70 Days Of Summer

Day 25

I wake up at 9, and paige is already gone. Thank god! I don't think I can take any more of Paige's love murmuring about her and Bryan. I get changed and head to the cheap, French cafe on the corner of canton square. I feel like Audrey Hepburn wearing a slinky black dress sipping a latte which I hate and delicately chewing on a chocolate croissant which I also hate, while staring into the deep sky pretending to be in deep thoughts. I order another grainy croissant and bitter latte just because I like the feeling of being a younger Audrey Hepburn. I sit there for 2 hours and then decide that young Audrey Hepburn is not my style. I pay the bill and just walk casually around the square. I look a bit fancy in a sleeveless black slinky dress, black pumps, black shades, and a large black sun hat. I never dress like this on a causal day, but what would Mary-Beth think is she saw me in hollister shorts and tank. I stroll around the old street, a narrow lane filled with shops from the 80's and a cobblestone path. I enter the, 'hat aquarium' my favorite shop when I was younger, and now I can only think of why this place is called 'hat aquarium?' Aren't aquariums where sea animals are kept on display? It's a cruel world. I enter the small, smelly, store and find an old woman sitting in a cobwebbed chair behind a cobwebbed desk. For a second, I think she is dead, but then her eyes open and she gives me a crooked smile with the 7 teeth she has left. The 7 yellow teeth.
" is that my clara?" The old lady, who is alive asks me, while standing up. She is shorter than me with petite body and wrinkles covering her petite face. Her gray eyes are shining, tiny, faded pink, lips pursed, and her frizzy,thin, gray hair pulled into a lanky ponytail. She is wearing a cotton light blue dress with purple flower prints, peach wool knit cardigan, and old lady sandals. By the time I walk over to her desk she is still trying to push herself off the chair.
" sit, sit. Please sit ms......Karen," I say. Now I remember her! Ms.karen! She used to watch over me when my parents and Cassie were out, and we always used to buy hats from her store. I doubt she has customers anymore due to the lack of cleanliness and hygiene in the cramped store. She smiles up at me and asks,
" how've you been clara Clipton?" She asks staring up in my eyes with her glittering gray eyes.
" good. I've been doing good," I say nervously.
" how are you?" I add quickly so she doesn't think I'm rude.
" well, I've been doing good, rotting away slowly each day. Just sitting in here waiting for the rare customer. I was hoping I would see a little more of my clara bear. I just figured maybe she might like to give the old lady a visit once in a while," ms.karen says jokingly.
" I'm sorry ms.karen. I'll try harder," I say.
" no,no, don't worry. I was just teasing, but a few visits would be nice here and there. Now, why don't I make us a cuppa tea and we talk bout them good old days," ms.karen suggests looking merry.
" unless you've got to be somewhere," she says in concern, her eyes going dull and a sad face forming.
" no,I've got some time," I reply smiling. She starts to get up and I offer,
" we really don't need tea, or I could make it."
Once she gets up she tells me,
" we need tea, and only I can go in the kitchen." There's a kitchen? She walks into a door that is covered in hats for weddings and comes back 20 minutes later with a tray of tea and biscuits. The silver tray is rusted and the teacups are chipped and the cookies don't look like they have passed the health and safety test but I eat them all up just to see ms.karens smile growing wider. I sit there for around 2 hours when I realize that it's 1:30, and I have to go. I promise to see her soon and then leave. I rush to the 'fine cafe' where we finally decided to meet up for lunch. I brush off cobwebs and dust from the store as I sit opposite Mary-Beth. She is wearing her light blue and white, vertical stripe, button down, long sleeve blouse tucked into a crisp just before the ankle length ivory skirt that is pulled up to her bulging tummy. All her buttons are closed, white grandma trainers freshly polished, glasses placed on the tip of her nose, and her hair neatly combed with 2 little plaits. Her signature style.
" hello clara. Good afternoon," she squeaks pulling her hand out for me to shake.
" hey....good afternoon back to you," I say gently shaking her hand but she pulls me into a hard firm shake.
" owww" I say rubbing my hand.
She ignores my comment, reada the menu and says matter-of-factly,
" I hear the lobster Thermidor here is absolutely mouth watering. Mind you, the garlic prawns are quite Tehran delight. Don't worry about the prices, I'm paying." She speaks non stop, only taking a pause to giggle at her 'quite the delight' rhyme and glancing at me when she says she is paying.
" lobster Thermidor it is," I say dumbly.
" perfect and I'll go for the garlic prawns," she says excitedly. We order our food and have the rest of lunch in silence. A tall Chinese boy with braces in plaid shirt and khaki pants keeps staring at Mary-Beth and she keeps staring at him. I drop my fork because I'm really annoyed and I confront her,
" do you know him?"
" who?" She says acting causal and snobby while chewing on her prawns.
" don't play dumb. That guy who you keep staring at," I refer to the Chinese guy and I try to keep my temper down.
She gives him a quick glance, goes back to eating her food while keeping her head down and says quickly,
" no. Of course not! I don't know any boys!"
A grin appears on my face and I tell her slowly,
" you like him. Don't deny it."
She scoffs and says
" no!" Suddenly her scoff turn to a smirk and she says,
" maybe. Just a little. I don't even know him! Oh my god! Does this mean I'm a player? Oh no! Just because i like this guy who I have no idea who he is and I have never seen before in my life." She starts to panic but the Chinese boy strides to our table, his freshly polished loafers squeaking on the floorboards. Freshly polished shoes? They are perfect for each other!
" hello. I am quing min. How are you?" he says in a nerdy voice.
" I am Mary-Beth. How are you?" She stutters giving him her hand to shake.
He shakes it firmly just like she likes it and she giggles.
"I can't help but notice how beautiful you are. You are the Saturn of my dreams. Grainy and smooth at the sane time. Hard yet soft. Please let me be your Jupiter and we can soar to the other universe, ring by ring. That is because both Saturn and Jupiter have rings and....anyways! Join me tonight for dinner?" He recites dramatically as if saying a speech.
Mary-Beth giggles and says timidly,
" ok."
He shakes her hand firmly and walks away, but I could see him pushing a paper in her hand. She reads it to me,
The Carlton at 8. Love quing.
The carlton! Isn't that the super expensive hotel/restaurant that 1 bottle of water is $30!!!!
Mary-Beth insists I come to her house and since I have nothing better to do I agree. Apparently, she has a driver waiting for her outside the restaurant and I think she is joking but then I see a man in a tuxedo motioning to Mary-Beth to follow him. He opens the door of a silver Mercedes and we enter. Her house is forty minutes away and we get there at 4:30. Her house is pink and white barn style and is on the top of a hill. We enter into a Spick and span living room where the smell of cookie dough wafts through the house. The living room is large and spacious and is very empty. There is one completely polished wood table with books neatly stacked in the middle of the table. The table is placed in the middle of the living room with one beige couch behind it. Only one couch! Enough to fit 3 people, her mum, dad, and her. I guess they don't have any guests. They are facing a large flat screen tv that looks like it has been never used. That's it! Nothing else besides some photo frames and a lightbulb.
" ma! We're home," Mary-Beth yells.
" y'all come on In the kitchen," a heavy southern accent yells. Mary-Beth leads me through a series of shining hallways until we reach a completely spotless and empty kitchen! Empty! A very fat lady with curly yellow hair that sticks on her head is mixing some cookie batter.
" hi ma! How are you?" Mary-Beth Asks hugging the woman. I'm guessing that's her mum!
" oh! My Dolls! You look lovely! Mary-Beth! Why are those cheeks flushing so much?" Her mum hollers.
" well....ma! I got asked on a date," Mary-Beth says nervously.
" oh darling! That's wonderful! Who's the guy? More importantly, we need to have the talk," her mum says worriedly dumping the bowl in the sink and leading us to the living room. Mary-Beth groans and instructs me to her Room while she gets a lecture from her mum. I enter her room and I feel so.....colorless. Her room is completely white! The bed, desk, bedsheets, closet, files, books, even her fish is white!! Everything that isn't white is hidden in her drawers and cupboards. I'm feeling slightly creeped out! I tell them I have to go home and they insist their driver drops me. Their driver drops me and I get home and shower immediately so I avoid any conversation. Nobody is home but when I get out of the shower I see Vanessa and yina walking through the door. I know she's her daughter but doesn't Vanessa have a life?? Like away form yina?? Vanessa looks tired and says,
" paige is spending the night at Catalina's. They invited you." They're probably talking about their not Virgin lives.
" nah. I'm pretty tired. I'll just stay here," I tell her sweetly.
" ok. We've got some lasagna for dinner," Vanessa says tiredly and drags yina to her room.
I get changed, eat dinner and curl up with a book until I fall asleep. Well, I try to fall asleep but I keep getting calls from paige and Catalina. I put my phone on silent and throw it on the floor. They always call me and I pick up and they hang up. They're the girls crying wolf. Now girls, didn't do you learn a lesson from the boy who cried wolf? He ends up dead. Eaten by a wolf. I'm sure being kidnapped is the same thing though? Oops, we're not supposed to know that!!!😃