Feria is here. One of the main symbols of the Feria is women dressed in Gypsy flamenco skirts and dresses, roses or cloves adorning their (depending on age and marital status)and men dressed as caballeros, in black suits and sombreros.
Everyone I know has a Feria dress but me due to the fact that they bought it in January or earlier for 80-90 euros and that's second hand (new range from 200 euros onwards). While everyone was discussing their dresses and flower colours I felt like Cinderella with no dress, no accessories and no fan. "Oh well", I thought to myself, "not everyone has a dress in this town, it's not the end of the world".
After lunch, I went to a workshop and realized how WRONG I was about the "not everyone has it" notion. Not everyone had it but 99% of the people on the street did. I sat on a bench, waiting for the bus, looking at everyone with a puppy gaze wishing a dress would just appear before me. To add to the ironies and peculiarities of the wheel of fortune two of my acquaintances who have complete dress sets are stuck home with flu. Now, you may think why not just borrow theirs? I would, if I wasn't a size 8 and they a 10-12. So i sat there wishing I could just rent or something, anything when an elderly woman, around 70 years of age, clad in a formal navy suit and wearing a bun. She had an air of a thirties schoolmistress, formal and put together. She asked me for the time, I responded, we exchanged a few words and she made a comment about how beautifully the passer by women were dressed. I said: "I wish I had a dress" more in a thinking aloud manner only to hear "you can still have one" as a response.
"How?" I asked I cannot afford a 300 + euro dress.
"Can you afford a 30 euro one?" she asked raising her brows
"Yes". I said sheepishly, not guessing what she was hinting at
"Well, you shall have a 30 euro one. My daughter-in law bought a dress last year, early in the year, and managed to get pregnant soon after, so of course, she couldn't wear it and dumped it in my flat, complaining how she'll never be a size 8 anymore and told me to give to charity. (I suppose I was a Feria challenged charity case this time) Would you have it?
My eyes lit up. "Yes, of course."
The woman got up and came back in three minutes carrying a HUGE bag with not only the dress but ALL the complements that go with it as well (earrings, necklace, little combs and a clove for the hair all blue and white to complement the dress)
My eyes went three times their size. Speechless. I handed over the thirty euros and thanked her about 6 times wishing her all the best.
She took her bus, I stayed waiting for mine. I am now looking at the dress and thinking when I'll wake up!
