Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing (30 page)

“The rest of us work regular jobs, Scar. I only see the evening news. Sorry I missed it. You should have called to let me know the exact details, I would have recorded it. Congratulations, though. Glad to see it all worked out.”

Scarlet walked around to the front of her car and rested her backside against the hood. “What are you doing tonight that you can’t come? The club is only fifteen minutes from your house. You don’t have to stay all night. I’ll feel stupid if not even one of my family members is here.”

“There’s no way,” said Eliza. “Damon’s boss is a finalist at his work’s sumo wrestling challenge. We’re going to cheer him on because Damon’s up for the head of the East Coast division next month. We’re trying to get on management’s good side. We really need the money from the promotion.”

“Let me get this straight,” Scarlet said, scratching her head with her gloved hand. “You’re missing your only sister’s going-away party to watch your husband’s boss fight in a fat suit? What do you need the money for? Another Escalade? I leave for New York in two days. I won’t be back for months.”

“God, Scarlet, you should have been the middle child,” Eliza snipped. “Mom and Dad plan to visit you there. Do you know I’m about to get fired? I can’t afford to lose another job. Things are hard. We sold the SUVs; now we’re looking to sell the house.”

Scarlet stood up. “Oh, shit, Eliza, I had no idea. I’m sorry. Does anyone know?”

“I’ve been keeping it a secret, hoping for a miracle,” she said, trying not to cry. “You think you’re the only one who has wanted to make Mom and Dad proud? At least you have a talent. Math and design come easy to you and Charles, but not to
me. All I’ve ever wanted was to be like you two. But today my boss told me I don’t have what it takes to be an engineer, and I know she’s right.”

“You should have asked us for help,” said Scarlet.

“I’ve tried, but no one takes me seriously. Dad spends all his time worrying about you. Do you know every night he is Googling Johnny Scissors to get more information?”

“Really, he does? Well… if he overlooks you, it’s because you make your life seem perfect,” Scarlet said. “They’re only concerned about me because they think I’m a flake.”

“I’m going to come clean,” Eliza said. “I do read your blog. Mom does too. And it hurts us that you devote more time to helping strangers than you do to your own family. And if we dare say anything, you get defensive and think we are bringing you down.”

Marco’s words rang in Scarlet’s mind. Was he right about her cutting them off, instead of the other way around?

“I’m sorry, Eliza, really. Is there anything I can do to help? Just tell me; I’ll do whatever I can.”

“You already are helping… by leaving,” said Eliza. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but maybe now Dad will have more time for me. I was going to wait until next week after you’re settled in over there, to talk to him. He’s so good at stuff like this. If anyone can help me figure it out, it’s him.”

So many scrambled thoughts filled Scarlet’s head. She didn’t have a clue what to say. After a moment, Eliza cleared her throat. “By the way,” she said. “Dad asked me to tell you that he and Mom want to take you to the airport tomorrow.”

“OK, cool…”

“You still there, Scarlet?”

“Yeah… I’m here, just taking all this in. I wish we could have talked about it sooner.”

“You never had the time.”

“I know, I’m sorry I haven’t been there. I wish I could give you a big bear hug of support right now.” Childhood memories popped up of when the girls used to share a double bed. They often chattered so loud, their mom would holler from the hallway for them to stop. “Hey, remember when we were kids and used to tell each other everything? We still can. Call me, OK? I promise to drop what I’m doing and talk. Like old times. And I have extra money if you need it!”

“Thanks,” said Eliza. “I’ll be fine. We all want you to focus on the Johnny Scissors school. Whether you know it or not, we’re all cheering for you with glittery signs….”

The women said their good-byes and hung up. Even though her family had valid reasons for not being there and it felt good to have a mini-breakthrough with Eliza, Scarlet couldn’t chase away the disappointment that lingered inside. It wasn’t even about the party or her trip anymore. She missed her family.

As she started walking across the parking lot toward the club entrance, she heard the large squeaky brakes of a minibus. No… a van. Dial-A-Ride.

Scarlet wasn’t the only person outside the club to stop and stare at the van. The creaky doors slid open as the driver hopped out and ran around to set out a footstool.

“Rosa?” Scarlet said under her breath, hoping for a miracle. Joseph had called the other day to say thank you for the cards and treats she and the other sewing group members had left on their doorstep. He also informed Scarlet that Rosa had to leave town indefinitely due to a family matter back home. Could Rosa have heard about the button auction and decided to surprise them?

From the side of the doors of the van, Scarlet watched as two chunky wheels, attached to a shiny red walker dotted with crystals, emerged. Scarlet gasped. She knew that walker—she was the one who’d blinged it out!

“Nana Eleanor!” Scarlet squealed as she darted to the van to help her grandmother climb safely down from the vehicle. Behind her were five other friends, all in walkers as well. “You took Dial-A-Ride all the way from Glendale, Nana? Why didn’t you call me?”

Nana Eleanor stepped to the ground and stuffed a folded dollar in the driver’s pocket. Her friends repeated the gesture. “Thank you, young man, there’ll be more of that if you pick us up in an hour.”

“No, don’t worry,” Scarlet assured him, “I’ll make sure they get home. Thank you for bringing her!”

Scarlet hugged and kissed her nana and then swung around to wave good-bye to the driver. When she looked back, Nana Eleanor and her elderly entourage had already wheeled their way to the club’s concrete entrance. Scarlet caught up. “I feel so awful that no one drove you here!”

“Oh, mija, I called you this week but when I didn’t hear back, I figured you were busy getting ready.”

Scarlet’s stomach flipped from a lightning bolt of guilt. All this time she had been whining about her family not supporting her, when Nana Eleanor had been her number-one cheerleader since Scarlet had picked up her first spool of thread. As Scarlet’s gaze made contact with her nana’s deep-set, espresso eyes, Scarlet thanked God she did not sell any of her grandmother’s precious belongings, including the car.

“I saw you on the news, mija!” Nana Eleanor said, gripping the black rubber handles to her walker. “There I was, holding the winning hand of gin rummy when all of a sudden I heard the beautiful voice of my youngest granddaughter shoot down from the TV set into my hearing aids. I got right up from my chair and pointed at the screen for everyone to see. ‘That’s my granddaughter!’ I shouted. And it just so happened I was wearing the pretty sweater you made me for my birthday….”

Scarlet covered her hand with her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. “Nana, I love you….”

“Hold on, permítame terminar… let me finish. Well, everyone found out. I haven’t seen news travel that fast since Mr. Cuttlebug was caught in the sack with those cleaning-lady twins. From the rec room to the beauty shop and then the coffee area… we all gathered around to watch you. Mija, I’d like you to meet my friends from the resort: Mundo, Tencha, Reymundo, Isabel, and Gordo… we’re your biggest fans!”

Scarlet doubled over with laughter and introduced herself to each of her nana’s friends and hugged them. She graciously welcomed them to her party, then led them up to the ticket window to retrieve the family passes. The ticket clerk handed them over and Scarlet approached the front door to the club, her nana and friends in tow. The buff African American bouncer in the tight black T-shirt winked at Scarlet. “We’ve been waiting for you, Scarlet. Welcome to your send-off.”

He opened the tall black-leather-covered double doors to reveal scores of women and men from all backgrounds and ages cheering as Scarlet passed the threshold. Mary Theresa and Olivia were there to greet her first.

Scarlet’s nerves finally subsided.

“People came!” Scarlet shouted to her nana.

“Of course,” Nana Eleanor hollered back. “To hell with Daisy de la Flora; here comes my granddaughter, Scarlet Santana!”

*   *   *

Two hours later, Scarlet returned to the club after dropping Nana Eleanor and her friends off at the retirement resort. For having silver hair and false teeth, they sure knew how to party. Her nana’s friend Thencha even brought a batch of bubble wands and handed them out to the other guests. And Gordo
fell in love with the velvety voice and plus-size juiciness of lead singer Candye Kane—so much that he even stalked her during the break and flirted with her until she signed his walker.

For the next hour, Scarlet cut loose on the dance floor with Olivia and Mary Theresa.

What a way to end the night! This is how a girl goes out in style!
Scarlet thought. By midnight the crowd had thinned out, but the dance floor remained packed thanks to Candye Kane’s finger-snapping, shoulder-shimmeying, hip-swiveling swing and blues tunes.

By one a.m., Candye finished up her last song of the third set, “Superhero,” and Olivia and Mary Theresa twirled off the dance floor and dropped their achy bodies next to Scarlet, who relaxed in a red padded banquet chair.

“I haven’t danced since high school!” Mary Theresa blurted, slightly tipsy from a recent margarita on the rocks.

Olivia squished the side of her sweaty face in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding. That’s wrong, Maresa—wrong, wrong… incorrect with a capital
I
.”

Mary Theresa let her body fall back limp on the seat next to Scarlet, her arms and legs sprawled to each corner. She blinked a few times, chuckled, and then unleashed rolls of uncontrollable laughs. “You called me Maresa—get it? Mary Theresa… Maresa! Ha! My mother would flip!” Mary Theresa sat up straight and imitated a robot. “I am. Mary. Theresa. Or… I am Maresa!” she said, snapping her fingers across her face like a diva. “I like Maresa. She’ll be my sneaky alter ego. Olivia, gracias!”

“De nada!” Olivia said.

Scarlet held out her hand and read off the list. “It’s the giggle water, the sexy red dress you made—and Daisy’s boots, of course. You’re transforming from the tame Mary Theresa into rowdy Maresa before our eyes!”

Mary Theresa patted her red face with a damp cocktail napkin, called the waitress over, and asked for a club soda with lime and a glass of water. “Oh, I needed tonight. Great party, Miss Scarlet. I had
fun
. F-U-N… fun. This is the first time I rose from the sidelines and actually partook in what I normally dismissed as silly and impractical.”

Scarlet straightened up in her chair. “You need to do it more often. Dancing and cutting loose, they are stress busters. You should bring Hadley! They have the best live bands—blues, swing, R&B, reggae, rockabilly, even jazz. Surprise him.”

The corner of Mary Theresa’s mouth curved up in a bashful way. “I don’t know. Yesterday he told me that he can’t return home for a visit until the week after next. We’ve been talking for two hours before we go to bed. I feel like we’re dating, not married. I don’t know if he’s being a tease or if he truly is stuck at work. It would be fine if I didn’t… oh, I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m not my clear-thinking self tonight.”

“If you didn’t miss him?” Scarlet asked, dragging her chair next to hers.

“Yeah,” Mary Theresa replied. “And I hate that. All of this would be so much easier if I didn’t still love him. We could make a clean split, share the kids, and go on with our lives. Sometimes I wonder if I’d be doing him and the kids a favor if I asked for a divorce.”

“No way. Listen, little bird, I’ve witnessed you cry your soul out over him. This has nothing to do with your marriage or your kids or your family. It has to do with reigniting the flame.”

“Oh, I don’t know…,” Mary Theresa replied. “I feel like I’m being graded; I’m on thin ice. I feel like if I stay perfectly still, he’ll come back, and our lives will continue as if this glitch never happened. I don’t want to rock the boat.”

Olivia and Scarlet exchanged negative head nods and said in unison, “Rock the boat!”

“Mary Theresa,” Olivia started, “do you want for your relationship to continue the way it was? We’ll never forget the first day of class when you were stiffer than a broomstick. Life is too short to live like that, believe me. Plus, you’re glowin’ tonight. You could pass for Sandra Bullock right now in that dress and the bod you got. You’ve come a long way from that woman with the siren cell phone in her pants.”

Mary Theresa couldn’t argue; she thought about that day often. “I really have. Hey, not to change the subject, but you’ll never believe what I’ve been doing these past two weeks—sewing! I bought a stack of vintage patterns at a new antiques shop in my neighborhood. I’ve made all kinds of spring ensembles for Lucy and Rocky, except I followed Miss Scarlet’s rule of thumb and added a special signature touch that is all mine….”

Scarlet whistled. “Meanwhile, back at the ranch…”

Mary Theresa crossed her leg and bounced it up and down, clearly uncomfortable that her marriage was back to being the focus of the discussion. “So, what do you suppose I do?”

“Surprise him with a visit in Palm Springs,” Scarlet said. “Show up in this dress you’re wearing—get it dry cleaned first—and the boots. Tell him you want to make him custom clothing and measure him around the chest, waist, and hips using your arms and hands. Let
Maresa
do the steering.”