by Adams, Zoe
The next day, Lady spent all of her time in the craft room behind the kitchen. Del could hear the sewing hammer connecting fine fabrics. He could visualize her without any effort. Her head would be bent over the machine, because serious consideration accompanied all her efforts.
Del wondered if she was hungry or thirsty. He grabbed a few drinks and walked into her room.
She gave him a quick smile. “Hi, babe. Can you help me for a minute?”
“Sure.” He stood by the windows and waited.
“Okay. Just one more thing I have to do real quickly.” She hammered a few stitches into the cloth and stood up. “All right. Stand still.”
She put the leather across his chest and smiled.
“There.” She stood back and stared at the suit with a quizzical eye.
Del felt like he was on the spot. He understood her questioning look on the clothes and hoped she would never look at him personally this way.
“This is good. This is good. Do you have another minute for me to try on the corresponding outfit?”
“Sure.” Del wasn’t sure if it was effeminizing to play dress up.
But he really had nothing else to do. He stood there and watched her undress. He wanted to move and grab her around the waist
“Don’t move.” Lady twisted into a skirt. “Your shirt isn’t finished and will probably fall off.”
“Wow. How do you know me so well?” He slumped back toward the wall.
“Don’t move.” Lady stood still and pointed at the wall behind him. “There are pattern pieces pinned to the walls.”
Del looked beside him. “That can’t be good for you. I don’t know how I feel about pins in the wall. There’s probably old layers of lead paint and stuff.”
Lady looked up with a new edge of concern. Del saw it and felt a new lowness of shame. He had completely left this room alone. For the first time he realized how hard this was for Lady. She’d been working relentlessly, but Del thought she enjoyed it.
“I will make this room better for you,” he said adamantly.
“No!” She almost yelled. “If everything gets moved around, it will just make my job harder. Besides, I can’t stop work and tell you what to do.”
Del sat down hard on the rolling chair. The back of the chair let go and his body fell over the back of it.
“Whoa.” Del’s feet were left hanging in the air.
If he were an older man the fall could have seriously harmed him. Instead, he rolled over on his knees. He inched his way across the floor toward Lady.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how bad this room is. I didn’t know you needed things. Standing here and watching you work is sexy, and I should’ve been doing it all along. I didn’t realize this room was so bad.”
Lady put her hand to her forehead and shielded her eyes. “There’s no time.”
“It’ll only take a day to make this room way better for you.” Del plopped himself down in her sewing chair.
“It’s hard.” Those were the only two words from her mouth.
Del felt profoundly ashamed. He stood up and gave her a big hug.
“You have me and I’ll make it as easy on you as I can.”
Lady looked up at him with shimmering hope in her eyes.
This particular work room was very limited. He silently vowed to make the space more user friendly. Lady didn’t need shelves and shelves of fabric. She needed blank, felt walls that could hold her ideas.
So Del spent the next day painting and making the room better for Lady. He swore it would only take him a day. Some things Del knew didn’t belong in the room. He took them out with no second thoughts. Other things Lady wanted in their exact previous placement.
Bolts of fabric were put in the corner. A brand new shelf held other pieces of cloth. An ironing board still swung down from the wall, and the sewing desk still sat under the window.
Del learned the mannequins were really called dress forms. One whole wall of the room had five of them lined up. Strips of cloth were pinned on them.
Del admired the direction Lady took with things. She wasn’t haphazard. The room was messy and organized at the same time. Lady would specifically set things in certain places. Then things got piled up in other places.
“So, what are you making now?”
“This is a man’s vest.” She held it up proudly.
Del could only see a few strips of fabric.
“Let me see how this fits.” Lady held the vest up to his chest and squinted. She turned her head from side to side and thought about it.
Del wondered what she could see in her mind. She had an artsy, head in the clouds demeanor. Lady was a true visionary. He wondered how she did it. Lady could do so many astounding things.
Lady grabbed the silk that went sliding down his chest. Her hands slid down his happy trail. Del was helpless. His hands were full. Lady would be touching whatever part of him she wanted. Del could only enjoy it. She replaced the silk on his shoulder and pinned it to his shirt.
“Don’t move,” she admonished.
Del would stay in his place and be her tool. He liked working for love much more than working for other things. He leaned closer to her.
Lady looked up with a big question in her brown eyes. “Will you put your arms out, please? No, like this.”
She demonstrated, and Del did as she requested. Lady smiled and made being a male model tolerable. She finished a few things and stood back.
“Good.” She exhaled loudly and blushed. “That vest looks good. Now let me try on the matching dress.”
Her shirt was over her head before Del could respond. She stood before him in mismatched bra and panties. Black and white never looked so good. Lady must have recognized the look in his eyes.
“Hey, don’t move. Those pins in the vest will poke you.” She tried to warn him.
Del could care less about exteriorities. He couldn’t imagine tiny pins hurting him. But he did want to establish a major mode of trust with Lady. He stood still.
Lady tortured him. She wiggled into a skirt. She bounced back and forth until the frilly thing was in place. Del’s eyes moved faster than lightning to watch her whole body bounce, twist, and curl. Even her toes turned at the effort.
The sun shone brightly and clearly through the window. Her brown hair picked up some red highlights. She shimmered in golden sunshine.
Lady finished fixing her clothes. She turned them to face the mirror.
“There.” She sounded content. “Almost perfect for the catwalk.”
Del’s wide body did most of the reflecting. “I look like an oaf when I stand next to you.
“No, you don’t. Trust me, you look like a strong man who works hard and deserves the best of life. You are so strong and big, how can anyone say no to you? I would be afraid of that six-pack backed up by your big fist.”
Lady ran her hand down his chest. They smiled at their reflection. Life was simple like this. He admired them together as a couple for a few more minutes. He checked his eyes for crow’s feet. He didn’t look old, but when he stood beside the tiny woman he felt different. It wasn’t an old feeling, per se, but he felt experienced.
He slightly shifted to the side and brought Lady with him. Now they were almost equally in front of the mirror.
That’s how he liked it. To feel equal would be an understatement. He was very satisfied with her abilities. Del wanted her work to shine, even outshine his own work. That should be easy. Del worked with dirt, weeds, and plants. Lady worked with cloth, thread, and silks.
She made things look good. Del’s pride for her grew. She was young, but knew what she wanted. If she worked hard enough, then what could stop her from getting it?
Lady started to organize and fold up materials. Her piles were kept in some unimaginable form of order. Little piles of corresponding materials were everywhere.
Del wondered again at the orderliness of her mind. Neatness was attached to a straight line in her head. A vision of what everything would become sat
in each meaningful fold of cloth. In Del’s mind, she already wore a reigning genius status.
Chapter 16
The winter months were cold and windy. Del stayed mostly in the house. Aside from shoveling a path to the barn, and feeding the cats, there wasn’t any other use for the outdoors.
Del finally did the decorating he’d put off for so long. He spent a couple days in the living room preparing walls for paint.
Lady picked out mellow yellow, bright white, and cream colors. Del put them up with a paintbrush and roller. The farmhouse looked newer one stroke at a time. After the third day of painting, Del was almost finished. He stood on a stool and painted crown molding with a small brush.
Del heard Lady’s craft room grow quiet. The music and machines stopped one by one. She’d been working on clothes and mannequins all day. A few minutes later she slumped into the living room. From the pits of despair she hugged a pillow on the couch.
“Del, what have I done? There’s no way I can do this by myself. Should I go to the city and hire people to help me sew?”
He’d been anticipating these questions. “Okay. If that’s what you want to do.”
“Of course it’s not what I want to do. I want to stay here in the middle of nowhere, on a farm. I love our privacy.” Lady tossed the pillow in the air and caught it.
“Yeah, I noticed how you don’t even want to go to town with me.”
“It’s because I’ve been busy.” This time she threw the pillow at him.
“Hey!” Del laughed and sat down. “I know you can teach me how to sew.”
This time Lady laughed. “I don’t have all the time in the world.”
“All right. How about if I do all the business end for you? You know, like the phone calls and emails.”
“And what do you know about a fashion show?” she quizzed him sarcastically.
“It can’t be that hard to figure out. I’ll sit in the sewing room on the computer or the telephone and get it all figured out. Then, instead of your brain bouncing back and forth from left to right, you can just be right sided and creative.”
Lady nodded. “Okay, we can try it until Christmas. If it’s not working out, then it’s not going to work and I’ll have to leave.”
The desperation in her voice gave Del no other option. He finished painting the living room late that night, well after the sun went down.
Christmas would be there in a few weeks. And so would Del’s birthday.
“What do you want for your birthday?” Lady sounded like a train wreck of questions. “And what about Christmas? I bet you are the type of guy who has three and six month anniversary dates for when you meet girls.”
Her stress level was something they were both learning to deal with.
“Actually, I think you just gave me a few good ideas.”
“Oh no.” Lady groaned. “Let’s just do one thing for your birthday, then celebrate Christmas together alone.”
“Are you offering to do whatever I want for my birthday?”
“Yes.”
Del thought about it. “Anything?”
“Yes and it better be something outside of this house. You obviously know sex is a given, so you have to think of something else.”
“All right. I’m taking you to the Christmas Square Dance.” Del expected her to balk or say no, but was pleased with the opposite response.
“All right, as long as I get to choose what we wear.” Lady won her own victory.
She took the date very seriously and gave it proper consideration for days. Lady went through her clothes, then searched his clothes as well.
Lady finally decided on a red dress. It was the same one she’d tried on her second day on the farm. At first it fit her largely, then Lady made it better. She had also trimmed out the top to make it a little more flattering. The sleeves were left to their moderate purpose. They fluffed from her ears to the first ripple of muscle on her arms.
The skirt looked shorter than it really was. Lady applied layer after layer of hooped skirts. Each one was just shorter than the one below it. The bottoms of numerous lengths were all lacy and white. By the time the skirt was complete, it looked like whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Del looked at her thoughtfully. “I don’t remember that dress looking so sexy.”
Lady flounced the skirt, pulling it up on one side and holding it with her fist. The skirt made a perfect c-shaped dress and Del wanted to put it in other angles as well.
She grinned mischievously at him. “Square dancers are supposed to be flamboyant. I even looked it up. And you are supposed to wear a handkerchief around your neck.”
Del stood still while she wrapped something around his neck. “I don’t know how long I can wear this.”
“What are you talking about?” She pouted. “You’ve been waiting how long to take someone to the dance?”
Del flinched. “I’m pretty transparent, huh?”
“Almost invisible.” Lady stood on her tiptoes and kissed him soundly.
Del sputtered into her mouth. “Hey, you can’t kiss me when I’m laughing.”
“At least I can find your lips. That’s all that really matters.”
Lady always made him want to thwart dreams and tradition for something else.
“Hey, it was your idea to go to this outdated dance. I will help you make at least this one birthday wish come true. Even though today isn’t really your birthday, and we are celebrating the wrong day.”
“Well it’s not every day they have outdated dances.” Del took the bow off his neck. “I’m not wearing this stupid handkerchief thing.”
He buttoned his shirt and opted for his usual bull tie. He slid the polished piece of agate up to his Adam’s apple.
“Now I’m nervous. Are you ready to go?”
Del never got nervous going into town. But he usually went to a bar full of drunks. The square dance would probably be all his grandparents’ old and middle aged friends.
It had been a while since Del had spoken to all of them at once. In fact, the last time had probably been their funeral. Del felt a new level of perspiration squirt into his hairline.
They left the house lit up and welcoming their return. They arrived at the dance and it was exactly how Del thought it would be. One look at Lady and one would think she were at a fancy ball in New Kirk City.
Her dress was traditional with modern flair. She had a tiny waist, tiny arms, and tiny ankles. She eyed the other dancers carefully. They were glitzy, glamorous, and romantic as the men doled out hugs and bridges for their ladies. The rest of the time they held hands.
Lady attracted people. Del attracted people. If things stayed on course, there would be no dancing together. He gripped her tight with his one free hand. The other was shook tightly by many old acquaintances.
They finally got to the dance floor. A loud voice swung the people around.
“Switch hands to the left, to the right. When I say go, you each trade sides. It’ll sound like this. Go. Go. Now go one more time. That’s the way we like it here.”
The singer sang out directions in a singsong kind of way. Del and Lady did what they were told. After a while it was like dancing in code.
“Go. Go. Switch. Step. Switch. Step. Now go around one more time. Put a spring in the step, and switch, switch, switch that frown when we dance.”
Lady and Del laughed. It was a funny thing to say in a song. Accusing your partner of frowning while dancing with them couldn’t be healthy. Then they realized it was because they had to keep switching partners.
Dancing without Lady? This wasn’t part of the plan. If the next song was like this one then they wouldn’t be staying much longer.
Thankfully it wasn’t. Lady laughed with him as they learned the dance moves together. And doing it with other people made it more fun. Watching older and more experienced couples go through the same experience made Del have something to aspire to.
They both seemed to recognize how bittersweet it was for aged
and wizened eyes to watch the youth take over with young, spry steps. Del was glad it wasn’t swing dancing or rap, this one was a dying art.
After a few songs, Del took Lady to the bar. Del started ordering for them, and a few women started talking to Lady.
“You’re wearing Milly’s old square dancing dress.”
“Yes. My name is Lady Steele.” Lady used her full name and it had the desired effect.
“As in Steele, like my handbag?”
Lady nodded. “Yes. What’s your name?”
“Mrs. Moriarty. Call me Jane. And these are my friends, Betty and MaryJo.”
Mrs. Moriarty apparently led the group of women and kept talking. “Like I was saying, you’re wearing Milly’s old dress. I never forget a dress. And I saw you and said look, girls, that’s Milly’s old dress. Well, anyway, you must be a seamstress, because the dress has obviously been altered. You did a lovely job. The dress is beautiful.”
“Thanks. Your dress is very pretty too. Did you make it?” Lady asked politely.
“Yes, of course I made it. I am president of the Cape Chapter Sewing Club.”
Lady smiled like she had just struck gold.
“How very interesting.”
She briefly explained her spring runway event. Her newfound friends couldn’t believe the task Lady was undertaking.
Del was scolded by the women for letting this little gem work her fingers to the bone. By the end of the conversation, Lady had three new assistants stopping by the house Monday at noon.
There was no Christmas that year. Del worked tirelessly on learning a new trade. Lady didn’t mind not decorating a tree or a house. Del putting up a tree was kind of hit or miss anyway. They ordered each other gifts online and were delivered just in time.
By the end of December, Del felt like a master of coordinating. He made phone calls and answered emails by reading them to Lady. He felt like quite the delegator, and Lady had even more reasons to appreciate him.
The calendar pages flipped. The home filled with a nervous energy. Lady’s fashion blitz would be here soon.
Del always had a lot of stress at springtime. It was an issue of whether to plant or not to plant. If he planted his crop too early, then there was the fear of frostbite or snow damaging the crops. If he planted too late, then the summer sun could fry the tender shoots.