“See anything you like so far?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “I like everything here, Pippa.”
“ Good, Carey, that’s a start. We are going to work on finding you everything that works for your look but, Carey, don’t you know, if you wanted everything in the store you could have it? Gawd, if you wanted the whole building, you could have it. You’re a Kelleher girl. Nothing is out of reach. Now, let’s start up on four with foundations and build you from there, okay?”
Two hours later, when I met up with Aunt Georgia for a late tea in the small dining room she used off the main restaurant, I was a new woman, a Kelleher woman. Pippa had laughingly acceded to my request to wear one of my new outfits; the rest were being sent to 800 Fifth Avenue, two blocks away. Pippa had said that my 'look' should be timeless but trendy, “a duchess with an edge”.
I still had no clue what she was talking about, but I loved my ivory ruffled Chloe blouse with the tiny blue bows covering the buttons and the blue-grey suede riding pants that made my short legs look stretched. My 'perfect, tiny feet were now shod in a pair of four inch Loubotin cream and blue pumps, and my school ID was no longer in my Buckley backpack but laying at the bottom of my first Chanel bag, a tiny cream-quilted number.
My face was shining like a diamond from excitement; at least that is what Aunt Georgia told me when I flew into her arms, hugging her with deep appreciation.
“ Look at you, Carey Kelleher, look at you. A beauty, a little queen. Your daddy is going to be so pleased with his girl.” She gestured me to the empty gilt chair at our table. “So, it looks like Pippa did a perfect job teaching you the ABCs and has gotten you off to a wonderful start. Did you like her?”
“ I loved her, Aunt Georgia. She is my best friend and you are my best aunt forever.”
She smiled, and reached into her own larger Chanel bag, and brought out three small black plastic squares that she placed on my empty bread plate. “These are from your father. He thought it would be nice if I gave them to you after our little shopping excursion here so that you would understand what they meant.” She raised her teacup to me in a toast. “Happy Birthday, Carey K.”
I picked them up curiously.
Aunt Georgia nodded, smiling. “The three 'Bs', Carey darling, Bendel’s, Barney’s and Bergdorf’s, your ABCs. Get it?”
Credit cards. They were my very own black credit cards to my first three major stores. There it was in raised silver print: my name, Miss Carolyn Kelleher. I grinned at Aunt Georgia, unzipped my little bag and put them inside.
I raised my cup to her. “I love them, Aunt Georgia, and, yes, I definitely get my ABCs. It’s like 'The Sound of Music' too.”
Aunt Georgia’s forehead would have wrinkled if Botox hadn’t stopped it, but she did look confused. “The Sound of Music? The movie? The play? What are you talking about, Carey?”
It was my turn to laugh. “The movie, Aunt Georgia. I’ve watched it like a billion times and there is a song in it.” I began singing it out loud to her: “When you know the note to sing, you can buy most anything.”
Aunt Georgia smiled in slow appreciation and raised her cup to me again. “Spoken, or should I say 'sung', like a true Kelleher. Well, well, well. Let’s toast to you, Carey.” Looking at me appraisingly, she added, “Let what has begun here today continue to grow. A new reign of terror by one of us begins and, if I’m not wrong - and I’m never wrong - one day soon you’re going to be the most exciting thing this town has seen in years.”
Part 3
Diamond Girl
Chapter 8
It smells like a hamster’s cage in here. I don’t know if it’s the rats or me. I don’t know if it should matter to me; it won’t if nobody comes soon.
Everybody can say what they want then. They always do anyway. At least I won’t have to read it or listen to it anymore. I
I nodded enthusiastically. “I like everything here, Pippa.”
“ Good, Carey, that’s a start. We are going to work on finding you everything that works for your look but, Carey, don’t you know, if you wanted everything in the store you could have it? Gawd, if you wanted the whole building, you could have it. You’re a Kelleher girl. Nothing is out of reach. Now, let’s start up on four with foundations and build you from there, okay?”
Two hours later, when I met up with Aunt Georgia for a late tea in the small dining room she used off the main restaurant, I was a new woman, a Kelleher woman. Pippa had laughingly acceded to my request to wear one of my new outfits; the rest were being sent to 800 Fifth Avenue, two blocks away. Pippa had said that my 'look' should be timeless but trendy, “a duchess with an edge”.
I still had no clue what she was talking about, but I loved my ivory ruffled Chloe blouse with the tiny blue bows covering the buttons and the blue-grey suede riding pants that made my short legs look stretched. My 'perfect, tiny feet were now shod in a pair of four inch Loubotin cream and blue pumps, and my school ID was no longer in my Buckley backpack but laying at the bottom of my first Chanel bag, a tiny cream-quilted number.
My face was shining like a diamond from excitement; at least that is what Aunt Georgia told me when I flew into her arms, hugging her with deep appreciation.
“ Look at you, Carey Kelleher, look at you. A beauty, a little queen. Your daddy is going to be so pleased with his girl.” She gestured me to the empty gilt chair at our table. “So, it looks like Pippa did a perfect job teaching you the ABCs and has gotten you off to a wonderful start. Did you like her?”
“ I loved her, Aunt Georgia. She is my best friend and you are my best aunt forever.”
She smiled, and reached into her own larger Chanel bag, and brought out three small black plastic squares that she placed on my empty bread plate. “These are from your father. He thought it would be nice if I gave them to you after our little shopping excursion here so that you would understand what they meant.” She raised her teacup to me in a toast. “Happy Birthday, Carey K.”
I picked them up curiously.
Aunt Georgia nodded, smiling. “The three 'Bs', Carey darling, Bendel’s, Barney’s and Bergdorf’s, your ABCs. Get it?”
Credit cards. They were my very own black credit cards to my first three major stores. There it was in raised silver print: my name, Miss Carolyn Kelleher. I grinned at Aunt Georgia, unzipped my little bag and put them inside.
I raised my cup to her. “I love them, Aunt Georgia, and, yes, I definitely get my ABCs. It’s like 'The Sound of Music' too.”
Aunt Georgia’s forehead would have wrinkled if Botox hadn’t stopped it, but she did look confused. “The Sound of Music? The movie? The play? What are you talking about, Carey?”
It was my turn to laugh. “The movie, Aunt Georgia. I’ve watched it like a billion times and there is a song in it.” I began singing it out loud to her: “When you know the note to sing, you can buy most anything.”
Aunt Georgia smiled in slow appreciation and raised her cup to me again. “Spoken, or should I say 'sung', like a true Kelleher. Well, well, well. Let’s toast to you, Carey.” Looking at me appraisingly, she added, “Let what has begun here today continue to grow. A new reign of terror by one of us begins and, if I’m not wrong - and I’m never wrong - one day soon you’re going to be the most exciting thing this town has seen in years.”
Part 3
Diamond Girl
Chapter 8
It smells like a hamster’s cage in here. I don’t know if it’s the rats or me. I don’t know if it should matter to me; it won’t if nobody comes soon.
Everybody can say what they want then. They always do anyway. At least I won’t have to read it or listen to it anymore. I
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