The girl looked into the mirror. A blank expression sat on the girl’s sullen face as she looked across the flaws of her face. Her nose was too small. Her neck line was weird. Her eyes were too wide apart. And last but not least- her hair.
The girl had a war with her hair every morning and today would be no different. Getting her choice weapon of a brush, she gently tried to lay her hair down against it. The hairbrush stuck to her hair. She had anticipated something like this, but it was still a little too much of a letdown. No one could control her hair. Every night while she would try to sleep so calm and so still, it would still turn into a giant monster.
Taking strong hold of the brush, she pushed the brush down until it had gone all the way through her hair. The sting of it was unbearable but she knew that beauty was pain. Even if she had done this every morning she chanted the same phrase in her head; beauty is pain, beauty is pain, beauty is pain. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.
About halfway through, she looked at the mirror again. Her nose was too small. Her neckline was weird. Her eyes were too far apart. And her hair – it looked like part beast, part angel. She groaned in disgust of the utter hideousness of it. There had been one day when she had considered wearing it like that for the school, but then decided not to. She keeps trying to find out what boy had ruined her life that horribly that she thought of going to school looking like a forest creature.
By now her hair was smooth and she could easily move her fingers through it. She had to check her mirror though, to see if it really did look good. Her nose was too small. Her neckline was weird. Her eyes were too far apart. And her hair – it looked average. But something was missing.
Her outfit fit her body nicely so that wasn’t a problem. Her teeth were clean and her breath smelled like mouthwash. But she couldn’t figure out what was missing.
“Katie,” her mother yelled. “Twenty more minutes!”
She groaned in aggravation. That was all the time that she would get. She still couldn’t even figure out what was missing. Katie searched her mind and at a last minute decision looked at her jewelry box. That’s what was missing - her ribbon!
Katie opened her music box carefully so the music would serenade her slowly – just the way she liked it. Just like that a rainbow of silk ribbons was flowing out of the box. Katie grinned and automatically reached for her pink ribbon. It easily weaved through her hair, and ended with an elegant bow.
She looked into the mirror. Her nose was too small. Her neckline was weird. Her eyes were too wide apart. And her hair – well it looked fantastic.
No matter was colors Katie was wearing she always picked her pink ribbon. For one she wears it because pink goes with everything. She also wears it because-
“Katie, are you ready?”
She raced down the stairs to see her mother making pancakes- with a hat on her head. Katie frowned; she rushed to her mother and took the hat off. Her mother’s bald head glistened. Katie kissed it gently.
“Let yourself try to be comfortable. It is your house.” She smirked.
Katie wears pink because her mother has breast cancer. And she will support her mother in every way possible. As she left for school, Katie took one last look in the mirror. Her nose was perfect. Her neckline was perfect. Her eyes were perfect. And her hair was alright. She knew none of that mattered though. Her mom was what mattered
She rushed to the bus- her silk ribbon worn proudly on her head.