Plumage
“Hurry,love,the car will be here any second!” her mother said as Gina ducked off to her room on a flimsy pretext. There,she paced the floor. Beyond her closed door,the household clamour was overwhelming. Every glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror – a flash of brilliant,swan-belly white – sent her heart racing. She struggled to breathe. How had she gotten herself into this mess? She couldn’t back out now,could she? With Lewis already at the church? No,it was mapped out. It was happening. And there’s the car. Plumage ruffling,she made for the door. Words by Paul Connolly. Illustration by Jim Pavlidis.