Remember my swirly-whirly skirt? The one that disappeared into the dark hole of Rusnati’s ironing pile because it is linen and so difficult? The one that was never supposed to be ironed in the first place? Well, after Rusnati finally stopped messing with it and let it be all crinkly and wrinkly, bouncy and twirly, it really was cute! So cute, in fact, that a friend asked to borrow it so she could have it copied. This friend is smaller than I am and shorter—much shorter. But that wasn’t a problem; our seamstress, Ibu Nana is a wiz. She can copy anything. And she can alter anything. So I handed over my favorite skirt. And, I have to admit, did so eagerly—greedily--anticipating how I could capitalize on the loan. Once Ibu made a pattern, she could make me another swirly, whirly, too, after all, couldn’t she? (Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have two? In different colors!) However, although I never voiced them, I had doubts about whether my friend’s copy could ever be as wonderful as my original precisely because the fabric mine was cut from is divine. Would anyone ever be able to find the same type of crinkly, bouncy linen? I decided to wait and see how the copy turned out.

In good time my swirly-whirly skirt was returned. It caught my eye while I was dressing this morning. It bounced, beckoning while I pawed through my rack. I pulled it down from the hanger and pulled up—to my knees…

Have I gained that much weight? Ok, so I haven’t been working out as much as I should…And I did go on that vacation… I weighted myself yesterday and sure, I was a few pounds on the plump side, but just a few...

I squeezed my legs closer together and tugged. The skirt streeeeeeetched up to my thighs and stuck. Then it hit me--hard--below the belt. Not only had Ibu Nana copied my skirt—she’d altered the original—expertly tailored it to fit that scrawny shrimp.

Now my friend will have two wonderful, crinkly, bouncy, adorable swirly-whirly skirts—in different colors—and I have none.

Why am I being punished? Is it so wrong for me to love a crinkly-wrinkly skirt? Am I not allowed to be bouncy, twirly-whirly?

• KELLY BENNETT •