Ruby's Slippers (26 page)

“Christie’s or Sotheby’s. Or some other auction house can handle the sale for you.”

“You’re sure?”

I cup the box between my two hands. “Do with the shoes what you want, Abby.” I push the box toward her. “They’re yours.” Then I embrace her, a quick, tight hug into which I try to squeeze all my emotions. “I already have what I came for.”

I smile as I park the Jeep outside the assisted-living facility. Sophia let me borrow her Jeep for the last couple of months while I got my life back on track. The money from the sale of the shoes afforded me a little house three blocks from the beach. I go there daily to hear the ocean, to talk to God, to listen to what he is trying to teach me. I don’t hear whisperings in the wind or murmurings in the surf. But while I’m silent, words come to me— phrases I’ve heard in church, things I read in the Bible. It’s the beginning of another long journey. Tonight I’ll return the keys to Sophia. I secured a job at a plant nursery in Santa Barbara. Digging in the dirt gives me pleasure. Occasionally in the evening I tutor students who live in my neighborhood, kids who need help with algebra and geometry, calculus and trigonometry. I like helping them, seeing them progress, grow like little seedlings.

I step out of the Jeep, rearrange the dress I bought for this special occasion. I’m not used to wearing hose or heels. “Don’t laugh,” I tell Otto as I place him on the ground and straighten his miniature bow tie that I found at a specialty pet shop. He runs across the grass and finds a spot to lift his leg. “Very gentlemanly.”

I walk along the sidewalk, taking in the blooming hydrangeas, and he joins me. We enter the main building where the recreation center is. The televisions are turned off this evening. Music, provided by a three-piece band, fills the air with a jazzy beat.

From the far end of the room, I see my father. At first he doesn’t see me. He’s dressed in a tuxedo, the collar seeming to pinch him, making his face red. He moves slowly, picking up a folding chair, opening it, and placing it at the end of a row. Then he sees me, offers a slight wave.

I walk toward him, Otto at my heels.

“How are you?” The skin around his eyes droops with fatigue.

“Fine. You need help?” Not waiting for a reply, I grab another folded chair. The rubbery end of the leg catches in the folds of my dress.

“Oh, you’ll rip it.” He takes the chair from me, his hand brushing mine. “No need for you to work tonight.” He opens the chair, the metal making a hollow sound, and sets it next to the other. “Is Abby coming?”

“She’s on her way. Just running late.”

“I have something for you.”

Otto sits in proper begging form at my father’s feet now. “Oh, you too, my friend.” He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a dog treat shaped like a bone. “I read somewhere nuts might not be so good for you. So this will have to do.”

Tears prickle my eyes at the thought of my father thinking in advance about Otto and his health. We’re a long way from having a close relationship, but I figure we have years to work on it.

“You want it?” My father dangles the treat out in front of him.

Otto yaps.

“That’s what I thought.” He drops it, and Otto jumps to catch it. The treat is gone faster than one of my father’s magic coins.

It’s been months since I saw him in Seattle, but he’s called me on the phone a few times. The first conversation was awkward, but I let go of my little-girl expectations. He’ll never win Father of the Year, but if I accept him where he is, then maybe our relationship can grow. If I nourish it, feed it, give it plenty of sunshine.

He slides his hand inside his jacket and pulls out an eggshell-blue envelope. “Your mother wrote this years ago when she gave me the shoes. I …” he hesitates. Moisture gathers at the corners of his eyes and he sniffs. “Well, I thought you should have it.”

I take the envelope, run my fingers over the outside, over the slight depression where in dark-blue ink she wrote,
Ruby’s Slippers
. I recognize her schoolmarm penmanship but detect the slight tremor that worsened during her illness. “Oh, Momma.”

“Aren’t you going to open it?”

“Not now. Later. When I can savor it.”

“I understand.” He reaches out, hesitates, then places his warm hand on mine, cupping it protectively. “I miss her too.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to keep this?”

He gives a slight shake of his head. “You should have it. She explains where the shoes came from. Of course, you know all that now. But it’s in her words.”

I hold the envelope close, place it against my heart. Later tonight I’ll share it with Abby. We can read it together and remember. “Thank you.”

From across the room, Tim shuffles toward us, wringing his hands. “Is it about time?”

“You need a watch, my friend.” My father places an arm around my uncle’s narrow shoulders.

“My heart is tripping over itself with excitement. Think we could start early, my dear?”

“Brides are never ready early,” I say. Not that I know that to be true. I’m just assuming. But I realize that his bride helped heal his heart.

“I feel like I’m twenty years old again.” Tim taps his chest. “The old ticker still has it.”

“We should all be so lucky.” A wistful smile plays across my father’s features.

“Dottie!” Gloria’s voice rings out in the hall. She walks toward us. She’s not in scrubs tonight but a shimmery yellow dress. “Look at you!” She beams. “You’re gorgeous.” She clasps my hands then hugs me close. “It’s so good to see you. You seem to be doing well.”

“I am. I’ve certainly learned a lot.”

“Sometimes life is all the schooling we need.” She smiles. “I’m sure you want to see Sophia, right? She’s through that doorway.” She places her hands on Tim’s shoulders. “And you, mister, your guests will be arriving soon.”

“I thought only the bride shouldn’t be seen,” Tim says.

“We don’t want some other pretty lady to set her sights on you.” Gloria gives us all a wink.

“I’ll take care of him,” my father says. Together the two men head off in the opposite direction of the bride’s room.

I find Sophia dressed in a sparkly cream-colored, floor-length dress. Her eyes brighten as we enter the room.

“You wore it!” she exclaims. She touches the wide red ribbon at my waist. The dress isn’t something I would choose. Not that I’d choose a dress in the first place. It’s a slinky black material with tiny sparkles that catch the light.

“The bride always gets what she wants on her wedding day.”

She grins. “And how is my groom?”

“He’s looking for a way to escape,” Maybelle pipes in. She’s dressed in a multicolored sequin top and looks like a five-year-old’s finger-painted work of art. I give her a hug. She’s cynical as ever, but Sophia and I are working on her.

“Tim is just fine,” Gloria assures us. “He’s pacing outside.”

“My father is watching after him.” Sophia draws a slow breath and releases it. “I don’t feel scattered at all. Maybe my old brain is making a comeback.”

“Brains are overrated. It’s the heart that counts.”

Sophia smiles. “I’m so glad we’re going to be related now. Do you think we can start the wedding early?”

I laugh and hug her close, breathe in her comforting scent of buttery popcorn and powdery tangerine. “That’s what Tim said. But maybe we should wait for the guests to arrive.”

The doors slap open. “Am I too late?”

“Right on time.” I smile across the room at Abby. She looks like she’s about to walk down the red carpet. Her apricot gown shimmers. Her hair is long and blonde now for some new show.

“Come on in.” Sophia greets her with open arms.

“Where are the men going?” She hooks a thumb over her shoulder in the direction Tim and our father went. “Why, our little party is just beginning.”

“It’s a good thing you’ve got new lines to learn,” I say as we embrace. She clings to me like the shimmery material that envelops her curves. “It’s good to see you, sis.” Then she pulls me aside and asks, “Dottie, why did you give me Momma’s slippers?”

“Because I love you. I didn’t want anything to ever come between us again.”

“Do you have any regrets?”

I shake my head. “Not at all.”

“It’s taken me a while to absorb your gift, to process it. It was quite a sacrifice.”

“It didn’t feel that way to me. When I introduce you to my father, you’ll understand.”

She gives me a quizzical look. “Is that old head injury causing you problems? I’ve already met our father. Remember?”

My gaze meets Sophia’s twinkling eyes momentarily. “Not our earthly father. This one speaks to us of his love, and he’s powerful enough to act on it.”

A couple of hands close over my shoulders, startling me. My heart gives a jolt in response. I turn to see Leo smiling at me. He gives me a quick hug, then his gaze skims over me, touching me intimately. “You look beautiful.” His voice is a low rumble. “Like a dream.”

He’s wearing a black tuxedo that makes his shoulders look impossibly wide. His hair has grown since I last saw him, but it’s still respectable. He’s clean shaven, his skin tan. It’s been a month since I’ve seen him. But we’ve spoken on the phone daily. He wanted to come see me several times, but
I put him off, needing time to sort through my feelings first.

“So do you,” I stammer, then feel heat rise across my skin. My chest feels like it’s on fire.

“I brought something for you.”

“You did?” The fact that he thought of me, brought something for me, flusters me. What could it be? A corsage? A man has never given me flowers. Perhaps this will be the first time.

“That dress of yours needed something special.”

Abby, Sophia, Maybelle, and Gloria have retreated to the far corner of the room. They stand in front of an oval mirror. Gloria places a little veil on top of Sophia’s hair.

Leo picks up a box from a table nearby. It’s a large blue box with a brown ribbon, too large for a corsage. Maybe it’s a bouquet. Or an oversized mum like high school boys give their dates. He tugs off the top and pulls out one ruby slipper.

A gasp escapes me. “Where did you get these?”

“I bought them.”

“You did?”

“I was just waiting for the right time to give them to you. When I thought you’d be ready to dance.” Our eyes meet and a shimmer of heat passes between us.

“You know, someone thought these had special powers.” My voice cracks.

“People will believe anything.” He takes a step closer. “Come on, Cinderella, try them on.”

His nearness is overwhelming. My lungs feel compressed. “What if they don’t fit?”

“You think I’ll go searching for another foot? Not when you’ve helped me find my courage.”

Smiling, I sit in a nearby chair and slip off the shoes that I bought special for this occasion. Leo kneels in front of me, takes my foot in his hand, and rests it against his thigh. His hand cups my heel tenderly. Warmth spreads through me like a wildfire. He takes the shoe and slips it on my foot. It’s snug, pinching my toes.

“Will you dance with me tonight?” He looks at me, his golden eyes shining with the same emotion that swells inside my chest. I sense what he’s really asking.

I start to laugh, but the seriousness of his gaze holds me fast. “Would you mind if I wore my own shoes?”

The side of his mouth curls seductively. “You can go barefoot if you want.”

That suits me better than any ruby slippers. This is the next turn in my yellow-brick road. And I’m ready to see what’s beyond the bend.

“Then yes, I’d love to dance with you.”

He takes me in his arms. I have to stand on tiptoe. But as he smiles down at me, I realize there really is no place like home. It’s not a place with a picket fence of memories.

It’s where love abounds.