A. It was a strap-less long black dress with a hot pink bow on the side of her waist.
Q. What was your 1st impression of the dress?
A. I really liked and it was even better when she had the dress on. The pink bow really caught my attention it brought out her lip color of the night, which was a light pink.
Q. What stood out to you the most about the dress and why?
A. Besides the fact that it was a pretty dress she looked beautiful in it. Her happiness shined when she wore that dress.
Q. Do you remember where she got the dress?
A. I don’t really remember the day she bought it. I just remember you girls had left the whole day and came back with it.
Q. What does the dress symbolize to you and why?
A. At first it was symbolization of happiness and the realization of a dream (my mom had made my dream come true by having my quincenera). It is also sadness because who would of thought that the same dress would have been used for both occasions.
Q. Has the dress made an effect on you and why?
A. When I see a picture of the dress I remember the party. When I see a similar dress it reminds me of her and her happiness. It has made an effect on because it is a nostalgic piece of her life.
Q. How did you feel when you saw the dress on her at the funeral?
A. Besides seeing her in her coffin she still looked beautiful to me. I told her that day when she lied in the coffin that she was still beautiful.
Q. Who was my mom to you?
A. She was my world. She was my right hand. She was the one who was always there for me. She was the one who gave me the gift of two wonderful kids. Now she is the angel who watches me from heaven.
Q. Do you still believe we made the right choice to have her wear the dress at her funeral?
A. Yes of course, I believe we still made the right choice because we all knew she looked beautiful in that dress and simply because we knew she loved it.
Q. What connection you make between the dress, my fifteen and her funeral?
A. Happiness and sadness. The dress will always remind me of the fun and happiness we shared at your celebration. It will remind me of her beauty. And it will always remind me of the day of her funeral. The way she looked so beautiful and peaceful in her coffin.
Xiomara Arnao is a student at California state University of Northridge. She dreams of one day becoming a nurse and helping those in need.