years.
Rita
piped up, “So we should have plenty of time to hit La Bella before the hair
salon, right?”
“La Bella
is an easy in and out. I’m like 98.5% certain this dress will fit Vicki
perfectly straight off the rack.” Kennedy blew at her fingers. “How much
longer do you think this polish needs to dry?”
The group
ambled down Newbury Street with Nina hiding behind dark sunglasses and her
fedora sun hat, wearing ordinary clothes from her own closet. “You know, it’s
only been three weeks and I am sick to death of avoiding photographers. How do
real celebrities put up with this stuff?”
Rita
shook her head, “I know, there’s something to be said for doing what you want,
when you want, and how you want. But the designer clothes, and great
restaurants and interesting trips sort of make up for it, don’t you think?”
Glancing
at the ring on her hand Nina said, “I don’t know, just seems like a gilded cage
to me.”
At La
Bella, the group industriously marched up the steps of the red brick boutique.
They were back to chattering about French versus American manicures, and what
was going to be happening later that afternoon with their hair. Kennedy
grabbed the handle of the door and opened it, ushering them in. Once inside,
though, the quartet fell silent.
Elsa was
standing in front of the three-paneled mirror, wearing the gold jacquard Vera
Wang. She almost looked like a completely different person, except for the
sour twist to her mouth. Busily examining herself, she failed to note the
group’s arrival.
“Darn it,
Anne, I told you I have a customer for that dress in that size!” Kennedy
looked ready to fight as she hissed at her colleague. The lip of the other sales
clerk started to quiver as she whispered while indicating Elsa with a tilt of
her head. “I know, I know, but she saw it hanging behind the counter and wouldn’t
take no for an answer.”
“I’ll
take it.” Elsa turned from the mirror, took one look at the group, and immediately
started to berate Nina. “Well, well, well—if it isn’t the Lowell hoi polloi.
I’ve been trying to call you all morning Nina—I don’t appreciate rude little
witches who don’t return their calls.”
Nina
scrambled through her bag and pulled out her cell phone. The ringer had
accidentally been shut off. But before she could say anything, Vicki stepped
up to Elsa and got in her face. “And I don’t appreciate you talking to my
daughter like that. What gives you the right?”
“Mom…don’t…”
Elsa
grabbed Nina by the arm, “So is this what we can expect from the mother of the
bride tonight? I thought you had better judgment than that, Nina. You don’t
always have to take the trash out .”
Vicki was
getting ready to blow, and Nina realized, so was she. Desperately trying to
defuse the situation, Nina pulled her arm away from Elsa and stepped in front
of her mother. “Look Elsa, we just came to get Mom a dress. My ringer was
accidentally shut off, I’m sorry that I didn’t get your calls.”
Rita and
Kennedy stood frozen, unsure what to do. The other sales clerk had discovered
an urgent need to do inventory in the back of the store. Elsa’s fury seemed
completely out of proportion to anything that had actually occurred.
“Sorry?
You’re sorry? Yes, you are sorry you little nitwit. And if you and your band
of gussied up tarts do anything to screw this party up for Daniel, you are
going to be very, very sorry.”
And
that’s when it happened.
It felt
like everything was transpiring in slow motion, Nina thought. And even though
she could see it coming, there was nothing she could do to make it stop. Vicki
had an awesome right
Rita
piped up, “So we should have plenty of time to hit La Bella before the hair
salon, right?”
“La Bella
is an easy in and out. I’m like 98.5% certain this dress will fit Vicki
perfectly straight off the rack.” Kennedy blew at her fingers. “How much
longer do you think this polish needs to dry?”
The group
ambled down Newbury Street with Nina hiding behind dark sunglasses and her
fedora sun hat, wearing ordinary clothes from her own closet. “You know, it’s
only been three weeks and I am sick to death of avoiding photographers. How do
real celebrities put up with this stuff?”
Rita
shook her head, “I know, there’s something to be said for doing what you want,
when you want, and how you want. But the designer clothes, and great
restaurants and interesting trips sort of make up for it, don’t you think?”
Glancing
at the ring on her hand Nina said, “I don’t know, just seems like a gilded cage
to me.”
At La
Bella, the group industriously marched up the steps of the red brick boutique.
They were back to chattering about French versus American manicures, and what
was going to be happening later that afternoon with their hair. Kennedy
grabbed the handle of the door and opened it, ushering them in. Once inside,
though, the quartet fell silent.
Elsa was
standing in front of the three-paneled mirror, wearing the gold jacquard Vera
Wang. She almost looked like a completely different person, except for the
sour twist to her mouth. Busily examining herself, she failed to note the
group’s arrival.
“Darn it,
Anne, I told you I have a customer for that dress in that size!” Kennedy
looked ready to fight as she hissed at her colleague. The lip of the other sales
clerk started to quiver as she whispered while indicating Elsa with a tilt of
her head. “I know, I know, but she saw it hanging behind the counter and wouldn’t
take no for an answer.”
“I’ll
take it.” Elsa turned from the mirror, took one look at the group, and immediately
started to berate Nina. “Well, well, well—if it isn’t the Lowell hoi polloi.
I’ve been trying to call you all morning Nina—I don’t appreciate rude little
witches who don’t return their calls.”
Nina
scrambled through her bag and pulled out her cell phone. The ringer had
accidentally been shut off. But before she could say anything, Vicki stepped
up to Elsa and got in her face. “And I don’t appreciate you talking to my
daughter like that. What gives you the right?”
“Mom…don’t…”
Elsa
grabbed Nina by the arm, “So is this what we can expect from the mother of the
bride tonight? I thought you had better judgment than that, Nina. You don’t
always have to take the trash out .”
Vicki was
getting ready to blow, and Nina realized, so was she. Desperately trying to
defuse the situation, Nina pulled her arm away from Elsa and stepped in front
of her mother. “Look Elsa, we just came to get Mom a dress. My ringer was
accidentally shut off, I’m sorry that I didn’t get your calls.”
Rita and
Kennedy stood frozen, unsure what to do. The other sales clerk had discovered
an urgent need to do inventory in the back of the store. Elsa’s fury seemed
completely out of proportion to anything that had actually occurred.
“Sorry?
You’re sorry? Yes, you are sorry you little nitwit. And if you and your band
of gussied up tarts do anything to screw this party up for Daniel, you are
going to be very, very sorry.”
And
that’s when it happened.
It felt
like everything was transpiring in slow motion, Nina thought. And even though
she could see it coming, there was nothing she could do to make it stop. Vicki
had an awesome right
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