in to garlands, and how we had to practice our prancing again. “Why we can’t just walk normally I’ve no idea.”
“Because it’s a parade.” Mother replied. “Anyway, if you are the May Queen you’ll spend much of the parade sitting down.” she added.
“Yeah.” I glumly agreed. “Now I know what the Seven Sisters have to do, I think I’d prefer being the May Queen.”
“That’s good to hear.” Mother said. “I’ve got my heart set on that.”
