Texas Gal
by  C. Sprite
© 1999

 

Chapter Six        New Friends

I awoke at dawn not knowing where I was at first. Then as I came fully awake, I realized that I was still with Auntie. I was lying on my back, while Auntie was on her side, nestled against my body, with her arm over me and her head on my shoulder. I lay like that for several minutes, enjoying the closeness of our bodies. Then I turned my head and kissed her on the cheek before working to slowly extricate myself from her without waking her. I went to my bedroom and took a long warm bath, then dressed in a creme colored dress with a slightly flared skirt, and lace collar. I put on a pair of matching pumps with two-inch heels. I moved everything from the purse I had carried yesterday to a matching clutch purse and added a pair of matching gloves. I found a darling hat and put it with my purse. Then satisfied with my appearance in the mirrors, I went down the hall to the kitchen.

 I put on my apron and made a pot of tea after turning on the oven and setting the table. Then I made fresh OJ, and mixed up some cornbread muffins. After I sliced up some fruit, I cooked bacon and got out the eggs. I put the muffins in the oven and sat to wait for Auntie. I had just removed the muffins and set them to cool when she came in. I went over to her, threw my arms around her and gave her a big kiss. She hugged and kissed me back as I said, "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Good morning, dear. Why are you so happy this morning?"

"I don't know. I just feel good. I slept very soundly last night in your bed, and just woke up feeling good. Breakfast is almost ready. Sit down and drink your juice. Over easy and pumpernickel?"

"Yes, dear," I carried a plate of muffins to the table after turning up the heat for the frying pan and quickly made the eggs and toast. I carried the plates of eggs, toast and bacon to the table. I placed the plate in front of Auntie and said, "You ordah mademoiselle. I hope you enjoy. Zank you for dining at Café Darla."

"My favorite restaurant," she said.

As we ate I asked, "Where do we go for services?" I asked.

"There's a small Baptist church about 15 minutes from here that I attend. I think that you'll like it. It's Christianity without all the constant Latin and 'stand up, kneel, sit down' of the Catholic Church."

"Those are the two things that I always disliked. Not being able to understand what the priest is saying during the mass, without a degree in Latin, and then the constant movement. I understand the constant 'stand up, kneel, sit down' movement though."

Auntie looked at me and said, "You do. Tell me because I never understood it."

"Well, since the congregation can't understand what the priest is saying, except during the sermon which is in English, people would fall asleep if they just sat there being bored. So the constant movement keeps them participating and thus involved in the Mass. They are less likely to start snoring in the church." 

Auntie looked at me for a second, then smiled, then started to laugh.  When she was composed again, she said, "I think that you're right. There were many times that I would have nodded off if we hadn't had to change our positions so frequently."

We finished eating and Auntie went to bathe and dress while I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I changed the tablecloth and after dumping the crumbs, folded it and put it with the other soiled tablecloths and aprons in the pantry. I went to my bedroom, touched up my makeup, put on my lipstick, and after putting on the hat that I had selected, picked up my purse. Auntie was coming out of her bedroom as I was and I said, "I'm starting to get a collection of soiled tablecloths and aprons in the pantry. Where can I wash them and hang them up to dry."

She led the way over to the cleaning closet and showed me a hole in the wall with a swinging flap door. "Just drop everything to be cleaned down that chute and it falls into a cart in the cellar. Come on, I'll show you where it goes."

She led the way to the elevator, we got in, and she pressed the 'B' button. As the elevator descended slowly, she told me that there is also a stairway with the entrance door being inside the walk-in pantry in the large kitchen. When the elevator stopped, we got out and stepped into a hallway with a single dim bulb like a nightlight. Auntie flipped several wall switches next to the elevator door and a long corridor lit up. I followed her to a door, than she opened it and stepped into the darkness. But only for a second. She flipped on the wall switches and florescent lights brilliantly illuminated the room. I saw three large capacity washing machines and three commercial dryers against the wall. There were several worktables and a half-dozen laundry carts. I saw the chute extending down from the ceiling where the soiled linens would drop into a laundry cart. "There's another closet down the hallway where things from the large kitchen fall into a cart so that it can be wheeled down to here." There was an enormous sink against the far wall and a rack with soap, bleaches and other cleaning supplies. We left and returned to the elevator turning off light switches as we went. We stepped into the elevator but only went up to the first floor since we were both ready to leave. We keyed the intruder alarm code in, and walked to the garage.

In 15 minutes we were at the church. It was a small wood frame structure, very intimate inside compared to the enormous Gothic, stone structure that was St. James, in New Jersey. Everyone was very friendly, and Auntie introduced me to everybody as her niece from back east who would be staying with her from now on. I enjoyed the service and was introduced to the minister afterwards. He was a friendly, older man who in turn introduced me to his wife. That took me aback for a second as priests in the Roman Catholic Church take a vow of celibacy. He said that he hoped that I would join the church and be baptized. I told him that I had already been baptized as an infant. He said that their doctrines require an adult to be baptized once they reach an age where the adult can make their own decisions about religion. But I still had a couple of years before then he said. He hoped that I would continue to attend services there. We thanked him and returned home. On the way home I thought about how Auntie had introduced me to everybody at the service. Now that everybody knew ME, it was going to be difficult for David when he returned, but I didn't want to mention to Auntie.

It was a beautiful spring day and Auntie asked me if there were anything I would like to do. I told her that I would like to see the outbuildings when she had the time. She told me to go change into something a little more durable and she would take me around. We went upstairs and I put on a denim skirt, with a matching denim blouse that had white lace fringe hanging around the bust and shoulder blades. I put on my black cowgirl boots and a black cowgirl hat. I took a pair of black leather gloves also. I met Auntie in the hall as she came from her bedroom. She had on a pair of jeans, boots, a flannel shirt and a cowgirl hat. She had a pair of well-used, leather, work gloves tucked into her belt. She said, "I expected you to put on a pair of jeans."

"I don't have any in my new wardrobe."

"Well, we'll have to get you a few pair. They come in handy on a ranch. You can't wear skirts when you have something messy to do, and there are no men around. It's Okay for us women to dress like men once in a while. Nobody in Texas is going to make fun of you if they see you wearing pants occasionally. People will still know you're a woman. Our shapes always seem to give us away." We both giggled.

 I had been in the garage before but now she took me on a full tour. There were actually 10 separate bays. One contained a white 1957 T-Bird that had belonged to Gabby. It was covered with a tarp and sat up on blocks to preserve the tires. I went over to it, lifted up the tarp and rubbed my hand on the red leather upholstery. I said, "It's beautiful. I've always loved this model. The lines were so distinctive."

Auntie said, "You really like it?"

"I love it. Could I maybe drive it someday when I'm old enough?"

"Sweetheart, when you're sixteen, it's yours."

"Oh Auntie, really?"

"Really. But not until you're sixteen."

"I can hardly wait. Thank you, Auntie. You're so good to me. I love you."

"And I love you, dear. Now let's keep moving. Lots to see." There was an old Dusenberg touring car that Gabby had almost finished restoring and a 1962 Ford pickup truck. The other bays were empty except for Auntie's Cadillac. Next, we walked through the stables. Twenty stalls, ten to a side, lined the walls. Each was spacious, about 12' x 12.' I could image them filled with horses once upon a time. She showed me the hayloft, now empty, and a tack room with several saddles, bridles, leather supplies, and tools still lining the walls. There was also a large barn for storing more hay, feeds and grains. Last on our tour was the aircraft hanger. It was enormous and she said that it could accommodate three planes. The runway in front of it was five thousand feet long. We walked along it as she pointed to various points on the horizon and told me how far our property extended and who owned the adjoining lands. The asphalt runway was long enough to allow any corporate plane to land and takeoff. She and Gabby had had two planes, but she had never learned to fly and she sold them after Gabby passed away. Occasionally, a business associate or client would fly in so she kept the runway maintained. The tour had taken three hours and since it was getting close to lunchtime, we headed back to the house.

When we got back to the house, Auntie said, "Since I'm dressed like this I may as well do a couple of things that I've been putting off. I have to check the car's fluids and things. You know, the oil, transmission, brake fluid, and that stuff." She started to put her gloves on and I said, "Okay, I'll start lunch." I went upstairs to the kitchen and put on an apron. I took out the chicken that we had bought yesterday and washed it as I cut it up. I arranged the pieces in a deep pan lined with aluminum foil and put several small dabs of butter on each piece. Then I sprinkled on Italian flavored breadcrumbs, completely covering each piece. Lastly I closed up the foil to seal in all the moisture, and put it in the oven that I had pre-heated to 375 degrees. In 50 minutes it would be ready. I got out most of the ingredients for the rest of the meal but didn't start preparing them yet. I went back downstairs and sat in a rocker on the back porch that overlooked the garages. I rocked and watched as Auntie worked on the car.

 After about 10 minutes, I went inside and made a pitcher of lemonade. I filled a glass with ice and lemonade and carried it to the garage. Auntie took it gratefully and kissed me saying, "Thank you, dear." After she drank it, she said, "I'll have to teach you to do this one of these days. It's important to maintain your car. I knew that it's an icky job, that the men usually do, but since we have no men, we have to it. Every woman should at least know HOW to do it."

"Yes, Auntie. Next time that you do it, I'll stay and watch."

She finished and after closing the hood and the garage door, we walked back to the house.

She removed her gloves and went into the kitchen to wash up. I walked upstairs and began to make the rice. Using chicken broth instead of water, plus a few other ingredients in small measure, such as a tiny diced onion and some spices, I put the rice on to cook. I made a salad and cooked some fresh broccoli. Some Bisquick biscuits finished the menu. I had brought up the pitcher of lemonade that I had made. I set the table and started putting the serving dishes on it. The smell from the chicken was making me hungry. I removed it from the oven, along with the biscuits, and verified that it was cooked. Auntie came in and walked over the counter where I was dishing up the chicken. She tickled me on my sides and I almost dropped the spatula.

 "Stop that," I said giggling, "you know how ticklish I am."

"Yes. I'm sorry," she said, "I just couldn't resist." She went to the table and sat down as I brought over the platter of chicken, and a platter of biscuits. I sat down and we said grace.

"Honey," she said, "everything is delicious. This chicken is outstanding. Where did you learn the recipe? Your mother?"

"Yes. I've always enjoyed it like this, and watched her prepare it often. It's really simple to make." I told her how I did it. After lunch, I started to clean up as she went to change from her jeans. I wrapped and put away the leftovers, then washed the dishes. I changed the tablecloth and swept the floor. When she came back, she was wearing a pretty summer dress. She said, "Would you like to call your mother?"

"Oh yes, Auntie, I would love to talk with Mommy. It's been more than a week."

"Okay, let's go into the office so that we can use the speakerphone." Auntie dialed the number of Mother's telephone in the hospital. Auntie had arranged for her to have her own line, instead of going through the hospital switchboard.

When Mother answered, Auntie said, "Hello, Liz, it's Kathy. I'm here with Darla Anne. We're on the speakerphone, so we can both hear you."

"Hello my darlings, it's so nice to hear from you today. The girls told me that you both called on Friday."

"Hello, Mommy, how are you?"

"I'm coming along, honey. How's my lovely daughter today."

"I'm fine. Auntie and I are getting along wonderfully out here."

"That's great darling, are you minding you aunt?" Auntie spoke up,

"She's wonderful Liz. I told her that I wish she were mine. I don't know how I ever got along without her. She's taken over most of the cooking and cleaning since I've been so busy getting caught up with my work. She insists that she can handle it, and she proves it every day. You should be very proud of her. You've taught her to be quite a woman."

"I am very proud of her, and all my daughters. They are the joy of my life. I want to get better as fast as possible so that we can get our lives back together. Darla Anne is special though. All my daughters are intelligent, but Darla Anne is the brightest. In addition to her other talents, she is also a wonderful little actress."

"I've had a sample of her talents. Her ability to talk like a Texan after only a week is superb. And her French and British imitations are hilarious. She astonishes me with some new talent or ability almost every day."

"I'm glad that you're getting along so well. It eases my mind that my girls are being well cared for, and are not being a burden."

"Anything but, some days I feel like she's taking care of me. I told her that the man who marries her is going to be a very lucky man indeed."

"Darla Anne, are you taking your vitamins every day?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"How are you getting by with clothes?"

"Fine, Mommy. A friend of Auntie's has bought me a whole wardrobe."

Auntie explained that a wealthy neighbor had taken a liking to me. "Mabel Moore is a lonely widow. Her husband passed away a number of years ago and she lost her only child. She's taken an interest in Darla Anne and enjoys her company."

"That's wonderful, it looks like I won't have to worry then. Your sisters are going to be jealous about all your new clothes."

We talked for another hour, until a nurse came in and told mother that it was time for her sponge bath. We said our good-byes, and we told her how much we loved her and were anxiously awaiting her arrival in Texas.  

Since it was such a gorgeous day, we walked outside and sat on the porch, enjoying the gentle, late spring breezes. We talked about the services of this morning, the ranch, and horses. Anything and everything. After several hours, I went in and made another pitcher of lemonade, and returned to the porch with it and two glasses. We sat on the porch enjoying each other's company and the tranquility of the day until the sun was only a memory in the horizon. I picked up the empty pitcher and glasses and took them inside.

Neither of us wanted a big meal, so I made grilled cheese sandwiches, with a fruit cup for desert. After dinner, we watched TV until bedtime. I dreamed only pleasant dreams that night about spending time with my sisters in a park. I overslept a little. The sun was above the horizon when I woke up, so instead of hurrying my bath, I went straight to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. I made tea and fresh OJ. I made a pot of hot porridge, corn muffins, set the table and cut up some fresh fruit.

Everything was cooked and ready to eat when Auntie came in. She was dressed for work already. She looked at me and smiled, "Oversleep?"

I nodded, "Just a little."

"Sweetheart, it's okay for you to sleep in. I don't need a hot breakfast every morning."

"Auntie, you have your job and I have mine. Yours is to take care of running the company and provide a home for us. Mine is to take care of you as well as I can, and a hot breakfast is important. Mother always told us that a hot breakfast wakes you up and gets you ready to start the new day. I want to do that for you when I can."

"Thank you, sweetheart. You're really spoiling me. Most businesswomen I know are always saying that what they need is a wife so that they can concentrate on their business. They'd be jealous if I told them about you and how well you're taking care of me."

"I can't think of anybody to whom I would rather be a wife, than to you."

"Okay, wife, lets eat breakfast." She reached out and tickled my sides. I screamed and then giggled. We sat and had breakfast while she told me whom she was meeting with on this day and why. Then she grabbed her briefcase, kissed me and hurried out, saying that she'd be home at 6 o'clock.

Instead of cleaning up right away, I returned to my bedroom and enjoyed a long hot bath. After I bathed, I inspected my body in the full-length mirror as I had seen Auntie do. My chest was still irritated but did not appear to be getting any worse. The nipples seemed to be larger than I remembered. It had to be the soap. I would look in the laundry room today to see if I could find a different brand. My backside was getting bigger as Dr. Clark had said. Maybe I should start jogging every morning. After examining my body, I inspected my face and tweezed a few hairs in my eyebrows. Then I put on my undies and made my face.

I went into my clothes room to decide what to wear, and spotted the corset that Auntie had loaned me. I decided to give it a try again. I put it on over my camisole and attached the busk in the front. I pulled on the laces, alternating first with the top and then with the bottom, until they were evenly tight. When I could pull no more, I tested and found that it was not as tight as Auntie had laced me. I looked around for a way to pull it tighter. I looped one of the laces around a doorknob and walked away from it. While the doorknob was pulling one side I pulled on the other. It worked. When I had tightened it as much as I dare, I stopped and wrapped the laces around my waist and tied them in a bow. I walked stiffly around the room until I got used to it. Then I put a full slip on over the corset. I decided to wear the same full denim skirt and blouse that I had worn with it last time. I put on the two-layered petticoat and then the skirt and blouse. Fortunately, I had put on my nylons already. I would never have been able to put them on while wearing the corset. I stepped into my black cowgirl boots and put on some perfume.

I decided to see how functional I could be with the corset on. After all, most women wore them every day a half-century ago. I went to the kitchen, put on a full-length apron, washed the dishes, and swept the floor. I picked up the dirty tablecloths and carried them to the laundry chute. Spotting the vacuum cleaner, I took it out and vacuumed the hallway, my bedroom, Auntie's bedroom, and David's bedroom. Then I vacuumed the stairs and the theatre downstairs. I returned the vacuum to the closet. I stopped for a few minutes to get my breath steady again. I was getting used to the corset and having less trouble with it. I pulled the cleaning cart, which was in the closet, into Auntie's bathroom, and using the cleaners, rags, and brushes that I found on it, I cleaned her bathroom until it sparkled. I replaced the towels and washcloths in her bathroom with clean ones from the cleaning closet. I dropped her old ones down the chute. Then I changed her bed linen and I dusted and polished every surface including all her mirrors. When I was done the bedroom sparkled like her bathroom.

It was lunchtime and I was feeling a little a little winded, so I put the cleaning cart away and went to the kitchen. I selected a piece of chicken leftover from yesterday's lunch and an apple. After eating, I felt invigorated again, so I returned to the cleaning closet, took out the cart and cleaned my bathroom and bedroom as I had done to Auntie's. Then I did the same with David's, even though he had only used them for two days. It was only 3 o'clock so I went down to the laundry room and washed everything that I found in the laundry cart. With all three washing machines running, I went back upstairs. I had found a bottle of mild liquid soap so I put that in my bathroom to try later on my undies. I went into the kitchen and took everything out of the refrigerator and discarded anything that was spoiling. I wiped down all the shelves and interior, and replaced the food. I took the elevator to the basement and put the wash into the dryers and started them. Then back to the kitchen.

I took the leftover pot roast from the refrigerator and diced it, then replaced it in the refrigerator. I cried my eyes out as I finely diced two onions and stored them in the refrigerator also. I went to the laundry room and folded the tablecloths, aprons and linen. I used a laundry cart to bring everything upstairs, then returned it. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost 5 o'clock. I went to the kitchen and peeled ten potatoes, dicing them and dumping them into a pre-heated frying pan where I had already placed three cups of water. When the potatoes were soft, I added the onions, and the pot roast along with its gravy that I found in the refrigerator. I added a little more water, salt and pepper, a few of my favorite spices, and put the top on the frying pan. I mixed up some Bisquick biscuits and got out a frozen package of 'peas and pearls.' I timed the vegetables, and biscuits to be ready right at 6 o'clock. I made a pot of tea and set everything on the table.

Auntie came in a couple of minutes after 6 o'clock. I was waiting by the kitchen door when she came in. I threw my arms around her neck, like I had seen my mother do with my father, and kissed her on the lips. She started to hug me and then realized that I was kissing her lips. She pushed me back, holding onto my arms, and when I saw the expression on her face, I started laughing uncontrollably. "Darla Anne Drake, what are you DOING?" she said. 

I finally managed to slow my laughing because the corset was making me lightheaded from lack of oxygen. "Mother always told me that that was how a 'wife' should greet her 'husband' each night."

She obviously remembered our conversation of this morning because she got a mischievous smile on her face, pulled me back to her, wrapped her arms around me, and bent me over as Gina had done, and kissed me.

When she straightened me back up, I was flush, out of breath, and wobbly on my knees. "Thank you, dear, that was very nice" I managed to croak out.

"My pleasure, dearest. Is dinner ready, wife?"

"Yes, my husband, all ready. Please sit down and I will serve you."

I scooped up some of the pot roast 'stew' onto a plate, added some peas and pearls, two biscuits, and placed it in front of her. When I had done the same for myself, I sat down and we said grace. Auntie looked at the mixture in front of her. Sniffed at the aroma rising from it and tasted it. A smile formed on her face. "Sweetheart, this is delicious," she said.

"Just something I threw together from leftovers, dear. I'm glad that you like it."

"I love it. Is this the pot-roast from the other day."

"Yes. I wanted to use it up before we had to throw it away. I cleaned out the refrigerator today. I hope that you don't mind leftovers. I know that some people won't eat them."

"I'll eat them everyday if they all taste as good as this."

"I'm pleased that you like it."

As we ate, she told me about her day. When she had recounted all of the day's events, she said, "I see that you decided to wear the corset today. How are you doing?"

"I've been wearing it all day. I was most uncomfortable at first, but have gotten used to it. I find myself a little short winded at times but I'm doing fine."

"It's probably not tight enough. They have a tendency to loosen. They have to be adjusted after you've had it on for a while. I can do that for you after dinner."

"Okay."

When we had finished our meal and had our tea, Auntie got up and said that she was going to change out of her suit. She picked up her briefcase and went to her bedroom.

I cleared the table and washed the dishes. I dumped the crumbs from the tablecloth in the trash container, and put a clean tablecloth on. After I swept the floor, I turned off the light and picked up the dirty tablecloth. I carried it down the hall to put it down the laundry chute. Auntie came out of her bedroom in her gown and robe as I approached the cleaning closet.

She put her arms around me and hugged me. "My rooms look wonderful. It must have taken you hours. Thank you my love."

"Nothing is too good for MY husband," I said as I smiled.

She smiled back and noticed the tablecloth in my hands. "Dirty laundry?"

"Yes, I'm just going to put it in the chute."

"I can imagine how much has accumulated during the past week. I'll run down now and wash it."

"No need. I did it this afternoon."

"Darla Anne, is there anything that you didn't do today?"

"Only the things that I'm saving for tomorrow," I said.

She squeezed me with a hug and said, "you're a marvel. I hardly know what to do with myself when I'm at home these days. You've taken over all my chores."

"Just being a good wife to my husband. Take your pipe and slippers and go read your paper, dear."

She grabbed me and started tickling me, "Pipe and slippers, eh?" I screamed and tried to get away from her but I couldn't. I ran into the only open door in the hallway, her bedroom, and she chased me around the room until she cornered me and renewed her tickling attack. I laughed and laughed, until I got so light-headed I couldn't stand up from the lack of oxygen. The corset had prevented me from getting the air that I needed. She saw my condition and stopped tickling me. "Take it easy and just breathe normally. Come lay down." She helped me to the bed and pulled me up onto it. After about five minutes she said, "Okay, your color is back. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tickled you so much and chased you while you're wearing your corset. You got a case of the 'vapors.' Insufficient oxygen. Quite common a hundred years ago."

When I was fully recovered, I slid myself to the edge of the bed and struggled to get up. We walked downstairs and watched TV until bedtime. When we came back up, she came into my bedroom and helped me to take off my clothes and remove the corset. We kissed goodnight and she left. I removed the rest of my clothes and performed all of my nightly rituals. Then, wearing just my panties and a full slip, I put the corset back on. I used the doorknob to help me tighten it. I remembered that Auntie had said that I must wear it almost 24 hours a day if I was serious about training my waist. I turned off the light and climbed into bed. It took me quite a while to fall off to sleep that first night. I dreamed that I was in the coils of an enormous boa constrictor and woke up just as I thought that it would crush the life out me. The sky was starting to lighten in the east so I rose and removed the corset.

I bathed and prepared myself for the new day. I put the corset back on and tightened it as much as I could. I put a housecoat on over it instead of dressing and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Auntie came in dressed for work and we ate. Before she left, she tightened my laces to a point where I could barely breathe. I now knew from experience that they would loosen a bit as I wore the corset so I suffered until it felt comfortable. I went to my bedroom and finished dressing, then cleaned the kitchen. I had seen a roll of shelf paper in the pantry, so I spent the rest of the morning cleaning the kitchen cabinets and replacing all the paper lining the shelves and drawers. When I was finished, it was still well before noon, so I did the pantry also. For lunch I heated some of the chili that Auntie and I had put into the freezer. She was right. It tasted even better reheated.

After I cleaned up, I didn't know what to do with myself. I walked downstairs to the library and found an interesting novel. I had read several chapters when the doorbell rang. I answered the front door and found Grandma standing there. She said that she had seen Aunt Kathy who had told her that I would be home alone today and she wondered if I would like some company? I threw my arms around her, hugged her, and told her how happy I was to see her, and that she was always welcome. She came in and we went upstairs to make some tea.

 As we enjoyed our first cup she told me that I really looked wonderful in my corset. I thanked her and told her that I had been wearing it now for a day and a half. "Oh Darla Anne, you shouldn't wear the same corset for so long," she said. "You should be wearing a sleeping corset at night and alternate your daytime corsets so that they can be cleaned and also get a chance to breathe."

"This is the only one that Auntie had, so I'll have to get by until she can take me to get some made. Grandma, I thought that you were going to Europe this week."

"I postponed my trip by a few weeks so that I could lend my support to our environmental cause. Europe will be still there when I get there." I giggled at her comment. We talked for about an hour and then we went outside for a walk in the beautiful spring weather. We walked around the outbuildings and then returned to the porch.

We sat in the rockers and talked for hours. She told me of her life from the time that she was a small child. The things that she had done would fill volumes if a biographer were to set them down on paper. She told me of her company's operations and how she managed to oversee it all and still find time to enjoy life to the fullest. "The secret is to find good people, and motivate them by letting them share the profits when the business is making money. That way they feel like they are a part of the business and work very hard to make it successful. They really treat it as if it was their own business." She told me that she personally selected all managers from mid-level management up. She always tried to hire from within, and would not go outside unless absolutely necessary. Fortunately, she had very little turnover and this gave low-level managers a chance to learn, and be ready to step up when a vacancy occurred. I gained a real appreciation for her business acumen. 

As the afternoon's shadows started to lengthen, Grandma said that she had to be going. I invited her to stay for dinner, but she said that had a previous engagement. She said that she would like to take a rain check though. I told her that she was welcome anytime. Before leaving, she invited me to lunch the next day at her house. I told her that I would love to but that I didn't have any transportation. She said that she would have me picked up around 11:30.  We kissed and then she left. I waved as she drove away. I walked upstairs and cleaned the tea things and then started dinner. I found a recipe for Chicken Casserole in the cookbook and decided to prepare that.

Auntie arrived right on time and as she stepped into the kitchen, I threw my arms around her and kissed her like I had yesterday, hoping to surprise her again. But she turned the tables on me, and took me totally by surprise, by immediately bending me backwards and kissing me. When we separated, I said, "Welcome home, dear," and giggled.

She giggled also and said, "That's the nicest greeting that a husband could ever receive."

We laughed and hugged, then sat down for dinner. I told her that Grandma had come over today and we had spent the afternoon together. I told her that I was going over there for lunch tomorrow. She told me that Grandma had dropped off the oil rights contracts today at her office, and a survey crew would start working next week. After dinner, Auntie rose from her chair, came around behind me and hugged me saying, "Delicious meal, honey. Thank you." While she went to change from her business suit, I cleaned the kitchen.

When I turned off the kitchen lights and walked out the door, Auntie greeted me. She was standing there in men's clothing, with a paper under her arm, men's slippers on her feet, and a pipe in her mouth. I tried not to smile but couldn't help myself, and as I looked at her, I began to laugh. She held it in as long as she could and then she began to laugh also. We fed off each other's laughter and were soon laughing so hard that tears were running down our cheeks. As we regained our composure I took a tissue from my pocket and dabbed at my eyes. Then rather than handing it to her, I put my arm around her waist and I dabbed her eyes myself. We walked down to the theatre with our arms around each other waist and instead of sitting in our usual chairs, we sat together on a small settee. She put her arm around my shoulders and I snuggled next to her as we watched the broadcasters nightly offerings. At bedtime we walked upstairs together, said goodnight and went into our own bedrooms after a cheek kiss.

I still felt warm all over from the close contact of the evening as I undressed and performed my nightly rituals. I put the corset back on before I got into bed, and then I snuggled under the covers wishing Auntie was there to hold me close again. I feel asleep and dreamed of being kissed deeply and passionately but I could never see who was kissing me. Sometimes I thought it might be Auntie, but other times I thought it might be Gina, and still other times I thought it must be the British officer who had saved me from the sinking ship.

I woke with the first rays of the sun on my face and lay there thinking about my dream and wondering who I wanted to have kissing me. I rose, bathed, dressed and went to make breakfast. Auntie came in, said, "Good morning, honey," kissed me lightly and sat down. When we finished breakfast, Auntie rose, and before leaving, told me to have a good time at Grandma's today. She added that she would be home at 6 o'clock, as usual.

I cleaned the kitchen and thought about what I should do until 11:30. I went and got some notepaper from Auntie's desk and wrote a note to Mrs. Robison, the Cub Scout den mother. David had never returned the money that she had loaned him at the theme park. I wrote the letter as if I was he, since I knew that he would have written the note but he had forgotten before he had to leave on his trip. I apologized for not repaying her sooner. I told her that recent events had temporarily pushed the obligation from my mind. I hoped that she would forgive my tardy repayment and I thanked her for the kindness that she had extended to me. I signed the letter 'D.A. Drake', and put two dollars in the folded note before sealing it and addressing the envelope. I would ask Auntie to mail it for me tomorrow. I retrieved the romance novel that I had begun last week, the day that I had met Grandma, and read until it was time to go.

At 11:25, I set the intruder alarm and walked out onto the porch to wait. I sat and rocked in the warm June breeze until a large black Cadillac limousine pulled up in front of the porch. Charles, Grandma's butler, stepped out and opened a rear door for me as I approached the car.

I smiled and said, "Good morning, Charles."

He said stiffly, "Good morning Miss." I wondered if he objected to having to come get me, or if that was merely his usual demeanor. He closed the door behind me and resumed his place as chauffeur. As we drove to Grandma's, I tried to engage him in conversation but he answered all my questions with monosyllable replies. I continued trying until we pulled up at her residence. He opened the car door for me and offered his hand to assist me as I stepped out. I thanked him and smiled at him again. He led the way to the front door of the house and opened it for me. After I entered, he walked ahead of me to the veranda and announced me, "Your granddaughter has arrived, madam." Grandma rose from her chair and came to greet me as Charles left.

"Darla Anne, you look lovely today."

"So do you Grandma. Thank you for inviting me over."

"I'm so glad that you could come. I can see that Charles is beginning to warm to you already."

"Are you serious, I couldn't get him to say two words together on the trip over hers?"

"Didn't you see the smile on his face?"

"No," I giggled, "I must have missed it."

"Well, take it from me, he was smiling. Compared to his usual expression, that is. Charles is a very proper butler. He's been with me for over twenty years so I guess that I understand him. He tries very hard to be stiff and impersonal at all times, and he never gets upset or even mildly 'ruffled', at least not in public. But he's a dear, and absolutely indispensable."

Charles came to the doorway and announced, "Mrs. Wallace and Miss Stone have arrived, Madam."

Grandma walked over to greet the newcomers. Mrs. Wallace was about Grandma's age, about 60 to 65. Grandma said, "Barbara, how nice to see you again."

"Mabel, it's been too long." They cheek kissed and Mrs. Wallace said, "And this is my granddaughter, Karen."

"Karen, welcome to my home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Moore."

"And this is MY granddaughter, Darla Anne," Grandma said as she took my arm and gently pulled me forward from where I had been standing slightly behind and to her left.

"Hello, Mrs. Wallace. Hello Miss Stone."

Mrs. Wallace said, "Hello my dear. May we call you Darla."

"Yes, please."

Her granddaughter said, "Hi Darla. Please call me Karen."

"Okay. Hi Karen."

With introductions completed, we sat down at the table. Mrs. Wallace sat on Grandma's right and I sat on her left. Karen came over and asked if she could sit next to me. I smiled and said that I would love having her sit with me. She smiled and sat down on my left.

For a few minutes we listened as Grandma and Mrs. Wallace talked, then slowly we struck up a conversation between ourselves. I learned that Karen was eleven like myself but about six months older. She lived in Tucson, Arizona with her parents and older brother. Her parents were in the import/export business and had just left for the Far East on a buying trip. She and Michael were staying with Grandma until they returned.

"You're done with school already?" I asked.

"Yes, our last day was Friday. Aren't you?"

"Well yes, but my school is still in session. I was allowed to finish early because I was moving here to Texas."

"You're not from Texas. You sound like you've lived here all your life."

"Thank you, I've been trying to blend in. But no, I'm not from Texas. I'm originally from New Jersey. Up there I would sound different." I dropped the Texas drawl that I had been using since Saturday and spoke in my New Jersey tongue. "In Nu Jarsey, evrabody kinda tawks like dis. It's kinda a cross between da way dey tawk in Philidelphia and da way they tawk in Na York." I changed back to my Texas drawl, "But noow that ah live in Tech-sis, I wannt to blend in heyah."

Karen sat looking at me with her mouth slightly agape until I finished, then she started to laugh uncontrollably. Grandma and Mrs. Wallace stopped talking and looked concernedly at us. Karen started coughing and I started to get concerned. I got up to slap her on the back but she got herself under control.

I sat back down as Mrs. Wallace said, "Karen, dear, are you all right?"

Karen smiled, "Yes Grandma, I'm fine, thank you. Darla was just showing me the differences between the way that people talk in New Jersey and Texas. Darla, that was marvelous. I loved it. It was so funny."

Grandma and Mrs. Wallace relaxed back into their chairs, now they saw everything was all right, and resumed their conversation.

Karen said, "Why are you moving down here?"

I gave her a brief rundown on the events of the past two months, glossing over the tragic parts to avoid depressing the conversation as much as possible. She offered her condolences over my father's death and said that she hoped my mother would get well quickly. I thanked her and changed the subject. I asked her how long she would be here. She said that her folks were usually gone for at least a month and they had just left yesterday. I could see that she missed them already. Charles came to the doorway and nodded to Grandma. She waved him out, whereupon he emerged with the cook and they served lunch. After lunch we continued to sit and talk on the veranda. Sometimes we talked in pairs and sometimes we talked as a group. The afternoon passed quickly. When Mrs. Wallace and Karen got up to leave, Karen asked her grandmother if I could come over to visit at their house. She said that that would be lovely and I was welcome anytime. Karen asked me if I could come tomorrow. I told her that I would love to come, but that I had a transportation problem. We exchanged phone numbers and she said that we would work out the details somehow.

After they left, Grandma said that she was glad that Karen and I had gotten on so well. Mrs. Wallace loved her granddaughter's visits, but felt that she needed more companions her own age when she stayed here. I told her that I had enjoyed talking to Karen a lot and looked forward to seeing her again. I thanked Grandma for introducing us. We talked for another half-hour. Charles came out to remind Grandma of another engagement and said that he was ready to take me home. I thanked Grandma for a wonderful afternoon and told her that I hoped I could come again. She said that she wouldn't have it any other way. We kissed and I left with Charles.

I chatted with Charles all the way home. I talked; he listened. Every once in a while he would utter a monosyllable answer to a direct question. When we arrived at the house, he walked around and opened my door. I got out, gave him a big smile, and thanked him for picking me up and returning me. He looked at me and said, "My pleasure, Miss." Then he turned, got back in the car and departed. Remembering what Grandma had said, I think I did see a hint of a smile. I opened the front door and keyed the access code in the keypad. I hurried upstairs, put my things in my room, and rushed to the kitchen.

I barely had time to get dinner ready before Auntie arrived home. I cooked up half a pound of elbow macaroni. I mixed this with two cans of lentil soup that I had heated. I put it into a serving dish and sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on it. A salad with fresh dressing, fresh biscuits, a pot of tea, and sliced honeydew melon completed the meal. Auntie came in as I finished putting everything on the table. I jumped into her arms and gave her a big kiss.

She said, "I thought that I would be making dinner tonight. I expected you to still be at Mabel's."

"Nope, I had to get home and fix dinner for my husband."

As we ate I told her about meeting Karen and Mrs. Wallace, and about lunch at Grandma's. She told me about her day, the people that she met with and things that they had discussed. I told Auntie that I was sorry for the poor entree at Café Darla tonight, but I had gotten home late. She said that everything was delicious and I had nothing to be sorry about. I gave her the note that I had written and asked her to mail it for me tomorrow. She put it in her briefcase and promised to post it in the morning.

After the kitchen was cleaned we went to our bedrooms to put on our nighties, and then we went down to the theatre to watch TV until bedtime. TV offerings were poor so we decided to go upstairs early and turned the TV off. As we walked upstairs we started talking about getting my horse. There was a major horse auction this weekend and Auntie said that we could go. We went into her bedroom to talk about it and climbed upon her bed. She started telling me about how to select a horse, what to look for, and what to look out for. As before, I snuggled with her as she shared her knowledge with me. We talked for a long time and must have fallen asleep. I awoke the next morning with Auntie laying half on top of me. I was on my back with my right arm trapped under her body. Her face was right next to mine and her right leg was across me. Her scent filled my nostrils. I lay there for a long time savoring the touch of our bodies. I turned my face and kissed her. She mumbled something and shifted her position so that I was able to slide out from beneath her.

I went to my bedroom and took a long hot bath. Then I got dressed and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Auntie came in, all dressed for work as usual. She had an early appointment so she rushed through breakfast, kissed me and hurried out. I finished my breakfast and cleaned the kitchen. In want of something to do, I started reading the preparation instructions on every box and can of food in the kitchen. When the phone rang, I ran to answer it. It was Karen and she wanted to know if I could come over today? I told her that I would love to but that I didn't have any transportation. She said that her grandmother had gone out, but that she was working on that. When she worked it out she would call me back, probably in about an hour. I told her that I would wait to hear from her and we hung up. I continued my review of cooking instructions and when I had read every package, box, and can, I decided to go down to the library.

As I wandered towards the library, I changed my mind and went instead to the sewing room. It appeared that Auntie hadn't done much sewing recently. Probably since Gabby passed away and she had assumed the reins of the business. I sat at the sewing machine and looked at all the controls. It looked very complicated. I found the owner's manual in one of the drawers in the sewing table and followed my way through the introduction, which told about all of the machine's parts. I practiced threading the machine until I could do it easily and felt comfortable with it. I found some scraps of material in one of the drawers and practiced some very basic stitches. At about 10:30 the phone rang. I went into the office and found out that Karen had arranged for their gardener to pick me up. I gave her the address and a description of our front gate and she said that he was leaving immediately although neither of us had any idea how long it takes to get here.

I turned off the sewing machine and went upstairs to get ready. I was wearing a soft denim skirt and pink blouse. I took off my pumps and put on my white cowgirl boots. I put on my wristwatch, a couple of bracelets, and my earrings that had the little prairie schooners dangling from them. I stepped into some perfume and grabbed my white cowgirl hat. I stepped in front of the mirror and saw that I looked like I was "ready for a hoe-down" as Auntie had said once before. I wrote out a note for Auntie, and taped it on the intruder alarm keypad where she would be sure to see it if she came home before me, and I went out onto the front porch and sat in a rocker to await my ride.

In about 10 minutes a car pulled up in front. It was an old Buick with a short Asian looking man driving. He leaned over and pushed the passenger door opened as I approached. He said, "Miss Dar-rah?"

I said, "Yes?"

"Miss Karen ask me to pick you up. Please come in. I am Mr. Wang, Mrs. Warrace's gardener."

I got in and pulled the door closed. Mr. Wang drove back down the driveway and turned left at the gate. I asked him if he had any difficulty in finding the gate and he said "No" and offered no further explanation. I asked him how long it would take to get to the Mrs. Wallace's home and he answered "Twenty minutes" and clammed up again. Another Charles I thought. So I decided to ask him about gardening. I knew almost nothing about it so my questions were very basic. I managed to get him started and then his passion for gardening opened the floodgates and we had a non-stop conversation until we reached the Wallace residence. I thanked him for ride, and he offered to show me around the gardens whenever I desired to see them. I thanked him again and told him that I would come at my earliest opportunity, then I walked to the front door.

As soon as I rang the bell, Karen opened the door and said, "Darla, I'm so glad that you could come." We embraced and kissed, then she said, "I'm sorry that I didn't go with Mr. Wang to pick you up but I thought it better that he drive alone. I had to damage two of his rosebushes while trying to 'help' him before he suggested that I do something else. I told him that since my girlfriend had no way to get here, that I had nothing else to do, so I was going to help him ALL day. He asked if he might be permitted to pick up my friend so that I wouldn't feel lonely. He would consider it a 'favor' if he could do this small thing. I thanked him and gave him the directions to your house, but after he left I really felt guilty about damaging his roses. I'll have to find some way of making it up to him."

"He seems very nice and really loves his gardens. Probably, if you just let him show off his pride and joy, and complement him on them, he'll forget all about the damage that you caused. He invited me to come see them later. We could both 'schmooze' him a little, then."

"What's 'schmooze'?"

"You know, 'kiss up', smooth ruffled feathers, repair damaged egos, and restore harmony."

"Darla, you're right. We'll 'schmooze' him later in the garden. God, that sounds terrible. It sounds like we're going to smooch with him."

"Well, if it's somebody that you care for, then smooching becomes a part of the schmoozing." We both started giggling. 

Karen took me on a tour of the house. It was a comfortable two story wood frame with five bedrooms on the second floor. It also had a live-in servants quarters on the first floor that was occupied by the cook/housekeeper. While she was showing me the downstairs, her brother Mike came into the house and she introduced us. He was about 5 foot 6, with brown hair and brown eyes. Fourteen now, he had just completed his freshman year in high school. He looked very strong and physically fit. I thought that he was cute and very masculine. I smiled at him when we were introduced and he blushed a little as he took my hand and said hello. He tagged along behind us as we continued the tour.

We stepped out into the rear yard and I saw workmen laboring in an empty swimming pool. "It's being repaired," Karen said, "They think that it might be ready to use in about two weeks." Karen pointed out the gardens where Mr. Wang was working, and the barn where the horses used to be kept. "I wish that Grandma still had them, like when I was small. We could go riding. She got rid of them a couple of years ago. She said that with nobody to ride them and exercise them, they were just standing around all day eating and getting fat."

The cook told us that lunch was ready, so we sat at a table on the back porch and ate bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and drank lemonade. After lunch, I started to organize the table to clean up, but Karen stopped me by saying, "Darla, just leave that. Cook will get it."

We went back inside and sat in the 'parlor' as she called it. In New Jersey we called it the living room. Mike tagged along and sat with us. So far he hadn't said anything since 'hello.' Karen and I talked about our schools, clothes, and shopping. I told her about my sisters and how they were still back in New Jersey.

Mike spoke up, "You're from New Jersey, I thought that you were from Texas. You're dressed like a Texas girl, and I always thought that people from back east talked funny."

I looked at Karen and she started laughing. Mike flushed a little because he thought that she was laughing at him.

"I used to talk like I was from back east," I said, "but from living out here so long, I now talk like people here."

"Oh. How long have you lived here?" he asked.

"A little over a week and a half," I said.

He looked at me, flushed, and said, "Now I know that you're trying to make a fool of me. Nobody changes the way that they talk in a week and a half."

Karen said, "Michael, Darla isn't trying to make a fool of you. She is perfectly serious. She showed me. That's what I was laughing about, thinking about yesterday at her grandmother's house. Darla has the ability to switch accents like you can switch hats. Darla, show him."

So for the next few minutes I talked only with a "New Jersey" tongue. I gave the same little speech that I had given yesterday and then expanded on it to stretch my talking time out. When I was through, Karen and Mike broke up in a fit of hysterics.

When they had regained their composure, Karen said, "Well Michael, you owe Darla an apology for getting angry before."

Mike said, "I'm sorry, Darla, I never met anybody who could talk different ways like that."

"Michael, I'm sorry that I caused you to think that I was trying to make a fool of you," I said. "I would never do that to you or anybody else. I just enjoy play-acting. My small ability allows me to blend in better. That's why I talk like a Texas girl now." I switched voices again and gave a little speech as a member of British nobility. Karen and Mike laughed heartily. Then I went through my Scottish, Irish, Cockney, and French voices before finishing with my Spanish accent. Karen and Mike were beside themselves with laughter. I was having a ball entertaining and causing so much mirth. David had never tried to entertain this way, fearing ridicule, but I was having a ball. When they had composed themselves, they told me how funny I was and how much they enjoyed it. They asked me if I had lived in all those places, and I told them that I had picked up the voices from watching old movies on TV.

After I finished 'entertaining' we decided to play a game. We settled on scrabble and set up the board on the dining room table. At first, I was doing really well, but Mike was way behind in points and getting frustrated so I started using only simple words with very low values and he soon passed me. He brightened up considerably and had the most points when the game ended. We put the game back in the box and talked about what we should do now.

Mike said, "Let's play 'Spy' or 'Black Rock.'"

Karen said in a stern voice, "No, Mike. Absolutely NOT." Then softening, she said, "Besides, Darla and I have to go talk to Mr. Wang to make up for my damaging a couple of rose bushes earlier. Should we go now, Darla?"

"Okay," I said.

Mike started to follow us and Karen told him that this was something that we had to do alone since it was an apology. He understood and looked at us with puppy dog eyes and said he'd see us when we got back.

We walked out the back door and into the garden. Mr. Wang was working with the rose bushes. "Do you like Mike?" Karen asked. I said that I liked both of them very much and was very happy to have them for friends. She said, "No, I mean do you like Mike as a boy, like in boyfriend. He sure likes you, I can tell. And you letting him win in scrabble made me think that you liked him."

"You think that I let him win?"

"Of course. In the beginning, you were really racking up the points. Then all of a sudden you started using idiot words with low values, and he caught up and passed you in points. You can fool a boy but not another girl."

"Boys NEED to win. It's in the blood. If it makes them feel good, and if it doesn't hurt us girls, then let them be 'top dog.' We know the truth."

"I knew it, you 'schmoozed' him."

"Guilty, now let's schmooze Mr. Wang, together."

Mr. Wang greeted us as we approached. I put on a big smile and told him how beautiful 'his' garden was. Using the gardening knowledge that I had picked up in the car ride over, I fed it back to him as I raved about his roses. Karen joined in telling me what a wonderful gardener he was and that he should be entering his roses in competitions. She told him how sorry she was that she had damaged his bushes earlier in the day, and he held up his hand and told her that it was all right, that no real harm had been done. He said that he had pruned the bushes a little and all sign of damage was gone. He took us on a tour of the garden pointing out the different varieties of roses and other flowers and shrubs. We 'oohed' and 'ahhed' as he pointed out the different roses and flowers. He beamed with pride at our praise. And the praise was not just gratuitous, the garden was a work of art, and Mr. Wang was the artist. After about 45 minutes, we thanked Mr. Wang for the tour and told him that we didn't want to waste any more of his time. He told us that he enjoyed showing us around and we were welcome anytime. He was grinning from ear to ear when we left to return to the house.

As we walked to the house, I asked Karen, "What's 'Spy' and 'Black Rock'?"

"Just games that we play with the other neighborhood kids back home. Would you like to come up to my room?"

I let her change the subject and said "Sure. Let's go." 

Mike saw us as we walked back inside, and started to follow us. When we got to Karen's door, she put up her hand. "Girls only, big brother."

He looked very disappointed and turned and walked into his own room. Karen showed me around her room. I saw her makeup table with the eyeliners and mascara and said, "Mother doesn't allow me to wear eye makeup yet."

"Mine also, but I can practice with them as long as I don't leave the house wearing it. I was only allowed to start wearing basic makeup when I turned eleven. Before then, nothing, not even lipstick."

"Same here, except I was allowed to start a month before my birthday," I said. She showed me her clothes and started holding up dresses in front of me. She told me how good I would look in this one or that one. We were almost the same size.

After we had looked at everything in her closet, we sat on the floor and looked at her records. I asked her to put some on and she told me that the only record player was downstairs. She said the Mike had a portable transistor radio. Maybe she could borrow it. I said why don't we just take the records downstairs? So we each picked up a small stack of 45's and headed downstairs. Mike must have heard us come out because he was following us before we reached the bottom of the staircase. Karen loaded up the 45's on the console record player and started it. Karen and I started to dance to one of the rock and roll tunes, while Mike just stood and watched. When the first record ended and the changer was dropping the next one down, I said, "Mike, why don't you dance with us? You don't need a partner for these songs."

"I don't know how to dance."

I went and took his hand and pulled him to the middle of the room. "Just do what we do."

"I don't want to dance like a girl."

"There is no boy and girl way of dancing to these tunes except that girls move in a more exaggerated way. Just dance a little more subdued than your sister or me but basically do the same things. In dances where girls hold their arms higher than their waists, guys normally hold theirs at or below their waist. Okay?"

"Okay."

After about six songs a slow dance came on. I looked at Karen and noticed a slight smile on her lips. So I went to Mike and showed him how to hold his arms, and stepping back about two feet so that only our hands were touching, showed him how to slow dance. It took almost the entire song before he started to get it. We separated when the song ended and I thanked him for the dance. The next song was a slow one also so I looked at Karen and said, "Would you like to offer some instruction now."

"No, you're doing great, keep going. So I danced another slow dance with Mike. He got much better now that we were over the initial hurdle. The song ended and we separated. I thanked him and complimented him on his progress. I told him what a quick learner he was. I started to turn away when another slow song started. I looked at Karen. She was barely containing herself. So I turned back to Mike and he raised his arms to take mine. I told him that now that he was doing so much better, we could move a little closer. I had him put his right hand on my waist while I put my left hand on his shoulder.  He stepped on my toes three times during the dance but it didn't hurt because I was wearing my boots. After the song ended, we separated and I thanked him for the dance. The next record dropped and it was another slow dance. I looked at Karen and she was grinning widely now. Mike smiled and put up his arms for me, but just then Mrs. Wallace came in.

Mike dropped his arms as his Grandmother walked into the room. We said hello to each other. She said it was so nice that I could come for a visit, and it looked like we were getting along wonderfully. She asked if I would be staying for dinner and I thanked her and told her that I had to be getting home. Karen asked her if she could take me. She said that she would be happy to. Just let her take care of a couple of things and we could go. She walked out of the room and Mike took my arms to finish the dance that we had never started. He was better and didn't step on me once. When the song ended we separated and I thanked him for the dance. I told him he was an excellent dance partner and good pupil. He grinned broadly and thanked me for showing him how much fun dancing could be. Karen turned off the record player and we went to get our purses.

Mrs. Wallace came back and said, "Ready, girls?" We nodded and then we all walked out the door. Mike followed behind us and Karen giggled and squeezed my hand. When we got to the car, Mike opened the rear door for us. We got in and he closed it. Then he got in the front passenger seat. While we rode, we told Mrs. Wallace what we had done during the day. She remarked again that she was happy that we girls were getting on so well. Karen asked if I could come over again tomorrow. I told her that I would see and we could talk about it later on the phone. Mrs. Wallace had been to my home before and had no trouble finding the driveway. When we reached the top of the mesa and Karen saw the house, her eyes widened. "Wow. That's a big house," she said.

"You get used to it, I guess," was all I said. I thanked Mrs. Wallace and said good-bye to her and Mike. Karen and I kissed, promised to talk later, then I got out, and they left. I waved until they were out of sight over the edge of the mesa. I walked inside and put my things in my bedroom, then went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

As I washed the chicken and arranged it in the roasting pan, I thought about the day. Karen reminded me of my sister Susan, with the mischievous way that she had put all those slow tunes on the record player. I had enjoyed dancing with Mike even if he was just learning. I knew that he would get better and it would even be nicer to dance with him. I wanted him to get good enough so that we could dance close. I could put my arms on his shoulders and he could put his strong arms around my back as he pulled me close to him and lead me around the dance floor. I thought about dancing with Gina all those weeks ago. That was nice, but dancing with Mike was nice too. I felt confused but didn't know why.

I placed a spoonful of 'Creme of Mushroom' soup on each piece of chicken. After sealing the foil in the roasting pan and placing the pan in the pre-heated oven, I cooked a rice dish that I had found in the cookbook, cooked a package of frozen corn, made a salad and dressing, biscuits, tea, and lemonade. With the table set, I started placing the food on the table a few minutes before six. When I heard the front door, I put the serving platter of chicken on the table and stood by the door. I waited for several minutes by the door but Auntie didn't come in. Then I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Auntie must have gone into her bedroom first. I waited until the door opened and then I jumped up and threw my arms around her neck. Or rather, HIS neck. I screamed and jumped back.

The man walked into the kitchen, and I backed up, starting to panic. He smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Frank Kelso. A friend of Kathy's. I'm sorry to have startled you. We tried to call earlier but you didn't answer the phone. By the way, that was a heck of a greeting."

I just stood there and stared at him and then Auntie rushed into the kitchen. "Is everything all right?" She looked at me and saw that I was trembling.

Mr. Kelso said, "I'm afraid that I startled her. Of course, she startled me a bit too."

Auntie came over and embraced me. "Oh, I'm sorry honey. I should have come into the kitchen first and warned you that we have a dinner guest. We tried to call before, but we couldn't reach you."

I recovered my composure and said, in a still shaky voice, "I'm sorry to have startled YOU Mr. Kelso. Welcome to our home. Please, dinner is all ready. Let's sit down and eat."

Auntie pointed to a seat for Mr. Kelso to take, while I got a full place setting for him and then I took my seat. Auntie said grace and we started passing the food dishes around. Mr. Kelso tasted the food tentatively at first, then smiled, and set upon it with gusto. He complimented my cooking as he took a second helping. I told him that it wasn't anything fancy, just an everyday meal. He said that to a bachelor, an everyday meal was hot dogs and sauerkraut; this was a special meal. I told him that I was pleased that he liked it.

Auntie said, "When I told Frank that my eleven year old niece would be cooking, I think that he envisioned peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches."

"You're not far off, Kathy. Actually I was thinking canned spaghetti, and baloney sandwiches."

I giggled and said, "Oh Mr. Kelso, we only have that on Mondays."

He stopped eating and stared at me for a second.

"She's kidding, Frank," Auntie said.

He smiled and resumed eating. Auntie said, "We really only have that on Tuesdays."

This time he knew that we were kidding and it didn't faze him.

Since I hadn't made anything for desert, when I finished eating I went to the refrigerator and got out a cantaloupe and a honeydew melon. It only took a few minutes to make fruit cups using a melon ball tool. I washed and added some fresh strawberries, after I cut them in half, and a couple of halved maraschino cherries. I took out the mixer and whipped up some heavy cream, that we had in the refrigerator, after adding powered sugar to it. I spooned this on top of the fruit. Many people don't feel that their meal is complete until they have something sweet to eat. I gauged that Mr. Kelso was of that type.

Over tea, Mr. Kelso said, "Okay, I'm convinced. I saw her make this delicious desert right in front of me, without prompting. I believe that she cooked this entire delicious meal and was not even expecting company." I was confused. I looked at Auntie.

"I told Frank what a wonderful cook you are, and how you take such good care of me," Auntie said. "He expressed doubt that an eleven-year-old girl could be that mature. I did try to call you, to at least warn you that we would have one more for dinner, just to make sure that there would be enough food."

"I was over at Mrs. Wallace's visiting Karen. I only got back at 5 o'clock."

Frank said, "Now I'm even more impressed. You put this whole meal together in less than an hour?" 

"It's just chicken and rice."

"And modest too. Oh, if you were only forty years older, I'd propose."

I smiled, and said, "Why would you want a wife ten years older than yourself?"

He started laughing and said, "Darla Anne, you're wonderful. A terrific cook, beauty, and charm too. The heck with it. Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I said, "but it will have to be a very long engagement. I'm not even allowed to date yet."

He and Auntie both started laughing. I just giggled.

"Frank and I have some work to do," Auntie said. "Will you be okay here, sweetheart?"

"Of course, Auntie. You both go do what you have to."

They got up and went downstairs to the office. I cleared the table, washed the dishes, and swept the floor. I went to my bedroom and, after getting Karen's telephone number from my purse, I called her from the new bedroom phone that Auntie had given me to plug into the wall connector. We talked for about an hour and I invited her over to visit with me tomorrow. I told her that if she could get a ride over, then I was sure that Auntie could bring her home after dinner. She said that she would call me in the morning once she figured how to get here. We said goodnight and hung up.

I went back to the kitchen and brewed a pot of tea and a pot of coffee. I put them on a tray, along with cups, saucers, spoons, milk, sugar, and honey, and carried it down to the office. Since the door was open, I just walked in and put it in a clear area on the conference table. Auntie and Mr. Kelso stopped talking and looked up.

"Coffee and tea. Pick your poison. I'm retiring for the night. Mr. Kelso, it's nice to have met you. I wish you both a goodnight."

They said goodnight to me and I left. I performed my nightly rituals and then made sure that everything was neat and tidy in my bedroom, bathroom and clothes-room. Since I expected to have company tomorrow, I wanted it extra neat for the first impression value. When I was satisfied, I went to bed. I dreamed about horses and riding that night. I awoke at my usual time with the sun just barely visible on the horizon.

After a good hot soak, I got dressed and was ready to greet the day. I went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. Auntie came in dressed and ready for work. She looked a little tired and I commented about it.

"Frank and I worked very late last night. We're setting up the work plan for the survey crew who will be working on Mabel's big ranch next week. Since they're starting on Monday, and today's Friday, we had to have it ready for the meeting today. Honey, I want to tell you again how sorry I am about last night. I know that Frank's sudden appearance in the kitchen really frightened you. I felt so bad about not warning you when I saw you trembling last night. I work with Frank all the time, and I am so used his presence that I forgot that you didn't know him. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Auntie. I was just startled because he was a stranger. I've completely forgotten about it."

"That's my girl. What are you going to do today?"

"Karen is going to come over if she can get a ride. Can you take her home after dinner if she can get here?"

"Of course, sweetheart. I'm glad that you've found a friend out here. I'm looking forward to meeting her." Auntie finished eating and picked up her briefcase. "I have to rush, dear. I have that survey crew meeting this morning. See you at 6." We kissed and she left. I cleaned the kitchen and went to read some more of the book that I had started last week.

About 9 o'clock, Karen called to say that she was on her way. Cook was going to drop her off on her way to go grocery shopping. I told her that Auntie would bring her home after dinner. Twenty minutes later, a Chevy station wagon pulled up and Karen got out. I had been sitting in a rocker waiting. She waved to me, then said something to Cook. The station wagon pulled back onto the driveway and disappeared back over the hill. Karen said, "I can't get over how big your house is."

"It's like a cottage compared to Grandma's where we met the other day."

"Well, that's true. I guess that I was expecting that a little more because my grandmother had prepared me."

"Come on. I'll give you the nickel tour."

We went inside and I showed her around as my aunt had shown me that first day. We spent a lot more time at it though, since we had the whole day. She loved the theatre and the sewing rooms the best. She had a little experience sewing on a similar machine. I told her that I had only just started practicing recently and she offered to show me what she could when we had the time.

 As we climbed the stairs to my bedroom, she asked where all the servants were today. When I told her that we had no servants, she was astonished. "Who does all the cooking and cleaning?"

"I do most of it, and Auntie helps as her schedule allows."

"You take care of this whole house?"

"Auntie had a cleaning lady before I came but we haven't needed anybody else since. It gives me something to do. I enjoy it. If we have any parties, we'll hire temporary help. Probably when I start back to school, we'll have to get somebody."

"I can't believe that you enjoy cleaning."

"It makes me feel useful and needed. That's what I like. Here's my bedroom." I opened the door and let her walk in first.

She looked around with amazement written all over her face. "It's enormous, and beautiful. Darla, I love it. What a sleepover you could have here. My entire class from school could stay over."

I led the way to my bathroom and she just stood in the door with her mouth open for a minute as she glanced around. Then she walked around looking at everything and stopped at the tub. "It makes me want to take a bath right now, it's so beautiful."

I giggled and said, "Go ahead. I'll find something to do until you're done."

She giggled and said, "Maybe later. And I love your makeup table." She sat down on the chair and I turned on the lights. She squealed in delight.

"Of course, as we talked about, I'm not allowed to use a lot of makeup yet, but I enjoy practicing," I said.

We left the bathroom and I showed her my clothes-room. Now her jaw really dropped. I knew what she was feeling from my own first sight of this room. Now, of course, there were clothes in here even though the room was still mostly empty. "Darla, this is heaven. I've never seen anything like it. I'm so jealous." We spent the next several hours in there. Since we were about the same size, I told her to take off her dress, and she started trying on everything that caught her eye, which was most of my clothes. I had left Judy's heels in my shoe rack and she put them on and tried to walk with them. After about ten minutes she was doing quite well. When Karen had tried on almost everything in my clothes room, she put her dress back on, we finished hanging everything back up, and we walked out. I promised to let her borrow anything she wanted. It was past lunchtime, so we went to the kitchen.

 I looked through the refrigerator and selected some leftovers after she said that that would be Okay. I put on my apron and asked her if she would like to help. She said that she didn't know how. I got an extra apron out and put it on her. We heated some of the rice from last night and some of the lentil/pasta from Wednesday night. I made a salad and a pitcher of lemonade. We sat down to eat and chat.

"Darla, this is delicious. Do you cook every night."

"Most nights now. My mother and sisters used to do most of the cooking. But now that I'm here and they're not, and Auntie doesn't get home until 6 o'clock during the week, the job of cooking has fallen to me. But don't get me wrong, I love it. I have several wonderful cookbooks and can make anything I want."

"I think it's wonderful. You're so independent. You don't need anybody."

"But Karen, it's BECAUSE I need other people that I do it. I want to feel useful and do my share. Sharing lives does not mean relying on others to do for you. You have to share the work as well. As a woman, it is your job to make a home for your husband and children. You must be prepared to nurture and care for them. If you start learning now, you'll be prepared when you find that perfect man."

"I guess that you're right."

After lunch I showed her how to wash the dishes. She did that while I cleared and cleaned the table. Then she rinsed them, and together we dried and put them away. Then we decided to go for a walk.

I took her on a tour of the outbuildings and we walked to the end of the runway. On the way back, I said, "Karen, you never answered my question the other day."

"What question?"

"I asked you what 'Spy' and 'Black Rock' were. You changed the subject."

She was quiet for minute as we walked. I could tell that she was formulating an answer. Finally, she said, "Darla, I really like you. I don't want to lose you for a friend. Oh, that darn brother of mine."

"I really like you too. How could answering my question harm our friendship?"

"This past year, I told a girl at school what those games are, and then she told me that I was weird, and now won't even talk to me."

"You really have my curiosity up now. I promise that I will still talk to you afterwards even if you tell me that the games require you to….. eat your way through a manure pile."

She was silent for another minute, then said, "Okay. 'Spy' and 'Black Rock' are games that we play back home in our neighborhood. There are about 12 kids who play them. We all grew up together and we have been playing them for years."

"Nothing earth shattering so far."

"Darla, please don't think badly of me."

"I promise that I won't"

"Okay. 'Spy' is an 'espionage' game and 'Black Rock' is a 'western' game."

"Still nothing bad that I can see"

"Okay, both games are tie-up games."

"What does that mean?"

"We capture our opponents and tie them up with rope and other things until one side or the other wins the game."

"That doesn't sound so bad. What else?"

"That's all."

"For that, some girl at school won't talk to you?"

"Yes. She says that anybody who plays games like that is weird."

"Sounds to me like she's the one who has problems. People in movies and on TV are always getting tied up. Nobody thinks that they're weird."

Karen smiled and hugged me, "Darla, thank you for understanding. I was so afraid that you wouldn't like me if I told you."

"Karen, I told you that I like you very much. Some game that you play back home is not going to change that. Now tell me how you play these games."

As we walked back to the house, she told me the rules of the games. 'Spy' required each side to have a headquarters. Sides were chosen from the available players. If there were an uneven number, then the side who picked second got the extra person since the side picking first got the better players. There was no odd man out. I loved that aspect. Each team had a painted shoebox. They had to hide it near the headquarters, but no closer than ten feet nor more than 100 feet. It could not be locked in anybody's house or beyond anybody's reach. Each side then had to locate the other side's 'secret box.' If spies looking for the box encountered each other, then the spy getting 'the drop' on the other spy took him or her as prisoner back to headquarters where the captured spy was tied up so that the first spy could return to looking for the other side's secret box. She continued on, telling me all the rules that had developed over the years to cover any disputes. She said that there were 8 girls and 4 boys who regularly played the game.

'Black Rock' was along similar lines except that it was like a western movie. The whole idea was to capture the opposing players. With superior numbers a team could attack the other sides 'jail' and free the prisoners. They had a whole different set of rules for that game. I asked her if they played often. She said that almost every weekend and many times during the week once school was let out, as long as they had at least five players. She asked me if I played any tie-up games and I told her that I had never been tied-up, at least not in real life. She asked me what I meant and I told her about my dreams.

"Wow, I thought that I was the only one who had those kinds of dreams," she said.

"My sisters tell me that almost all girls have them. We dream of being dominated, carried away, or rescued, by a strong, handsome man. It's what sells romance novels by the ton, according to my sisters."

"You've made me feel a lot better about the games. That girl at school had me wondering if maybe I really was weird."

"Karen, what's it feel like to be tied up?"

"It hurts a little, sometimes a lot. It depends on how you've been tied-up and by whom. Mike ties really tight. When he ties me up, I know that I'm not going to get loose, so I just relax and enjoy it."

"Enjoy it?"

"Yes. When I'm tied up, I feel warm all over. It makes me feel secure somehow. I'm totally helpless and at the control of somebody else. I have no will of my own. Someone else is deciding my fate. I don't have to worry about anything since everything is out of my hands, but I don't fear for my safety."

"But you said that it hurts."

"It hurts at first, but even that is exciting. The pain gives me a warm feeling in my tummy. I don't know why, but during the last year, I really looked forward to getting taken prisoner, much more than winning the game. And I like being tied very tight, like Mike does it."

 "Karen, I think that I'd like to play, to see what it's like."

"Do you mean that you want to try playing the game, or try being tied up?"

"Same thing, isn't it?"

"No. If you want to try being tied up, then I can control the situation. If we play the game, then Mike will be in control if we get captured, and if we capture him, then only he gets tied up."

"I see. I guess that I want to try being tied up by you first."

"Okay. Next time that you come over, we can do it in the barn's hayloft where we won't be disturbed."

"Why not today? We can do it here."

"I don't have any of our stuff here. We use nylon rope because it's so soft. Do you have any?"

"No. I guess that we'll have to wait."

"Okay. Next time you come over we'll do it. You'll have lots of time to think about it, in case you want to change your mind."

We arrived back at the house and went inside. We walked to the sewing room, and Karen showed me how to use the machine to stitch things together, and put on buttons and zippers. We found some patterns and she showed me how to pin them to the fabric, mark, and cut out the pieces. We worked at it until it was time to make supper, then we reluctantly put everything away and went up to the kitchen. I got out a cookbook to look at the several recipes for tuna casseroles. I selected one that sounded good and started to get out the ingredients. As I followed the cooking instructions, I explained them to Karen while she carried them out. I showed her how to use measuring spoons and cups, and explained the various cooking terms. She participated in every part of the meal preparation. The meal was as much a result of her efforts as mine.

Auntie got home exactly at 6 o'clock. When she came in I kissed her and introduced her to Karen and vice-versa. Auntie knew Mrs. Wallace but had never met Karen before. We sat down and ate our casserole. Auntie said that it was great and I told her that Karen had made most of it. Karen beamed with pride over the praise. We had made a Jell-O mold with fruit cocktail, for a desert, and served it with our tea. After we had eaten, Auntie went to change from her business suit while Karen and I cleaned the kitchen. After we were done, we went downstairs to the theatre and watched TV until nine o'clock when it was time to take Karen home. We waited until she was inside her grandmother's house, and then we left to return home. I had promised to call her tomorrow.

After arriving home we changed into our sleepwear and then lay on Auntie's bed to discuss the upcoming weekend. The horse auction was on Sunday and we would be there most of the day. So Saturday was totally free. Auntie had, today, been invited to a barbecue, so we could go there, or anywhere else that I chose. She said that it was up to me.

"A barbecue sounds like fun," I said. "Will there be a lot of people there?"

"Probably about a hundred."

"What should we wear?"

"Why don't you wear one of your hoe-down outfits and I'll wear my new tangerine mini-dress."

"Okay, sis," I said, referring to last weekend. We giggled. I said, "How many people will know you at the barbecue?"

"Not very many. Only about half a dozen."

"I bet that we can get at least a dozen to think of us as sisters."

"You're on. These are all educated people such as geologists and mineralogists, not ice cream vendors."

"Great. Eggheads are even easier to fool. I'll make it a dozen and a half."

"I like that. You think that geologists are eggheads. I'm a geologist." She started to tickle me. "I'll show you how an egghead tickles a fresh little girl."

In between laughing spells, I managed to say, "There are always exceptions, Auntie."

"I'll accept that as an apology."

She stopped tickling me, pulled me close in her arms and kissed my cheek. "I just want to tell you again how sorry I am about last night. It was so stupid of me not to tell you that Frank was here before I went to my bedroom. I didn't expect him to go to the kitchen without me. Were you very frightened?"

"Yes. When he stepped into the kitchen, I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to even scream."

"But honey, you did scream. That's why I rushed to the kitchen."

"I screamed? I don't remember. I'm sorry Auntie."

"Oh, honey, you have nothing to be sorry about. It was my fault. I remember times of being in a position where I felt threatened by a stranger. The threat of rape is always frightening. A young girl is even less able to handle such situations. In your place I would have reacted the same way. I'm just sorry that I was responsible."

"It was just a silly misunderstanding, Auntie, don't blame yourself. No damage was done."

"You're an angel. I simply love you to death."

I snuggled in her arms as she squeezed me. We stayed like that for a while and it was the last thing that I remembered before falling asleep.

 

(continued in Part 7)

 

 

 

*********************************************
© 1999 by C. Sprite. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.