antique-looking suitcases and chose one of them. In a glass case near the cash register, she impulsively picked out a beaded coin purse with five old silver dollars inside.
She paid for the goods with Terry’s two fifty-dollar bills. It was good to be rid of the money, of anything that had been that close to Terry’s butt. She stuffed her loot into the suitcase and said goodbye to Miss Bryant a second time. Then she mounted her bike and wheeled off, shifting and reshifting her whimsical cargo into balance.
When she glanced back, Miss Bryant’s hand was changing the sign from “Yes, We’re Open” to “Sorry, We’re Closed.”
Six
Danielle was out, so Lola changed into the green dress, the hat, and the gloves. She leaned back on the bed and stared at one of her arms with a feeling that was new to her. What was this feeling? Happiness? Excitement?
No
, she thought.
It’s delight
. She was delighted. It wasn’t just how the glove looked; it was how it made her feel, like someone marvelous out of a movie, like that Pola Negri woman. She twirled the fake pearls. “Valentino, you were the great love of my life. I fainted at your funeral, you know, twice in fact, maybe even three times, and I wasn’t even faking it,” she was saying aloud just as Danielle opened the door.
Danielle looked at Lola, the blue eyes wide in her bony face. “What’s going on?” She dropped her purse on the bed and moved to investigate. Danielle was always moving to investigate.
Lola yanked off the gloves. “Nothing.”
Danielle scrutinized the old clothes. Lola could almost hear her brain cogs grinding away.
“Does this have something to do with that old yearbook?” Danielle asked, and began to giggle. “Are you trying to be like one of those people in that yearbook? You
are
.”
“Yearbook?” Lola said, turning away from Danielle. She felt a hot blush come over her face. “No.”
“Well, what’s with the dress, then?”
“Halloween,” Lola said casually.
“You’re going as what?” Danielle re-examined the outfit. “An olden-days person?”
“A flapper. From the 1920s. Haven’t you ever heard of the flappers?”
“Then this
is
about the yearbook.”
“Maybe I got the idea there,” Lola said.
Danielle came closer and breathed on her dress. “It’s not a bad idea. In fact, it’s a halfway decent idea. Wish I’d thought of it myself.” She stroked Lola’s hat with her pinky, like it was a new pet. “But I’m surprised you’d want to go to any school dance. You always say that stuff’s for imbeciles.”
“People do change,” Lola said in a tone she thought Pola Negri might employ.
Then Danielle noticed the suitcase open on the bed and inside it the coin purse and the other old garments. “Where’d you find all this junk?”
The word stung. It wasn’t junk.
“Downtown,” Lola said. “In a big thrift store. The Yesterday Boutique, it’s called.”
“Did they have any other outfits like this? I want one, too.”
“No,” Lola lied.
Danielle pulled off her t-shirt and put on the vintage blouse. Lola bit her lip as Danielle struck poses in front of the mirror.
“Don’t rip it,” Lola said.
“And you need all this for one Halloween party?” Danielle demanded, turning to inspect the suitcase and its contents. She opened up the coin purse, took out the silver dollars, and jingled them in her cupped hands. “Wow. How much was all this?”
“Enough.” Lola wrenched the coins from Danielle’s hand and dropped them back into the purse. If only she’d heard Danielle coming she could have hidden everything. But Danielle was so light, so thin. She came and went as softly as a spider.
“Come on. What’s the suitcase for, Lola?”
“I told you.” In truth, Lola didn’t know why she had bought so many things, but felt there was some vital reason, just beyond her understanding. She longed for a diversion: a bolt of lightning, a phone call. If Jared Fantino had appeared in the
She paid for the goods with Terry’s two fifty-dollar bills. It was good to be rid of the money, of anything that had been that close to Terry’s butt. She stuffed her loot into the suitcase and said goodbye to Miss Bryant a second time. Then she mounted her bike and wheeled off, shifting and reshifting her whimsical cargo into balance.
When she glanced back, Miss Bryant’s hand was changing the sign from “Yes, We’re Open” to “Sorry, We’re Closed.”
Six
Danielle was out, so Lola changed into the green dress, the hat, and the gloves. She leaned back on the bed and stared at one of her arms with a feeling that was new to her. What was this feeling? Happiness? Excitement?
No
, she thought.
It’s delight
. She was delighted. It wasn’t just how the glove looked; it was how it made her feel, like someone marvelous out of a movie, like that Pola Negri woman. She twirled the fake pearls. “Valentino, you were the great love of my life. I fainted at your funeral, you know, twice in fact, maybe even three times, and I wasn’t even faking it,” she was saying aloud just as Danielle opened the door.
Danielle looked at Lola, the blue eyes wide in her bony face. “What’s going on?” She dropped her purse on the bed and moved to investigate. Danielle was always moving to investigate.
Lola yanked off the gloves. “Nothing.”
Danielle scrutinized the old clothes. Lola could almost hear her brain cogs grinding away.
“Does this have something to do with that old yearbook?” Danielle asked, and began to giggle. “Are you trying to be like one of those people in that yearbook? You
are
.”
“Yearbook?” Lola said, turning away from Danielle. She felt a hot blush come over her face. “No.”
“Well, what’s with the dress, then?”
“Halloween,” Lola said casually.
“You’re going as what?” Danielle re-examined the outfit. “An olden-days person?”
“A flapper. From the 1920s. Haven’t you ever heard of the flappers?”
“Then this
is
about the yearbook.”
“Maybe I got the idea there,” Lola said.
Danielle came closer and breathed on her dress. “It’s not a bad idea. In fact, it’s a halfway decent idea. Wish I’d thought of it myself.” She stroked Lola’s hat with her pinky, like it was a new pet. “But I’m surprised you’d want to go to any school dance. You always say that stuff’s for imbeciles.”
“People do change,” Lola said in a tone she thought Pola Negri might employ.
Then Danielle noticed the suitcase open on the bed and inside it the coin purse and the other old garments. “Where’d you find all this junk?”
The word stung. It wasn’t junk.
“Downtown,” Lola said. “In a big thrift store. The Yesterday Boutique, it’s called.”
“Did they have any other outfits like this? I want one, too.”
“No,” Lola lied.
Danielle pulled off her t-shirt and put on the vintage blouse. Lola bit her lip as Danielle struck poses in front of the mirror.
“Don’t rip it,” Lola said.
“And you need all this for one Halloween party?” Danielle demanded, turning to inspect the suitcase and its contents. She opened up the coin purse, took out the silver dollars, and jingled them in her cupped hands. “Wow. How much was all this?”
“Enough.” Lola wrenched the coins from Danielle’s hand and dropped them back into the purse. If only she’d heard Danielle coming she could have hidden everything. But Danielle was so light, so thin. She came and went as softly as a spider.
“Come on. What’s the suitcase for, Lola?”
“I told you.” In truth, Lola didn’t know why she had bought so many things, but felt there was some vital reason, just beyond her understanding. She longed for a diversion: a bolt of lightning, a phone call. If Jared Fantino had appeared in the
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