by A. J. Wells
At three o’clock sharp, the string quartet started playing and Miss Lili is greeting Senator and Mrs. Ramirez, Congressman and Mrs. Gonzalez, Governor and Mrs. Roberts and Lieutenant Governor and Mrs. Perez. We went through most of the Texas Republican party and every oil company representative, whether they were CEO’s or owners, before the guests quit coming at five. At seven we had dinner and that’s where the conversations got started. They all, obviously, understood this was a political dinner and business talk was expected at the dinner table. The conversation continued until nine and Willie Benson started playing. Then they danced for an hour on the dance floor over the pool. At ten some of the dignitaries started leaving by helicopter, there are two flying tonight, shuttling the guests back to shore. When the guests thinned down some Miss Lili hollered at Willie to play some up beat songs, she wants to line dance. The men’s ties and jackets come off and the flash of western belt buckles is seen. The ladies drop their shawls and take off their heels and everyone starts hooting and hollering. Then the party started and the booze came out. We dance ‘til all the guests, but a few, have been shuttled off the island. The last to leave are Miss Lili’s friends and she talks to them to get their impression of the conversations they had been involved in. By midnight they’re all gone.
Mandy comes out to say the hired servers and kitchen help are ready to leave. The string quartet had left when Willie started playing. We heard the loud noise of several helicopters and Miss Lili thanked the departing help and praised them for the success of the party. Willie and his band have a few drinks with us and then the helicopters are back to take them to shore.
As soon as they’re all gone, Miss Lili drops into a chair expelling air through her mouth and a sigh. And we follow suit. Mandy and Al join us with the same reaction. We hear a helicopter coming back and Al gets up to take the cart drivers to the helicopter.
After a few minutes, Miss Lili asks, “Did ya have fun tonight?” We have to admit we did. Then she says we’ll compare notes tomorrow on the trip back. Al reports the conversations overheard by the cart drivers and Mandy tells what she’d overheard from the servers and we’re off to bed, slowly. The stairs almost do us in, after the night we’ve had. No girl talk tonight, we just fall into bed.
Miss Lili wakes us with “Last one in the pool has to drive first.” I’m afraid that didn’t get Maria or me to move any faster than we could. Our back and feet are sore, so we’re moving slow and stepping lightly. Of course, Miss Lili was on her way to the pool when she knocked on our doors. We now understand the remark about her cheating. We’re refreshed by our swim and Mandy brings the coffee and muffins pool side and sits down with us. Al joins us a few minutes later with news about our return to shore.
“Lili, the lagoon’s too choppy for the boat and a storm’s expected, so it won’t get any better. If you want to leave in the next two days you’ll have to go by helicopter today. I can get the bigger ‘copter so the ride will be better and it’ll carry all the luggage. You want me to get the tequila?”
“Get the tequila and the ‘copter. We have to get back to shore. These girls need to get back home. The boys won’t forgive me if I keep them any longer. And Maria’s boy needs his Mom. Have the ‘copter bring my helmet with the oxygen. And get Sam for the pilot, he knows how to fly to keep me from passin’ out.”
“You girls ever been up in a helicopter?” We both say no. “Well, looks like you’re about to get your first ride in one. Want a shot or two of tequila with me?”
“Miss Lili, it’s a little early for tequila. Do you need it to fly?” Maria’s not sure about flying after what Miss Lili said about her experience. “I thought ya couldn’t fly and breathe.”
“If I’m about half drunk and the helicopter doesn’t go up or down too fast I can fly and breathe. I just don’t like drinkin’ to do it. Now, ladies, will you join me, or do I have to drink alone? Let me just say I don’t like to drink and, certainly, not alone.”
I look at Maria and we shrug to each other, “I guess if we’re gonna keep to our schedule, we’ll have a drink with ya.” Al’s bringing the shot glasses and the tequila out. After our shots we go upstairs to shower and change. We’ve already packed. Al and Mandy come up to help us with our luggage. Miss Lili comes out of her bedroom giggling, but notices we don’t have the garment bags and tells us to be sure we get them. We’ll need them in Austin.
The flight over was fantastic. The waves on the lagoon with their white caps on the blue water was a sight from the air. In spite of the choppy water we were able to see the different blues and greens of the lagoon indicating the depth of the water amazed me and Maria. The sight of land and its green palm fronds contrasting on the tan sand of the beach looked like a beach paradise. Maria and I enjoyed the view. Miss Lili made it without a problem, or a word. She had to be pried out of the seat, but she was fine once her feet hit the ground. She was right, Sam took it slow in the ascent and the descent.
The limo is waiting to take us to the car and we’re off to Austin and home. Miss Lili sleeps the first two hours of the trip. Maria and I think it’s because of the tequila and the fright of flying.
We have lunch at Miss Lili’s favorite spot in New Braunfels and drive on to Austin. Miss Lili directs us to our hotel then tells us we have a dinner engagement at the governor’s tonight. We were invited last night before the governor left the party. We’ll need to dress formally and all the state’s politicians will be there with some special interest lobbyists. We need to be on our toes and try to corner those who might try to get votes for higher taxes on oil companies, or cut oil production, mostly, the Republican and the Libertarian parties.
Beauticians come to our rooms to do our hair and make-up and help us get dressed. A limo picks us up and lets us off at the Governor’s Mansion. The dinner’s served over a period of an hour. It was good, but I have no idea what it was. I believe I recognized the taste of cauliflower in one of the dishes, but I can’t be sure. The appetizer tasted kinda fishy and the wine color kept changing with the dinner courses. After tasting the first glass of wine Maria and I decided we’d stick to water. We thought it was spoiled, or salted.
We aren’t such country bumpkins that we didn’t know it was wine, but we didn’t know how it was supposed to taste. Maria and I listened to the others talk most of the evening. While we were in the ladies room we were talking about how the politicians seemed to always talk “shop.” Alma, the governor’s wife, came out of a stall and announced she’d rather stay in the kitchen and “visit with the cook than talk with most of the ladies that attend these dinners. The women act like they’re better than each other because of their husband’s political position. Imagine that. They have no clue about being themselves, only their husband’s, non-elected, running mate. I swear they’re more politically minded than their husbands.”
“So how are you two? I can’t tell ya how much fun I had last night dancing with y’all. Mark and I always attend Miss Lili’s parties. We can be ourselves without fear of it hittin’ the newspapers. After all the stuff shirts around here, we need it.” The door to the bathroom opens and a maid comes in and stops, as if to wait. Alma looks at her and nods, “Uh-oh, I’ve been discovered. It’s time to tuck the kids in and get back to the party.” With that she gives us a hug, puts her finger to her lips to swear us to secrecy and leaves.
Maria and I look at each other, stunned then start to laugh. We go back to the party with a different attitude. We start talking to the men while the women stand beside them with their arm linked with his, as if to suggest a claim on him. Maria and I are having fun worrying the wives about our intentions. Alma notices and comes over to encourage us with a smile, a nod and a twinkle in her eye. Maria and I start talking about the clinic at home, the puppy mill dogs, and the animal shelter that has come from that tragedy. The women are still standing quietly, but the statesmen are interested and engage in the conversation. We talk about the storm and how the town worked together to clean things up. We tell
about the carnival the town held to help the less fortunate fix their houses and all the activities that go on in town. They’re amazed at the town’s concerned for those around them.
Maria and I start talking about how the town has to be concerned, because there are no other plans in town to help those people. A man comes through the crowd to introduce himself. Representative and Mrs. Andrews ask if they can visit the town next week. I say sure, its not going anywhere. He says he heard about the carnival and the puppy mill animals and he wants to talk to those involved in taking care of them on a lower keyed level and look over the town. Miss Lili has come to stand beside and behind Maria. She now gets into the conversation and invites them to spend the day in town to see how things are there and to come dressed in jeans and arrive in a pickup. He chuckles. We don’t want any reporters causing any interruptions in the visit or the town, she says. He says he would love to come and miss out on the media circus. We smile and say goodnight to them and all the others. We give our regards to the Governor and Alma and get a hug from Alma as we leave.
On the way back to the hotel, Miss Lili asks what brought on our conversation. We told her we started out intending to tease the snooty women at the party because of our conversation with Alma in the bathroom. Miss Lili laughs, “Alma never has liked formal anything, but she likes the snooty wives even less. Fortunately, she likes what Mark does for the state so she tolerates the rest of it.”
“What did you girls hear about the oil legislation?” She’s still trying to save oil jobs.
“Some of the men are concerned for the revenue it brings in if the legislation to curb oil production goes through. I don’t know what party they’re with but most of them are going to talk to the federal side to try to sway votes.” Maria heard more than I did and I was with her all night.
“I heard a lot of angry oil producers are considering hiring lobbyist to get the bill squashed in the House. They want to delay the bill ‘til it’s too late to vote on. I, too, don’t know who was talking. I can tell you one thing, the wives don’t miss a thing that’s said. I swear they were listening to every word in every conversation that went on and all at the same time. I can just imagine them trying to sort it out later. It has to have been a few words from each conversation on top of the other. Brain noise.”
Miss Lili laughs, “You girls did just fine. We’re here so let’s get to bed so we can get home tomorrow. We won’t be leavin’ ‘til after an early lunch. I have a meeting at the office tomorrow mornin’. You girls can sleep in, just be ready for lunch at eleven.”
“Miss Lili, do ya need us with ya tomorrow?” Maria seems to like the meetings.
“No. It’s just a quarterly report meeting. Nothing really interesting and you girls can use the extra rest. Besides, I don’t want my boys to think I worked their girls to exhaustion when we get back.” We nod and go into our rooms.
Maria comes over after she changes and we talk for an hour after we leave Miss Lili. We’re anxious to get home and relax and recuperate from our “vacation.” We had fun, but we were out of our element, so relaxing wasn’t something we could do. It was hard work meeting all those people and “spying” for Miss Lili. “Did ya see those wives when their husbands started talking to us? I noticed a couple of them had murder in their eyes.” Maria’s snickering.
“I saw a few of those, too. They had us pegged as dumb hicks. I guess we disappointed them, showing them we weren’t as stupid at they thought. I want to believe we’re smarter than they are. At least, we don’t need to hang onto a man to get attention, or keep him.” I’m not being very nice about the way the women circled their husbands like vultures. “If they bothered to be friendly to the other women they’d probably be less inclined to fence their husbands in at these parties.” I yawn.
“They acted like we wanted their men, or their men would make a move on one of us. Well, they don’t know us, or they’d know we respect their claim on the man they were circling.” Maria’s yawning now. “I’ll see ya tomorrow about ten. I’m beat and I’m going to bed. Goodnight.” Maria leaves for her room and I curl up to think about being home and facing Steve, kissing him.
Maria and I are up at nine and meet in the hall at ten. Miss Lili isn’t back yet. We go down to the lobby to wait for her. She comes in at eleven thirty with two men. We’re introduced to Grant and say hello to Blaine. Miss Lili is starving so we go into the hotel restaurant for lunch. There’s talk about the oil industries problems and Miss Lili’s company and how they’ve avoided most of those problems. Over coffee Miss Lili addresses possible remedies to the current company’s problems. When coffee’s finished, Miss Lili stands and says we have to get changed for our trip home. The men stand and she says her goodbyes, tells them to keep her advised and she goes to the elevator with us in tow.
In the elevator, Miss Lili says we have to hurry if we’re to get home before five. She can’t wait to get home. Maria and I look at each other, “Miss Lili, is something wrong at home?”
“Well, aha, no. I just want to see the boys.” She looks at her hands where they’re folded in front of her. From behind and beside her we bend to look at her and she’s blushing.
“Miss Lili, I don’t believe seeing the boys would cause ya to blush like that. Is there someone else you’re anxious to see?”
“Why no. And I’m a bit sunburned, certainly, not blushing. Now get changed and downstairs as quickly as possible,” she says as the elevator doors open and she rushes out and down the hall.
“I think Miss Lili has a man she can’t wait to see and it’s not her “boys,” I say rather loudly watching Miss Lili’s back. She straightens and holds her head higher.
“Yep, I’d say so, too,” Maria chimes in. Miss Lili turns her head as she opens her door and sticks her tongue out at us then snickers as she goes through the door. “She knows we won’t forget this doesn’t she?” We laugh as we go into our own rooms.
Miss Lili doesn’t speak for the first thirty minutes of the trip then she tells us about Glen. She only gets to see him a few times every few months. He’s a semi-retired company oil man. He’s going to be in to see her tonight and she wants to get home before he gets there.
“Won’t the guys entertain him ‘til we get there?” Maria asks.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to look tired from the trip.”
“Do the boys know about you and Glen?” We need to know how much we can say.
“If they know they don’t mention it and I don’t either. The boys leave us to talk and go out so I suspect they know, but they would never be so indiscreet as to mention it.”
“Does ‘indiscreet’ mean Glen stays longer than a business meeting? And am I being indiscreet to ask that?” Maria wants to know what the relationship is and so do I.
“Well…maybe you girls should know, so there’s no slip up of information, and I’d like to be able to talk to someone about it, should I need or want to. Glen and I have been seeing each other every chance we get for twenty years. He was Buck’s most trusted field manager. A year after Buck passed, Glen and I had several business meetings together and we started having dinner together after the meetings and we enjoyed each other’s company. Then one thing led to another. He has been known to stay overnight at the house before. And if you girls will co-operate by keeping the boys out passed eleven tonight and if I’m persuasive enough, he may stay again. What do ya say?”
“Miss Lili, I’m shocked.” I say in a teasing voice. “You want us to help you have a rendezvous by using sneaky and underhanded methods to fool ‘your boys’ and our boyfriends? Isn’t that dishonest? And shouldn’t we always be honest with the man we hope to spend the rest of our lives with?” I suddenly stop talking, realizing what I’d said while teasing Miss Lili.
Miss Lili isn’t deaf or mute, “Do ya hope to spend the rest of your lives with the boys?”
Maria answers immediately, “Yes. What about you, Sher?” I can’t answer.
The silence goes on forever, or so i
t seems, before Miss Lili breaks it, “Its okay, Sher. And, since it’s on my behalf, yes, I hope you’ll be a bit dishonest with the boys, this time.”
“I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn. I don’t want to talk because I don’t know what I mean.” I’ve got to get out of this some how.
“Ya need to stop over analyzing things and enjoy what is for as long as it is.” Miss Lili, and everyone else, wants me to lighten up. “Ya said something in a light moment, without thinking. Stop over stressing the possibilities. I thought that way after the first time with Glen, but I had a long talk with myself and listed the good things and then the bad things. I decided since I liked the good things so much, I’d take it as it is and it’s lasted twenty years, so far. That’s not bad for what I’d thought was a one night stand. Your virtue won’t be in jeopardy, tho’ your pride might be hurt. And, surely, ya don’t think I’m cheap, do ya?”
“No, Miss Lili, I don’t. In fact, I think it’s cute you have a boy friend. But nobody knows, they would know about me. I don’t know if I could handle dating again if Steve and I didn’t work out.”
“You know my story and how difficult being divorced was. I got through it and you’re as strong as I am, so you’ll get through it too if ya need to. But if ya don’t try you’ll never know if it would have worked.” I know all this, but why did Maria feel she needed to remind me?
Maybe, they’re right and I should concentrate on what means something to me. I did and do with the clinic. Why can’t I do it with relationships? No reason what-so-ever. “Ladies, if ya see me hesitating to have fun or to do something I want to do, ya have my permission to give me a shove. Okay?” We laugh and Miss Lili wants the radio turned on, it’s time to lighten up.