Clothes and People

Clothes and People

I remember purchasing a couple of tops five years ago on a shopping trip with my Mum. They were meant for completely different purposes. One formal red blouse being highly priced, to be used only for functions and social gatherings, and the other, also red, moderately priced and something like a cute top that fit like a t-shirt. The former came with elaborate wash care instructions and the latter could just be tossed into the washing machine.
In the past five years I remember wearing the first top maybe a couple spaced out times and taking a picture once before deciding that it doesn’t fit me any longer and passing it on to my sister. I doubt she’s worn it over once. The other top, however, has been captured in pictures of me on at least ten different days. That’s a lot considering I rarely took pictures. I remember getting a few compliments on the first top. I remember getting complimented for the second top quite a few times. That one was trustworthy, I just always knew what I could wear on any day that I didn’t need to dress up much but still needed to look presentable.

People are often like that, you know? There’s some that come into your life, and you see the prospect of something beautiful. You get attached at the very start. And there are times that it is beautiful, but it doesn’t last. One small mistake like an iron too hot or an accidental stain, and it’s spoilt forever. You try hard to fix it, only to realize that high maintenance was never your thing. Or you just love it and take care of it, but you don’t wear it often, do you? You don’t speak to that person freely in fear of something being misunderstood and resulting in things getting spoilt, often quite badly, leaving you sulking about how much you invested in it but it was just a one-day show.Then there’s the low maintenance people. You don’t need to filter yourself when you’re around them. They just understand. You spend all your time with them without all the chains of an attachment. You just naturally tend to take care of them, without worrying involved, because you know that you would definitely want to spend another day with them. And you do get attached over time, but it doesn’t lose the beauty. The beauty of the first wear and the hundredth is the same. These are the people you grow to love eventually. You rely on them and know that they are gonna be there. There’s always happiness when you think back to the times you’ve spent together. And on a tough day you know that you have them to lean on. Maybe they’re low maintenance and moderately priced, but they definitely manage to steal your heart in simple yet beautiful ways.

-Ferrao Rebecca