Overcome Again - Chapter One

Watching the crowd rush by, they both knew how blessed they were. Mavis had three healthy children, all working in their chosen fields. James, her eldest, was a lawyer who was only a slight embarrassment to his mother. Robert worked for the government as some kind of auditor and Elizabeth managed a team of designers. She didn’t have any grandchildren yet, but that would come. Joan was a widow but enjoyed great friendships, the occasional tryst, and being the master of her own life.

Oh, there were some minor ailments. Joan felt twinges of arthritis when the Chinooks arrived and still needed to watch her diet because of problems with being regular. If Mavis climbed too many stairs or extended her morning walk too far, her irregular heartbeat seemed to become more erratic. But, all in all, they enjoyed good health.

As for the creature comforts, they both had more than enough money to meet their expenses and enjoy an annual vacation, usually together. They lived in nice homes. Joan’s downtown condo had two bedrooms, which gave her enough room for quilting or the occasional guest but also allowed her to enjoy the bustle of the city. Mavis was still in the rambling bungalow that had been her home for nearly 30 years. It was a comfortable community where she knew some of the older neighbors, even though it was ‘changing.'

The current change was as a result of those new people moving into the neighborhood. Joan had heard Mavis complaining for months about them. They had too many guests, too many cars parked on the street, didn’t put out their garbage bin on Tuesday night (like everyone else), didn’t cut their lawn on Saturday morning (like everyone else), and now they were painting their house – blue.

Mavis and her neighborhood friends didn’t like any of this. Everything had been fine until they moved in. “Why couldn’t they just get along and go along with everyone else? Was there a language or cultural barrier? They did have a different accent and had only been here (in Canada) for about a year. Didn’t they have garbage pickup and grass in Poland? Didn’t they know that a blue house would stand out and they wouldn’t be like everyone else?”

This wasn’t the first time that Mavis had bent Joan’s ear about ‘those people.' There had been a series of phone calls last April when they moved into the house down the block. “It looks like they have a huge family. There are always lots of cars in front of the house.” “Now they are having a bbq in their backyard with music.” “I saw him coming home at 3:30 in the morning. I wonder what he is up to.” She hadn’t brought it up, for a while, at their weekly lunch until a couple of weeks ago and now Joan wished that she hadn’t asked: “how are things with the neighbors?” She treasured this time where they could enjoy a meal, a glass of wine and casual conversation while watching the bustle of the city around them. This complaining was ruining the experience and relationship for her.

Joan had suggested that “being different might be a good thing”, the first time the subject was raised, but this was dismissed quickly, and the subject was changed. But, this idea of being different had stuck with her. She realized that, on her next birthday, in two months, she would be 55 – not an insignificant landmark. What had she done that had been remarkable? Raising two kids, entertaining her husband’s clients, keeping house, and volunteering at the bake sale once a year, was all that came to mind. None of this seemed remarkable. What had she done that was different from thousands of other middle-aged women? What would set her apart? What would be her legacy?

The itch to do something was irritable but hadn’t become unbearable yet. She was able to go about her life with the niggling thought that there could be more, without acting on it, until she saw the purple coat. It had caught her eye as she was passing Oneill’s Ladies Wear about three weeks ago. Her first reaction was “who would ever wear anything that gaudy?” but the image stayed with her all day. She found herself standing in front of the window the next day admiring the lines and within the first week, she had gone in and tried on the coat. The assistant said, “this is the only one we brought in; sheand it fits you perfectly, what luck.”

Mavis didn’t succumb to the sales pressure or compliments, at least not immediately. But one Friday, ten days later, she was at the shop writing a cheque for $929 (more than she had ever spent on a coat (more than she had spent on her whole winter wardrobe)). She snuck it home and hid the box in the spare bedroom closet, embarrassed by her foolishness and excess.

Each evening, the coat came out, and the ritual would begin. The box was opened, and the bright purple shone against the white packing tissue. She would just stand and admire the vibrancy of the purple against white and marvel at the emotions and yearnings that it stirred. Then the coat was removed and laid flat on the bed. The perfect human torso shape that called out was part of the seduction. Buttons, large, black, shiny buttons, begged to be opened. The coat screamed, “put me on, put me on, please.” Anticipation was part of the ceremony, so she gently lifted the garment and turned it so she observed it from every angle. Slowly, she absorbed the way the sleeves fell like a soldier standing at the ready. The collar stood proud of the shoulders almost lifting the coat into the air.

A turn to the mirror and she found herself holding the coat in front of her body. Every time she reached this stage, her face flushed which only accentuated the purple serge against her steel blue eyes and gray hair. A fleeting thought “I am still beautiful, why hadn’t I noticed?” The realization emboldened her, and her left arm slid into the sleeve – a chill as the silk lining rubbed along her forearm and then with a quick turn away from the mirror the coat was over her, embracing her in luxury and lust. The real rush came when she whirled and caught the first glimpse of the finished product. Over the past week, she had learned that if there was an unbearable delay before the unveiling, the anticipation heightened the sensation.

A transformation happened in this small, defiant, bold act, Mavis was still Mavis but more. Paradoxes presented themselves; good versus evil, prim versus naughty, cautious versus carefree, and most importantly assured versus curious. Her assurance that her ideas, her life, her way were right seemed under siege. The scaffolding of her life shook- unexpected and uncomfortable but somehow exciting. Occasionally the fear of change made the coat disappear quickly into the box but more recently the keepers of the status quo were kept at bay, and the purple coat worked it’s magic.

It was as if a trance overcame her and Mavis found a voice, her voice, saying “There is more. There must be more to life. What is it? How do I see it? Where do I find .. what will I find?” As the words flowed from her lips they seemed to envelop her like the coat, gently, provocatively and uplifting. For hours after the ritual, these thoughts occupied her, not disturbingly but with a lingering anticipation. The routine of the day began to fade the cloud of words and Mavis, old Mavis, returned to her usual actions – the same actions she had been taking for more than 30 years. But the purple coat waited.