Crestmont (10 page)

Gracie beamed at the compliment. She hustled to her room, estimating the tips she could make in the next two weeks so she could add them to her current tally.

Later that night, her head was buried in the women’s section of the Sears Catalogue doing research on fashionable dresses when Mrs. Woods walked into the library.

“Gracie, I am glad I found you. How are you enjoying your new rooms?”

“Oh, honestly, I love them, Mrs. Woods. I appreciate the new assignment. The tips are much better.”

“Good, I was hoping that would be so. I have had good reports about your work. Tell me, has Bessie mentioned anything untoward about the reassignment?”

“Oh, she might have been a bit upset, but I handled it.” Gracie shrugged nonchalantly. Mrs. Woods gave her a knowing smile and disappeared into the hallway.

****

“I like a touch of rouge high up on my cheeks, then I dust powder all over my face to take away the shine. For special occasions, I put on a bit of lipstick,” Dorothy explained as they motored toward
Wilkes-Barre
Thursday morning.

“I like your makeup, Dorothy,” said Gracie, tightly clutching her purse with the dress money in it, “but Bessie puts so much on it seems fake.”

“That’s because she uses makeup to excess.”

“That’s for certain. I mean, about makeup and other things. She’s been at me ever since I came to the
Crestmont
.”

“Now you listen to me, Gracie. Don’t let her bother you. Please forgive me, Lord, for saying it, but Bessie is an imperious little so-and-so. Pay her no mind and keep your distance, my dear.”

Fishing around in her purse she said, “Dorothy, do you have a piece of paper?”

“Whatever for?”

“I need to write down ‘imperious’ so I can check the definition later.”

“It means Bessie deems herself so high and mighty you are better off ignoring her. How are you doing with making friends?”

“Well, Olivia and I get along well, and this was so nice of you to ask me to come along on this trip.”

“I mean men, Gracie. You’re twenty-two, aren’t you? It’s time for you to find someone to go around with. What about Otto? He’s only a couple of years older than you and very attractive if you ask this old lady.”

“Well, he is nice to me.”

“Then there’s PT. Of course, you might think he is a bit old for you, but he is a man of quality. Certainly not a man of many words,” she chuckled, “but he has a good heart. I’ve tried to get to know him, but he doesn’t talk much about his home life. Did you know he studied piano seriously in
Philadelphia
?”

“No, he mostly asks me questions and doesn’t tell me much about himself.”

Dorothy dropped her off in front of a store called Minnie’s. “Minnie is a little snippy, but you can get good quality at a bargain price in there. See that lunch shop next door? I’ll go do my banking and meet you in there in about an hour, then we can catch up with ourselves and eat. Their toasted sandwiches are divine.”

The dress Gracie spotted was of a navy rayon fabric that swished when she walked. It sported a narrow v-neck with green ties that could be knotted or left open, and a matching green braid enhancing the dropped waist. Styled in the new boyish tubular fashion, it was three inches shorter than what Mother would have approved of.

I’ll have to make up a name for this beauty
.

“You do have better shoes to go with that, I hope.” Minnie said.

Gracie held in her reaction, fixed her eyes on Minnie, and countered, “Do you have some
St. Louis
heels in stock? I don’t see anything interesting here in your display.”

Pursing her lips, the woman raised her index finger, walked to the back of the store, and produced two styles of the precious heels that were all the rage. Gracie chose the taller of the two styles, the three-inchers that narrowed to the size of a dime at the bottom, with a smart strap and a gold buckle. Although used, they were in good condition and a perfect match to the navy of the dress. She envisioned the next performance dress she would buy—a flowing creamy-colored fabric with navy trim to match the lucky
St. Louis
heels. She would call it her
buttercream
swish and maybe throw in some navy fishnet stockings for pizzazz.

****

“Oh, honestly, Dorothy, it was great!” Gracie gushed as the waitress brought them menus. “I talked her down on the price of the dress so I could buy snazzy shoes, too. You were brilliant to send me to a consignment shop. I could never have afforded to buy new.”

Dorothy plopped her ample behind into the chair and fanned herself with the menu. “Many well-to-do women wear a dress to one or two functions and then toss it aside, simply because they don’t want to be seen in it again. It allows those of us with a flair for fashion and frugality an opportunity to be stylish.”

Gracie peeked inside her shopping bag and announced, “I’ll name it the green braid slink.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you’ll think I’m silly, but I give my clothes names. Then they are like my friends.”

“I see. Well, that certainly is a unique concept, dear.”

After examining the menu, Gracie settled for a bowl of chicken soup because the toasted sandwiches cost dear.

When the waitress brought them their food, Dorothy said, “You’ve never said a word about your family. Tell me about them.”

“Oh, there’s not much to say. I have a sister, Lily.” She hesitated and then changed the subject. “Dorothy, I found something written about Ticklish Rock. Do you know where it is?”

“All right, we’ll talk about Ticklish Rock then. Gracie, I was married for twenty years and have been a widow for eight. Now, what would I know about a place like Ticklish Rock? I heard it’s a funny shaped rock further west from Eagles Mere in the
Allegheny Mountains
where lovers like to go. Planning to go there with someone I don’t know about?” Dorothy probed.

“There’s no one to go there with.”

“Well, you just wait. A pretty girl like you will certainly find opportunities to wear that—what did you call it—‘green braid dress’?”

“
Slink
, green braid slink.” Gracie bit her lower lip and gave Dorothy a sly smile. “Now, maybe you could show me where I can buy cosmetics.”

****

Gracie was dying to see
Eagles
Mere
Lake
up close as long as she didn’t have to go in the water. She remembered how beautiful the lake looked when Mrs. Woods had pointed it out on her first night here. Tonight seemed the perfect time. The guests were still lingering with the Woods after dinner, and the staff that wasn’t cleaning up the kitchen congregated in their hangout above the garage. Some private time was a pretty safe bet, so Gracie escaped onto the front porch to cool off. Even the mountain breeze couldn’t remove the late July stickiness from the air.

The water below swirled with pink, cobalt and green, enticing her down the porch steps toward the lake. Gracie stopped short when she saw Isaiah and Olivia on the dock. He lovingly removed his wife’s shoes. Then Olivia removed her garters and pushed down her stockings, allowing him to pull them the rest of the way off. Daintily dipping her tiny feet into the water, she nestled into his chest, talking softly.

Gracie visualized herself with George, taking a respite at the water’s edge, and then scolded herself for allowing him into her fantasies. She yearned for her own man and her own serene lake time. Not wanting to disturb Olivia and Isaiah’s togetherness, she retreated quietly back up the steps and went to her room. Maybe if she came back at dawn she would have time alone.

Feeling lonely, she gently pulled out the collection of poems written by Johnny, the man she fondly called the “
Paperbag
Poet.” This evening’s poem read:

I long for the gentle caress of your hand;

In your touch, I find peace.

I await the soft touch of your lips;

In your smile, I find happiness.

I yearn for the music of your voice;

In your laughter, I find joy.

God blesses me with your love;

In your faith, I find strength.

I would hold your heart in my hands;

But I am not strong enough.

But in your hands, my Love,

my heart is secure.

It took her breath away. That’s what Olivia and Isaiah had and what she desperately wanted. She was tired of feeling dead inside.

****

In addition to Thursday, Gracie had every other Sunday morning off so she could go to church. She really missed church. Gracie didn’t want to forget God, but more importantly, she didn’t want God to forget her. Because the service at the
Crestmont
Inn was so well attended by the guests, the Woods encouraged staffers to find a church in the town of
Eagles Mere
. Dorothy and
Magdalena
attended the Episcopal Church. Dorothy had invited her to join them, but Gracie made it a point to steer clear of
Magdalena
’s stern, domineering nature.

Curious to see how she would feel about the Presbyterian Church, she set out to go. Her apprehension over venturing into the town had kept her away up to now. She felt guilty about that. She headed down the hill to the entrance of the
Crestmont
drive and was delighted to see the black cat. Shadow seemed to be waiting for her. The cat led her through the big pillars and then guided her down the road toward the center of town.

Two sweethearts, fingers intertwined, stood on the side of the road, gazing in mutual admiration at the footbridge near the bottom of the lake. Gracie averted her eyes, fastening them on Shadow, who padded steadily along.

No sooner had they turned onto
Eagles Mere Avenue
, when a large black poodle bounded over, prancing in excited circles around Gracie.

“Annie, bad dog, get back here!” A young man with dark hair scrambled after the dog, shot Gracie an apologetic glance, and playfully patted the dog’s rump until she went back across the street. His mother, father and younger brother waved to Gracie without missing a step in their brisk walk. The older boy attached a leash to the dog and hurried to catch up to his family.

Gracie approached three men striding abreast in front of her. They parted when Shadow slinked between them. One tapped his walking stick on the ground in annoyance at the cat. The other two tipped the brim of their hats in friendly greeting to Gracie as she passed them.

She came upon a huge white house with a widow’s walk and a wrap-around porch on the lake side of the street. Gaping at it, she estimated it to be twice the size of her home in
Bethlehem
. Olivia had described these stately cottages, where people spent their summers up here on the mountain.

A family gathered on the porch. The children giggled in their Sunday finest and squirmed as their mother tried to smooth the wrinkles out of their clothing. Giving them a little push toward the street, she led them up toward the churches. Their father took up the rear admonishing them not to get their shoes dirty.

The bustle on the street began to subside when Gracie passed the tiny post office and general store on the left. The cat turned right onto
Pennsylvania Avenue
, so she followed. Organ music came from the tiny stone church and to her horror she realized she was late for the service. Shadow sat down in front of the white daisies that almost covered the front stained glass window, and then scampered off across the street, disappearing behind the
Edgemere
Hotel.

Putting on her aloof face, Gracie mounted the steps, and slid into a back pew as the congregation finished the opening hymn. She hoped she could slip out quickly after the service before she had to talk to anyone.

V

My, how her life had improved. Otto was going to take her to
meet his brother and sister-in-law who were in town for a stay at the
Raymond
Hotel
. He was handsome when he cleaned up, but Gracie wished he could get the grease out from under his nails. She knew Mother would disapprove of him. No matter. At least he was older than she was, and self-assured. He was proud of being a crackerjack mechanic and often dominated the conversation. That suited Gracie just fine because it took her a while to think up the right thing to say.

Otto had cornered her at an ice cream slurp two weeks ago. The staff met on the back porch Wednesday evenings after the guests had eaten all the ice cream they could manage. Staffers were permitted to polish off what was left in the ice cream makers. Because they were financially responsible for their silverware, the waitresses always carefully locked up their stations, making spoons scarce. The staff improvised by using the small vegetable bowls as both container and utensil. PT had whittled himself a wooden spoon and a few staff members brought cheap spoons they normally kept in their rooms. The method for most, however, was to dip your bowl and slurp, then tip the bowl to drink the melted cream from the bottom. Shadow happily cleaned up what was left. Gracie volunteered that night to do the washing and restacking of the bowls.