The girl seemed impressed. “You really are multitasking, aren’t you?”
Anna nodded. “I figured I could be getting the gifts wrapped when I come back here to help Chelsea try things on.”
Fortunately, Anna already had printed out lists from the wedding registry online and knew what she wanted to get for both couples, so it didn’t take long. For Kendall and Killiki, she picked up a set of tropical-colored sheets that Kendall had admitted to sneaking onto her wish list behind her mother’s back. And for Gil and Lelani she chose an elegant crystal pitcher and stemware set. She arranged to get the gifts wrapped, then returned just as Chelsea was going into the fitting room.
“Chelsea!” she exclaimed. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Chelsea patted her short, feathery haircut, complete with some kind of highlighting. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect. Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it!”
Soon they had Chelsea trying on garment after garment. When something worked, they tried to pair it with something else until finally, between the three of them, they had selected two jackets, one sweater set, two skirts and a pair of trousers.
“Are you okay with these?” Anna asked Chelsea quietly as they were sorting through the clothes one last time. “I mean they’re on sale, but they’re not exactly cheap.”
Chelsea just laughed. “I haven’t exactly invested much into my wardrobe.”
“That’s for sure.” Anna chuckled. “But you still need to get shoes and some accessories.”
“I set aside some accessories for you up front,” the salesgirl told Chelsea, “just in case you were interested.”
Anna never heard the total for all of Chelsea’s purchases, but before they were done, they had hit the shoe department, then got some help with cosmetics. Anna knew that Chelsea’s credit card had to be feeling the heat.
“Honestly,” Anna said as they loaded all their things into the back of her car, “if I encouraged you to buy anything you can’t afford, it will not offend me in the least if you return it.”
“Are you kidding?” Chelsea carefully laid out the garment bag on top of the others. “This is an investment in my career, and I should be thanking you.”
“The way you can thank me,” Anna said as she drove Chelsea to her apartment, “is to start acting like you really are a professional. Someone once told me that you dress for the job you want, not the one you have. But I think you also need to act like you have the confidence for the job you want as well. First of all that means no gum chewing. No slang. No slumping. No—”
“Stop, stop!” cried Chelsea. “Let me write these things down.”
Anna waited for Chelsea to extract a notepad from her slouchy looking bag. “Another thing, Chelsea, you need a briefcase. We should’ve—”
“I have a briefcase,” Chelsea said happily. “My brother got it for me for graduation, but I always felt silly carrying it … before.”
“That was the old Chelsea.”
“Right.” Chelsea had her notepad ready. “Now continue.”
Anna tried to remember where she was. “Okay. No putting yourself down or playing the dummy. No asking stupid questions. If you don’t know the answer to something, try to figure it out before you speak. Always use your head before you open your mouth. And always use good manners. And come prepared for meetings. Do your homework. Know what your boss needs before she even asks for it.”
Anna had to repeat things a couple of times, but before long Chelsea got it all down. “Wow, Anna, how did you learn all this?”
Anna thought about it. “I guess I’d have to give my parents some of the credit, when it comes to things like manners and not chewing gum. But some things I had to learn the hard way.”
“Well, I owe you big time,” Chelsea told her as Anna dropped her off.
“Then make me proud,” Anna said. She almost added, “And don’t lose your job,” but that would have sounded a little insensitive, not to mention self-serving. Anna just hoped that tonight’s Pygmalion routine would benefit Chelsea in some positive ways. Really, that would be enough.
The next day, Anna was pleased to see Chelsea walking through the building like she was a new person. She even wore a pair of small, dark-framed glasses that looked like they’d increased her IQ by about twenty points.
“New glasses?” Anna asked quietly as they both waited for the elevator.
“I decided to ditch the contacts,” Chelsea replied. “I haven’t worn these since college days, but the prescription still works.”
“Nice look,” Anna said with approval.
They were both on their way to the same meeting, and Anna watched Felicia’s eyes light up when she saw her reinvented assistant.
“My goodness, Chelsea, what happened to you?” she asked right in front of everyone. Anna held her breath, hoping that Chelsea wouldn’t have a meltdown and say something dumb.
“I decided it was time to dress like a grown-up,” Chelsea said calmly.
Felicia smiled. “I like it.”
“Thanks.” Chelsea sat down at the conference table and pulled out her notebook and pen. When she looked up, Anna gave her the slightest little wink, as in, “Go girl!”
Anna couldn’t help but feel the glow of satisfaction over Chelsea’s transformation. But it didn’t seem to be making any difference in the Lucy department. During the meeting, Felicia asked Lucy’s opinion over several things, and it was clear that Felicia continued to be impressed with Lucy’s “youthful” views. Anna tried to read Edmond’s face while Lucy was in the limelight. But he might as well have been playing poker. Not that she expected Edmond to be making goo-goo eyes at Lucy or anything so blatant as that. But she did remember times when Edmond openly flirted with her at times like this. Finally, the meeting ended, and Anna was relieved to get back to her desk and the happy distraction of work.
She’d barely sat down when, to her surprise, Edmond planted himself right in front of her desk area and stared at her with a troubled brow.
“What’s wrong?” she asked politely.
“We need to talk.” His voice was quiet, almost throaty.
She didn’t know what to say, and it was hard to hold eye contact with him for more than a split second. Didn’t he know how painful this was for her? Besides, hadn’t they already done the breakup conversation, the one that always started with those four words? What did he want from her?
“Seriously, Anna. Can we talk? Please?”
“About what?” She kept her words calm, but her heart was pounding.
“About us.”
Anna glanced around to see if anyone was listening, but thankfully no one was around. “What about us?” she asked in a hushed tone.
“Well, we can’t talk here.”
Anna pressed her lips together and looked down. Why was he doing this?
“After work?” he asked. “Can we talk then?”
“Not for long,” she said without looking up. “I have to help Megan with some shower stuff.”
“Okay. I’ll take what I can get.”
Anna still didn’t look up. When he was gone, she felt like she could almost breathe again. It was hard to focus on work, though, and she began to resent his visit. What did he want from her? Everyone in the office seemed to know that he and Lucy were a couple now. Did he think that Anna would be willing to play “the other woman” against Lucy? No, that was ridiculous.
At noon, Anna wondered why Edmond hadn’t simply suggested they talk during their lunch hour. As she hurried out to her car, she discovered the reason. Because there, sitting in Edmond’s car, he and Lucy appeared to be engrossed in an intense and intimate conversation.
Anna turned around and went back into the building. She was glad they hadn’t seen her, but she w
asn’t willing to risk starting her car and drawing their attention. Instead, she just kept walking, exited the front door, and went across the street to the local deli, where she ordered a bowl of soup, then sat there and watched it get cold.
Why was he doing this to her? Why? Somehow she managed to pass the hour and, despite not wanting to, she returned to work. There, to her surprise, a vase of yellow roses was dominating her desk. Assuming there had been a mistake, she checked the card. Her name was printed in block letters on the envelope. But all it said inside (again in the same block letters, which may or may not have been written by Edmond, since she’d only seen him write in cursive before) was, “Anna, you’re the best!” She read the card several times, trying to interpret what it meant. Was it: “Anna, you’re the best sport—as in, you’ll forgive me for marrying Lucy”? Or, “Anna, you’re the best choice—as in, I like you better than Lucy”? Or was it even from Edmond? And why was she obsessing over it?
Anna waited until five fifteen. Edmond didn’t show. Hadn’t she told him that her time was limited? She considered going up to his office but remembered the last time she’d done that and knew she wouldn’t survive another similar encounter. She finally decided to leave and gathered up her things, as well as the roses, which would be nice for Lelani’s shower, when suddenly Edmond appeared.
“Oh, I thought you’d forgotten,” she said as they stood face-to-face, the roses like a shield between them.
“Sorry, I got tied up.”
“Right.” Anna tried not to look disgusted as she imagined him literally tied up with Lucy. Meanwhile, he just silently stared at the roses, and she started to get seriously irritated. “I thought you wanted to talk,” she said finally.
“I did.”
“But now you don’t?” She knew her voice sounded harsh, but she couldn’t help it. Why was he jerking her around? Didn’t he know how much she’d been hurting, how she had finally started to get over him? And now he was trying to rip off the scab?
He continued to stare at the stupid roses, a puzzled frown across his brow and his lips pressed tightly together. Still, he said nothing.
“Look, Edmond, I told Megan that I’d be home early tonight,” Anna said. “We have a lot to—”
“Yes, I’m sorry I wasted your time, Anna.” Then he turned and walked away. She started to call out his name, to ask him to come back. But it felt as if her voice was frozen inside of her.
Twenty-four
Lelani
“That shower was absolutely lovely,” Lelani told her housemates after the guests had gone. “Perfect.” She hugged each of them. “Thank you all so much.”
“Don’t thank me,” Kendall said as she picked up a stack of used paper plates. “Megan and Anna did everything.”
“It’s your house,” Lelani reminded her.
“Speaking of the house,” Kendall said, “I’ve started calling around about in-home health care. It’s kind of expensive. But one social-services lady told me there’s a way that Nana’s house can help to pay for it. First, though, I need to know for sure that you guys, I mean Anna and Megan, are serious about wanting to do this.”
“I’m in,” said Anna.
“Me too,” said Megan. “And I could even help out with her care this summer, since I’ll probably be jobless as soon as school ends.”
“You could have free rent,” offered Kendall. “I mean, that’s not much. But it might help.”
“It sounds like things are working out,” Lelani told her. “I’m impressed that you’re able to figure out something like this with everything you’ve got going on—the wedding and all.”
“How do your parents feel about this idea?” Megan asked Kendall.
Kendall just shrugged.
“You haven’t told them?” Anna looked slightly suspicious.
“Shouldn’t you discuss it with them?” suggested Lelani. “I mean, Nana is your dad’s mom. I would think he’d want to be in on something like this.”
“Good idea.” Kendall nodded. “I’ll call my dad.” She dropped the plates into the garbage, then looked at the clock and jumped. “Uh-oh, I almost forgot tonight is our marriage-counseling session. Gotta go.”
“Tell Killiki hi for me,” called Lelani as Kendall disappeared up the stairs. Then she turned to Anna and Megan. “Now, you two do me a big favor and go put your feet up while I finish cleaning this up, okay?”
“But this was your shower—”
“My shower and my turn to clean it up,” Lelani commanded them. “Seriously, you guys did a great job; now go have a break, please!”
“If you insist.” Megan sighed. “I won’t deny that I’m tired.”
“See.” Lelani nodded. “Now go.”
Megan turned and left, but Anna continued clearing the table and Lelani decided not to argue with her. Anna had been a little moody these past few days, and Lelani was starting to get worried. Was it possible she was feeling pushed out by all this attention on the wedding? Lelani was glad all that would soon be over.
“Anna?” asked Lelani when they were both washing up things in the kitchen. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” Anna made a good attempt at a smile. “I’m great.”
“Seriously, Anna, have I done something to offend you?” Lelani dropped some silverware into the dishwasher. “I mean I know your mom’s been giving me a lot of attention lately and there’s still the Saturday-night shower that—”
“No, no,” Anna just shook her head. “That has nothing to do with it.”
Lelani studied her for a moment. Just by saying “it,” Anna made Lelani feel that her instincts were right.
“Look, Anna,” she said gently, “we’re going to be sisters, right?”
Anna just nodded as she rinsed a pitcher, then sat it on the drainer to dry.
“And sisters should share things, right?”
Anna didn’t say anything.
“Please, tell me what’s bothering you. Maybe I can help.”
Anna turned to Lelani with tear-filled eyes. “You can’t help, Lelani. No one can help.”
Lelani wrapped her arms around Anna, stroking her hair like she would stroke Emma’s. “How do you know I can’t help unless you try?”
Anna started crying harder. She pulled away from Lelani and used a dish towel to blot her tears.
“Go into the living room and sit down,” Lelani told her. “I’ll make us both some tea. You go ahead and have a good cry, and then we’re going to talk. Okay?”
Anna mumbled, “Okay,” then with dish towel still in hand, she shuffled out into the living room. When Lelani joined her with their tea, Anna had stopped crying, but her eyes were still sad and red-rimmed.
“Tea and sympathy,” Lelani said as she handed a cup to Anna.
“There’s really nothing you can do to help me,” Anna said quietly.
“Sometimes it helps to just listen.”
“But I didn’t want to tell you.” Anna sniffed. “This is your time to be happy. Yours and Gil’s. And I didn’t want to do anything to rain on your parade.”
“Gil and I have so much happiness, Anna. Really, you don’t need to worry. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“Only if you promise not to tell Gil or Mama or anyone in the family, okay?”
“You have my word.”
Anna began to pour out the sad story of Edmond and a silly girl at work named Lucy, explaining how just this week Edmond had wanted to talk to Anna and had perhaps even sent her roses, but then Anna said something stupid and it had all gone south.
“And now Edmond won’t even talk to me or look at me or anything, and I’m so unhappy that I want to quit my job. But I can’t afford to quit my job without going home to live with my parents. And I can’t stand to do that. I just feel totally hopeless.�
��
Lelani shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know I’ll be okay. But it just hurts.” Anna tapped her chest. “Deep inside, it hurts. And I want it to go away.”
Lelani considered this. “Can I ask you a question, Anna?”
Anna shrugged. “Why not?”
“Do you think it hurts because your pride’s been hurt? You know what I mean. Like, your feelings are hurt and you’re embarrassed. Is it that kind of hurt? Or is it something more? Does it hurt like your heart is broken? Like you really loved Edmond and perhaps you didn’t realize it fully before?”
Anna nodded, but fresh tears were spilling down her cheeks now. “The second one.”
“So you really did love Edmond?” Lelani was slightly surprised to hear this. Anna had always been slightly offhanded about Edmond before. She would say they were good friends. And when they broke up, she had seemed to take it in stride. Or else she’d been hiding her true feelings.
“I did love Edmond, and I still do.” Anna made a little gasping sound. “How do you stop loving someone, Lelani? How do you simply shut down because he stops loving you? How do you tell your heart to stop thinking about him? To stop wanting him back? How?”
Lelani sighed loudly. “That is one of the big unanswerable questions of the universe. I don’t know how. I could say that time helps. And it does, I know that personally. But who knows how much time? I could say that growing up helps, which I also understand firsthand. I could even say that eventually finding someone new helps. But I doubt any of that would make you feel better.”
Anna wiped her face with the dish towel.
“I haven’t been much help, have I?” said Lelani.
“Actually, you have.” Anna stood now. “I remember how heartbroken you were last fall. I didn’t understand it then. Sometimes I thought you were just being dramatic. But I do understand now. And knowing that you survived it, Lelani, well, that gives me some hope.”
Lelani smiled. “Not only did I survive it, Anna, but I’m marrying the most wonderful man on the planet.”
Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah Page 21