The Pink Dress

by Anne Alexander

  “A party—and I wasn’t invited.” Sue pretended to feel hurt, but she felt like singing. Dave was clear. He was clear. Maybe the others—but—Dave was in the clear.

  “Look kitten, we’ve got to run.” Dad leaned over and kissed Sue good night. “And I’m sorry if I embarrassed you with my loud talk. I just hate destruction for its own sake. I just can’t——”

  “That’s okay, Dad,” Sue interrupted. She held out her hand to Dave.

  “See you, Sue,” Dave said as he patted her hand clumsily. But his eyes were still troubled.

  When the two had left, Sue reread the paper. That’s what they meant—the Jay Dees—when they’d said “a different party.”

  It must have been they—right around the corner from Judy’s—and Dave knew something about it, she could tell by the change that came over him when she opened the paper.

  What if she hadn’t gotten sick—no doubt they would have tried to involve her—and Dave. She’d never have thought it would be lucky to get sick—but if it was the Jay Dees, she was lucky this time. She and Dave both had an alibi—a perfect one. Even the police could vouch for them. The paper said theft was not a motive—the only item missing was brass knuckles from Mr. Driscoll’s collection of weapons. As for clues, there was only one—and not a good one at that. Someone had dropped a lipstick, one that was a popular brand. Sue’s heart pounded as she reached for her purse. Her lipstick wasn’t there—she’d loaned it to Maxine. Was the one picked up by the police Pink Perfection?

  15.

  Back Home

  Just when Sue felt accustomed to the hospital routine, she was whisked home. Only three days for an appendectomy! She could hardly believe her ears when Dr. Johnson came into the room, changed the dressing, and said. “Come to my office in a week for those stitches. And take it easy at home.”

  Sue felt slightly cheated. Today was the first day she could really expect visitors. Tonight, that is. Because today, being Monday, was the first chance most of her friends had of learning she’d even had an operation. To be so important for such a short while! Even the dressing was an insignificant patch compared to the large, impressive square of gauze she’d worn down from surgery. Oh well, it would be good to get home. Sue bid her farewells to the nurses and Mrs. Mason and sat in the wheel chair with as much regal aplomb as she could muster. Hall, elevator, and then down the ramp to the waiting car. At least Mom treated her as though she was something fragile and delicate.

  The day was one of those extra-hot spring days that just scream for a bathing suit and a swimming pool. Even with a fan going full blast, her bedroom seemed uncomfortably warm when Sue finally edged into bed. Or maybe it was just warm after the hard work of climbing the stairs.

  “Where are Jay and Kit?” Sue leaned forward so Mom could give the pillows an extra fluffing.

  “Jay’s in school, dear, and Kit’s at a neighbor’s.”

  Sue glanced at her clock. How could it still be so early when the day felt as though it should soon be over? She settled herself with distaste in her bed. Personally, she was getting fed up with beds. Although leaning back against the pillows was comfortable.

  Mother came into the room, carrying a washcloth. She handed it to Sue. “Pat your face, darling,” she said. “You’ll soon be more comfortable.”

  The cloth did feel good, coolly damp with a fresh eau de cologne odor to it.

  “Now try to rest awhile.” Mom took the cloth from Sue and drew the curtains.

  Sue watched Mom pull the door shut with a feeling of regret. It was so “alone” in her bedroom. Rest! That was a boring idea. But Mother was a sweetie. So were Dad and Jay and Kit—and Dave. But Dave hadn’t been to see her yesterday. Why? Was he being—questioned? Because of that house? In yesterday’s paper there had been only the briefest mention of the vandalism. “Authorities were still investigating.”

  The house was unnaturally quiet. How could Mom stand it—being alone all day like this? Sue switched on her radio, and the music was a welcome diversion. At least it broke the vacuum. Still, she was more than ready when she heard the front door open with a bang and Jay and Kit stormed up the stairs with the quietness of a herd of elephants.

  “Did it hurt?” Kit asked.

  “Let’s see,” begged Jay.

  Sue showed off her quite small bandage. But they hadn’t seen the original and were quite impressed.

  The two bounced around on her bed, showing their delight in seeing Sue again. She was afraid they were going to bump into her side, and when they suddenly started squabbling she almost missed the protective routine of the hospital and was relieved when Mom took them downstairs. She relaxed again to the music of her radio and was shocked when Dad appeared at her door bearing her supper tray. She’d slept—how many hours?

  “Stay with me,” Sue begged.

  “We’ll all eat up here,” Dad promised.

  Sue beamed as she watched her family attack the delicious food Mom served. Gee, it was wonderful to be home. Dad must have thought so too.

  “All noses accounted for,” he said. “All safe and sound under one roof.”

  Getting Kit and Jay to bed that night was a real ordeal. Sue didn’t envy Dad and Mom. Mainly it was because the phone and doorbell kept ringing. Dad wore such a broad, happy grin whenever he reported a message to Sue.

  And her first visitors! Sue could hardly believe her eyes when Cathy and Ellen walked into her room bearing a gift-wrapped record. The three of them talked and giggled and had as much fun as they’d had in their grade school days. They’d been gone only a few minutes when Dad announced Maxine. She, too, had a gift in hand. Sue tore off the exquisite wrapping and opened the box. She looked up quickly at Maxine, but Maxine sat with eyes averted.

  Sue’s hand shook as she held the jeweled lipstick case. Was this an admission—of guilt? This was much more exclusive than Pink Perfection. The shade of lipstick was a delicate rose. Mom would approve. “Thank you, Maxine,” Sue said. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Mom thought it was pretty,” Maxine answered. “I—I—” her voice faltered. “I guess I must have lost yours,” she ended lamely.

  Sue hesitated. Should she mention Judy’s party? Maxine must have read her thoughts, because she launched feverishly into a discourse on school as if she didn’t want Sue to talk.

  Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies. Was that the attitude Maxine was taking? Sue found conversation difficult. They were both skirting Judy’s party—and Judy and Laura—carefully. Relief surged through Sue when Dad called up that more visitors were on their way. After all, you couldn’t keep talking about nothing forever.

  Maxine’s relief showed in her face. She stood up quickly. “I’ll see you,” she said. “I’ve lots of homework tonight.” Her eyes widened in surprise as she met Sue’s newest guests at the bedroom door. “You!” she exclaimed, and stepped aside to let Ricky and Chester enter the room. She beat a hasty retreat down the stairs.

  “You!” Sue almost echoed. Ricky and Chester were guests she hadn’t expected at all.

  The boys stood there, uncomfortable, ill at ease. Because they were in a girl’s bedroom, Sue wondered, or because they hadn’t wanted to come and their mothers made them.

  Ricky plunked the couple of books he’d been carrying on Sue’s bed. “Here,” he said. “I picked up the rest of your books.” He drew a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Sue. “And here are your assignments for the week.”

  Ever-thoughtful, thorough Rick. He took school so seriously. Sue wasn’t too sure she was grateful for having her homework brought to her.

  “Show her the other stuff,” demanded Chester.

  Ricky reached into another pocket and brought out a jumbled mess of papers of assorted sizes. “The kids in your home room wrote you notes,” he explained. He handed them to Sue.

  Sue smoothed out the papers. “Let’s read them now,” she suggested.

  The boys propped themselves on either side of Sue as they all read
together. Some of the letters were hard to decipher. Some were boring. Others were downright hysterical. She laughed until her stitches actually hurt.

  “Some comedians,” chuckled Rick.

  “Just a couple of cards!”

  At the sneering voice the three of them looked up, startled. Dave was leaning against the door, watching them. His eyes looked angry, and Sue felt her face flush. Ricky and Chester jumped up.

  “Hi, Dave.” Sue was angry with herself for feeling embarrassed. There was no reason, no reason at all.

  “Thought you might be lonesome.” Dave’s mouth was a straight, hard line. “My mistake.” He turned as though ready to leave.

  “Wait, Dave,” Sue pleaded.

  “We were leaving anyhow,” Ricky said. Chester had a closed, scared look on his face.

  “Don’t let me stop you.” Dave stepped inside the doorway and leaned against the wall as if—as if he didn’t want to be contaminated by the other two.

  “David Young!”

  “Forget it, Sue. We were leaving anyway.” Ricky’s smile was gentle and understanding. “Let’s go, Chester.”

  Chester hurried after Ricky to the door with the alacrity of a scared jack rabbit.

  Ricky gave Sue a friendly salute. “See you later, kid.”

  “Thank you,” Sue called belatedly as she heard the two boys thump inelegantly down the stairs. “Thanks for the books and letters.”

  Dave came across the room and seated himself on Sue’s bed. “This is better,” he said. He reached for Sue’s hand.

  How could he change moods so quickly? Sue withdrew her hand from his clasp. “You were rude,” she said. Her anger showed in her voice.

  “Rude—to those drips?”

  “They’re my friends.”

  “Friends!” Dave stood up, his eyes angry again. “I thought,” he said slowly, “that going steady meant you didn’t cheat.”

  “Cheat!” Sue felt her chin jut out. “I don’t cheat.” She almost hissed the word. “Ricky and Chester are friends. They’ve been my friends since—for years and years. They’re friends” she emphasized. “Not boy friends.”

  “They’re jerks, if that’s the kind of friends you want.”

  “So my friends are jerks!” Sue’s voice shook, she was so furious. “But your friends—they are strictly choice, I suppose. Judy, Laura, Mo. They are simply wonderful.”

  “Okay, Sue.” Dave’s voice had the burning quality of dry ice. “Don’t forget, two can play your game. You’ve asked for it.” He strode to the door. “See you—maybe.”

  Sue stared with unbelieving eyes at the vacated doorway. Dave. How could he leave like that! How could he be so stupidly misunderstanding. He was making a mountain out of a molehill. He wasn’t even trying to see things straight. Two can play the game. What did he mean by that? That he’d give Judy a rush now? How could he be so unreasonable? Hadn’t he ever heard of just plain friends? Sue felt the tears rush to her eyes as she fingered her bracelet—his bracelet. At least he’d have to be by to get it if he meant they were breaking up. Maybe she could explain better then.

  There were no more guests that night. Sue was glad She felt depressed and exhausted. She couldn’t have been fun to visit. When Mom came to help Sue complete her toiletries for the night, her eyes were questioning.

  “What in the world is the matter with Dave?” she asked. “He actually stormed out of the house.”

  “He didn’t like Ricky and Chester being here,” Sue said simply.

  “Too bad about that young man. Competition never hurt anyone.”

  Dave is hurt by it, Sue wanted to say, but she stayed silent. It felt good just to relax and be babied.

  Mom gave Sue a tiny dinner bell as she and Dad said their good nights. “Ring if you need anything, darling,” she told Sue.

  Sue lay in the cool darkness. Two tears rolled down her cheeks. She brushed them away. The day had been so good—and so bad. She reached over to turn off the muted music on the radio. Her hand touched the box Maxine had brought. Quickly, decisively she leaned on her elbow and put the gift in the drawer. She shut it firmly. That she would not think about. She rested her cheek against the bracelet. If only Dave would be sweet again!

  16.

  The Warning

  Before the week of her convalescence was over, Sue welcomed the chance to work at her schoolbooks. At least it was something to do. Days literally dragged. Mom, Jay, Kit, Dad, everyone had his own pattern of activities, and even though the family tried, there weren’t too many spare hours to give to Sue.

  Visitors, after that first day, dwindled down to three. Cathy, Ellen, Maxine. That was it And their visits were certainly nothing you could call long. Sue was glad Mom had set up some knitting for her to do. She worked carefully on the tiny woolly hat. Alison would like it for the new baby-to-be even if Sue never saw Dave again.

  Mom and Dad had openly wondered at first why Dave didn’t come by. Then, blessedly, they dropped the subject. Sue was glad. Dave was disciplining her, she hoped, or was he now completely uninterested?

  Maxine brought up the subject of Dave one shattering afternoon. “How come you’re still wearing Dave’s bracelet?” she asked Sue. “I thought Judy’d have it by now.”

  Sue shot a startled look at Maxine.

  “He’s with The Crowd at lunch time,” Maxine explained. “And Judy’s with Dave as much as she is with Mo now.”

  After Maxine left, Sue took off the bracelet and put it in the drawer. If Dave should come by to collect-it, he’d find her most unconcerned.

  Eventually, of course, the day rolled around when Sue went to Dr. Johnson’s office to have the stitches removed. She tensed as she lay on the examination table. This might hurt. But it didn’t, not at all.

  “All set,” Dr. Johnson said as he helped Sue down from the table. “School tomorrow.”

  Sue felt the excitement bubble within her like a growing thing. Back to school. And then she realized Dr. Johnson was talking to her. “Pick up your excuse from the nurse,” he said. “No physical education for a month. And remember,” he continued, while Sue listened to him aghast, “no swimming, jumping, skipping, hopping, running, dancing, or any exerting exercise of any kind for a month.”

  A month! Why, she might as well be an Egyptian mummy. She’d be able to have no fun at all. This was terrible! All work and no play would surely make her a very dull girl.

  Sue prepared for school the next morning very carefully. If she was going to have to be a delicate hothouse plant, she might as well look like one. But her reflection in the mirror was a disgustingly healthy one. She puzzled for a time over what to do with Dave’s bracelet. She couldn’t wear it after what Maxine said. But should she take it—in case Dave asked for it back? Or should she pretend great indifference and say something like “Your bracelet? Oh. I’d forgotten all about it. It must be home in my drawer.” Sue finally slipped the bracelet in her purse. She’d be a good scout. She’d be prepared.

  No walk to school in the warm spring sunshine today. Dr. Johnson wasn’t the only one who’d imposed rules. Mom and Dad had a few of their own. Mom would chauffeur Sue to and from school the first week. And there would be no orchestra.

  Thanks to Mom’s habit of trying to get as many last-minute chores done as possible, Sue arrived at school just as the warning bell rang. By the time she cleared with the attendance office, classes had started.

  As she opened the door to her home room, her fellow students and Mr. Henderson gave her a rousing "welcome back.” Sue felt herself blush with pleasure as she took her seat. The class settled down to work in just a couple of minutes, and Sue was appalled at how behind she was, even with the homework she’d done during her absence. How could they have raced through so much!

  Sue was grateful when Mr. Henderson asked her to stay in during recess so he could explain some of the work. For some reason she felt as though she’d lived in a cocoon for the last week and she wasn’t ready to emerge. Now that she was friendly ag
ain with Cathy and Ellen, she wanted to stay that way. How could she bridge the gap between them and the Jay Dees? Or was she even wanted as a Jay Dee any longer? That was a pleasant thought—to vision herself out of The Crowd. Lunch time arrived with such deadly certainty she was reminded of the poem Jay had written when school started. “September,” he’d scrawled. “I’m glad it’s here. It always comes this time of the year.”

  Students crowded through the doors and out into the yard. Sue picked up her lunch bag and joined the throng. She saw Cathy in the distance and waved. Cathy waved back gaily, then continued on her way, catching up to Ellen. Why, they were going to ignore her!

  Sue broke away from the general noise and confusion and walked over to the low brick wall. Perhaps Cathy and Ellen would be over in a minute. She sat alone and lonely and opened her lunch bag. Maxine and the other Jay Dees were over near the basketball courts, laughing and chatting with a group of boys. Dave was with them. She bit into her sandwich and chewed it slowly. If only she could swallow past the lump in her throat. She saw Maxine look over in her direction. This time Sue was waving at no one. Maxine walked over to Sue, munching an apple.

  “Hi, Sue.” Maxine leaned against the wall. “Judy says come on over.”

  A request or demand, Sue wondered briefly. She started to shake her head, then decided against it. Might as well go over. Might as well face Judy and Dave now. he clutched her purse tight against her and stood up. But now The Crowd seemed to be drifting to where she and Maxine were. Sue sat down again.

  “Hi, Sue.”

  How could any person express such scorn, such triumph in a mere two words! Sue acknowledged the greeting as her gaze went past Judy to Dave. His face was set and hard as he pushed forward toward her.

  “'Where is it?” he demanded roughly. “Where’s the bracelet?”

  Sue fumbled in her purse. Her fingers touched the cool silver links. How horribly humiliating to return a bracelet like this—before everyone. Had it been planned this way? She thrust it at Dave as though it might burn her fingers. “Here,” she said through clenched teeth. “Take it.”