Vintage

by Susan Gloss

  The audience oohed and clapped. Everyone squirmed and looked around for the girl on the other end of the proposal. The people in the back row who’d noticed her before turned and looked but didn’t say anything.

  “Where is she?” the nurse said into the microphone. “Come on up here, girl. We want to see you.”

  “No,” Charlie said. “Only if she wants to. Like I said, I don’t want to embarrass her. I just want her to know how much she means to me.”

  “Oh, pooh,” said the nurse. “Get her up here. Come on, audience, help me out. We want the girl! We want the girl!”

  The audience chanted along, stomping and clapping. Now not just the back row but the last eight or ten rows had figured out April’s identity and twisted around in their seats to stare at her. Part of her wanted to run up there and throw her arms around Charlie. She’d missed him so much, and she really wanted to believe that he had changed his mind. But her cautious, protective side held her back.

  The crowd’s chant grew louder. April saw Amithi hurrying toward her up the side aisle, as fast as her tightly wrapped sari would let her go. Amithi leaned over the auction table and put her soft, small hands on either side of April’s cheeks.

  “How are you doing, dear?” she asked. “Violet asked me to come back here and check on you. She was worried this might be too stressful for you.”

  “Oh, I’m doing fine.” April brushed a tear from her cheek after Amithi took her hands away. “Just really surprised. Charlie was the last person I expected to see onstage.”

  “You don’t have to go to him if you don’t want to,” Amithi said. “I can take you out of here and we can go somewhere quiet to talk.”

  April shook her head. “I want to be here to work the auction. I’ve been looking forward to it.” She also looked forward to adding up all the cash after the show and, hopefully, figuring out how much they’d made in profit. It wasn’t every day she got to play around with numbers and calculations in such a tangible way.

  “Well, we can leave for just a few minutes if you’d like, until the curtain closes,” Amithi said.

  April peered up at the stage, where Charlie stood looking forlorn.

  The nurse yelled, “Have you no heart, girl? Look at this man. He’s put himself through all of this for you. Come on up here and show him some love.”

  Amithi studied April’s face in the dark. “You want to go, don’t you? Maybe just a little bit?”

  “Maybe a little,” April whispered. “But I’m afraid of what will happen if I do. I think he really cares for me, but how can I be sure? We’ve hurt each other so much.”

  Amithi put her hand on April’s arm. “You remind me a little of myself long ago. I was young, like you, when I got married.”

  April had overheard Amithi talking to Violet at the store about her marital troubles. “Yeah, but he—”

  “My husband broke my heart, yes. There is always that chance, with love. But to not even try—well, you might as well just not live, because nothing is certain. Sometimes you just have to take a chance.”

  It was what April’s mother used to say.

  She turned her eyes again to Charlie, standing onstage in his glittery lab coat, something he wouldn’t have been caught dead in if he didn’t think it would amuse her. She was pretty sure his mother, ever appropriate, would die if she could see her son now, getting harassed by a slutty nurse for April’s sake.

  She got up, and although it usually took some effort to raise her pregnant belly out of a chair, she felt light. She made her way up the aisle toward the stage and broke into a clumsy run for the last few steps, being careful not to trip over the folds of the vintage maxidress she was wearing.

  Charlie saw her and ran down the staircase from the stage to throw his arms around her. They kissed, and April felt as if no time had passed since their last kiss—it was warm, familiar. He was the same Charlie, still smelling of Ivory soap.

  She realized she must have looked quite different to him, though, because he put his hand on her bulging stomach and looked into her eyes with wonderment.

  “That’s our baby,” she said.

  “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Good. I want to be there when you find out. I want to be there for everything.”

  “I’m not sure yet about the ring,” April said. “I still need some time to think about getting married and all of that. I don’t want to rush into things this time.”

  “It’s okay. Take as much time as you need. I’m so sorry, April. I never should have said that stuff about your mom, and you. You’re not crazy, and even if you were, I’d love you anyway.”

  “I might be someday,” April said. “Time will tell.”

  “I won’t let that happen if I can help it.” Charlie looked down at his shiny lab coat. “Anyway, who’s the crazy one now? I’m standing here with a drag queen, pouring my heart out in front of a few hundred people.”

  April laughed, choking back tears. “I’m sorry, too. Some of the things I said were terrible.”

  “Yeah, but what I said was worse. And I never should have canceled the wedding. I was upset about our fight, and I let my parents pressure me into it. It seemed like the right thing for about a second, but I realized pretty quickly that it was a huge mistake. That’s why I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. My mom was the one who sent out the cancellations. I didn’t know until after the fact that they’d gone out, and I hate that I was too big of a wimp to do anything about it until now.”

  Above them on the stage, the nurse said, “Okay, okay. You’ve had your little moment. Now get up here so the rest of us can see you.”

  Charlie took April’s hand and helped her climb the stairs. When they reached the top, the audience cheered.

  “Well, there you go, ladies and gentlemen,” said the nurse. “Happy endings aren’t just for fairy tales and massage parlors.”

  April felt her body radiating heat, from the excitement and the burn of the spotlights.

  It only took the nurse a moment to figure out that April was pregnant. “Oh, Doctor Love,” she said. “You’re lucky you made the right choice, because if you hadn’t, me and the other queens would have run you out of town and kicked your skinny little ass with our high heels.”

  “I know I’m lucky.” Charlie gripped April’s hand like it was his lifeline. “And I won’t forget it again.”

  Chapter 21

  INVENTORY ITEM: dress

  APPROXIMATE DATE: 1982

  CONDITION: excellent

  ITEM DESCRIPTION: Red silk taffeta dress with bubble hem and ruffled neckline.

  SOURCE: Ragstock store on State Street

  Violet

  VIOLET TAPPED HER STOCKING feet on the floor as April counted the stack of money for the second time. Both of them had kicked off their shoes and now sat, still in their dress clothes, at a table in the back of the theater.

  April set down the last few bills on the table, moving her lips as she counted.

  “So?” Violet said. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her red dress to keep from picking at her fingernails, a nervous habit.

  “Same as last time. I told you, I don’t miscount.”

  A knot of disappointment settled into Violet’s stomach. “I was hoping you did just this once.”

  “It’s still a ton of money,” April said. “The raffle was a big hit.”

  “Yeah, but it’s not nearly enough for a down payment on a million-dollar building,” Violet said. Perhaps she’d been naïve, she thought, in hoping she could make enough money in one night to solve all of her problems.

  “Did I tell you I ran into Karen and Tom?” April asked. “They were looking for you after the show.”

  “No, I didn’t know they were here.”

  “I tried to find you. Karen said they had to get home to relieve their babysitter but told me to tell you congratulations on the show.”

  Viole
t thought about what Karen had said to her when she first told her about the eviction—that maybe she should consider taking the Mortensens’ settlement offer. Karen had probably been right when she said that accepting the offer would be the least risky option. But Violet had learned from experience that some risks were worth taking. She’d settled once before, back when she was young. When she married Jed, she’d loved him, in her own childish way—something she couldn’t even fathom now. But she’d let her compulsion to take care of him overshadow her own dreams of going off to college, thinking she couldn’t have both. She’d been afraid that if she set her sights too high, if she wanted too much, she surely couldn’t succeed, so she never bothered striving.

  The thought of Jed brought Violet’s mind back around to the question of what to do about the vandalism charges. She hadn’t yet told April that the police had found him. She knew April would tell her to go ahead with pressing charges, and Violet needed to make that decision on her own.

  “I can’t believe you were in on Charlie’s surprise appearance tonight,” April said.

  “I’m good at keeping secrets,” Violet said. “I can’t believe he proposed. I didn’t know he was going to do that.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m going to say yes. I have to give it some time.” April zipped the cash into a padded vinyl deposit envelope.

  “I helped him pull it off, but it was Charlie’s idea, really,” Violet said. “As soon as he heard about the show, he asked if he could get onstage for part of it. He thought it was the only way to get through to you, since you weren’t taking his calls or anything. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it, honestly. But he looked so damned sad I had to let him do it. And I thought his whole Doctor Love thing was pretty genius. Not to mention it was sweet that he was willing to make a complete ass out of himself for you.” Violet held out her hand. “Here, why don’t you give me that deposit envelope? I can drop it off in the bank slot on my way home. I’m sure you and Charlie have a lot to catch up on.”

  April handed her the zippered case. “Is Sam picking you up? I saw him hanging around after the show.”

  Violet shook her head. “I told him not to wait for me, since I didn’t know how much time it would take to wrap everything up. Besides, we have dinner reservations for tomorrow night, so I’ll see him then, anyway.”

  Not wanting Sam to have to wait for her wasn’t the real reason Violet had sent him home. She felt certain that, after everything that had happened with Charlie and April onstage, the topic of the future—and whether she and Sam had one together—would come up. And that was one conversation she couldn’t handle tonight, mostly because she wasn’t sure what she would say.

  “Okay,” April said. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t need me, I’ll see you tomorrow at the store.” She got up and went out the door, leaving Violet in the empty theater.

  After the last few days of surprises and commotion, Violet looked forward to going back to the quiet of her apartment. She still wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to tell the DA’s office about pressing charges, but she decided that whatever answer she was going to give them could wait until the next morning. As long as she knew Jed was locked up, at least for the next several hours, Violet could get a decent night’s sleep in her own bed. After everything he’s done, she thought, he owes me at least that much.

  The next morning Violet awoke early with a clear mind. She made coffee and went down to the shop before the sun was even up. The first thing she did was call the number of the assistant DA that the police officer had given to her. The attorney wasn’t in the office yet, but Violet left a message saying she wanted to go ahead with the charges against Jed. She’d made too many excuses for him over the years, gotten him out of too many debacles. And her sympathy hadn’t helped him at all; in fact, all it had done was hurt her.

  April came in just before the store opened at ten, looking happy and relaxed.

  “I take it you had a good night?” Violet asked.

  April nodded. “Charlie and I spent a lot of time talking last night. He wants to get back together right away—well, I’m sure you could tell that from last night. I’m not so sure. I have no doubt he loves me, though, and wants it to work, so that’s a step. I need some time to learn how to trust him again before I can decide whether I want to get married.”

  “You’re young. You’ve got time to figure that out,” Violet said. I, on the other hand, do not have quite as much time, she thought. She knew she needed to make a decision about Sam and whether she could live with the fact that they’d never have a family together, even if things continued to go well between them.

  Violet was well aware that at her age there was no guarantee she’d have an easy time getting pregnant, if that’s what she decided she wanted, but there were other options. She could adopt a baby, even if there was no man in the picture. She’d thought about it before. She didn’t know what would make her happier, though: having Sam and no baby, or having a baby and no Sam. Until she was able to answer that question, Violet was afraid to spend too much time with him because she knew it would just make the decision harder. She made a mental note to call him later to cancel their date for that night.

  The loud sound of plastic flapping in the wind startled Violet out of her thoughts.

  “When is your landlord gonna get that broken glass fixed?” April asked, pointing to the window. “I thought they were supposed to take care of it.”

  “You know what? I’m gonna go down to his office and talk to him,” Violet said. Sometimes she felt her own fate was like that tarp, just being tossed around by forces beyond her control. And she was tired of it. “Do you think you can keep an eye on things here for an hour or so while I go down to Ted’s office?” Violet asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” April said. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  When Violet arrived at the offices of Mortensen & Son Inc., the receptionist asked if she had an appointment.

  “No,” Violet said. “But I have some information pertinent to the sale for the new condo development. On Johnson Street?”

  The receptionist picked up the phone and, after a hushed conversation, showed Violet into Ted’s office.

  “Violet,” he said when he saw her. “Please have a seat. Are you here to talk about the offer we made?”

  “No, I’m here to talk about when you’re going to fix the window. I know you’re planning to sell the building to a development firm, and I know someone with connections to its president,” she said. “He’d probably be interested to know that you’re neglecting repairs that, ultimately, will affect the value of the building.”

  “Right.” Ted cleared his throat. “About that. See, I’ve talked some more with our insurance company, and given that the developer is planning to demolish the building, the insurer doesn’t think it’s worth it to make those repairs. Especially since we’re just a few weeks away from securing an eviction order from the court, assuming you don’t move out voluntarily before then.”

  “Wait, I thought the condo project was supposed to be a rehab, not a demolition,” Violet said.

  “Plans have changed.”

  “So you’re just planning on letting the store keep on operating out of a building with plywood and plastic covering the windows.”

  “You’re welcome to pay for the repairs yourself, though I hardly think it’s worth it,” Ted said. He folded his hands and placed them on top of his desk. “The offer still stands for you to move out voluntarily without a court order.”

  “I need to speak with my lawyer,” Violet said.

  She returned to Hourglass Vintage, seething. It must have shown on her face because April said, “I take it the conversation didn’t go well.”

  “They’re not fixing anything,” Violet said. “The developer who’s set to buy the building as soon as we’re out of here has got a wrecking ball in the works. I wish I could tell everybody to fuck off and just buy the building out from under the developer. But we both know I don’
t have the money for that.”

  April shook her head. “How can this possibly all be legal?”

  “I’ve gotta call Karen, but she already looked at all the paperwork a couple months ago and pretty much said we were screwed. That the most she could do was buy me a little bit of time to come up with some money to have a shot at buying the place. But that’s not happening. I can’t believe I even thought it was a possibility. We didn’t make enough from the revue to even come close. And there’s nothing for rent in the neighborhood that would work as another shop space.”

  April’s eyes grew wide and she let out a little gasp.

  “What?” Violet said. “Is it the baby? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

  April shook her head and grabbed a piece of paper. She wrote down some numbers, biting her lip.

  “What are you doing?” Violet asked. “You’re freaking me out.”

  “Just a second—let me think.” April scribbled some more on the paper, then picked it up and held it in the air.

  “Did you just figure out the secret to time travel or something? Can we go back in time to before any of this eviction stuff started?”

  “Not quite.” April tilted her head to one side. “But what if you bought my mom’s house? I’m not asking anywhere near as much as your landlord is for this place.”

  “Seriously?” Violet thought about the green stucco bungalow just a block down the street. “You’d be willing to sell it to me?”

  “Why not? Dozens of people have looked at it, but not a single one has made an offer, even after the Realtor convinced me to drop the price. The way the neighborhood has shifted, with so many restaurants and retail stores now, a lot of people have said the street is too busy. Or that the house needs too much updating.”

  “Is it even possible—I mean, would the city allow the house to be used as a retail store?”