Ugly Is Not Skin

Anu:  Dad?
Dad:  Yes
Anu:  What is beauty?

Dad:  Uhn?

Anu:  What is beautiful?

Dad:  Is there a girl?

Anu:  No-o-o. My friends keep making comments about girls being beautiful and ugly. It gets me confused sometimes. 

Dad:  Why?

Anu:  When John and Ana just began their relationship, he was crazy about her beauty. We all were. But now he calls her ugly.

Dad:  And that confuses you?

Anu:  Yea

Dad:  Even at 25?

Anu:  It's all confusing. I was talking to Lillian the other day and...

Dad:  The pretty face?

Anu:  Yes. I was having a deep conversation with her. When she left, Aaron told me never to love an ugly woman. That put me in a mind-fix. I questioned him but he kept sealed. What is this thing called Beautiful?

Dad:  On one of the days when I and your mother had our honeymoon, we went shopping. We came by a China store. We had a dinner to attend the next day and the day after and so she needed two gowns. There were only two gowns in that store that fitted her body size. But she didn't like one of them.

Anu:  Why?

Dad:  She felt it wasn't colourful. She was not going to buy the not-colourful dress but I convinced her. And so she bought both gowns. Seven months after she had won the gowns, the colourful one had nearly faded and torn open on her way from a party. She felt so embarrassed. Yes. She was vexed. She swore never to buy anything from that China store.

Anu:  What about the gown that wasn't colourful?

Dad:  I didn't say it wasn't colourful. I said she felt if wasn't colourful.

Anu:  So you thought it was colourful?

Dad: I think.

Anu:  So what happened to that gown?

Dad:  Who did your mother give since forever to?

Anu:  ( laughs) oh mine! Kemi! You're joking right? 

Dad:  (laughs)

Anu:  She wore it last weekend. I took pictures of her.

Dad:  Yes.

Anu:  Mehn! I always loved to see mum wear it. That's the oldest thing my eyes have witnessed.

Dad:  And almost all of you happen to like it.

Anu:  It's 29 years old? We should host a 30th birthday celebration for it, maybe side by side with your anniversary. 

Dad: The beauty of a woman is not defined by now. It only grows with passing years.

Anu:  The beauty of the heart?

Dad:  Beyond appearance.

Anu:  Character?

Dad:  Virtue

Anu:  Compassion?

Dad:  Faithfulness

Anu:  Perseverance?

Dad:  Purposeful 

Anu:  Humility? 

Dad:  Prudent

Anu:  Home-maker?

Dad:  Home-keeper

Anu:  Strong?

Dad:  Confident

Anu:  Invaluable? 

Dad:  Trustworthy 

Anu:  Diligent?

Dad:  Charitable

Anu:  Wise?

Dad:  We could go on and on. Anu, men too must possess these qualities. A beautiful gown cannot admire and wear itself.

Anu:  You're definitely a beautiful man. Mere eyes cannot discern beauty.

Dad:  It's metaphysical. We'll celebrate.

Anu:  Celebrate what?

Dad:  The day your debut girlfriend arrives.
Anu:  Oh yes! She has to be beautiful tho...
Dad:  I'm up above the sky wondering what you mean...but I think I might know...