Coming Out

by Danielle Steel

  Predictably, as always, Chauncey did not make things better, but worse.

  “What kind of rabble-rousing left-wing household are you running there, Olympia, if Veronica thinks that making her debut is a persecution of the Great Unwashed? You all sound like a bunch of Commies to me.” It was just the kind of thing Olympia expected him to say.

  “Oh for God's sake, Chauncey, they're kids. They get emotional. Veronica has always had extreme political ideas; she's the champion of the underdog. She thinks she's a combination of Mother Teresa and Che Guevara. She'll outgrow it. This is her way of expressing herself. Seven months from now, I think she'll calm down and do it, if we don't make too big a deal of it now. If we do, she'll dig her heels in. So let's be reasonable, please.” Someone had to be. And apparently Chauncey wasn't going to be either, which was no surprise to her.

  “Well, let me tell you where I stand on this, Olympia,” he said, sounding incredibly arrogant and haughty, which was typical of him. “I'm not going to tolerate having a revolutionary as a daughter, and I think that should be nipped in the bud right now. You should have done it years ago, if that's the direction she was heading in. I'm not going to tolerate this Communist crap from any of you, if you understand what I mean. If she decides that it is too politically right-wing to make her debut at The Arches, then I'm not going to pay her tuition at Brown next year. She can go and dig ditches in Nicaragua or El Salvador, or wherever she thinks she should be doing it, and see how she likes the life of a political radical. And if she's not careful, she'll wind up in jail.”

  “She's not going to jail, Chauncey,” Olympia said, sounding exasperated. He was the other end of the spectrum, and possibly why Veronica was so extreme in reaction to him. There was no one on the planet more snobbish than Chauncey and his wife. They thought the entire world had polo ponies, or should, and that no one existed on earth except people listed in the Social Register. She didn't like his point of view, either. If she had to choose one ideology, she liked Harry's better, but he was being silly too. “She has a strong social conscience. We just have to let her calm down, and hopefully when she does, she'll see that no one is being hurt by this. It's just a fun evening, and something nice for them to do. Don't get in an argument with her, and if you threaten her about tuition, she's liable to do something ridiculous and decide not to go to school.”

  “This is what you get for marrying a radical Jew.” His words rang out like shots, as she sat immobilized in her seat. She couldn't believe he had the nerve to say something like that. She wanted to strangle him.

  “What did you just say?” she said in an icy tone.

  “You heard what I said,” he fired back at her in clipped, aristocratic tones. He sounded so snobby sometimes that he sounded like a 1930s movie. No one spoke that way anymore, at any level of society, only Chauncey and Felicia did, and a handful of snobs like them.

  “Don't you ever say something like that to me again. You're not fit to wipe his feet. It's no wonder Veronica is off the deep end over this, with an example like you. My God, have you ever bothered to notice that there's a whole world of people out there, not just idiots like you, with polo ponies?” He hadn't had a real job in twenty years. First he had lived off his grandmother, then his inheritance, and she suspected they lived off Felicia's trust funds, too. They were a worthless lot who had never done anything for the human race and never would. Maybe Veronica was trying to atone for their sins of indifference to the rest of the human race.

  “You lost your mind when you converted, Olympia. I've never understood how you could do that. You're a Crawford, for chrissake.”

  “No, I'm a Rubinstein,” she said clearly. “I love my husband. My converting was important to him. And it's none of your business. My religion is my business, not yours.” She was furious with him. He was precisely the kind of racist that Harry was objecting to when he said he wouldn't go.

  “You betrayed your entire heritage just to please a man who's left of Lenin.” Chauncey stood his ground.

  “You don't know what you're talking about. What we're discussing here is a party we want our daughters to attend, not your politics or mine. Leave Lenin to me. The problem is Veronica, not Harry.”

  “They sound like one and the same to me.” In fact, at the moment they were, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. First she had to get Veronica calmed down, then she could work on Harry. He was a reasonable man, and she knew that eventually he'd come around. Chauncey was another story, and if there was an opportunity to be irritating, ignorant, and inflammatory, he would seize it every time. And Felicia was even dumber than he. Olympia could no longer even remotely imagine how she had ever married him, even at twenty-two. At forty-four, she would rather have cut her head off than be married to him for ten minutes. Just talking to him drove her insane.

  “I don't want you threatening Veronica about her tuition. If you do that, she'll do something even more stupid. Let's keep this about the party, and not about tuition or school. You can't do that to the girls. I can take you to court over it if I have to.” He had an obligation to pay the girls' tuition, although she knew he was foolish enough not to pay it just to prove a point, despite the consequences to him.

  “Go ahead, take me to court, Olympia. I don't give a damn if you do. If you don't give Veronica my message, I will. In fact, just to make sure she doesn't do something stupid, you can tell her I won't pay tuition for either of them, unless they both come out next Christmas. Veronica won't want to screw it up for Ginny, and if Veronica doesn't agree to come out, she will. I don't care if you put me in jail. I'm not paying a red cent for either of them, unless they both make their debut. Put Veronica in handcuffs, or sedate her if you have to, but she will come out at The Arches!” He was every bit as stubborn as his daughter, and more so. He was turning this into a major war for all of them. Everyone was out of control, and all over a debut.

  “That's not fair to do to Virginia. That's blackmail, Chauncey. The poor thing is already in a total state over Veronica's position. Ginny wants to come out, it's not her fault her sister is being unreasonable. Don't you be unreasonable, too.”

  “I'm taking Virginia as a hostage, to bring Veronica to her senses.” And he was taking her hostage, too. She had no desire to take legal action against him over tuition. The kids would hate her for it, Veronica would be even more outraged, and she knew even Charlie would be upset. It was utterly absurd and not an empty threat from him. She knew Chauncey was foolish enough to do it and follow through.

  “Oh for God's sake, Chauncey, that's a rotten thing to do. It's just a party, it's not worth two families warring over it, and not paying the girls' college tuition.” Not to mention the fact that paying both tuitions in full, in addition to her share of Charlie's, would take a big bite out of her, which would infuriate Harry further. They could afford it, but Chauncey should pay for his own kids. And punishing Ginny for Veronica's stance seemed disgusting to her. But that was Chauncey, always manipulative to the nth degree. She hated him for it, and had for years. He was always putting the squeeze on her for something, and now he was doing it again, over a debutante party. It was beginning to sound crazy to her, too.

  “I'm not going to have a daughter who won't come out. For heaven's sake, Olympia, think of the embarrassment that will cause.”

  “I can think of worse things,” Olympia said glumly. But Chauncey couldn't, obviously. Not being a debutante was worse than death to him. Olympia wanted them to have fun, even if it seemed silly, but she wasn't willing to threaten their lives over it. If Veronica truly refused to do it, she wasn't going to force her, and Virginia could still come out, with or without her twin. Chauncey's ploy of holding her hostage was just too extreme, and too unfair, to all of them, her too.

  “I can't think of anything more humiliating, and I'm not going to be pushed around by her. You can tell her I said so, Olympia.”

  “Why don't you tell her yourself?” Olympia said, tired of being in the middle. It was just
going to make Veronica madder at her. If he wanted to threaten her to that degree, let him do it himself.

  “I will,” he said, sounding furious. “I don't know how you've brought up these girls. At least Ginny has some sense.”

  “I think we need to let this cool down,” Olympia said sensibly. “We can deal with it in September, or later. I'll sign both girls up, and send in the check.” It was a negligible amount anyway. It wasn't about ability to pay, it was about the color of the blood in your veins. Anything other than blue was not acceptable. “Veronica doesn't even need to know she's been signed up. We can tell her that we'll decide in the fall, and give it a rest over the summer.”

  “I don't want there to be any doubt in her mind that she's coming out next winter. I want to make that clear to her.”

  “I'm sure you will,” her mother said, imagining the explosion that would cause. Veronica was going to turn this into a cause célèbre, with her father's provocation and help. He was an idiot about handling people, and had never dealt with either of the girls well, nor her. He had the subtlety of a Mack truck, and values that made even Olympia want to become a “Communist,” as he referred to it. Anything, as long as it was as far from him as one could get. “If they need photographs of the girls, I can send them two of Virginia.” With identical twins, they would never know the difference, fortunately. “Ginny and I can buy her a dress. Why don't you just let it be, Chauncey. I'll take care of it on my end.”

  “Make sure you do. If she doesn't capitulate, I'll step in.”

  “Thanks for your help,” she said sarcastically, and it went right over his head.

  “Do you want Felicia to talk to her?” Olympia nearly groaned at the suggestion. Felicia was not known for her tact, nor her popularity with either girl. They tolerated her for their father's sake, but thought her irritating and stupid. Olympia agreed.

  “I'll deal with it myself.” She managed to get off the phone with him before she lost her temper, which was a minor miracle. Everything about Chauncey Walker made her want to strangle him. She was still furious about their conversation, when her mother-in-law called her that afternoon. Olympia was up to her ears in work, preparing a case for litigation, when her secretary told her that Mrs. Rubinstein was on the phone. Olympia had no idea what it was about. She just hoped it wasn't the ball. Harry whining to his mother was unlike him, but anything seemed possible now. The whole family was up in arms, from Newport to New York.

  “Hi, Frieda,” Olympia said, sounding tired. She was stressed about the family issues, and had had a long day at work. “Everything all right?”

  “You tell me. Veronica called and said she was mad at you, and wants to spend the night.” Olympia pursed her lips. She didn't like the idea of Veronica trying to run away from irritants at home, although she valued the close relationship both girls had with Harry's mother. She was a kind, warm, wise woman with a heart of gold, and loved Olympia's children like her own. “I wanted to check what you want me to do.”

  “I appreciate that. Actually, I think I'd like her to stick around for a few days and work it out, or at least let things calm down. Maybe she could stay with you on the weekend, with Max, if you want him, too.”

  “That's fine. You know I love having them stay with me. Do you want to send Ginny, too?”

  “The girls are at odds with each other, actually,” Olympia said with a sigh.

  “What about?”

  “It's too stupid to talk about, and it's hard to explain.” Frieda didn't tell her daughter-in-law that Harry already had.

  He had come to lunch, which was unusual, and had vented to her. Her perspective on it had been markedly different from his, and she hadn't hesitated to say so. She told him he was making far too much of it, and said the party sounded like fun to her. She didn't feel singled out for discrimination or persecution. And when he told her sarcastically it was a racist event, she scolded him for being ridiculous and overreacting. It was no different than any club. And this one was a club for young Protestant girls. She pointed out to him that there were no Irish Catholic women in her Hadassah chapter either, and no one was going nuts over them, or boycotting them. All clubs had the right to let in who they wanted, and she thought this would be a wonderful experience for the girls. She thought Veronica should do it, and intended to tell her so, if she had the chance. Harry told her she was far too liberal for his taste, and left her apartment in a huff after lunch. He was still upset when he went back to his office. Olympia hadn't heard from him all day. “I'm sorry Veronica bothered you with this,” Olympia apologized. “It's a tempest in a teapot, but for the moment, everyone's getting burned, and very steamed up.”

  “How can I help?” Frieda said practically. She was a wonderful, intelligent woman, with a youthful outlook for her age, and an incredibly forgiving nature, given the childhood experiences she'd had. She rarely if ever talked about it, but Olympia knew from Harry how terrifying and devastating it was for her, losing her entire family, and living through the torture in the camps. She had had nightmares for years, and had very wisely undergone therapy. Her attitude was extraordinary, and Olympia had nothing but the profoundest affection and respect for her. She felt blessed to be related to her.

  “I don't think you can help, Frieda. They'll all settle down. It's a long, silly story. The girls were invited to make their debut at the ball where I came out years ago. It's an archaic tradition, but a nice one for the girls who want to participate. There are fools like Chauncey who try to make it a prerequisite for real life, which it isn't. It's just a very pretty, superficial, but lovely Cinderella night. As far as I can see, it doesn't do anyone any harm. I guess it's elitist, but Harry thinks it's a neo-Nazi event. Veronica thinks I'm a fascist. Chauncey thinks we're Communists, and says he won't pay the girls' college tuition if they don't both come out, which is unfair. Veronica hasn't heard that piece of it yet, but as of this morning, she was refusing to do it, and threatening to move in with you, since my values are so terrible. And Ginny is desperate to do it. Harry says he won't come, and acts like he's going to divorce me. Charlie is mad at Veronica. The girls are at each other's throats, and everyone hates me. The only sane one left in the family is Max, who says this coming-out thing is such a mess that the girls better stay in.” They both laughed at Max's sensible advice. “I don't know what to do. It's not worth all this turmoil, but out of pure nostalgia and a sense of tradition, I'd love them to do it. I never thought it would turn out to be such a big deal to everyone. I'm beginning to feel like a monster for asking them to do it. And Harry is furious with me.” She sounded profoundly unhappy as she explained it all to Frieda.

  “Tell them all to take a hike,” the older woman said sanely. “Go shopping for a dress with Ginny, and buy one for Veronica. Tell my son to get over himself. The Nazis are setting fire to synagogues in Germany, they don't have time for white-tie events, or even black-tie ones.” She had said exactly that to him herself. “Don't pay any attention to them. Veronica needs to let off steam. She'll do it in the end. What are you going to wear?” Frieda asked with a tone of interest, and Olympia laughed. It was the most sensible question she could have asked.

  “A straitjacket if they don't all calm down.” And then she thought of something, and wondered how her mother-in-law would react, given what Harry had said. “Frieda, would you like to come?”

  “Are you serious?” She sounded stunned. From what Harry had said, she had assumed that wouldn't be possible, if the event was in fact anti-Semitic, and she would never have asked to come, nor expected it. Even operating under that assumption, she still thought the twins should come out, whether or not she was there. She was extremely generous about never forcing herself on her daughter-in-law, her son, or their children. She was incredibly discreet, and had been wonderful to Olympia from the first, unlike her first mother-in-law, who had been a beast, and the biggest snob on earth, just like her son. The apple hadn't fallen far from the tree, in either case.

  “Of course I'
m serious,” Olympia reassured her, grateful for her support.

  “I thought Jews and blacks weren't allowed,” she said cautiously. It was what Harry had said over lunch, and one of the reasons why he was so upset.

  “They didn't print it on the invitation, for heaven's sake,” although admittedly, in the old days, there had been unspoken rules of exclusion. But she assumed all that had changed. She hadn't been to a deb ball in years. The Arches was the most distinguished debutante cotillion of all, and the most exclusive by far. But she wouldn't have thought of not inviting Frieda to join them at the event, no matter what anyone thought or what the current standards were. “Who cares what they think? You're our family, and the girls would be devastated if you weren't there. So would I.”

  “Oh my God…I never thought…I never imagined… Harry will be furious… but I'd love to come. What'll I wear?”

  Olympia laughed, relieved. Her mother-in-law sounded thrilled.

  “We'll find something. You and I can go shopping in the fall. We'll buy something very grand.” Olympia suddenly realized it was a big deal to her mother-in-law, as much as it was to Ginny, and to Harry in the opposite sense. It represented everything she had been excluded from and cheated of as a young girl, and was a form of victory and validation for her. There had been no balls or parties in her youth. There had been poverty and hard work in sweatshops. Knowing that her daughter-in-law wanted her at an event like that meant the world to her, and Olympia wouldn't have deprived her of it for anything on earth. Olympia could hear in Frieda's voice how much it meant to her.