by Terri Dixon
Part XXV
You don't need to buy expensive cosmetics; almost anything will do if you know how to apply it.
-Dolly Parton
Tania went to look through Tish’s closet and bathroom as I took off for the main stairs to go to the second floor. I was simply amazed at this mansion in the middle of nowhere. Now that the sun had finally come up, I could get a better look at the décor. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. All of the wood was carved and dark, and it covered the walls, floors and even the ceilings. The artwork on the walls was all from the masters. There were paintings by Monet, Degas, Dali, Renoir, and even Pollack and Warhol. I could tell that they weren’t reproductions. There was no doubt that Tish had more money than God.
I could hear noise coming from the media room that I’d passed the night before. I had no idea how I could guess what this woman would do with her time, but she seemed very predictable to me in certain ways. In other ways, she shocked me. It could have taken me half the day to find her in that house if I hadn't guessed well. I walked into the room, afraid that she would jump all over me for invading her privacy or something, but she didn’t look as though she minded as I approached her at the desk she had stationed in the middle of the room where she could see all of the TV screens.
“What can I do for you, dear?” She asked in her grandmother tone. I wondered how she did that. One minute she was a grandma, the next a barracuda.
“I wanted to let you know that Peter managed to get my cell phone number, and he called. He’s fine. He’s gone to the lab to meet up with Steve and come back here," I told her.
She looked at me cautiously. I could almost see the gears turning in her mind. She made me nervous. “Where are you all going when he gets back?” She was good.
“Tver, I guess,” I replied. “That’s what he said.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” she said. “I’m guessing that he stopped by Sadie’s and made passports for the two of you. He wants you to catch the train to and fly home, correct?”
“Yes.”
Tish turned away from me and used a remote control to change the channel on the TV opposite where I was standing. Without looking back at me, she spoke. “Don’t be so surprised. I’ve lived with rebels most of my life,” She said.
“I’m sorry that I’ve gotten Peter all mixed up in this,” I apologized. “I’m sorry that I’ve gotten myself mixed up in all of this.”
As I stood and shook my head, I noticed that Tish was watching the news. There was my face again. There was my photo on the television. They were still going nuts looking for me. I was a fugitive in a country that I’d only come to for one class at the university. To say that I regretted coming was an understatement.
“We are still asking for anyone with any information about this woman to please call the police at this number,” the announcer was saying. “There is a reward of 10,000 rubles for information leading to the arrest of the imposter calling herself the ancestor of Catherine the Great. She may be going by the nickname of Stacey and is traveling with another young American woman and two young men. The imposter as well as her companions may be armed so do not approach them, simply call the number on the screen and report the information. These suspects may be dangerous.”
“You’re famous, or is the term infamous,” Tish commented. Then she changed over to some market news to check out her stocks. I waited silently until she turned to me again. She waved her hand at me as though she was judging me in a contest. “Well, this won’t do,” she said.
“Excuse me?” I asked, not knowing how to take her comments.
“You stick out like a sore thumb,” she said. “You need to dress more like a Russian. Those awkward American clothes stand out. They’re so impractical. Like it or not, it’s winter, and you should have on something warm enough to keep you from dying if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard. Come, I’ll find something for you girls to wear.”
“Really?” I asked. I didn’t want her to catch Tania going through her closet. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Come on,” she said as she got up and walked to the door. “Your friend won’t find the good stuff. I’ll have to show it to you myself. You should probably dye that blonde looking hair of yours too. I can take care of that.” She looked back at me. “Come on,” she said, motioning to me again. “Tania will need my help raiding my closet.”Hollywood
Tania was surprised when we walked into Tish’s bedroom while she was looking through Tish’s closet. I had no idea how Tish knew everything, but I didn’t care anymore. I was just grateful that she hadn’t killed me over it.
Tish went through and put together three outfits for us. She even let us use her luggage for the trip so that we could pack a change of clothes and look more like Russians traveling. She had some stylish clothes that were also practical. She laughed at our reaction to the fact that her clothes weren’t all frumpy like most older ladies. Her wardrobe seemed vibrant and fashionable. I wondered if there was anything that I would find normal about her. I doubted it. She was bending my mind the way that my grandma had from time to time. Older ladies aren't always what you expect them to be.
After we assembled our wardrobes, Tish went into her bathroom and got some of her hair dye. It was a dark brown. I had never had dark hair. I would soon find out what it would look like. I took it to the bedroom to dye my hair and change into the outfit that Tish had picked out.
When I’d finished in the bathroom, I went out to see what Tish and Tania thought about my new look. I was disappointed not to find Tish when I entered the bedroom. I found myself getting used to her. I wasn’t sure what to make of Tish. I’d never spent time with the crankiest old power freak in the world. I kind of liked her.
“Here I am!” I exclaimed as I walked across the room to the mirror that was opposite my bed.
“Wow, you look different,” Tania commented as she joined me in front of the mirror.
I was looking at my hair and studying Tania’s face. All of a sudden, she looked pale, like she was going to pass out.
“Are you okay?” I asked, turning to look in her face.
“Oh my God,” she said, barely above a whisper. She turned me around to look in the mirror again.
“What?” I asked, getting upset.
Tish walked up behind us at that moment. I could see the startled look on her face too. “Oh dear Lord,” Tish said.
“What!” I exclaimed. Then I saw it. I saw the picture of Catherine the Great in the mirror. It was hanging over the bed behind me. I watched all the color drain from my own face as I looked at her. I spun around. “This can’t be,” I gasped.
“Well, if there was any doubt about you being her ancestor before, it’s all gone now,” Tish said. “You look just like her.”
There was no time for me to properly react to the latest development in my adventure. I heard the sound of a vehicle approaching the house. It sounded like the Hummer, and I knew it was time for us to go.
“They’re here,” I said, picking up my bag from the bed. I stood for a moment and looked at the picture of Catherine the Great on the wall. No one would believe this back home.
Tish came up behind me and slammed a hat down over my newly dyed hair. “Here, you’ll need this,” she said. “Don’t take that off unless you have to. Too many people will make the connection.”
Tish walked with us to the door to meet the men. We all said our good byes and Tish bid us all farewell. She told Peter to be careful. The sun had already gone for the day. I headed out into the snowy white in the dark once again.
I no longer knew what to think. I looked like Catherine the Great. I was supposed to be her ancestor. I was actually starting to believe the legend of the Ring of the Queen. I was headed to her town, St. Petersburg. I was walking in her footsteps. It was creepy in so many ways that I couldn’t really describe
it anymore.
We left in the monster Hummer in the dark for Tver, where we would catch the train to . I wondered if anyone would recognize me and turn me in. I wondered if my passport that Peter had made would work when we got to the airport. I wondered if it was ever day time in Russia in the wintertime. It had to be the coldest, darkest place on Earth.
The Ring of the Queen