Saturday, June 18, 2011

And it was all thanks to those chocolate brown underwear.

Printed pants, H&M. Chunky peep toe heels, Vagabond. Plain grey t-shirt, Monki.

Say hello to my crazy pants! My boyfriend hates pants like these - which naturally makes me even more keen on wearing them, to make sure he knows he can't tell me what to wear! He can't help it, though - he's from a small town and I'm not sure he'd admit it, but I'm fairly certain he thinks all girls look best in blue jeans and a t-shirt. No shame in that, as long as he's fine with me wearing whatever I want. (And he is. He just hates the pants. And I'm fine with that.)

Ooops, that sounded a little bit mean, I know. And it's not like I don't care what he thinks about my outfits - I do want him to think I look nice - it's just that I'm so done with trying to change for someone else. I spent most of my teenage years (and then some) trying to dress the way I thought the guys I liked would prefer, and, well, that never worked out. I bet you're not too surprised if I tell you I've written a column about this very subject, haha! What can I say - I've written close to two hundred columns during the last three years, which means I've crossed quite a few topics off my list by now.

If you care to read my freely translated version of that column, please go on. If you don't - close your eyes, quickly!

His gaze lingered for a second, somewhere below my neck, and then he spoke. 

"Brown looks great on you", he said.

It was late autumn and he had stopped by. He sometimes did that.

Months had passed since he'd stood in the doorway of Maja's party with his tangled Kurt Cobain locks and I just knew: that's him. He's the one I've been waiting for. I can't blow this, no way, this is going to happen. Him, me. Us. It has to.

Summer then, almost winter now, and it still had not happened. Him, me, us. But he did stop by sometimes. So I stayed awake, until two, three, holding my breath while waiting for my cell to beep: Are you asleep? Or can I stop by?

Most nights, my phone stayed quiet. But I never went to sleep. Just in case. 

I'm never alseep. Of course you can stop by.
You can always stop by.

And this particular night, he did. I was wearing a brown v-neck sweater, bought on sale, 50% off. We were lying on my couch, half asleep, half awake, and that's when he said: brown looks great on you.
I felt like he'd said he loved me.

Not even twelve hours later I'd spent that month's last food money on a bra with matching panties. Guess what color they were.

The next time he stopped by, I was ready: all of my private parts enshrouded in chocolate brown lace and silk underneath my cotton dress.

I'm not sure what I'd expected. I probably realized some brown fabric wasn't going to make him look deeply into my eyes and declare that I was all he'd ever wished for. But something, anything, a sign that the nightly visits meant more to him than just a place to crash.

Nothing like that appeared, not that night, not the next. But he kept stopping by. And then one morning he came back from the grocery store with three cartons of milk and said: "the cashier asked if I was thirsty, so I told him my girl is making a whole lot of pancakes."

He said that.

Mygirlmygirlmygirlmygirlmygirlmygirlmygirl.

I made the pancakes, we ate them with strawberry jam, and it had happened. Him, me. Us. Six months since I'd looked up and seen him standing in that doorway, six months since I'd put my blue drink (that tasted way too much like nail polish remover) down on the floor, my heart beating so hard I could hear it over the music, and thought that's-him-he's-the-one-I've-been-waiting-for. Six months since I'd realized we belonged together, and now he'd realized it, too. And it was all thanks to those chocolate brown underwear. I just knew it.

Just like, a year later, I knew it would end.

I came out of the shower, we were going out, I was walking around the apartment in my lucky underwear when he asked me: "do you really have to wear those? They sort of make you look like an old maid, you know, the kind who never got married and who lives alone at the outskirts of a tiny village with her fifteen cats."

I really thought he was the one I'd been waiting for. Well, it was an honest mistake.

Six years later, I live at the outskirts of a tiny village. I'm definitely thinking of getting a cat or two* - I love them, and so does the guy I'm hoping to marry one day. I'm not sure what colors he thinks look good on me, but he does claim I'm all he's ever wished for.

I sleep very well at night.



*This column was published last summer, we've only had the cats since January!



20 comments:

  1. amazing how you always capture the sunlight for you! i like the pants and the way you think about wearing them :) but i think these pants belong to the clothes boys will never like..dunno why

    xxxxx love

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  2. Lovely outfit.!
    xo

    the-strawberry-angel.blogspot.com

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  3. Wow, that story was so enchanting! I am so happy now that you are with someone who despite the fact he may dislike something, it doesn't mean he dislikes it on you, because he is in love with you, and nothing else really matters.

    And those crazy pants are awesome. You pull them off beautifully. Have a lovely weekend, girl!

    ♥, Jamie
    www.TheFancyTeacup.com

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  4. LOVE the pants!! <3

    www.arty-heart.blogspot.com

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  5. btw! i would LOVE to see you in a kind of "party outfit" in a dress or something. gossip-girl-like, u know? gosh this sounds so stupid but i hope u know what i mean! nothing against your outfits! i love them!! it would just be so interesting to me! you would look great, i know it!

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  6. You're awesome! In my honest opinion you're the best blogger! and my favourite :D I love your style

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  7. sweet story! and I do think it applies universally :)

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  8. I agree with behind blue eyes - you're the best blogger! and this story is wonderful <3

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  9. I know exactly what you mean about changing for others. I noticed that when a hot guy is passing by, I tend to act different then I think in my head, "WHUT THE BLOODY EFF ARE YOU DOING?! IT'S NOT LIKE HE'S GOING TO RANDOMLY TALK TO YOU." lol, forever alone =))
    Those pants look great on you! Though, I must say I'm not such a big fan of harem, but heck, you make me like them :)
    Also, thank you so much for following! I literally fainted onto my bed (sort-of) then started screaming in my room, haha! In short, you made my day :)

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  10. Your writing style is so engaging! I love reading your posts. And I love those pants!

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  11. Your columns are awesome. Seriously, wow.

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  12. I absolutely adore your writing... You always encapture me in all of your stories.

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  13. You hit the nail on the head! What it feels like when a player is just playing with you...The painful hope and the sick feeling of realization. So well-written: I could empathize with your feeling of being exposed and vulnerable in your underwear, critiqued like that by someone you thought loved you. But I'm so glad it turned out so well!

    Now more on our crazy similarities ;): My boyfriend is ALSO from a small town in Connecticut (a very conservative suburban state just outside NYC) and oh my goodness he also hates my more wacky style ideas. At first I would wear the tee shirt and jeans for him (indeed that seems to be the outfit every boy internationally prefers??), but I felt so miserable I had to have my own revolution! Love me, love my wacky clothes! First boy I've been able to assert myself like that with, but it helps to choose to be with someone who loves me not my outfit. The nice part of getting older indeed is understanding the difference. His friends literally point and laugh when they see me, but I don't care! It's so much happier to be you...I mean me...you know what I mean ;)

    And you really pull these pants off! You look beautiful in them.

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  14. hello!! am happy that i found your blog, i love it!! cant believe you have been doing this for only about a month. it is really great! i will visit always for sure. and btw, my boyfriend also laughs at me sometimes when i wear this kind of pants, he called them "the clown pants" :P

    xoxo
    Jess

    http://sweetfashionsweet.blogspot.com

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  15. The way you write is beautiful Annika - the words just seem to flow and it's touching and funny and and really enjoyable to read! I wish I was in Sweden so I could read your magazine articles - please keep posting excerpts on the blog xx

    www.alexandratherese.wordpress.com

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  16. with that photos everyone will like your printed pants!*
    I'm enjoying a lot reading your columns,so sweet of you for sharing

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  17. hach... :-) I love your writing style. You make me smile!

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  18. Hahahaha! I absolutely love this post! Especially that very last paragraph in your column.
    Isn't it wonderful growing up & finding yourself more & more? Realising that someone else's version of you may not even come close to the person you really are & being immensely happy with that.

    Love your blog.

    ~ Clare x

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  19. I LOVE your columns! When you have time, please translate more of them, they are such great reads!

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  20. your stories never fail to make me smile. :) I love the photos and those pants are beautiful! and your eye lashes too :)) xx

    http://carmelitarranza.blogspot.com/

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