Nikki ! (Part 1)
by, Nikki

Webmaster note: A site regular tells the tail of buying her first big hoops and how it effected her.  I think it is a pretty cool story. (And ongoing as well!)

It was with great anticipation that I went out and bought my first pair of hoops, I hadn't actually planned it, just went shopping and to have a look around, while strolling through the mall I came across what was to be a turning point of some sort, it was only a small store but it grabbed my attention, you know the one, bright colours, neon lights everything that screams out come on in, so I did. Now I am not what you would call the teeny bopper generation but that is what this store was full of, all these young things in their skimpy little outfits and here is me all clad up in my winter woolies and sensible shoes, the ones my mother always said would last forever, but I had made it this far and there was no turning back. As I look around and wonder what exactly it was that had pulled me in here I didn't have to look for long, over on the far wall there they were, in all their glory, standing out from everything else in the store, just oozing personality and power. I stand there for a second, frozen in a moment of time, questioning my sanity and wondering who it is I think I am, what I am about to do goes totally against my normal very practical ways of being, but I go ahead anyway, I move towards that back wall, the one with hoops, they come in all sizes, ranging from the ever so sensible ones which would normally have been me to the ones that any doorknob would be proud to own, and yes, there is a story behind that doorknob comment but that is for another day, right now I am torn between turning and running as fast as my practical shoes will allow or going for something that I feel has been laying dormant in me for quite some time, so with heart pounding and legs like jelly, I move forward, the controlled breathing I learned years before had finally come into use and as I lean forward reaching out for the creme de le creme of hoops, my heart stops, someone has called my name, I freeze, my fingers go into a spasm and will not release the hoops, what on earth do I do now. A well of emotions is let loose, and I can feel myself blushing, but of course I am not one to blush in the normal manner, no not me, I am one of those who's ears take the brunt of it, I feel them burning as I turn to face whoever is about to send me into a spiral of the deepest embarrassment I have ever known, but this was not to be, it was in fact also the name of one of the teeny boppers who obviously missed out on the talk with her mother about practical shoes. With great relief I regain my composure and head towards the salesperson, and of course, this is not without it's drama either, there is a young thing standing in front of me with what looks like a collection of safety pins which I can only assume is to hold her face together, she is chewing gum and is quite obvilous to the fact that I am now breaking out into a cold sweat, she is retelling events of her previous night and in detail which I cannot go into here, only to say, her mother has not done her job properly, she is finally finished up and it is my turn, my hand reaches up to place the glistening glorious hoops on the counter, quickly glancing around to ensure I haven't been spotted, and starting up the controlled breathing again, the saleslady very kindly informs me she is about to go on a break, and her young assistant will complete the sale, she was not wrong about young, this girl must have been no older than 14 with what can only be described as an assortment from her fathers toolbox through her ears, however we proceed with the transaction and I walk out of the store a slightly different person. As I make my way out to the car park I am a nervous wreck, what on earth do I think I am doing, they are only a pair of earrings for goodness sake, what is it that makes them so bad, it is exactly that, they come with an image which often portrays bad, an image that does not quite go with winter woolies and sensible shoes, an image my mother would disown me for, but something none the less I feel compelled to try. They are sitting on seat next to me, shining in the sunlight as we drive home, I pick them up from time to time and just feel the weight of them in my hand, what will they feel like once they are on, who will I become, does it really change anything, and if so, why is that so. We are nearly home now, I say we because they have already become a part of me, you don't go through the experience I just went through and not come out being closer, we have already formed a unique relationship. I pull into the driveway, checking that no one is home, I need to ease into this, we have only just begun this journey and I am not ready to share just yet, out of the car, I run to the front door barely able to get the key in the lock, inside now and everything else becomes redundant, it is just me and my hoops, with great force I rip the bag open and release what could well be the most significant turning point in my life......

Part II