Sally was Reverend Gaffer's daughter. She had been named after her grandmother. She wasn't thrilled about her name since she was the only girl in her school with such an old-fashioned name.
But right now her name wasn't her main consideration. Her mind was in turmoil resulting from her upcoming performance and the ripping sound she had heard when slipping into her costume.
She was part of a group of seven eighteen and nineteen year old girls taking part in the yearly ceremony. Each girl was dressed in yoga pants under a one piece swimsuit that featured a dress shirt type collar with a faux tie sown in place. The collar buttoned in back to hold up the top of the suit.
When Sally had fastened her collar she had heard a quick tearing sound. She immediately asked the girl closest to her to check to see how bad the damage was. It was a sign of her distraction that she asked Candice to check her collar.
Sally was the most popular girl in church; partially because of who her father was, partially because she was a genuinely nice person, and among the male attendees partially because she made it hard for them to look her in the face.
Candice was attractive in her own way, but she faded from male attention whenever Sally was nearby.
Candice had grown tired of being second fiddle and while she wouldn't actively prank Sally, she wouldn't stop someone else.
So when Sally asked her to check her collar Candice assured her that the damage was tiny. Actually less than a quarter of the collar was still intact. Candice could see that the few remaining threads were under significant strain trying to keep the top of Sally's suit up.
On cue the girls moved out on stage. Candice was smiling, partly as part of her performance and partly at the sight of the numerous cellphones recording their part of the show.
Candice kept an eye on Sally. The first song finished without any incident. The second one also. There was only one more song and unless something happened Sally would make it backstage safely.
As the group reached the chorus they all jerked their shoulders back like they had practiced.
To Candice's delight she heard the sounds of threads ripping.
The room reverberating from gasps were ample evidence of what had happened. Candice looked over and sure enough Sally was standing there with her male attention magnets completely revealed.
Sally was concentrating so much on getting her part right that it took several seconds for her to realize she was the only one still singing. She stuttered to a stop, but her confusion left her male fans more time to enjoy her display.
It wasn't until Candice muttered "Nice tits" that Sally looked down.
With a scream of despair she jerked the top of her suit back up. In her haste she hadn't gotten a good grip and when her hands jerked the top up her hands slid off the material and her goodies were unveiled again.
Their reappearance was greeted by thunderous applause.
This time she settled for crossing her arms over her chest and racing through the curtains to the backstage area.
A couple of the other singers started to follow her, but the conductor insisted the group finish their performance to try to regain some semblance of normalcy to the ceremony.
As soon as she could Candice found Sally who was crying her eyes out. "Sally I am so sorry. I never in a million years thought there was any possibility that your costume would do that. Can you ever forgive me?"
"It wasn't your fault," Sally replied through her tears. "I never should have gone out there when I heard the cloth tear. Oh damn! What am I going to do? Everyone I know just saw my breasts," she sobbed.
"And a lot of them had cameras filmed your boobs flopping around too," Candice said pretending to be commiserating with Sally.
"OH FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" Sally wailed. "I never even thought about that. What am I going to do?"
"Well you can't deny your display, Sally, so I think the only thing you can do is own up to it."
"What are you talking about 'own up to it'? I didn't deliberately 'display' my boobs," Sally declared.
"Sorry, bad choice of words. What I meant was you need to get in front of this, but not the front you just showed off out there," Candice said placing her hands under her own breasts and bouncing them up and down while putting a comical look on her face.
With the emotional roller-coaster she had been going through Sally couldn't keep from laughing.
"That's better Sally. Laughter beats tears any day," Candice said. "What I'm suggesting is for you to go out there at the end of the show and explain that it was a costume failure that caused your," she paused as she bounced her boobs again, "and issue an apology if you offended anyone."
"You think I should bounce my boobs while I'm speaking," Sally said grinning.
"Well you'd certainly have every guy's attention, but that might weaken the sincerity of what you're saying," Candice agreed.
"You're right. Let me get changed and I'll do it," Sally said.
I don't think you have enough time. I can hear the show is about to finish," Candice pointed out.
"But if I walk out there like this what will people think?"
Candice gave her a couple of suggestions and Sally forced herself to return to the stage.
She walked up to the mic holding the top of her costume in front of herself and began. "Ladies and Gentlemen."
Everyone who had stood up to leave stopped.
"I wanted to come out here while everyone who saw my," she hesitated. "My unveiling was still here. First I want to explain that my unveiling was the result of a costume mishap. The threads at the neck of my outfit couldn't handle the stress they were under."
"Can't blame them for that, steel cable couldn't handle that much strain," someone muttered.
Sally suspected it was the guy whose wife punched him in the arm.
"Thank you for the compliment, I think," Sally responded with an obviously fake puzzled look. She was rewarded by several people laughing.
"And I wanted to apologize to anyone who I offended. I am so sorry," Sally continued.
"Is this going to be a one time show, Sally?" a female voice joked.
"God knows I certainly hope so," Sally answered nodding her head.
"Damn," said the same voice.
Everyone laughed.
"Do I take it some of you are disappointed by my choice to avoid a repeat?" Sally joked. "I find if hard to believe that. Let's see a show of hands of everybody who would like a repeat performance."
Almost everyone raised their hands.
"What a bunch of perverts. Oh boy, my dad is going to have to get some serious sermons lined up for this group," she joked as she took the two sides of her top in her left hand and proceeded to shake her right index finger at the crowd.
As she was chastising the group she took a step to the right. Her high-heel caught on the mic cord and she instinctively reached out with her left hand and grabbed the side of the podium.
The resulting display was totally an accident, but she received a massive wave of applause.
Without even attempting to cover herself, Sally ducked down behind the podium. "Apparently I wasn't meant to do a one-time show tonight. And now I will leave you with the following. Standing up straight she turned walked back through the curtains before bringing up her arms to hide her chest.
Candice was standing there with her mouth hanging open. "Holy shit girl, if you had balls they'd be bigger than your boobs."
Before Sally had a chance to change clothes her mother and father came up to her. "What the hell was that, Sally?" her mother demanded.
"Which part Mom?"
"The first time may have been an accident, but the second time. You did that on purpose."
"Mrs. Gaffers I was here when Sally put on her costume and we both heard a few thread break, but I looked her costume and it looked okay to me. Sally only went out because I assured her it would be okay." Candice interjected. "And it was my idea that she go back on stage and let everyone know that it was an accident and apologize if anyone was offended."
"And the second flashing your tits, was that an accident too," her mom demanded.
"Did you see me trip on that cord?"
"Yes, but then you didn't even try to pull your top up afterwards."
"Mom, everyone had already seen my, as you call them, tits. Twice. I was hoping that by not freaking out that it would keep the situation on a more relaxed frame of mind."
"What about all the videos everyone took with your . . .?," her mom asked gesturing her hand at Sally's breasts.
"Knockers, titties, puppies, kittens, gazongas, ta-tas, pillows, eye magnets Mom? There's nothing I can do about that so I'll have to live with the consequences," Sally responded.
"And you're okay with that?" her father asked.
"I'm not happy about it and if I could wish it away I would, but there's nothing I can do, so I'll just have to handle it as it happens, Dad."
"I hope you know honey, that we are both so proud of how you are dealing with this situation," her dad said.
"He's right. You are an amazing young lady," her mom relented.
Taking her husband's arm Sally's mother lead him away. "Let's let her get dressed, dear." Looking over her shoulder she grinned and added, "Oh and Sally burn that outfit please. We'll wait for you outside."
"Actually I promised Sally a ride home. I thought it would be a chance for some girl talk about what happened," Candice stated.
"Okay. See you later Sally," her parents said.
"Thanks, Candice," Sally whispered.
"Happy to help."
Finally it was just Sally and Candice left. Candice had changed into her regular clothes, but Sally was still sitting there in her costume. All pretense of hiding her chest was discarded.
"It sure took a lone time for those damn stitches to let go," Sally said. "I was beginning to think I had sewn it too well."
Candice was stunned. "Are you saying you deliberately sabotaged your own costume?"
"Do you know what it's like to have everyone considering you the goody two-shoes daughter of the preacher. No matter how many signals I try to send, every guy I go out with treats me like some piece of art. Something to be looked at, but never, ever to be touch. I was going out of my mind."
