Fashion Frenzy (18 page)

T
hough Katani and Maeve loved the hot chocolate from Montoya’s Bakery, they had to agree that Serendipity’s “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” was a scrumptious experience. Maeve pronounced it to be “among the finer things in life.”

They left Serendipity full of sugar and completely exhausted in the best way you can be tired after a day jam-packed with incredible surprises. When Maeve and Katani returned to Michelle’s apartment, they also agreed that they had to tell the rest of the BSG about their incredible day, although they wouldn’t reveal
everything
until they came home. “I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when I tell them about how I asked Simon to dance,” Maeve pointed out. “
And
being interviewed on TV!”

“And I want to tell them in person about how I helped Dina B,” Katani added.

Maeve noticed that Katani didn’t mention modeling in the show as a highlight. Until today, Maeve would have
thought that modeling was the coolest part of the fashion show. But Katani didn’t see it as all that important; she was proud that people actually appreciated her design talents.

Before they could get on the computer and IM the other BSG, Michelle noticed the light flashing on her answering machine. “Better wait a minute,” she joked. “It could be
Vogue
asking Katani to do a layout for them, or maybe it’s Simon Blackstone’s record company trying to sign Maeve onto their label!”

In fact, it was Maeve’s father. “Hi, Maeve,” the message began. “Slight change of plans. Turns out Grandma and Grandpa have tickets for a show tomorrow, so they won’t be around. I thought it would be fun to take Sam and you and Katani to Ellis Island to do some sightseeing. That’s where most European immigrants entered New York, you know. It should be very educational…” Maeve winced at the word “educational.” But Mr. Taylor continued, “…AND fun. So I’ll pick you up tomorrow at ten, okay? Maybe we can even do some shopping later.” Katani’s face lit up at the mention of shopping. “See you tomorrow, honey,” Mr. Taylor said. “I hope you had some time for fun today. Those fashion shows can be a lot of work! Okay, love you. Bye!”

When the message ended, Maeve and Katani glanced at each other and burst out laughing.

“Come on,” Maeve said. “I absolutely can’t wait another second. We have to tell the girls what happened today.”

“Not everything!” Katani reminded her.

“Not everything,” Maeve agreed. “Just enough so they’ll be dying to hear more!”

A Name on the Wall

Mr. Taylor arrived promptly at ten o’clock on Saturday. Katani and Maeve were waiting for him.

That morning Maeve’s tendency to be messy didn’t bother Katani one bit. Maeve was such a good friend, so loyal and fun. Katani couldn’t blame her for not being neat and tidy. After all, not everyone was organized like she was, and Maeve had so many other amazing qualities going for her. Besides, she seemed to have learned her lesson after her “lost in the Big Apple” adventure, and she was clearly making an effort to be more organized. She got up as soon as the alarm went off. She’d even settled on her outfit, a pair of wild striped pants and a white blouse, after only fifteen minutes. And remembering her aching feet from the day before, she gratefully slipped on the comfortable shoes Charlotte had insisted upon. It was small step for mankind, but a giant leap for Maeve.

“Come on, girls!” Mr. Taylor called. “The adventure is about to begin!” Katani and Maeve smiled. If he only knew, thought Katani.

Katani, Maeve, Mr. Taylor, and Sam ate a quick breakfast at a Manhattan deli. “It’s part of the New York experience,” Mr. Taylor said. Within half an hour, they were sitting comfortably on a ferry headed for Ellis Island. Mr. Taylor explained that Ellis Island was where thousands of immigrants from Europe arrived over a century before to seek a better life in America.

The wet wind on their faces and gentle rocking of the boat soothed them as they bumped over the harbor waves. “It’s like flying!” Sam exclaimed gleefully, lifting his face into the spray. “Like being at the controls of a B-29—those were old World War II planes. Three, two, one, blast off!”

Maeve was so elated that she wasn’t in the least bit bothered by Sam’s WWII chatter. In fact, after everything that had happened the day before, Maeve found it kind of cute. She wished her weekend would go on and on. She didn’t even mind that Ellis Island was an educational place…she just hoped it wouldn’t be
too
educational!

“Whoa—there’s the Statue of Liberty!” Sam shouted a few minutes later. Sure enough, the ferry was headed toward Liberty Island, home of the Statue of Liberty, to drop off tourists there. Maeve and Katani stared in awe at the huge, beautiful statue of the lady with the torch who had welcomed so many to the shores of this country.

“Wow!” Katani said to Maeve. “She’s so beautiful. I just never knew that she would be that beautiful.”

Maeve nodded. “And much bigger than you’d expect.”

“Did you know,” Sam said, “that you can climb up to
Lady Liberty’s spiked cap? There are lots of stairs inside. I bet it’s a mile high!”

“And I’ll bet you have to be pretty fit to get there!” Mr. Taylor laughed. “I tried it once—got halfway up and I was wiped! And that was a while ago…when I was still in shape!”

“Well, I’m gonna get in shape so I can run all the way!” Sam boasted.

Mr. Taylor laughed again. “Running, huh? Mighty ambitious of you, son.”

Sam went on, “
Dad
, come on! I’m going to be an Army dude, right? And if you are in the Marines or the Navy SEALS or the Army Rangers you HAVE to run all the way up. I think it’s the law…”

“Okay, Sam,” Mr. Taylor said. “But you might want to do a little more research just to be on the safe side.”

Maeve and Katani smiled at each other. Little brothers could be so weird, but very entertaining.

Twenty minutes later, the motor of the ferry slowed to a low hum. “Here we are!” Mr. Taylor announced. He helped the girls and Sam down onto the dock on Ellis Island. Signs everywhere directed them toward the main building, and they trailed in along with dozens of others.

Maeve groaned when she saw that the signs read: “Immigration Museum.”

“Museum?” she whispered to Katani. “Is that code for ‘boring’, or what?”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Katani whispered back. “I can’t wait to hear about the Museum of Fine Arts adventure.”

“But this isn’t art, it’s history!” Maeve insisted. “My worst subject, next to math.”

She was already worried about the thrilled, absorbed look on Sam’s face as he walked next to her. If Sam loved it, it was a sure bet that Maeve would hate it!

The tour started with a movie that talked about all the immigrants who came on ships, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs, dreaming of a new life here in America. The movie explained about the hardship of crossing the Atlantic and the difference between the wealthy passengers who could afford luxurious suites and the working class people who were crammed four to a cabin and often had to share their quarters with rats. A lot of the time, a family could afford passage for only one person, usually the father, who came to America, worked very hard to save money, and then sent for the rest of his family to join him. This could take years.

Then the movie went on to talk about Ellis Island itself—how it was the port through which the immigrants were processed, how their long European names were often misunderstood and misspelled by Customs officials who stamped their papers, and how consequently, they ended up with new, Anglicized names that were easier to spell but that had never belonged to them before.

Of course, the immigrants had to get jobs as soon as possible, but many were discriminated against in this new home where they hoped their lives would be better. The film showed signs in shop windows: “No Irish Need Apply.”

Maeve looked at the jiggling, black-and-white footage
of the people going through the immigration lines and felt a connection to these people. What did they have except hope? And yet, with nothing but that, they sailed across a dangerous ocean and started from scratch in a country where most of them couldn’t even speak the language, and often the best jobs they could get were in sweatshops where they sewed or did laundry or other menial work for ten to twelve hours a day. They had no unions to protect their working conditions, and the bosses paid their men practically nothing—the children and women even less. Still, they came to America in droves and felt they were making things better for their families.

And they did
, Maeve told herself. She knew that somewhere back in her family was a relative who came to America from Ireland. Suddenly she understood why. And just as suddenly, she had no more worries that this would be a boring day.

When the movie was over, the guide called out, “Come see our Immigrant Wall of Honor! You may even see the name of someone you know.”

“Let’s take a look, girls,” Mr. Taylor invited them. “You know, Katani, Maeve’s great-grandmother—my grandmother—came here from Ireland during the Great Depression in the 1930s. She had a pretty rough time. But I sure am glad she stuck it out!”

They followed the other tourists outside where the Wall of Honor was filled with names. Soon they could hear others oohing and aahing as they found familiar names.

“I’ve got one!” Sam shouted. “Right here, near the bottom!”

He pointed to a tiny line of carving. The others bent down to look. Sure enough, it said “John Taylor.”

“Good, Sam,” Mr. Taylor praised him. “And could you find your great-grandmother, Maeve Reilly?”

This time it was Katani who found the name further down the wall among the Rs. “There she is!” she exclaimed, pointing carefully at the name on the wall. Sam and Maeve put their fingers on it too. It made them feel more connected to the woman who had come all the way from Ireland so long ago.

“Our Maeve was named for her, of course,” Mr. Taylor told Katani as they sat down in the food court for lunch. “In fact, Maeve, I have something for you. I brought it with me hoping we’d have a cance to come to the Immigration Museum so I could give it to you here.”

He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and brought out a soiled envelope. He looked at it for a moment, then passed it across to Maeve. “Here, honey.”

Maeve took the envelope curiously. She had no idea what it was, or why her father wanted her to have it. The postmark on the envelope was written in faded blue ink, and though it was almost illegible, Maeve did see that it was addressed to “Mrs. Reilly” in County Cork, Ireland.

She looked at the return address. In even fainter letters, it said: “M. Reilly, New York, New York.” Maeve felt quick tears sting her eyes. “It’s from my great-grandmother,” she said.

“Yes, it is,” her father said. “It’s a pretty special letter.”

Maeve fumbled with the envelope and drew out a
sheet of discolored paper that seemed very fragile with the passing of time. Carefully unfolding it, she glanced at the cramped handwriting inked across the page, hesitated, and then began: “
Dear Mother, It has been only a month since I arrived here in New York, but it seems so much longer without you. I did not realize a girl of seventeen still needs her mother so much, and having an ocean between us makes it so hard.
”

Maeve shook her head a little, trying to clear out all the emotion. Everyone at the table was motionless, even Sam. Their eyes were intent on her. She took a deep breath and continued reading. “
I have been fortunate to obtain work right away in the same office building as my friend Maud. I clean all the floors below ten, and Maud cleans all the floors ten and above
.”

Katani shook her head in disbelief. “Wow! She was a cleaning woman. And only seventeen…”

Maeve went on. “
Here in New York, my education does not impress anyone. I had to take whatever job I could, and I’m thankful I could get it. It pays five dollars a week, which pays for my room. It’s not much of a room—a sixth floor walkup, cold water, of course, and cockroaches, so many cockroaches—but it’s a roof over my head, and I’m thankful for that, too.
”