Why Lorie? Part I

Chapter 9: A Duet With Peter

The following morning, Josette was furiously rummaging through her closet. She wanted to look her best for Viktor, and for meeting Peter for the first time. She simply had to make a statement - after all, she was still a diva.

"Maman, nothing looks right," she complained loudly to her mother.

When Madame Foret walked into Josette's bedroom, she found her in her shift, standing in the middle of a pile of discarded dresses. Lorelei was happily playing on the floor among the mountain of satin and lace.

"Oh my," Maman exclaimed. "Marie Josephine... what a mess!"

Josette frowned at her mother. "All of these are old! None of them fit me well... what am I going to do? I only have a few hours before Viktor and his son are here!"

"Tell you what," Maman tried to calm her down. "Why don't you make a quick run into town and look for something nice? I can keep an eye on Lorie."

"Lorie?" Josette raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you call her that?"

"I've been calling her that for a while now," Maman smiled as she crouched down on the floor next to her granddaughter. "I think it suits her, don't you?" She gently ran a hand over Lorie's blond curls.

Josette shrugged. "I suppose...but to me she'll always be Lorelei, won't you cherie?"

Lorie looked up at her mother and gave her a gummy smile. She already had two bottom teeth and was obviously getting more because she chewed on everything she could get her hands on. At the moment, that was one of Josette's ivory hairbrush handles.

"Very well," Josette told her mother. "I better run then. There's no time to waste!"

She quickly dressed and bent down to kiss the top of Lorie's head. "You be good for Grandmaman," Josette instructed her daughter before flying out the door.

Three hours later, Josette returned. Her arms were full of shopping bags which were in turn full of smaller bags and boxes. Madame Foret was sitting in the living room, bouncing Lorie on her knees. When she saw the amount of merchandise her daughter had purchased, she raised an eyebrow:

"I take it you were successful," Maman said dryly. "Did you buy a whole new wardrobe?"

"I wanted to have a few choices," Josette replied. "You have to see what I found! Oh... and I got a few things for Lorelei as well," she said as she ran up the stairs toward her bedroom.

"Your mother thinks we have a bottomless checking account," Madame Foret told Lorie who clapped her hands in response.
"Yes... she feels the same way," Madame Foret sighed. "Let's go see what she bought," she said while picking up the baby and making her way slowly up the creaking stairs.

When she opened the door to Josette's bedroom, her daughter was already modeling the first outfit: a long, slim dress in a lovely peach color, with a 'pigeon- breast' shaped top made of white lace, and puffy upper sleeves. The final touch was a dark peach satin sash tied around her tiny waist.

"What do you think?" Josette asked. "Do I look fat?"

"You are stunning, ma fille," Madam Foret answered. "Please, don't ever ask me if you look fat again! It's rather offensive... considering you are a nearly perfect twenty-two year-old girl."

Josette smiled coquettishly while admiring herself in a full-length mirror.

"I suppose I look alright," she said, turning from side to side. "Should I wear this or is it too summery?"

"I think it's lovely and perfectly appropriate," Maman answered. "What do you think Lorie?" She asked her granddaughter.

Lorie burped, making the two women laugh.