More Than You Know [Mildred Pierce - Rosa Moline]

Divorcee Committee

Winter struck with all its force, and, try as I might, I still hadn't been ready for it. In November, the temperatures dropped so abruptly that I had caught a cold. Which luckily didn't last for more than four days. Other than that, everything had been going just normally.

After the incident with Rosa and that man, she seemed to brush the situation off, never acknowledging it again - besides thanking me -. She made it seem like nothing had ever happened. I was discreet enough not to bring it up again, or talk about it with someone else on the staff, and it seemed, in a way, she was grateful for that. She didn't say a word, but from time to time, she would show it with small gestures. I noticed them at work: she would help me to clean my tables, give me a helping hand to carry the food when I had big orders, and actually wait for me outside of the café to take the subway back home.

In time, I had started to feel that maybe I wasn't so alone after all. Perhaps, in a way, Rosa was trying to tell me she was there when I needed her. It was something simple and ordinary, but to me it meant something positive, it was reassuring. And this sensation kept growing, especially at Donna's birthday.

All the waitresses on our shift had the idea of going out to dinner together to celebrate her special day. We were all looking forward to it, especially after an exponentially exhausting week of work. It was a freezing Friday night, but somehow it didn't bother me as much this time. I couldn't remember the last time I went out to just have some fun, but I knew it had been long enough.

I didn't go on my own, since Miss Rosa was gracing us with her presence. It took a whole subway ride back from work the day before for me to convince her to go to dinner with the rest. She wasn't known for being gifted at socializing, but at least this was a great opportunity for her to get acquainted with us.

Soon though, I realized that she was enjoying this in her own way. She had taken her time to get ready, putting on more makeup than usual, and assembling a great outfit. She wore a beautiful black and white wraparound dress with a houndstooth pattern, embellishing it with the prettiest things, adding more and more accessories that she could: gloves, a leather purse, black pumps, a scarf, a necklace and a flower brooch on her wool coat. I could see it in her eyes as she pranced on the cold streets of Chicago, the pride and confidence within herself that she liked to display.

I, on the other hand, was wearing a simple forest green shirt dress, with a white belt, white pumps, a coat and gloves. However, I took my time to style my hair. I was sporting a modest pompadour on the top, and the rest of my curls were cascading on the bottom of it. I also had make up on, but just the basics.

The birthday girl was turning twenty four, and we bought her a lovely cake. After ordering the food and engrossing ourselves in mundane conversations about the weather, and our work, it seemed that Maggie was on an inquisitorial witch hunt. I noticed such as a smug smile and curious eyes appeared on her face, and it didn't take long for her to start a questionnaire around the table. "Mildred, you've never indulged us with any particulars on if you have a significant other or not..."

"That's true..." Donna concurred, also joining in on the very interesting topic, and it didn't surprise me, after all, both of them seemed to share the same way of behaving.

Though the actual catechism took me by surprise and it seemed that in my face it had evidently shown. "Girls..." Nancy intervened immediately, with her motherly attitude that she often had with the young girls.

But I knew if I kept pushing it off, those two would keep asking about it, maybe not today but another time. So I gave in and softened up a bit. "It's fine... No I do not, I'm divorced"

Maggie seemed to enjoy that we were talking about this, and it appeared that my reply had given her more confidence to uncover more mysteries. Her next victim that night was the quietest one of all. "And you Rosa?"