I have never been one to be sentimental about physical things.
Dresses in particular.
Mostly because when I can afford to buy a nice one
it's going out of fashion. And dress fashion is an ever-changing tide
that has to be timed with the shape of your body like the
way the moon moves through phases.

My boyfriend in high school told me that he could
always sense me coming around the corner - that
he knew the movement of my school dress before I
was there in the flesh. Was it the tartan or something
else more cosmic than that -

It’s funny the stories you tell yourself to keep falling in love.

Rich girls are born with a repertoire of nice dresses. So
when you need to borrow one to go to an event they say
‘Do you want something slutty or a bit more low key?’ and
‘Depends which one of my (seven) jackets you want to wear
it with’.

You feel like polyester in comparison but are eternally
grateful for the garnmental compassion they have shown,
wondering what you can ever give in return. That's a difficult
thing about having rich, glamorous friends. Perhaps they just
like your company. And, unlike commerce, there is no need for
the equilibrium of a supply and demand curve.

When we're in Newcastle we're late to the 90s themed prom
because we’ve been drinking discount beer at the RSL for three
hours and eating cold coleslaw outside a caravan.

We have five minutes to get ready on the way but we say we’ll be down in two. Because of the beer but also because we're Low Maintenance Women Who Can Get Ready In Two Minutes.

Upstairs in the hostel room we've dubbed 'The New Zealand Embassy', Hera reaches into her suitcase and pulls out a floor-length
David Pond dress in glittery blue for me to wear - like something Jennifer Aniston would have worn to the Emmy’s in 1996.

I wish I had a photo of that night.
Not because I want people to think I’m hot on the internet
or that I have more interesting friends than them. Or to make them feel jealous that I do fun things like ride turned-off merry-go-rounds in the dark in the wind or end up at the pokies in the Dunedin Casino with friends who don't know how to operate slot machines.

But because there is something about Hera's blue dress,
in its Jennifer Anistonicity
that I think will last forever.