Lessons In Being A Flapper

by Angela Smith

  That got me to thinking that women like Sophie and those I was seeing walking around NYC were more like praying mantises than anything else. All big eyes, skinny bodies, ready to attack if provoked. A praying mantis was scary. Have you ever been attacked by one? I have, twice, and let me tell you it’s not fun. They jump on your face and don’t let go. I assume New York women could be the same way, which is why I had plans of steering clear of them while here.

  Feeling like I was extremely out of place here in a city so large and so busy, I decided to take the train from Grand Central Station to South Station in Boston and make my Christmas visit a little early. I had planned to go the week before Christmas so that I could be back in time for some of the festivities here, but seeing as I couldn’t focus at the moment, I decided to go a week early.

  Grand Central Terminal, as it was now called, was no exception to the fact that everything in New York was larger than life. The terminal housed exclusive shops and eateries along with an area for events like tennis matches and a holiday fair. Who would have thought you’d see all of this in a train station? It was a really whimsical experience and something that would be hard for even the most educated person to put into words.

  I boarded my train and knew that heading home was the right thing to do. Despite needing to do a lot of research in the city, I just felt as though I couldn’t deal with all the hustle and bustle right now. I was feeling a little underwhelmed by everything, particularly by how much I missed my grandparents and the good times we shared.

  I decided to call Marisol and check on my dear dog, Clara. After informing me that everything was fine on their end and that I needn’t worry about anything, I felt slightly better. I tucked into a book for my long ride and let all of my worries fall off my shoulders. At least I could be free of my stress while encased in this railcar because here there was nothing anyone could do to bother me.

  When I arrived in Boston, I switched from the train to a bus in order to get to my town of Hampton, which was about 45 minutes away. I liked the fact that even though I was in a city, I didn’t have to worry about having my coffee knocked from my hands or being pushed over by a crowd of people who failed to realize I was there. New York was just too hectic for me it seemed.

  Arriving home felt like stepping back in time. The streets were covered in a thin layer of snow; the trees bare and weighed down by the harsh winter weather. Compared to San Francisco, New York and even Boston, was like a winter wonderland. My town was so sleepy and quiet. I liked the feeling of it more than I cared to admit. I immediately went to my house, or my former house, since I had left it months ago for greener pastures, I had my key still, but felt like I was intruding and would probably scare the hell out of my mother if I entered without knocking first. So I rang the doorbell twice and listened as the buzz reverberated around the house. My mom came to the door in a grey sweater and jeans, looking somehow older than I remembered. The drama of the past few years had taken its toll on both of us, though more so on my mom it seemed.

  “Autumn!” She screamed, pulling me in for a hug. Nothing could compare to a hug from your mom, could it? Despite our arguments and disagreements, we were still family and she still made me feel safe and loved.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d surprise you and come for a visit. I’m working in New York this month so I took the train up this morning,” I explained.

  “Well, what a great surprise! I’m so glad to see you! You look different, you know, more grown-up and put together.”

  “Thanks,” I said smiling and happier than ever to be home.

  “So what are you doing in New York City? Isn’t it dangerous? You could be kidnapped or trampled by Christmas crowds or taken for ransom for God’s sake!”

  “Please. Who in their right mind would want to take me for ransom?” I asked. Seriously, I wasn’t rich nor did I belong to a wealthy family so I saw no reason anyone would want to kidnap me. My mom was a constant worry wart. That’s where I got the trait from, I’m sure.

  “You’re right…who would want to kidnap you? You’d drive them insane!” We both laughed and it felt so good to see my mom smiling again. It had been so long since things were OK in our lives.

  “Come in Auttie, I’ve missed you so so much.” My mom’s sudden tenderness made tears come to my eyes. I was so sick of crying and being sad. The last few weeks had been the happiest of my life and now here I was all weepy again. The circle never ended!

  My mom and I spent a good few hours drinking herbal tea and discussing my new life in San Francisco. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her all I knew about my grandfather and grandmother, since those were both her parents and I didn’t want to make her upset. Instead we chatted about light hearted things, like how our neighbor was finally put into an institution. It had been a long time coming, trust me. He was part of the reason I could no longer live in this house, he was just a scary, creepy, mentally ill teenager with lots of acne but his family refused to see it (the mental illness, not the acne. That they could definitely see!)

  “Mom, do you know anything about the Bridgewater Triangle by any chance?” I asked hoping that I could gain some insight into the area through her.

  “A little bit. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, I’m just curious about it. I never knew that Hampton was within the area that was cursed.”

  “Yes, it is and according to your grandparents our land here is cursed too. That could be why things have never gone our way here…” My mom pulled out some books that my grandfather, ever the history buff, had saved. I read each and every one and got chills up and down my spine as I did so. I couldn’t read anymore, especially here in this house where so many strange occurrences had already happened.

  I knew I couldn’t stay there, either. My mom was busy these days with her business as a life coach so she wasn’t bothered by the weird things that happened. They never really seemed to be aimed at her anyway. But me? Well, I just couldn’t be here. I suddenly felt the need to leave – and soon.

  I’ll never forget the day that one of my dearest friends decided that I was guilty of something I hadn’t done. When word got out that my grandmother had been taken away on neglect charges, my friends couldn’t understand it. While most of them were supportive and knew that something was amiss, others weren’t so kind. In fact, one of my nearest and dearest friends decided that she didn’t want to be friends with me at all anymore.

  “Autumn, things like this don’t just happen! There has to be a reason behind it,” she said over the phone one grey and rainy afternoon. I remember exactly what the weather was like because I felt like it was appropriate for the conversation we were having.

  “I’m sorry but there must be more to the story.” I knew there wasn’t and she didn’t understand that things like this happened to me all the time. They were unexplainable but they happened.

  “What are you getting at, Jane? Are you saying that you believe we did something to my grandmother?” I asked, furious that she didn’t believe me.

  “Well, I can’t say for sure, obviously. But it doesn’t add up otherwise. No one would go out of their way to do this. It’s absurd. What’s in it for them?” A clean rap sheet, a good reputation, a good standing in society. There were so many things that the doctors were protecting themselves from. In fact a lawyer told me that “Lawyers live with their mistakes, but doctors bury theirs.” That couldn’t be closer to the truth.

  After this conversation, Jane became more and more distant. Even when the truth finally came out after over a year of fighting in court, she didn’t bother to apologize. I knew that our relationship, however much I once valued it, was beyond repair and that she and I would never be friends again. Sometimes it was hard to take but eventually I accepted that not everyone was going to listen and believe me. Jane was one of many people who took things at face value and couldn’t be swayed no matter what.

  I stayed in Hampton for three days in total because tha
t was about all I could take at the moment. I didn’t really have any friends around here anymore, they had all either moved or decided that I wasn’t worthy of their time, so I packed my bags and thanked my mom for a wonderful weekend of shopping and baking, before heading back to Boston to catch the train to New York.

  On the train back to the city, I thought about everything once again. I let it all roll around in my head without stopping to think about any of it for too long. At one point it all muddled together but afterwards it seemed like things were so much clearer. I felt the overwhelming urge to lay everything to rest. Forget researching the Triangle and trying to figure out if there were ghosts in my past or if I was just crazy (sometimes I felt like I was!) What I needed to do was focus on my future and making sure that it was as good of one as it could possibly be.

  It must be said that New York City at Christmastime was an amazing place to be. Despite the fact that I found everything too busy and too large at times, I couldn’t help but be sucked into the Fairytale playing out in front of me. A child screaming in delight as they passed the extravagant window displays; new couples kissing under the bright lights of Times Square; Yellow cabs that buzzed by alongside horse-drawn carriages decorated with pine wreaths and tinsel. It was all just so…lovely. That was the best way to describe it. Just plain old lovely.

  I decided that I needed to get out and experience some of this so I called Maxie (the one from the plane) and asked her if we could get together. She said yes, that sounded great and that we could do something the following day. As the sun bounced off the of the skyscrapers above, I made my way back to The Plaza, wanting to take a hot bath and change clothes before grabbing something to eat.

  “Ms. Hayes, you have a package,” the doorman said to me as I entered the massive foyer. “It is with the reception desk.” Who would have sent me a package here? Besides Sophie and a few others, no one really knew where I was staying. Most likely Sophie had sent me some God awful informational packet to look over for my feature. Kill me now!

  To my surprise and delight the package wasn’t from Sophie at all. In fact, if the beautiful Christmas wrapping paper was any indication, it was actually from Bayani. I couldn’t imagine what he could be sending me here that couldn’t wait until I got back, but I was excited to find out. Running up to my room like a kid in a candy shop (to the obvious mirth of the floor attendants) I unlocked my door, threw my puffy down jacket on the bed and plopped down to open the box.

  Underneath the pretty Christmas paper there was a box and then another box inside of that. I kept opening the boxes until I got to the final one – all the while feeling like I had just taken apart one of those Russian nesting dolls called Matryoshka. I knew straight away what it was; the pale blue box gave it away. Bayani had gotten me something from Tiffany’s! Did that mean he was here in New York too? Oh how I’d love to see him and ravish him on this exceptionally firm bed with 300 count Egyptian cotton sheets. I blushed at the thought. Where had that come from?

  Pushing all thoughts of a naked Bayani to the back of my mind, I pulled open the box with the most excitement I had ever felt in my life. I couldn’t believe I had a man who had bought me something from Tiffany’s!

  Oh bullocks.

  The box was empty sans a piece of mistletoe and a note.

  Did someone in reception steal the contents? No, they couldn’t have since it was encased in so many freaking boxes. There was no way they could have done that and then put it back together again just like Bayani had it. It was like a puzzle to open, never mind putting the damn thing back together. Apparently Bayani hadn’t gotten me anything from Tiffany’s. He had instead bought me something from the local Christmas tree shop and decided to tease me with a stunning pale blue Tiffany’s ring box. The little brat!

  I took out the mistletoe and twirled it between my fingers, wondering what he was getting at. Then I took out the note. On a lovely mint green piece of paper that smelled of pine trees and forests, Bayani had written a letter

  Darling cupcake,

  I hope you’re not too disappointed to find that this exquisite ring box had no ring inside of it. I just thought that you might want to let your imagination run wild for a bit before you realized that the inside only contained a single piece of mistletoe.

  I saw this lonely mistletoe hanging at a local shop when I went to buy a small tree for my apartment the other day. It reminded me of you instantly and the times we’ve shared and will continue to share in the future.

  I decided to stick it in this ring box, which I obtained in a mysterious way, and send it off to you for safekeeping. Don’t lose it because I want to be able to kiss you under it soon, my love.

  I Hope your trip is going well and that no one else has snatched you up on me. Single New York men can be brutal.

  All my love,

  Bayani x

  Yes, I was slightly upset with him for getting me all worked up but it was the thought that counted so I let him off the hook – for now. I decided to hang the mistletoe right above my bed as a reminder that within a few weeks we would be together again.

  The next day I went out with Maxie and her sister, Isla. Since there was so much to see and do, I let them lead the way and take me to the best places in the city.

  We started out at The Met, where they had the most elaborate Christmas tree I had ever seen. I posed for some photos with it and then took some photos with Maxie and her sister too. I felt a little pang of homesickness at that moment, though, not for my home back in Hampton but for my home in San Francisco. It had been too long since I heard from Marisol. I missed all her 1920s innuendo and wanted to hear her voice and laugh at her mannerisms. I also missed Clara too, of course, though Bayani and Jeanette had been texting me photos every now and then of her in various locations; by the pier, by the Painted Ladies and by The Sticky Bun Café where Bayani and I first met.

  After leaving The Met, I sent one of the photos to Bayani with a message.

  “I hope this makes you smile as much as it made me smile! X”

  I then joined Maxie and Honey on the sidewalk as they tried to decide where to go next.

  “How about ice skating?” Maxie suggested. It sounded good to me since I hadn’t been in so long. Though ice, skates and I didn’t really mix well. I was horribly uncoordinated when it came to doing something other than walking. Actually, I was often uncoordinated while walking too. It was worse when it came to anything on wheels or blades though.

  The lines to get into Rockefeller Center were crazy long. We spent almost two hours in the freezing cold just waiting and when we finally got to the front of the line; our toes were so frozen we thought we had frostbite. That wasn’t going to stop us from ice skating in the iconic rink though. Lacing up my skates and attempting to stand up without falling over, I wobbled over to the rink and joined my new friends. While others were doing twirls and other intricate moves, I could barely even keep one foot in front of the other. I have to admit, I’m a horrible skater. No Olympic medals for me in the future!

  After an hour or so, we called it quits and headed over to Serendipity for a quick warm up. I wanted to try the frozen hot chocolate so bad but my insides were quivering already so adding anything cold was going to make me turn into an icicle.

  “Thanks for showing me around, girls. I had so much fun even though I’m an embarrassment to ice skaters everywhere,” I said, toasting our day with a warm hot chocolate and a double chocolate chip muffin.

  The next few weeks flew by so fast that I didn’t even realize it was Christmas Eve until I noticed some stores closing early and flocks of people heading to those that were open late. Last minute shoppers, no doubt. I was one of those once, but now I did all my shopping during the summer just to be safe.

  Since most places were closing to allow their employees time with their families, I decided to stay in my hotel room and watch old Christmas movies all night long while pigging out on ice cream. I felt I deserved it as I had done so much work the past few
weeks, trying to do my best and show Sophie that I wasn’t easily disposable. She could bash me all she wanted when it came to Bayani, but there was no doubt that my work was top of the line.

  When someone knocked on my door around 10:30, I assumed it must be room service bringing my request for some wine (over two hours late!) however I was beyond shocked to discover that it wasn’t room service at all, but instead it was Bayani dressed head to toe in a Santa suit and bearing a bottle of wine with a bow.

  “You called, my lady?” he said, handing the bottle of wine to me as I stared at him, completely stunned.

  I wasn’t sure what to do first, so I carefully laid the bottle of wine on the bed and then ran back to Bayani, yanking off his white moustache and pressing my lips to his in a way that told him just how much I had missed him. God, how I had missed him.

  Eventually we came up for air and I asked him what in the world he was doing here at my hotel on Christmas Eve.

  “It’s the second half of my surprise. I came to make sure that the mistletoe was put to good use this Christmas.” I couldn’t help but smile. Here he was dressed in a fat suit with rosy cheeks and white hair all because he wanted me to have a good Christmas. Things couldn’t be better.

  Or maybe they could…

  Bayani stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He made sure to pull the bar across the door and lock it before he walked over to me and pushed me back onto the bed. Luckily, I had moved the wine or else it wouldn’t have been such a pleasant experience. Broken glass and red stained sheets weren’t my idea of a fun time. He in his Santa suit and I in my Christmas pajamas were surely quite a sight to see. However, there was no one around to witness our silly ensembles as we rolled around on the bed and removed layers of clothing piece by piece. I knew without a doubt that I wanted every ounce of him at that very moment. Being away from him for the past few weeks had only made my desire to see him grow stronger, until it was nothing but a burning flame that I couldn’t extinguish.