2 Maid in the Shade (25 page)

“
Somehow I think you've pulled it off,” I said in wonder. He smiled broadly until I yelled. “I WILL look like a slut!”

“Girl these your
clothes and you thought enough to”... He looked at the tag “–whoooee! PAY for them. Also, it's been too long since you've seen a live slut. Nothing about this says slut. It barely even counts as racy.”

“OK,
” I muttered “but mostly because we are short on time and I won't know anyone there.”

“There you go, now hop in the bathroom or change in front of me you know it don't do nothing for me either way. Then I got to do your hair.”

I stopped wrestling into my clothes and said “What's wrong with my hair?”

He
shrugged and looked at his fingernails. “Wasting time.”

I
shut the door quickly and slipped out of one outfit and into another and did a fast freshening up. I came out without even looking in the mirror and sat in the old leather swivel chair at my desk which served as a makeup table. Jackson turned me around and put some earrings in, then applied makeup quickly and effortlessly to my eyes. “I don't use eye shadow,” I protested when he took out the applicator.

“I noticed.
Where'd you get all this then?”

“Gifts with
mascara purchase” I tried to say as he began applying a lip plumper and glossed my lips. I had only used the plumper once, but I recognized the sting.

I
felt the swift glide of blush across my cheekbones before he went back to my eyes again. He either knew what he was doing or he had downed a couple of red bulls while I wasn't looking. He attacked my hair quickly and I could only hope efficiently, spraying and scrunching it with his fingers. He slid a cuff bracelet on my right arm and spun me around.

I
gazed at my reflection he sure wasn't hopped up on caffeine. I looked terrific.

“Whoa,” I said,
“thank you!”

“
Thank you? Girl by the time you been in that bar ten minutes every one of those men gonna be your bitches.”

I
winked, “Bitches I got. I’m in short supply of a few good men.”

“
You and me both G, now let’s go!” He said enthusiastically.

“Now, hang on can I look at the outfit
?”

“Have you got a full length mirror
?”

“No.”

“Well then you can't right?”

I
slipped into the shoes and we headed downstairs to his jeep, within minutes we were at Mona's knocking on the door.

M
ona answered and inspected us carefully, “Ohhh, we all look fine as frog hair.” Her blush was bright and obvious, her eyebrows looked fierce and it was pretty safe to say that Lucy hadn't had much influence over her clothing choices.

J
ackson shuddered and leaned toward me “She’d scare a pit bull off a meat truck, I’m gonna kill Lucy.”

“
Mona, give me five minutes.” Jackson said and clutching her shoulders pushed her back to her room just as Lucy was emerging from it fighting back laughter.

“
I had no way of controlling Mona on the makeup.” She stopped short; “Holy shit! You look awesome.”

“
Yeah, it's an improvement all right, I've never gone in for too much makeup, but I think I'd like to keep Jackson prisoner in my home.”

“
As long as Mona comes back out and doesn't look like a clown I'll be happy.”

“
You look good without doing a thing.”

“
I'm sexy,” she shrugged.

S
he went into the bathroom and dug around her purse and found some lip gloss and mascara while I watched. Then we went in search of Mona's radio and turned it on a country station to get us in the mood.

F
inally, Mona came out looking better than I'd ever seen her. With her hair full and thicker looking, her makeup toned down and a change of her top she looked great, although not as pleased with Jackson's efforts as I had been. “He came at me like he was attacking a pit fulla snakes,” she grumbled, “Speedy McQueen here gave me the one minute makeover and you got the works. Next time we switch off and you get Lucy. I barely look half as good as you.”

“
Who said I'm ever gonna do this again?” Jackson demanded, although he glowed with pleasure when he looked at the two of us. “Now let's get going before the band starts.”

“
What time is that?” I asked.

“
They usually come on at nine; maybe we can get a table.”

“
Maybe?” I asked, “For goodness sakes. Do people here go out drinking every night of the week?”

“
Bunburry’s is the only place with a live band. Enough people want to go out any night of the week to keep it busy. And,” Jackson added, “they just put in a stripper pole. That’s really popular with the college crowd.”

I
looked at Lucy, and she tried to give me the wide eyed stare of the innocent child.

“
I am not tackling that pole.”

“
Okay, how about if you decide once you get there, if you don't get on stage you can tell me something jaw dropping that you've been holding back.”

“
Do your bargaining in the car,” Jackson said, pushing us out the door. “I'm hoping to meet someone myself but if that fails let's not let my magic on you two go to waste.”

I
n seconds, Jackson was urging Lucy into the shotgun seat of his jeep and then changed his mind and commanded us all to get back out and into Mona's car.

“
I'm not putting the top on and you ladies are not getting your hair messed up. Though I'm ashamed to be seen in this green yacht. There's no help for it.”

“
What's wrong with my car?” Mona demanded, “It is a Mercedes.”

“
What can I tell you Mona? It just ain't cool. We'll go car shopping when you're ready, we’ll wait until Spring Break,” he said as he pulled out of the long driveway.

L
ucy punched him on the arm, “I knew you couldn't stay away from us.”

“
If I meet somebody worth meetin' it will be Lucy Who? ‘Til then I'm stuck with y’all and don't be punching somebody on the arm when they drivin.”

“
Ohhh, listen,” Lucy teased, “gansta Jackson is coming out to play.”

I
interrupted, “Yeah, but before you turn into jaded rapper mode, can you tell me how you learned to do make-up?”

L
ucy turned around to wink at me and laughed, “Do tell Jackson!”

“I work in the drama department.”

Lucy's voice grew more suspicious, “How did you stumble into the drama department all the way over from law school?”

“I think when I changed my major.”

“Dear God! Your daddy is gonna kill you!”

“I know it.”

“When did this happen, what made you do it, does your mother know?”

J
ackson grumbled “Talk about the third degree.”

“
Maybe it’s because it’s your THIRD DEGREE!”

I
recognized her boot tapping on the dash as the sign of one of her oncoming histrionics and touched her shoulder.

“
Let's let Jackson be, there isn't a thing you could or would do about it. Jackson, I'm impressed,” I continued, “it takes courage to follow your own path.”

“
Not when his daddy finds out he's been paying for a path down the yellow brick road!” Lucy exploded.

“
You know what, I think if Jackson set off for New York right now he could make it.”

“
Thanks Gretchen, that’s what my drama coach said,” Jackson beamed.

“
Lucy, you love Jackson. Look at his face.”

S
he glanced over and relented, giving him a smile. “You know I just never want you to leave.”

His
white teeth flashed in the darkness, “Y’all come to my next show at the school alright? I think a debt is owed here.”

T
here was a chorus of agreement.

“
Alright,” he nodded happily as we pulled into the crowded parking lot. He shook his head in satisfaction, “Alright.”

O
bviously we were a bit late even for a Wednesday night, the crowd was eagerly tossing back beer and shots as we made our way to the front over an ancient wood floor. There was a stand where the band was setting up and since the pole was on the far section of the bandstand I expected there would be enough college contenders for it to keep me out of jeopardy.

A
lthough the crowd was surprisingly large the room was spacious enough for dancing as long as you didn't mind close quarters.

“
That there’s Etta,” Mona said grimly, pointing out an overweight woman tightly encased in an outfit which would have been better suited for a teenager.

J
ackson took her in and laughed. “I believe they did buy that crown Mona. Bless her heart, she can’t help bein’ ugly but she could of stayed home.” 

T
here was a table marked “reserved”, a couple tried to sit at it, and a beefy fellow with a kind face shooed them away and nodded over at us.

“
How'd you rate this kind of treatment Lucy? It seems like Jackson's not the only one with secrets.”

“
Oh Rod and I believe in investing in the community, we saw a need...”

“
Good grief!” I said, “You own this place!”

“
Nope, wrong, we gave the McCall boys start-up money, which they've paid back with interest. They're grateful is all.”

T
he bar was an odd eclectic mixture of old school with a scarred but beautiful antique bar, deep blue and green painted walls and ceilings that were embedded with lights and a hodgepodge of antique tables and chairs probably pulled from estate and yard sales. “Very cool,” I said, “but I'm especially happy to see I don't know anyone here,” I laughed.

“
Don't be so sure,” Lucy warned, “everyone ends up at Bunburry’s sometime.”

“
True dat,” said Mona solemnly, and we all burst into laughter.

O
nce the band started Jackson pulled me to my feet and into the center of the room. Among strangers it was anonymous as dancing in a nightclub in Monte Carlo or Austin. Cotillion had taken care of not only a Southern youngster’s grasp of the finer points of social etiquette but a thorough knowledge of dancing with our young gentlemen in every move from the waltz to swing. Jackson was amazing, leading me in steps so easily we almost looked choreographed. The circle around us widened as some people stepped back to watch Jackson and by default; me. We continued through the next song and suddenly Lucy was taking my hand and Jackson had begun to dance with Mona. Mona didn't give a fig what Jackson was doing, she moved to her own drummer and at the moment it looked like she was operating a hydraulic jack.

D
ancing with Lucy was a new experience; it was like a commercial for Lesbian Dance Videos. She shimmied around me almost tauntingly but with a joyful grin that kept her moves just this side of decent. I used some of my own slightly risqué moves just to keep from looking like her personal maypole. But, I reasoned, why not for one night? Lucy had such magnetism I always had to fight off her influence, but tonight I was all theirs. Mona, Lucy, Jackson, I felt like doing them proud. “Look who's let her hair down!” Lucy exclaimed. I shrugged and then began to gyrate a little more and her eyes widened before she grinned and stepped up to catch up with me.

“
Never a better time to tackle that pole there, girl!”

“
Baby steps,” I shouted back over the din. “And what a babe,” a man behind me said, which made my grin all the wider.

J
ackson and Mona began to orbit us and Mona put her hand on my shoulder.

“
You have a fan,” she cackled and cast her eyes over to the corner of the room but I didn't see anyone, just an empty chair.

A
slow song was starting when a familiar voice asked if he could have the next dance. I looked up as my heart plummeted into my stomach, and Lucy let go of one hand as he took the other. “Jared,” I hissed, “way to go on the discretion agreement! Why are you here?”

“
Discretion? You’re a fine one to talk about that. Looks like you and Lucy just outed yourselves as a couple. Besides, you told me you were coming.”

“
I didn’t say tonight.”

“
Sure you did, I got the text.”

W
e looked at each other quizzically before realization dawned on us at the same time.

“
Lucy!”

“
She must have nabbed your phone, I should have realized, you don’t normally talk dirty to me.”