in true texas tradition, football was a religion of itself for the lovett family. not only did they gather for monday, thursday, and sunday services, they were staples of the houston little league program. while her brothers played pop warner, mavis cheered on the sidelines complete with pom poms and ribbons in her hair. she was never allowed to suit up but became a formidable foe when the neighborhood kids played on the street before the streetlights came on. her mother never approved of the scraped knees and battle wounds that mavis collected but could never quite keep her thumb on the energetic child. to curve the endless amount of energy she had stored, mavis was enrolled in various classes such as dance and gymnastics. these mother pre-approved skillsets were added to the routines created for the talent sections of the pageants. as mavis grew up, she found the pageants boring. however, it didn't matter if mavis' interests laid elsewhere, there was too much time and energy invested to turn back, or so her mother said. that is, until an ultimatum was made. alarmed by the rapidly dimming spirit of his little girl, clay stepped in to subdue his wife's exuberant ways. for the first time, mavis was able to pick her own after school activity and didn't skip a beat to choose basketball.
able to shed the endless pageant rehearsals for a few hours a week was a heaven sent escape. mavis found that her gangly frame was quick to get to the line and made for scoring at the foul line, not just smiling bright with pretty hand and feet poses. she was trained to become both a forward and guard utilizing her speed and height. mavis had never been happier going hard in the paint. the same competitive nature that ran through her family had finally weaseled its way into the girl. it spread outward motivating the girl to actively participate in her mother's beauty queen dreams. just as she became the swingman on her basketball teams, she found herself bouncing between the courts and the pageant stage. she thrived during this time blossoming into the same womanly curves her mother had genetically handed down. while her evening gowns filled out nicely, mavis found it tiresome to wear two sports bras to keep her body under control.
though she may have followed her brothers’ legacies in high school, mavis was still able to make a name for herself. the outgoing nature easily allowed her to bounce up and down the social tiers, a foreshadowing to her future need for acceptance from all. her planner was filled with social events keeping the girl active and on her toes. despite the constant action, gnawing away at mavis was a hollow feeling that she wasn’t like the other girls in her grade. she dated but never felt the same thrills with her boyfriend as she did sneaking glances at the female population. it wasn’t until after graduation and well into her second year at the university of houston that she found comfort and a sense of self calling herself a lesbian. the label was kept under wraps from all but a few close friends as she continued to work towards the miss america goal she’d made to herself as a young girl.
determined to achieve, mavis was sashed as miss texas competing for the coveted miss usa title in 2009. the life long preparation had paid off landing her in the top 10 contestants unable to nab the highest honor. after the celebration had settled and her community engagements were passed down to her successor, mavis found herself at a loss. without a title to strive for or a team to focus her energy, she settled into an office job where she used her business degree to project her future career within the company. she lasted only a few months before she walked off the job. promising herself to never become a faceless employee to a corporation or lose any of her light, mavis packed her ancient toyota and headed east leaving behind everything else that wouldn’t fit in her new life.
landing in nashville, mavis built herself from the ground up finally able to show off her true passionate nature without fear of retribution from the city she was born and bred in or the consequences it could bring. it’s not conventional but she’s found a lifestyle that suits her keeping her mind sharp as the glue keeping fat bottom brewing together and slinging drinks by night. while most wouldn't approve, mavis could not be happier marching to the beat of her own drum.
