"Flower Girl, wake up."
Lavender rolled over and covered her head.
"Tell me, was he any good?"
"What?" She was too tired for ambiguous questions.
"Sex. Did he touch you in all the right places?"
Lavender sat up and arranged her frilly nightgown to cover her properly. "He was a perfect gentleman."
Vish laughed. "No one's going to believe that."
"And why not?"
"He kissed you on the stoop. Everyone's talking about it. Even people who couldn't have seen it."
Lavender longed to roll over and hide her head. She got up. What should she wear tonight? Maybe she’d better do laundry. Was she still going? Had he changed his mind overnight? Lavender picked up her phone.
He'd sent her a text last night saying he'd had a good time and that five o'clock couldn't come soon enough, but he hadn't sent her anything yet this morning.
"And there's another reason people are talking."
The last thing Lavender needed was people gossiping about her. Someone would tell her secret and that would be the last she'd see of Diego. Lavender picked out a shirt and turned to her dresser to find a bra to go with it. "Why?"
"You have to go downstairs to see." Vish was better than anyone at looking smug.
Lavender spotted the skirt she would wear on her date. It was long, black, and flowy. But what to wear in the meantime? She picked and discarded three skirts just to annoy Vish.
Vish's phone beeped. She texted back. A moment later, steps sounded on the stairs, and Ariel, Alana, and Caiside busted into the room all talking at once. "Is she coming? Are you coming yet? Get ready? Come on! Hurry. Make her hurry. You've got to see."
Vish shoved a skirt into Lavender's hands. "Get dressed. We're going."
But they didn't leave. Lavender carried her clothes into the bathroom. Miss Magnolia insisted the girls not come down until they were fit for company, no matter how pretty their nightgowns were.
Lavender took her time getting dressed and brushing her hair. The bathroom was the only privacy she got, but since she shared it with four other girls, she didn't get much time in it alone.
Diego had left a hickey on her left breast, right over her heart. He'd marked her as his own. He'd come back for her tonight and she might just let him go farther. As long as he kept his hands above her waist. She didn't want him running off until the end of the week. She could pretend for a while that he was hers.
The girls knocked on the door and texted her, but their impatience made her dress slower. The thing downstairs probably wasn't even about her. Vish shooed everyone downstairs. As soon as the stairs were silent, Lavender opened the door. She walked down as ladylike as possible.
The front room smelled of flowers. She refused to let herself hurry. Why rush just to be disappointed?
Everyone was already at the dining room table. The girls got up, but Miss Magnolia tapped the table and they sat again. A white basket full of blooms waited at Lavender's place. Hers? It couldn't be hers. Who knew her well enough to send her flowers? She'd only met Diego last night.
Lavender stood behind her chair. The bouquet was beautiful. That was lavender, wasn't it? She squeezed a blossom and breathed in. Wonderful.
"Lavender, dear," said Miss Magnolia, "read the card. Then we'll have breakfast."
The china clock chimed eleven. Miss Magnolia hardly ever got up before noon. Neither did the girls most days. Had whoever brought this woken everyone?
A small, clear plastic triton among the flowers held a tiny envelope with her name on the front. She opened it carefully. The other girls giggled and Miss Magnolia watched.
My Dear, My Darling, My Queen. Lavender for my Lavender. May every whiff bring thoughts of me, Your King
Lavender's face heated. Miss Magnolia held out her hand and Lavender passed her the card. Miss Magnolia lifted her brows. "He's a gentleman, then?"
Lavender nodded and took a deep breath. The world was flowers, and right now, flowers were him.
"But you were careful?"
"He was a gentleman," said Vish. "She didn't have to be careful."
Lavender shook her head before Miss Magnolia could lecture them about diseases and playing it safe. The morning was too beautiful to hear about all those people who died for lack of a condom or a clean needle. Lavender only wanted to think of good things. "He was a gentleman, so I had no opportunity to be anything but careful."
Miss Magnolia gave her that stare that said she had a lot to say, but was keeping quiet for now. If Lavender managed to go out every evening this week, she might not be home when Miss Magnolia let loose.
"So he didn't find out," said Ariel. "Did you have to keep moving his hands?"
"Like I said, he's a gentleman."
"You didn't tell him?" Alana said she'd tell a guy right away, but she'd never had a real boyfriend. Lavender just needed this week. After that, she didn't care.
"What does this gentleman look like?" asked Miss Magnolia.
Lavender showed off the two pictures she'd taken. She really should have taken more. She sent Diego a few pictures of herself sniffing the flowers.
Miss Magnolia asked a lot of questions, a few of which Lavender could answer. Diego's parents were married and he saw them often. He loved his job and his coworkers. He had a little apartment, but was saving for a house. He hoped to get married someday. Lavender didn't say that Diego had asked her to marry him. That had probably been a joke.
Miss Magnolia shook her head. "Poor dear. Boys like that don't want girls like us."
Miss Magnolia said us even though she was born a girl, or mostly a girl. The doctor had missed something or messed something up and she'd grown tall and broad before the doctors figured out how to stop it.
Lavender didn't want to hear us. Grow old alone, like Miss Magnolia, and only be a mother to other girls in her same circumstances? No. She wanted a husband and a little house to take care of. A family. Babies. Children of her own. She would never have them. Her body didn't have the parts. That dream couldn't come true, but why, oh, why, must Miss Magnolia snatch away the fraction of her dream that, no matter how improbable, might just happen?
Lavender bit her lip and took the flowers up to her room. She stopped in the bathroom and put on her face, her armor. By the time she went back down, the tears didn't even show.
Chapter Five
Diego grinned. Lavender had gotten the arrangement. She sent him a picture of her sniffing the flowers. He told her she was beautiful. She sent him a picture of her rolling her eyes. She was still beautiful.
Last night, Patrick teased him about robbing the cradle, but he was back at work before Diego could reply. She really was nineteen, wasn't she? He needed to find a way to check her ID.
First things first. He had to survive the seven hours until he saw her again.
Patrick was still working, but Jessica said she'd show Diego around town. He needed to find places to take Lavender.
*~*~*
Lavender needed a girdle. Diego made her too hard to comfortably tuck her bits up between her legs. The right girdle would keep everything in place and unable to be felt from the outside. But she didn't have the money for it and more hormones. One of her bottles was nearly empty. She paid extra to buy the full ones with the seal still on them. Her needles, she got free from the clinic. She wasn't going to risk her health with a shared needle in an alley somewhere.
Was a week with any man worth her health or femininity?
No. Not even one as breathtaking as Diego.
But maybe she could have both. If Abuelito could use help at his ice cream shop.
Lavender tucked her journal into her purse and ran to catch the bus. If she called him, he'd say, no, enjoy your weekend, but if she showed up and begged, he'd give her seven dollars an hour to entice people to buy his ice cream. The arrangement was a win for both of them. He got more customers and someone to talk to, and she got a few dollars under the table, no questions asked
.
At the bus stop, she kept a good hold on her purse. She waited until she was on the second bus to pull out her journal. She felt good today. No headache or back pain. She wasn't irritable or cranky. She'd taken her latest estrogen shot three days ago. She was pretty good with needles by now, but maybe she should try patches. That might level out her highs and lows better than taking smaller shots more often.
She flipped back a few pages to the name of the anti-androgen she was taking. Her dealer could no longer access her usual kind, so she bought the one Ariel and Vish used. It had worked fine to keep her from turning boyish, but those two were the horniest of the girls. Maybe this stuff with Diego was the medicine's fault.
Or maybe he was just hellishly handsome.
She got off the bus at the pier and walked down to Abuelito's shop. He greeted her with a hug and told the T-shirt shopkeeper next door that his granddaughter was back. Lavender would have loved to have a grandfather like him.
He tucked her purse into the little safe and handed her an ice cream cone. She leaned against the stall front and licked it slowly, catching peoples' eyes as they walked past. About a third of them stopped for ice cream, and a few guys stopped and talked to her. She was good at flirting and she always paid the most attention to guys who bought ice cream.
When any guy got too close or looked like he wanted more than a talk, Abuelito would have a tirade in Spanish about how his granddaughter didn't want any of that type of boy and chase the guy away. His granddaughter was a good girl, a lady. But the guy always laughed as he left and promised to return.
Lavender would smile to show no hard feelings, and Abuelito used the attention they gathered to sell ice cream. Today was slow, so Abuelito pulled that trick three times. It always worked. Lavender stuck her head in the window. "What if I liked one of these guys?"
Abuelito shook his head. "You are too good for them."
Lavender scanned the crowd. "I'll have to leave by four. I've got a date."
"No," said Abuelito. "You will bring him here. I will meet him."
Lavender smiled. "But I still need off at four."
She'd hardly have time to stop by a store for her girdle, but she was sure the other girls would entertain Diego. As long as they didn't tell. Maybe she should just go now. How much would a good girdle cost?
"No," Abuelito said. "He will pick you up here."
"Will he?"
"Yes."
Lavender laughed. She'd wait an hour and try again.
She turned and saw a tall, handsome man looking at some polished stones a few shops down. He looked like Diego. He wore a muscle shirt instead of a jacket, and his arms were solid without being huge. Diego's arms had been like that last night through his shirt. He had the same dark blond hair with the same cut. It could be him. Why wouldn't he be here?
The woman beside him touched his arm and they both laughed. The uncomfortable hardness in Lavender's nether regions disappeared and was replaced by a sick feeling in her gut. The woman was tiny, but not so thin that the wind would whip her away. Her makeup was made to look like she wasn't wearing any at all, but no one was that pretty without help. The man pulled out his wallet. He was buying the woman something.
Lavender turned her back on the Diego look-alike. She had enough to worry about.
But what if that was Diego?
*~*~*
Diego slipped the little bag and his wallet into his pocket. Jessica thought the necklace was perfect. He hoped Lavender liked it. "Where to next?"
"Let's go to the end of the pier." Jessica pointed. "If you take her here, she's not going to want to go down by the water, but knowing you, you'll want to see the whole thing."
Just down the pier, Diego saw the most beautiful girl in the world. He recognized her even though she was looking the other way. How hadn't he seen her before? He took a few steps forward. "Beautiful?"
She turned. Her eyes brightened, then dulled, as they slipped past him. Oh. "Lavender, this is Patrick's fiancée, Jessica."
Lavender bit her lip. He closed the distance between them and touched the back to her hand. "Jessica has been showing me around." He smiled down at Lavender. "I guess I should have asked you."
Lavender turned her palm forward and slid her fingers between his. "I'm working."
An older gentleman stuck his head out the window. "Is this him?"
Lavender nodded. The old man looked Diego over. In Spanish he said, "Why not a good, hardworking Latino?"
"I don't know," Diego replied in Spanish, "but I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
The old man raised his eyebrows and shot questions at Diego. He hadn't spoken Spanish in a while, but surprisingly all the words were there when he needed them. He introduced himself and explained his job, where he lived, who his parents were and where his father worked, where he was taking Lavender tonight, and that he had the best of intentions toward her. He wanted to marry her. The old man laughed, patted his arm, and offered him ice cream.
Diego sighed in relief. He'd passed the test.
*~*~*
Lavender stroked Diego's hand. Diego relaxed, but he didn't give up her fingers. He brushed his lips against her ear. "What flavor should I try?"
"Let Abuelito decide."
He did and Abuelito gave him chocolate chip instead of jalapeño, so he must have liked him.
The woman, Jessica, browsed the nearby booths. Diego called her over and introduced her and Abuelito. He called Abuelito Lavender's grandfather, which he wasn't, but how was Diego supposed to know that with all of Abuelito's "my granddaughter" this, "my granddaughter" that?
Abuelito gave Jessica an ice cream cone and Diego paid for it. Jessica said she could pay for her own. Diego said he knew that she could, but this was a small favor for a friend. He would do the same for Patrick or his mother. He asked her to do him the favor of accepting his gift. She gave in. Diego pushed the money toward Abuelito, who tried to give it back. Diego wouldn't take it. That must be some kind of man thing, because Abuelito laughed and picked it up. "Look, my dear, you got a tip."
Lavender tried not to roll her eyes. Diego kissed her forehead.
"Hey, now," said Abuelito. "She's mine until five."
Diego grinned. "I guess I can let you have her for that long."
"Wait," said Lavender. "I need…"
Diego touched her chin. "What?"
Lavender looked over the crowd without seeing anything. "I… I have to buy something."
"I'll take you."
But Lavender wasn't about to let Diego see the store where she was buying the girdle. Maybe other stores had ones just as good. She was uncomfortably hard right now and he'd barely touched her.
*~*~*
Diego looked out at the water. Despite what Jessica had said, this would be a good spot for necking.
Jessica leaned against the rail. "Why did you insist on paying for the ice cream? He was going to give it to us for free."
"How am I supposed to show I can take care of his granddaughter if I took advantage of his hospitality?"
"She isn't his granddaughter."
"He said she was."
"She isn't. None of his children live in the area."
"That doesn't mean she isn't." Diego put his hand over his shorts pocket to make sure the necklace was still there.
"The lady in the bead stall said she just showed up one day and asked for a job. Plus she's almost a foot taller than he is."
"Lavender is the perfect height." She was tall enough that Diego didn't get a crick in his neck when he kissed her, but short enough to not be taller than him in high heels. Just because she wasn't related to the old man by blood didn't mean she wasn't his granddaughter. Diego's mother hadn't given birth to him, but she was his mother in every way that counted.
Jessica scowled. What did she have against Lavender? "Are you nitpicking?"
Jessica threw up her hands. "I always nitpick. Didn't Patrick tell you that?"
"He only says nice thing
s about you."
Jessica snorted. "I don't believe that. Anyway, have fun with that girl. I can get home by myself."
"Wait, Jessica. You have a reason not to like Lavender?"
Jessica paused and looked anywhere but at him. "It's a woman thing."
"That means?" Weren't 'woman things' supposed to be mysterious, not incomprehensible?
Jessica pressed her lips together. "Don't you think she's too perfect?"
Lavender's little quirks, like her bold shyness, were what made her perfect to him. "No."
Jessica walked up the pier, then stopped. Diego caught up. Jessica sighed. "She's dressed like the world's most modest high schooler. Who wears long skirts anymore? Not even my mother. And I don't remember the last time my sister or her friends covered their bellies. Ruffles and lace? She's out of time."
"That makes her wrong in some way?"
"She's dressed like an extra from a pirate movie, and stands as sure and proud as if she were a queen."
A Pirate Queen. If not this Halloween, the next. "That's wrong in some way?"
"Her makeup is caked on, and she still gets boys drooling over her." Jessica pointed down the pier. Lavender was surrounded by teenage boys. They all stood a good way back from her as they licked their cones.
"Her makeup isn't caked on." The girls she was with last night had much heavier makeup.
"She could be anything," said Jessica, "but she chooses to be a living advertisement."
There were worse ways to earn a living and just because she was pretty, healthy, and smart didn't mean that society didn't put impediments in her way.
Chapter Six
Lavender tried not to show interest when Jessica walked by again. Diego wasn't with her. Where was he? He wasn't at the end of the pier or by any of the shops. The guy telling her about his favorite band glanced behind her. Huge, warm hands touched her hips. "Beautiful, I'll return at five."
Be My Queen Page 3
