The Marble Dress

This set piece is not complete. Installed, this figure has a purple umbrella in her raised hand from which are dangling (on invisible thread) scores of marbles at various heights. 

Dear Charlotte,

Thank you for your letter. I’m honoured by your request to tell you about my dress. I’ll include a photo of me and Josh.

Harvey was a great husband and father. Josh was our only child and he was the epicentre of Harvey’s life — especially after he got cancer.

They used to do everything together and they playing sports, but as Harvey got sicker, sports disappeared from their life. But Josh got Harvey playing marbles on a big cardboard field he made to put on Harvey’s bed. He covered some cardboard with felt to make a playing surface he liked. He got the idea from a pool table he said. It was all his doing. And they had tournaments — marble tournaments. And several of Josh’s friends got involved. It brought so much life and laughter into Harvey’s life and our home.

After Harvey died, so did the marbles and so did the light in Josh’s eyes. I wondered how I would mother him. I didn’t know how to reach him but then one day when I was shopping, my neighbour Shirley and her son Mark saw me and Mark asked me if Josh was going to organize another marble tournament — so I said I would if he helped me. We decided to have it at their house and surprise Josh.

We told Josh that Shirley was having a party and that I was going to help her to explain the cakes I was baking. But I said Mark was going to have a party for kids in the wreck room and so he should come. As we were leaving, I took a deep breath and casually said: “Why don’t you bring your marbles.” And he did!

When we got there, he was really surprised. They’d decorated the place up and there must have been a dozen boys there with their marbles. Josh was thrilled and engaged immediately. His smile was back — at least for the party.

I’d left the dress I’d made at Shirley’s. I went upstairs and put it on just as things were winding down. Shirley and I had bought two prizes: One for the winner and a backup (in case Josh didn’t win) to honour the tournament founder. I wanted Josh to have a trophy. But he did win and when he did, Shirley announced that she’d invited a special guest to present the trophy. She introduced me as Queen Cat’s Eye because that was the name of a kind of marble — Harvey’s favourite.

All the kids kept their marbles in Seagram’s bag’s back then. That’s the inspiration of the dress. I glued marbles to a bathing suit. It weighed a ton. But Charlotte, no words can do justice to the whoopla that erupted when I came down the stairs and let me tell you … pride just beamed out of Josh.

Harvey is still part of our lives. We keep him alive in our conversations. But boy, Charlotte, do I have a great rapport with my son. We are best buds, and I know it started that day and because of the dress.

Oh, and we still play marbles.

Yours,

Gayle.