DECEMBER
FRESHMAN PARENTS' ONLINE FORUM: ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY
I’ve made my DD a Freshman Advent Calendar. Been so much fun choosing things to put in it. Can’t wait to have her home in 3 weeks.
That’s cute. What’s the packet for day 15, please? Sorry, image not very clear.
It’s a blister pack of probiotic supplements.
Nice!
Anyone know best place to get a ball dress in St A’s? DD keen on try one before she buys.
The dress shop on Market Street is good. But tbh, best bet is Edinburgh.
I wonder how many St A’s parents will be hitting the shops this weekend!?!
Me.
Me too. Edinburgh for us.
Not a chance. She’s been managing her finances all this term knowing she needs to source her own dress this week. Going into Dundee tomorrow with friends.
Chapter 15
HEATHER
Thechromeandglassfronted designer shops in Edinburgh’s St James Centre are packed with festive shoppers when Heather meets Georgia, Brianna and Trey at the bus station. A little burst of pride shoots through her at the healthy glow on their skin and the sparkle in their eyes. All three of them have clearly been using the products she carefully selected for their Freshman Advent Calendars: face masks, seasonal supplements, eye drops and relaxation candles were amongst the gifts she carefully hand wrapped ten days ago. There will be no students unable to attend the Winter Ball due to a seasonal flu on her watch.
She waits patiently for them to present their selected outfits to her in the changing area in one of the more prestigious boutique stores.
‘Oh my! I love this one!’
Brianna’s first. She steps out from behind the curtain and does a quick twirl. Heather gasps. There’s no doubt about it. The girl is striking. The satin dress clings to her belly and falls in shimmering waves to the knee length asymmetric hem, which accentuates her shapely calves. The cobalt blue of the material provides a striking contrast to her blonde curls which gently kiss her shoulders. Brianna turns from Heather and appraises herself in the mirror. She twists at the waist to study her image from every angle. ‘Does it make my thighs look big, though?’
‘No!’
Heather’s assertion comes out like a shot. Why can’t these girls see just how gorgeous they are with their tiny waists and their porcelain skin? Heather wishes she could give every woman a magic pill to help them appreciate their beauty at precisely the point they are in their lives. She’s seen enough of the world to know that, in the future, she will look back on this exact moment and question why she ever worried about the slight curve on her belly or the delicate laughter lines around her eyes. How much of her life has she wasted thinking she wasn’t good enough? Sometimes, when she’s feeling particularly self-critical, it seems like decades.
