by Alexa Kang
What would she do here all summer long?
Aunt Anna wanted her and Katherine to join the Junior League. That would be awkward. She and Katherine hardly talked to each other at school. Why would they want to see each other during the summer? Besides, the Junior League was filled with St. Mary’s girls. All they did was host soirées to gossip and socialize under the guise of charity functions. She must find an excuse to get out of this.
What she really wanted was to spend the summer with Ruby and Henry, but they both had to work. Henry started a new part-time job as a busboy at Murphy’s Tavern, the Irish pub where Jack bartended three nights a week. Ruby quit working at the post office to be a waitress at the Bistro Montmartre, the restaurant at the hotel where her mother worked. The worst part was Ruby’s lunch shifts on weekends. Their Saturdays together were now on hold.
Before leaving to meet them at a soda fountain, she changed into her favorite summer outfit, a light summer dress with a tiny daffodil print. She had waited for the right moment to pull it out. Certainly, the end of school called for a celebration.
The zipper came up half way and then stuck. No matter what she did, the two sides of the back of her dress wouldn’t come together. The dress didn’t fit. She’d grown out of it.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Even if she could pull up the zipper, the waist would be too high and the top would be too tight. Disappointed, she wriggled out of it and folded it away back into her drawer.
Time didn’t stop for anyone.
At the soda fountain, Ruby and Henry told her all about their new summer gigs.
“You both work so much. I feel useless,” she said to them.
“No way. I’m jealous you don’t have to work. I’d trade places with you,” Henry said.
“We should still find something to do together now that we don’t have school. What do you all do for fun in the summer?”
“Go to a baseball game.”
“We can go to Riverview Park,” Ruby said.
“Riverview Park. The amusement park?” Tessa asked. “I’d like that. A baseball game sounds good too. I’ve never been to one.”
“You know what we should do?” Henry said with a secretive smile.
“What?” Ruby asked.
“We should ask Jack to take us swing dancing. He’s been going swing dancing with his friends every week at the youth center. I heard them talking about going to real dance halls.”
“I don’t know,” Ruby said. “I’m not good at dancing and neither are you. You just want to go to meet girls.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I want to go,” Tessa said. “I can dance.”
“You know how to swing dance?” Henry asked.
“No, but I can learn. I can do the tango and the foxtrot. My father taught me. He’s a fabulous dancer.”
“Swing dancing’s not the same.”
“How hard can it be?” she said. “I can try it, then I can tell my father all about it.”
“We can’t,” Ruby said. “How would we pay for all these things? I don’t have any money. I give most of what I make to my parents.”
“Yeah, me too.” Henry slouched over the table. “I give my paycheck to my mom. I won’t feel right keeping money from her to spend on carnivals and baseball games.”
She never knew Ruby and Henry gave their earnings to their parents. Their families weren’t wealthy like the Ardleys, but she had thought they worked for their own spending money.
Two teenage boys came in and sat down at the counter next to them. She watched the waitress take their drink orders from behind the counter. What the waitress had to do didn’t look so hard.
“I have an idea,” she said to Ruby and Henry. “What if I get a summer job? I don’t have to give money to my family. If I work, I can pay for us to go play. We can go to Riverview Park and baseball games. Even dance halls.” She turned to Ruby. “Maybe I’ll even make enough for us to buy dresses to wear to go dancing.”
“You can’t pay for us,” Ruby said. “That wouldn’t be fair.”
“Of course I can. I want to. If we don’t do it this way, we won’t be able to do anything this summer.” It then struck her that if she worked, she would be able to tell Aunt Anna she had no time for the Junior League. “I must work. I have to do this. I’ve never worked before. I want to try it. Ruby, do you think I can be a waitress at your restaurant too? Then we can work together!”
“They’re still hiring. They always hire extra staff for the summer season, but…are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go to the Montmartre now and ask them to hire me.” She pulled on Ruby’s arm. “Now I will have a perfect excuse to get out of the house, and I can get away from all the ladies’ socials Aunt Anna wants to take me to because she thinks I have nothing better to do.”
“You’re out of your mind,” Henry said, chewing on his straw. “I don’t know anyone who wants to work. And you go to St. Mary’s. Who from St. Mary’s would want to wait tables?”
She shrugged. “I meant what I said. I want to make enough money for us to go play.”
“Thank you then. But this is only for this summer, and only so we can be doing fun things together. You cannot pay for us any other times.” Ruby gave her a hug. “Oh Tessa, what an unbelievable thing you’re offering to do for us.”
“Of course. We’re friends, right?” She winked at them. “We’re in this together.”
# # #
“You’re going to be a waitress?” Sophia nearly dropped her fork. “What kind of restaurant is it?”
“It’s a very nice bistro at the Hotel Georgette downtown.” Tessa helped herself to another serving of roast potatoes. “I’ll be working the lunch shift, Monday to Thursday, and Saturday.”
“I know the Hotel Georgette. It’s not too far from my office,” William said.
“Do you have enough spending money?” Sophia asked, worried. “Is your allowance too low?”
“No,” Tessa said without looking up from her food. “I’m fine on money. I want to work, that’s all. Ruby’s working there for the summer and I want to work with her.”
“Ruby? Your friend from the post office?”
“Yes. Her mother’s a maid at the Georgette.” Tessa finished eating and wiped her lips with the dinner napkin. “I’m done. May I please be excused?”
Sophia eyed William, signaling him to say something authoritative. William, however, merely said, “Of course.”
Tessa put down her napkin and left the dining room.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Sophia asked William after Tessa was gone.
“I didn’t know what to say.” He looked at his son. “Anthony never had a summer job until he went to college. I couldn’t think of any reason why she shouldn’t work.”
“Why are you looking at me?” Anthony asked. “What could I have done back then? I guess I could’ve taught kids how to swim.” Truthfully, he had too many other priorities than a summer job when he was in high school. When he was fifteen, his father took him and Brandon to the Grand Canyon. The following summer, he went with his mother to Palm Springs to visit his grandparents. After graduation, he spent all of July and August in Florida. His family owned a resort hotel in Sarasota. Brandon came with him and they went to the beach every day. He became quite good at tennis too after that.
“I never expected she would want to work. What if Juliet and Dean don’t approve?” Sophia asked. “We’re responsible for her. How will we make it up to them if something happens to her?”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” William said. “We’ll wire Juliet and tell her. If she and Dean object, we’ll have a good excuse to ask Tessa to quit.” He looked at Tessa’s empty dinner plate. “You realize she wasn’t asking our permission. If we stop her, she might resent us.”
Sophia put down her water glass. “You’re right,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do. I want her to be safe, but I don’t want her to feel stifle
d either. The last thing I want is for her to think we don’t trust her.”
“Don’t worry,” William said. “It’s just a summer job. It could be a good experience for her.”
“I hope you’re right. Well, Anna will be disappointed.”
Watching his parents, Anthony felt for them. They had taken on a huge responsibility bringing someone else’s child into their home. If only Tessa would be more considerate sometimes, everything would be easier. His parents never had to worry about him. Maybe he should have a talk with her about that. Maybe she was too young to understand that people worried about her.
Besides, her own parents sent her here to keep her safe. It would be terrible if something bad happened to her here.
# # #
The warm light of the den spilled from the crack of the door out into the hallway. Inside, the soft strains of Louis Armstrong’s “I’m Confessin’ that I Love You” played on the phonograph, beckoning those who heard the soul of the music. Anthony pushed the door open, careful not to disturb the sound.
Lying on her stomach, Tessa hummed along to the song. She flipped through the record albums spread out on the floor one by one until Anthony, standing by the door but saying nothing, got on her nerves.
“What?” she turned her head and asked.
Unsure how to broach the subject, he said the first thought on his mind. “You should’ve asked my parents first before you took a summer job.”
“Why?”
“It’s irresponsible what you did.”
“How is it irresponsible? I took a job. I’ll be working. What’s more responsible than working?”
“You didn’t ask for their permission. They’re worried.”
“Worried about what? I’m not doing anything bad.”
“It would’ve been more considerate if you had asked them first.”
“You didn’t ask for their permission when you took your summer job with Uncle Leon.”
“That’s different!”
“Why? Why’s that different?”
He didn’t know how to answer her twisted logic. He didn’t understand how she could not see, or why she was being argumentative. He was only watching out for her. Everything with this girl was always so difficult.
“Forget it.” He gave up and walked away.
The music continued while she watched him leave, baffled. She didn’t see why she needed anyone’s permission to do something as innocuous as taking a summer job. What he said made no sense to her at all.
She tried to return to her music, but he’d ruined her mood. Only recently, she began to think they could get along. He’d been all-around nicer since last Christmas. What brought this on again? Did he know how overbearing he could be when he was around her, or Alexander, and even Katherine? At least Alexander was a child, and Katherine seemed to like having him decide what was best. But why did he think he could tell her what was right or wrong?
She picked up the cushion on the floor and threw it at the door.
Chapter 16
The jitterbug!
Tessa could hardly believe how much fun it was.
Every Thursday and Saturday, Jack and his friends Frank and Janie would go to swing dance night at the youth center around the corner from where he lived. After much cajoling, Jack finally agreed to take her, Henry, and Ruby along.
“You go like this,” Janie tried to teach them. “Step back with your right foot off your heel and make a quick step in one beat of music. When you’re comfortable with that, you can do triple steps instead of one.”
Tessa got it after just a few tries, but Ruby and Henry both struggled.
“You’re a natural, Tessa!” Ruby said.
Of course she was. She wasn’t Dean Graham’s daughter for nothing.
“Come with me.” Jack took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor while Ruby and Henry were still learning on the side of the room. He twirled her around and around. She loved the way her skirt swirled. It felt so liberating. So titillating and wild! When the music stopped, she fell into his arms, unable to stop laughing.
Jack was incredible. His feet moved so quickly, yet his every movement was smooth and controlled. She mimicked his steps, determined to keep up with him and the music.
How she loved the music! The tempos, the sounds, the beats. It filled the place with energy and heat. If the music didn’t stop, she could keep on dancing forever.
And when the night was over and she must stop, she couldn’t wait to go back again. And again.
It wasn’t long before others took notice of her, the girl whose swing moves could dazzle the crowd. Every time she came, dozens of boys would line up to dance with her. If they could follow her pace, she would take turns dancing with each of them.
But she loved dancing with Jack the most. In fact, she wanted to dance with only him. He could do the jitterbug better than anyone. When he flipped her into the air, she never had to worry about crashing or tripping. He always caught her. He would never let her fall.
That was not all, though. The first time he put his arm around her, her heart jumped. He held her the way a boy would hold a girl, not a friend or a sister. When he pulled her back to him following a release, his breath fell on her neck and she wished he would hold her even closer. She loved it when his body glided against hers.
The other boys did the same moves, but they couldn’t compare. Those boys were clumsy when they danced. The ones with weak arms could barely lift her and the others were too rough. They got out of breath like they were exercising, like Anthony when he came back from a jog.
Dancing with her father wasn’t the same either. He taught her like a trainer coaching his protégé.
By mid-summer, they all wanted something more exciting than the youth center. The Melody Mill became their new haunt. An old windmill converted into a dance hall, it looked like a dollhouse from the outside. Inside, it had a giant ballroom, a soda fountain, a roller rink, and a cocktail lounge. It was the ultimate recreational hot spot. They went every Friday, when girls got in free.
One night, Carmina came along too.
Jack’s eyes shone the minute he saw her on the street corner when they picked her up. While driving, he didn’t talk much to her, but he would turn to look at her at times and she would smile back. They were in their own world, the passengers in the backseats nearly forgotten.
“Carmina, I can teach you the new steps I learned,” Henry said.
“She doesn’t need you,” Ruby said. “She has Jack.”
Carmina turned around. Her large, round eyes reminded Tessa of an actress her father worked with once. A lot of men loved her. In the magazines, they said her eyes captivated souls.
“I’d love for you to teach me, Henry,” Carmina said.
“Carmina, what color lipstick are you wearing? It’s beautiful,” Ruby asked.
“Thank you. It’s called Eternal Flame.” She dipped her chin and smiled. So striking was the red color against her black eyes and hair, Tessa couldn’t turn her eyes away.
Noticing Tessa staring at her, Carmina took her lipstick out of her purse to show her.
Embarrassed, Tessa pretended to examine it, then handed it to Ruby and stared out the car window. Her own reflection looked so pale.
As Jack spent most of the night with Carmina, Tessa had no choice but to dance with other people. She didn’t lack dance partners. Once the boys saw how good she was, they all wanted to dance with her. But the excitement wasn’t there. Even the music sounded flat.
On the dance floor, she looked over at Jack and Carmina. Everyone was jiving to the fast tunes of Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing,” but in a corner, they slow-danced. They had eyes only for each other. What the rest of the world was doing didn’t matter. She sighed and stopped dancing. When the song finished, she left with Henry and Ruby for the soda fountain.
“Why doesn’t Carmina come dancing with us more often?” she asked Henry.
“She doesn’t like coming to our youth c
enter. You know, her people and our people don’t get along. Besides, she can only come out to see Jack when Carlos isn’t paying attention. He’ll give her hell if he finds out she’s still dating him.”
“That’s terrible. How often do they see each other, then?”
“I think they try to meet up whenever they can in places away from where we live and where she lives. How often? I don’t know. He doesn’t tell me these things.”
She sipped on her soda. A large poster behind the bar caught her attention. The Melody Mill would be holding a jitterbug competition the last Saturday of August. The grand prize was two tickets to dinner and dancing at the Edgewater Hotel on a night when Duke Ellington would perform.
“What do you think? Are we good enough to win?” Jack asked. She hadn’t noticed him coming up behind her while she stared at the poster. His arm hung loosely over Carmina’s shoulders. Carmina nodded, encouraging her.
“You’re interested?” she asked, surprised he made the suggestion.
“Sure. Duke Ellington at the Edgewater. You bet!”
“He only wants a free meal at a fine hotel,” Henry said. Jack playfully slapped the back of his head.
Ignoring Henry’s joke, she watched him give Carmina a little hug. “Wouldn’t you two rather compete together?”
“I’m not nearly as good a dancer as you,” Carmina said. “Jack’s been telling me how great you are, and I saw it tonight myself. If he competes with me, we’ll lose. Anyway, you know our situation. I can’t practice with him as often as needed to win.”
“That’s right. My time with you is too precious to spend on dance practices.” He pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. She laughed and didn’t shy away.
“You and Jack should go for it.” She squeezed Tessa’s arm.
“So, Tessa, are you in?” Jack asked.
Tessa nodded. He gave her a warm smile. Fearing she might give away her feelings, she cast down her eyes and looked away.