Don't Make Me Choose Between You and My Shoes (12 page)

“Have a seat. Debbie Sue and another person who's here from Texas are at the feeding trough.”

“I can't stay but a minute,” Cher said, casing the room. “I've got a date in half an hour.”

“Oh? Is this a regular date or a business date? Or is that question too personal?”

Cher flipped her wrist. “Nah. I don't care if you ask. It's a business date. I'm business all the time. And speaking of that, I'm going to step into the ladies' room and make a call. Order me a scotch and water, will you? And if a guy comes in wearing a pilot's uniform, would you wave him over?”

“Hey, a date with an airline pilot, huh?”

“He's not a pilot. But he gets off dressing like one. Be back in a second.” She sailed away on four-inch heels toward the ladies' room.

Debbie Sue and Celina returned with plates of hot wings, shrimp, chips, dip and vegetables.

“Wow, who was that?” Celina asked. “She looks like Rita Hayworth in
Gilda
.”

Edwina reached for a stick of celery. “How do you know who Rita Hayworth was? Or for that matter,
Gilda
? Even
I'm
not that old.”

“Granny Dee is a movie buff. Any era, any genre, she's got them all. I've seen
Gilda
, oh, probably a dozen times.”

“Gives me new hope for the youth of today,” Edwina declared.

Celina laughed. “Now, stop it. Who is she? Is she attending the conference, too?”

“She's just a lady we struck up a conversation with the first night we were here,” Debbie Sue said. “She's not attending the conference, but I think she works close to here.”

Not wanting to reveal Cher's occupation to Celina, Ed
wina looked for a way to change the subject. “I wish they had a jukebox in here,” she said.

“Yeah,” Debbie Sue muttered. “Nothing says class and refinement like a lit-up Wurlitzer in the corner.”

Edwina was all set for a comeback when a tall, distinguished-looking man wearing a pilot's uniform came into the bar, stopped just inside the entrance and looked around.

“If y'all will excuse me,” she said, rising from her chair, “I see someone I know.”

The wanna-be pilot was obviously scanning the room. Edwina sidled up to him and gave him a gentle elbow in the ribs. “I can sure see why you'd want to be the pilot. This suit looks great on you.”

He smoothed the front of his jacket with his hand. “Well, thanks.”

Edwina tapped his sleeve. “Do these stripes mean you're the captain?”

“Uh, yes, I'm a captain. I'm looking for my copilot.”

“Oh, I get it. Need someone to help with the takeoff and the landing, do you?” Edwina gave him a knowing grin. “Cher had to go to the ladies' room. She asked me to let you know she'll be out in a minute.”

“Cher? Wow. Cher? She's in the ladies' room? And she mentioned me? Wow.”

Edwina gave him an even bigger grin and a wink. “She sure did.”

A squatty, balding man walked in and stood beside them. Edwina glanced down and saw that he, too, was wearing an airline pilot's uniform, but it was poorly made and unpressed
and his pants were too short. White socks showed above dirty athletic shoes.

Oh. My God
. Edwina swerved her attention from the obvious phony to the real deal. The handsome pilot was wearing a puzzled expression and still looking over the crowd in the bar. “Listen, I've got to get back to my table,” she said to him. “My friends are waiting on me.” Without another word, she quickstepped back to Debbie Sue and Celina.

“What was that about?” Debbie Sue asked. “And who is that?”

Edwina shook her head. “Nothing. Sometimes I just can't get my foot in my mouth quick enough.”

“I'll drink to that,” Debbie Sue said, and took a swig of her beer.

Before Edwina could draw a sip of her Coke, a man's hand touched her shoulder. She looked up and saw the handsome pilot standing there. “You ran away so quickly,” he said. “Does this mean I don't get to meet Cher?”

T
hirty minutes later Celina excused herself to go up to the room and dress for her date with Matt. Debbie Sue and Edwina headed for the exhibitors' room.

Debbie Sue continued to snicker over Edwina mixing up the pilots. “Ed, you just fracture me. Traveling with you is like going with a three-ring circus.”

“Just drop it. It was an honest mistake. Let's go find the Lip, or the Butt or whatever that damn thing is.”

“The Ear, Ed. It's called the Ear.”

“Whatever. Let's check it out.”

The location of the booth couldn't be mistaken. Mounted high above all of the other exhibitors' booths was a plastic human ear, easily six feet tall and a good three feet wide.

“I think I see the Ear,” Debbie Sue said.

“Yeah, me, too. Hah. I'd like to see the other body parts that go with that sucker.”

The short, heavyset man who had given the earlier presentation stood in front of the booth rocking back and forth on his heels. Debbie Sue noticed he had a three-hair comb-over that started just above his left ear and ended above the right one. On a laugh, she pointed it out to Edwina.

“Sheesh,” Edwina muttered. “I should do him a favor and volunteer to give him a haircut.”

The man's face brightened when Debbie Sue and Edwina approached, and he stood straighter and adjusted his jacket. “Ladies. Beautiful ladies. So nice to see the softer gender attending more of these shows. I couldn't help but notice both of you in my presentation earlier today. I see by your badges you are speakers. Comrades.”

He sidled up to Edwina, his head barely reaching her shoulder, and gave her five-ten frame an up-and-down inspection. He arched his brow. “You, in particular, I noticed.”

“And you—”

“Excuse me,” Debbie Sue said, rushing to avert a disaster. “Excuse me, but we'd like to know more about this product.”

The salesman instantly switched to his selling demeanor and gave her a short version of his earlier stage presentation.

“So how much money are we talking here?” Debbie Sue asked.

“This model, with all the accessories, is fifteen hundred.”
He gave her the same lascivious inspection he had given Edwina.

“Ouch. That high? Ed, what do you think?”

“It's more than I thought it'd be. Let's go. I'll bet my cousin can find it cheaper on the Internet.”

“Tell you what I'll do,” the salesman said. “Because you ladies are speakers here, I'll offer you a one-time-only conference special. I'll sell you the product for twenty-five per cent off.”

Edwina began to do the math, figuring with her finger on her palm.

“I don't know,” Debbie Sue said. “That's a generous offer, and mighty sweet of you, too, but it's still over a thousand dollars.” She moved a little closer and lowered her voice. “You see, we did just the silliest thing. We went shopping and spent all our money on frilly things.”

“Oh, my.” The salesman gave a nervous laugh. Beads of sweat broke out on his bare scalp showing through his comb-over.

“We just couldn't pass them up,” Debbie Sue said. “We live in a really small town in Texas and we don't get to see the fancy things they have here. They're not very comfortable, I have to say.” She adjusted her bra strap. “But they were so pretty we blew our budget. Isn't that right, Ed?”

“Uh, yeah, they just jumped off the shelf into our hands.”

The man's pudgy cheeks had taken on a pinkish hue and his face now glistened with perspiration. “Did you buy any shoes?”

Momentarily thrown off, Debbie Sue hesitated but recovered quickly. “Why, you do know women, don't you? Guilty as charged.” She presented her wrist to him. “Lock me up and throw away the key.”

The salesman sniggered and she did, too. She moved closer to him. “Listen, Ed bought the most darling high heels. They're three-inch stilettos, little strap around the ankle, to-die-for red patent leather. Just precious.”

The salesman all but swooned, and for a fleeting moment, Debbie Sue feared she had pushed him too far.

He reached under the exhibit table and came out with a boxed set emblazoned T
HE
E
AR
–2006 M
ILLENNIUM
E
DITION
. “Please, take this tonight and use it. Or try it out for as long as you're going to be here. The product speaks for itself.”

“Gosh, I, uh, we couldn't possibly do that. That's just too generous of you. We still can't afford to buy it, even with the discount you offered.”

“Here's what I'll do,” he said, wiping his head with his handkerchief. “We'll call it a floor sample and I'll offer it at half price. How does that sound?”

“Oh, my goodness. Ed, did you hear that? Half price. Can you believe it?”

“I'm having a hard time believing any of this,” Edwina mumbled.

Debbie Sue shot her a murderous look, then swung her attention back to the salesman. “Tell you what, sugar. We'll take it and try it out. If we think we can use it, we'll take you up on that half-price offer. You'll be here all week, won't you?”

“Oh yes, I'll be here.”

“We'll come back in a day or two and let you know what we've decided. Second thought, maybe we should just return those shoes Ed bought and we'd have more money.”

“No! God, no. Don't do that. You come back to see me whenever you can.” He pushed the product into Debbie Sue's hands.

As soon as they had walked out of the salesman's earshot, Edwina whispered, “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

The salesman's voice halted their steps. “When you come back, could you please wear those red high heels?”

Edwina shot him a toothpaste smile and yelled back. “Sure thing. Just for you.” Turning back to Debbie Sue, she whispered, “I take it back. You're a genius.”

“Yeah,” Debbie Sue said. “It's a bitch being the weaker sex.”

 

Celina relished having the hotel room all to herself, pretending it was all hers. She had never had the pleasure of luxurious surroundings. She had leisurely showered with fragrant soap and washed her hair with some melon-scented shampoo Debbie Sue had insisted she try. As she dried and styled her long black tresses, she noticed their extra sheen under the bathroom lights. Before leaving the bathroom she slathered silky cream all over her body.

She moved out into the room and after much searching found a static-filled country station on the radio. She danced around the furniture as she sang along with Gretchen Wilson's “Redneck Woman.”

Granny Dee had taught her to dance. She had memories
from her earliest childhood of Granny Dee pushing the dining-room table against the wall, then using the open space to teach Celina how to count musical beats and how to do dance steps. Dancing seemed to have come to her naturally and so had her love for music. Apparently, she inherited that from her grandmother.

Picking up the plastic bag with B
ERGDORF
G
OODMAN
stenciled in black, she smiled devilishly. In spite of having lost the three hundred dollars Dewey gave her, the money saved on carfare and having a free room had put a little extra in her pocket. Browsing in such an elegant store and knowing she would never do this again had compelled her to buy something special for the evening. While Debbie Sue and Edwina oohed and aahed over summer sandals and beach thongs, Celina had drifted to the intimates department. She had never owned sexy underwear. Her intimate wardrobe consisted of plain white cotton. Before she left, she had purchased matching bra and panties in lacy black silk.

Her goody-two-shoes side would like to claim innocent motives for the purchase of sexy undergarments instead of perfume or earrings, but the truth was, she wanted to
feel
sexy. She wanted a secret nudge that might push her to seduce Matt. And if that took her to…

Well, the very thought of what could happen made her stomach tighten.

Having grown up in Dime Box and having never lived away from Granny Dee's home, she had been a late bloomer to much that her peers took for granted. Sex was almost as foreign as the streets of New York City. Matt had led her to
feel comfortable on these strange streets. Perhaps he might lead her to feel comfortable in other areas, too.

She dropped her robe and stepped into the black thong panty, then put on the matching bra. She hooked the front closure, stepped in front of the dresser mirror and caught her breath at the sight of her reflection. She almost didn't recognize her own body. The thong made her long legs look even longer. Strategic padding in the bra pushed up her breasts and gave her cleavage. Her waist appeared to be smaller.

Oh, good grief
. How did women walk around and function normally knowing they looked like this under their outer clothing? She drew a deep breath. Could she do this? What she was thinking was so out of character for her. Then she remembered kissing Matt at the door last night in the most carnal of kisses. That had been out of character, too. Instantly she decided there were worse things in life than being out of character.

“Don't waste your life being ordinary,” she murmured to the woman in the mirror.

The only voice that came back was Gretchen Wilson's.

 

Edwina and Debbie Sue had just left the elevator and started up the hallway to their room when they spotted Celina walking in their direction, dressed casually in white cropped pants, black mules and a black ruffled blouse, its low cut showing off enhanced boobs. She had a discernable lightness to her step.

Edwina was stunned at how striking their new friend looked. Why, New York models had nothing on Celina
Phillips. Before Edwina could voice a compliment, Debbie Sue said, “Damn girl, you look hot. What have you done to yourself?”

Celina giggled and bounced to a stop. “I do?”

“Is that a new outfit?” Debbie Sue asked.

“Well, not exactly. I brought it in Austin a while back.”

“Well, I don't know what you're proud of,” Edwina said, “but you got a strut in your gut, a swing to your gate and there's more fortitude to your attitude.”

Celina laughed. “I'm going to miss you guys so much when I go home.”

“Our doors are open all the time,” Debbie Sue said, “but call ahead. Don't forget that Ed invited the whole bar to come stay with me and Buddy when we get back.”

“You're meeting Matt at the fountain?”

“Yes, I am. I'm so excited. I've never seen a professional basketball game. In fact, the last basketball game I saw was the Dime Box High School boys. They went to bi-district my senior year, but had to drop out when one of the players got mono.”

“At least y'all had five to play,” Edwina said. “Not bad for a town as tiny as Dime Box.”

“And now you're off to Madison Square Garden with thousands of other fans to watch a pro game,” Debbie Sue said, smiling. “Aren't we lucky to be able to wake up in this world every day?”

“I'm definitely the luckiest girl alive,” Celina said. “What are y'all doing this evening?”

“There's karaoke in the hotel bar at eight,” Edwina said. “I've been wanting to do that, but I've never wanted to embarrass Vic. After that, we're back here.”

“Maybe an in-room movie,” Debbie Sue added.

“Sounds fun. Y'all have a good time.” Celina waved and started toward the elevator doors.

“You, too, shug,” Edwina said. “And if you happen to get your hand on the ball, don't double-dribble.”

Debbie Sue gasped. “Ed! Cut it out.”

 

Double dribble
? Celina gave her a weak smile, unsure of the meaning of that expression. But given Debbie Sue's scolding, it must be naughty. She waved again as she stepped into the elevator.

Looking up, watching the numbers descend, she was struck with the same fear as last night. What if he wasn't there? What if, after some time to think about it, he decided not to show? It wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't, but it would be the end of her newfound sense of self. Her fear began to grow and by the time the doors opened, it took all she could muster to leave the car.

 

Entering the room, Edwina spotted a piece of fluorescent green paper on the floor, a color not easily overlooked. It was too early for the bill and she doubted a place as classy as this would print it on bright green paper anyway. She picked it up and read the message in bold red lettering: K
ARAOKE
T
ONIGHT AT
8
P.M
.
IN THE
B
AR
. $250 P
RIZE
!

Damn, she could use that money. With an additional two
fifty, she could buy those Jimmy Choo shoes she had passed up today.

“What is it?” Debbie Sue asked, glancing at the message. “You weren't serious about karaoke, were you?” She tossed her purse on the bed.

“Yeah, kind of. I've always wanted to know how I sounded with honest-to-God musical accompaniment. Don't you want to?”

“Ed, we give our presentation tomorrow. We need to concentrate on that.”

“What's to concentrate on? We've already written it. Twice. All we do is get up and read it.”

“We can't just stand there and read from the notes. We can only
refer
to the notes. We can't read them word for word.”

“I wasn't planning on doing that. I know my part. I don't need to practice.”

“I'm not so confident. Just go over it with me once. We could order room service and turn in early. Doesn't that sound good?”

“Do you want my honest answer, or a responsible, mature, serious-as-all-get-out adult answer?”

Debbie Sue laughed. “The adult, please.”

“Fine. Let's practice the speech, order supper, give each other a manicure and turn in early. Happy?”