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Pref Night
The next morning between classes I called my PX to find out which sororities I’d been invited back to for Pref (I wasn’t able to go in because I had a full schedule of classes) praying that I had at least been invited to one. On the phone she told me that I’d been invited back to Sheldon and Howard. No Leonard? I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised. How could they have possibly have gotten to know me with the other girls dominating the conversation? Oh well, I still had Sheldon and Howard to look forward to! Not to mention that Marti had been invited back to Sheldon and Howard too!
That night for the Pref parties I wore a simple black wrap dress with ¾ length sleeves, a pearl necklace and earrings and some cute black heels. And when I arrived at the student center I found that 90% of the rest of the girls were dressed exactly like me!
The first party I would be attending was Sheldon, and finally Marti was in my group! We lined up alphabetically and then two PXs walked us out the north door of the student center where we were greeted by a line of white luxury cars of various makes and models. The alumnae of Sheldon would be driving two or three of us per vehicle to the home of an alumni where we would participate in the Preference ceremony with the actives. I climbed in to the backseat of a white Jaguar and sat with another PNM who was drop-dead gorgeous. The alumni drove us as short distance from the university and as we rounded the corner of a particular street we were greeted by the sight of the members of Sheldon dressed beautifully in white gowns and standing in perfect formation on the front lawn of a stunning home. The gasps from the other PNM and I were audible as we approached the house. Someone opened the car door for us, and helped us out and we were able to hear that the Sheldons were singing softly. A Sheldon I recognized approached me and led me to the open front door of the house. Once inside she sat me down a in a sitting room and then stepped back and continued to sing with her sisters who were positioned throughout the house. After the first song, they sang another soft and beautiful song, and then we were able to sit and talk. The sister (I’ll call her Megan) I was talking to was a girl I recognized as having been a friend of a boyfriend I had in high school. Megan and my ex (with whom I was still friendly) had attended a school a in a nearby town, so although we weren’t friends per se we were friendly. The conversation was at first light and topical, but then it became serious. Megan talked about how strongly she felt about Sheldon and how her sisters had been there for her during hard times. We talked rather intensely about Sheldon for a good while (during which time I was served a piece of sheet cake that had had Sheldon letters on it before being cut and some punch), and Megan told me that she really wanted me as her sister. I was surprised and touched. She said that she had talked with her sisters throughout the week about me and that they all really wanted to see me in a Sheldon shirt on Bid Day. She asked me if I wanted the same thing, and I said yes. She nodded knowingly and then we heard the cue bell ring. At that point Megan rose, took her place and began singing another song with her sisters. When the song finished she told me that she’d loved talking to me and said that Claire would join me momentarily. She left and sure enough, Claire made her way over to me not even five seconds later. In a manner much less formal than Megan, Claire plopped down next to me on the settee I was seated on and complained quietly about the dresses they were wearing. Her candid comment took me off guard, but it also put me at ease. We spent the rest of the time talking about Sheldon and how much it had to offer. Towards the end of the conversation she also asked me if I wanted to be a Sheldon, and again I nervously said yes. She too nodded knowingly, and said that if I wanted to be a Sheldon there would be a place for me. I took her at her word, and felt relieved. I wouldn’t have to worry about anything if she and her sisters already knew I was going to be a Sheldon! We talked for a few moments more and then the PNMs were then led outside to the back patio of the house where we participated in the Pref ceremony. We each stood next to the active with whom we had just spoken, and they each held a flower. During the ceremony the Sheldons spoke of their sisterhood and how much it meant to them. Claire and Sarah Beth talked about how much they loved Sheldon and each cried when the other spoke. Marti and I exchanged meaningful looks. It was a very touching ceremony and as Claire handed me her flower (I’m not saying what kind!) I felt so excited at that moment. That would be Marti and me next year! We were then led around to the front of the house where we were instructed to drop our flowers in a fountain and make a wish. Claire said, “I hope your wish is the same as mine,” gave me a hug and a smile and held the door open as the drop-dead gorgeous PNM and I climbed back in “our” Jaguar. We left the house in line with the other vehicles, rounded through the cul-de-sac and as we passed back by the house the Sheldons were singing and yelling and waving goodbye. During the short ride back to the university the alumni asked us what we thought of the ceremony. I replied that I really loved it and thought it was a beautiful ceremony, gave her a huge smile. The alum wished us a lovely evening when we arrived back at the student center and we climbed out.
When I met back up with Marti we agreed that the Sheldons had a beautiful ceremony, and we were both excited and touched to have been a part of it. I remember being surprised that it had been so serious, and that Sarah Beth and Claire had shown such a soft side, as they had typically been rather comical and silly. Nevertheless, as we sat and waited for our next party, Marti’s comment from the night before kept ringing in my ears – Stuff vs. Sisterhood – but it didn’t seem to make sense after having witnessed the sisterhood at Sheldon.
Soon we were lined up and led to the east exit of the student center where we were met with literally a fleet of matching white Ford Excursions. It was an impressive sight as several PNMs and I climbed into an Excursion and headed off towards the home of a Howard alumni. There were no Howards waiting outside for us when we arrived, but the vehicles pulled up into the circle drive and we were helped out and led through the front door of the large house. Before us stood a large staircase leading to the second floor upon which the Howards were lined, each wearing an elegant black gown. Once everyone was in the foyer the Howards began singing a slow, beautiful song. It was amazing and with the echoes of the house sounded so loud and kind of awe-inspiring. After the first song they sang another even more impressive song and I found myself entranced. The song ended and alumni then began announcing the names of the PNMs in attendance; when a PNMs name was called, a sister would step off the stairs, greet her and then lead her off somewhere in the house. When my name was announced I was greeted by none other than Brooke! She led me to a couch located centrally in an elegant living room. We sat and began talking about how the evening was going. She didn’t ask where I’d been at the previous party, but I told her anyway. For some reason I felt as though I should be completely honest with Brooke. She nodded and smiled and then began telling me her story and why she’d decided to make Howard her home. It sounded very similar to mine and the things she said reminded me of things I had been thinking: she had felt strongly about two groups, she had rushed with her best friend (her best friend had chosen the other sorority), etc. I was surprised that her story was so similar to mine. She continued on and asked about my concerns, what I was feeling and if I had any questions. I talked, but was a bit guarded and didn’t want to divulge all of the emotions running through me at the moment, especially since I already knew I was going to get a bid from Sheldon (my thinking back then just makes me cringe). I let her know that her story was very touching and I was glad that she could relate to how I felt. I appreciated that she didn’t out rightly ask me if I wanted to be a Howard.While we were talking we were served petit fours, chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling cider with a strawberry garnish. It was a very pretty presentation! The ceremony took place a while later. It was beautiful and touching (I think if I reveal what went on it would be a dead giveaway), and as I looked around I saw that many girls were tearing up and sniffling, but it didn’t move me like Sheldon’s pref did – after all I wasn’t going to be a Howard next year anyway.
After the ceremony Brooke gave me a pearl to throw in to the fountain outside and make a wish. Again I got the I Hope Your Wish Is The Same As Mine line, then she hugged me and gave me a meaningful look. And while we were climbing back in to the vehicles the Howards burst in to a song that has stuck with me through the years. On the ride back I wasn’t with Marti, but there were three PNMs in the car that were quite obviously going to rank Howard first. They were singing loudly the song we’d just heard and talking about how excited they would be when they got their bids (I was put-off by how presumptuous they seemed). The alum in the front passenger seat was watching us intently and asked what we thought of the party? The three boisterous girls gave their (obvious) opinions quickly, but I was one of the few that just smiled and nodded politely. I already knew what was going to happen. On the drive back I stared quietly out the window and reflected on the night.
When we got back to the student center we were ushered in to rooms with our original PX groups, handed our preference cards and instructed not to speak. I filled my card out quickly, Sheldon first, then Howard second. It never occurred to me to suicide, that would just be rude I thought, plus I still really liked Howard. I knew Marti was ranking right then too, and I knew that she was going to list Sheldon first and Howard second too. I got up and turned my card in to my PX, and left the room to go find Marti, really excited about all of the “stuff” I would be getting later that night!
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Hybrid Mode
