The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

seems to be coming from the ocean,” Louise called through the ivory-molded
     closed door.
    “Of course, ma’am!” Anna shouted back. “It’s supposed to be therapeutic.”
    Of course?
Louise hastily stepped out of the tub and tried to dry off the sticky residue with the warm, fluffy white bath towel Anna
     had laid out for her. She guessed there would be a few things that would take some getting used to. Then she had an idea.
    “Anna, if you could have one day on this boat to do whatever you wanted, what would it be?” Louise asked, peeking her head
     out of the bathroom.
    “Anything at all?” Anna asked hopefully, fluffing a feather pillow as she expertly made up the bed.
    “Anything,” Louise confirmed excitedly.
    “Well, I suppose I would like to buy a ticket for the swimming pool. Can you believe there’s actually a swimming pool on this
     boat? Wonders never cease.”
    “Sounds fun,” Louise exclaimed, suddenly realizing that Coach Murphy was going to kill her for missing swim practice! She
     hoped she hadn’t missed the Westport meet. She would
never
be able to explain her way out of that one.
    “And then I’d like to go relax and take a steam in the Turkish baths. They say it’s just like a bath house in Morocco.”
    “Cool.”
    “No, they’re hot,” Anna corrected, still looking a little bewildered that Miss Baxter was offering her all of this.
    “Right, that’s what I meant. And then?”
    “I suppose I’d be hungry, so I’d like to have a meal at the Café Parisien. It’s supposed to be just like a real sidewalk café
     in Paris. Even the waiters are French,” she added hesitantly.
    “Wow,” Louise enthused. “I’ve always wanted to go to Paris.”
    “You did a production there last spring,” Anna reminded her.
    “Of course,” Louise responded quickly. “It seems as though my memory is still a bit patchy.”
    “Perhaps next I would like to ride one of the mechanicalhorses in the gymnasium or play cards or take a stroll on the promenade. Not that I’ve thought this through, of course,” she
     added quickly. Clearly Anna had been thinking this through.
    “Sounds perfect,” Louise said. “Miss Baxter, I mean,
I
am rich. So let’s have fun!”
    “You mean we would actually do this? Together?” Anna asked, perplexed.
    “Of course,” Louise said. “I mean, I’ve been fainting all day, it really wouldn’t be safe for me to spend the day alone.”
    “Well, in that case…”
    “It’s settled,” Louise said firmly. “Now, Anna, this might seem strange, but with this horrific case of amnesia I seem to
     have caught, I need a little help in remembering how I talk and act. How does Miss Baxter, I mean, how do
I
behave anyway?”
    “I can give you a lesson in becoming Miss Baxter,” Anna offered hesitantly.
    “Please, maybe that will help spark my memory.”
    “To begin with, you must flutter your eyelashes a lot. Especially around handsome men,” Anna began. “Call everyone ‘dahling.’
     If you like something say, ‘It’s simply mahvelous.’ ”
    “Mahvelous, dahling,” Louise echoed uncertainly.
    “Very good,” Anna replied. “But you have to add a dramatic flourish to everything you say. Remember, you are an actress.”
    “Simply mahvelous, dahling,” Louise said again, with a little more pizzazz.
    “Much better. How do you do?” Anna asked in a posh English accent.
    “How do you do?” Louise repeated like an aristocratic parrot.
    “Perfect! You should be back to your old self before you know it.”
    “Now the most important question, what should I wear? Will you help me get ready?” Louise couldn’t wait to try on another
     one of Miss Baxter’s fancy dresses.
    “I always do,” Anna replied, walking into the closet.
    “Getting ready” was a process that bore no resemblance to Louise’s daily jeans, sneakers, and lip-gloss routine. She gripped
     the bedpost with white knuckles while Anna strapped her into a corset. She was beginning to