Fair Play

by Madison, Dakota

  The club facilities include golf, tennis, swimming, spa, several restaurants and a lounge. The main building houses the largest restaurant, where I am meeting my mother for lunch.

  Although the place is already packed with groups of mostly older women gossiping over their first (or possibly second) Mojitos of the day, I easily spot my mom, who is decked out in a wine-colored sleeveless draped Donna Karan jersey dress that must be new because I’ve never seen her wear it before. Not that my mother ever wears the same outfit twice. That would be unheard of in her social circle where everything is worn once and deposed of just as quickly as it was acquired.

  “Hello, Mother,” I mutter as I bend down to place a light kiss on her cheek.

  “What are you wearing?” my mother whispers when she sees the dress I selected. I didn’t have much time to consider an outfit for the lunch with my mom so I admit I threw on an older Chanel little black dress I had hanging in the back of my closet, hoping my mother wouldn’t notice. I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course she notices.

  “That dress is three years old,” my mother manages to whisper through gritted teeth. She is already fuming and I haven’t even sat down yet.

  “I know, Mother,” I snap back. “But I assure you it hasn’t been worn yet.”

  As I slide into the seat across from my mother, I already feel like a puppy that has been beaten by its master.

  “I hope no one realizes that design is from a dated line. I spotted it immediately.”

  I want to tell my mother that I doubt any of her friends care what her daughter is wearing but I know it’s not true. Every woman who enters the club is immediately and harshly judged by every other woman there. If I have a chipped nail or a hair of place, I’ll be the subject of gossip for weeks. And that is the last thing my mom wants to deal with: all of her friends gossiping about what’s wrong with her daughter.

  “And you wonder why you can’t get Aaron,” my mom snaps and I feel like she’s already slapped me in the face with her harsh words. That didn’t take long. It may be a new record.

  I want to tell my mom if Aaron actually cared about designer clothes he wouldn’t be caught dead with Rainy Dey, who wouldn’t know the difference between Valentino and Versace.

  But I refrain.

  Instead, I inquire about the extra place setting I notice. “Is someone joining us for lunch?”

  “I invited Theresa Donovan,” my mom says nonchalantly but I immediately feel my stomach tense as I realize I’ve been ambushed by my own mother. “What’s wrong, darling,” my mother continues. “You look pale.”

  I gulp. I can’t believe my mother invited Aaron’s mom to have lunch with us and didn’t even bother to tell me.

  “Since I knew we were meeting for lunch, I skipped breakfast,” I reply but the words sound lame as soon as they come out of my mouth.

  “You still need to watch your figure, Keira,” my mother admonishes. “Or Aaron won’t give you a second glace.”

  “I already practically starve myself to stay a size two,” I retort.

  My mom glares at me. “Size zero is the new two.”

  “Well, I don’t have a personal trainer to work out with for four hours a day and I don’t have a personal chef to prepare my meals.”

  My mother waves her hand like my words are a menacing fly that needs to be shooed away. “If you need help just let your father know. He’ll hire whoever you want. It’s no excuse.”

  “I’m in graduate school, Mother,” I remind her. “I’m busy studying.” It’s a complete lie because I have yet to open a textbook but she doesn’t have to know that.

  “I realize you went into the MBA program to be closer to Aaron but do you really have to take it that seriously?”

  I’ve never taken anything very seriously in my life and I’m just now beginning to see that’s a problem. As I look around at all of country club wives, I wonder if this is all I have to look forward to: spending my afternoons as the club having lunch with woman I can’t stand, who’ll stab me in the back the moment I turn around and drinking expensive cocktails to numb the pain of my empty existence.

  I can hardly wait.

  When Aaron’s mom hurries over to our table, I see she’s wearing a brand new beige Louis Vuitton mini dress that looks stunning against her gorgeous tan.

  “So sorry I’m late,” Mrs. Donovan says as she gives my mother’s cheek an obligatory peck. Then she glances at me. “It’s nice to see you, Keira.” I can already tell by the scowl on her face that she’s judging my dress. My mom was right. It was a poor fashion choice and a misstep I’ll obviously be hearing about for a while.

  “Keira has been so busy with her graduate studies, she hasn’t had time to do much shopping,” my mother states in an obvious effort at damage control for my fashion debacle.

  “Of course.” Mrs. Donovan gives me a catty smile. “And that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  I’m surprised that Mrs. Donovan goes straight to business and completely forgoes the small talk.

  “Whatever you need,” my mother offers. “You know Keira and I will do anything to help.”

  Mrs. Donovan quickly brushes away a tear that has escaped down her cheek. “I don’t know what Aaron’s thinking. I can understand boys wanting to sow their wild oats with all kinds of girls but that doesn’t mean they have to marry them.”

  My mother leans over and places a hand on Mrs. Donovan’s forearm. “I know how difficult this must be for you.” My mom is trying her best to be comforting but she’s anything but. She has about as much depth as a puddle in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

  Mrs. Donovan tries to blink back tears. “Aaron’s our youngest and I certainly didn’t think he’d be the first to get engaged. It was so shocking. We didn’t even know he had a girlfriend. Why didn’t Aaron tell us about her?”

  I have to hold back a smile because Mrs. Donovan can’t even say Rainy’s name. And the way she says her makes Rainy sound worse than the plague.

  When Mrs. Donovan turns to face me, I can see her eyes are wet. “I always thought you’d be Aaron’s wife, Keira. The two of you are perfect for each other. I have no idea what he sees in her.”

  I give a little sniffle and blink a little more quickly to give the impression I’m blinking back tears but inside I’m doing a happy dance because I know Aaron’s mom hates Rainy and thinks I’m better suited to be with her son.

  “I know this must be difficult for you, too,” Mrs. Donovan says as she pats my hand.

  “It is,” I mutter.

  The three of us heave a collective sigh as the waiter brings me and Mrs. Donovan Mojitos. I have to laugh that he didn’t even ask us what we wanted—he just assumed we would be having what everyone else in the lunch crowd is having. Not that it’s a bad assumption. Women in the country club set always want what everyone else has.

  And isn’t that why I’m sitting her with my mother and Mrs. Donovan? They want me to have what Rainy has. The only question is: what do I truly want. Do I want to be with Aaron Donovan or am I supposed to be with him? And does it matter? What Aaron wants obviously doesn’t matter to his mom. Aaron has always done what he’s supposed to do——what his parents expect him to do. Maybe what’s more shocking to Mrs. Donovan is that Aaron finally did something that he wanted to do.

  “So,” Mrs. Donovan says. “Your mother tells me that you’re not giving up on Aaron so easily and I just wanted to let you know that not only am I glad to hear it, you have my full support. Whatever you need, consider it done.”

  I give Aaron’s mom a sly smile. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you, your family and Aaron.”

  “I know you will, Sweetie,” Mrs. Donovan says. “I knew I could count on you.”

  As I glance around the room at all country club members and their guests, it looks like a fashion show, everyone dressed in the latest designs, right off the Fashion Week runway, and it gives me an idea. “Why don’t we invite Rainy here, to the club for lunch?” I suggest
.

  Both my mother and Mrs. Donovan look at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “You can’t be serious,” Mrs. Donovan scoffs. “Someone like Rainy certainly doesn’t belong here.”

  I grin. “But that’s the point. Wouldn’t it be a great way to show Rainy exactly how much she doesn’t belong, not only just here, at the club, but also in Aaron’s life?”

  A small smile crosses Mrs. Donovan’s face. “I like it. It’s subtle but I think it will make a strong point. I like it a lot.”

  “When shall we do it?” my mom asks clearly excited about the idea. She’s now grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “Let me check my calendar,” Mrs. Donovan says. “Are you free later this week?”

  My mom and I both nod. I have to give myself a little bit of credit because my mom and Mrs. Donovan are both still smiling.

  “I’ll have Aaron talk to his friend,” Mrs. Donovan says. “I’m sure he can persuade her to have lunch with us.”

  I can hardly wait.

  ***

  Aaron’s mom convinced Rainy to let me pick her up and take her to the country club with me. She lets it slip that Aaron gave her a bit of a hard time about it. Apparently, he wanted to drive Rainy himself but his mom nixed the idea and basically told him he was being ridiculous. I think Aaron could smell an ambush a mile away.

  But now I have Rainy in my car and we are headed to the club. I can hardly keep the huge smile from my face when I pick her up. As I suspect, Rainy is wearing a dress that looks like it’s right off of a J.C. Penney sale rack. The style looks like a knock-off of a Dior that was in their spring line like four years ago. I know a dress like that will have every woman in the country club whispering behind her back. If I was a nicer person, I would have offered to take Rainy shopping to get her something decent to wear. But that would have also defeated the purpose of trying to completely humiliate her and make her feel like she doesn’t belong.

  “Has Aaron taken you to the club yet?” I ask even though I know he hasn’t. I just want to start making her feel as uncomfortable as possible.

  “No,” Rainy mutters. I can see she’s nervously wringing her hands.

  “That’s too bad.” I try to sound sympathetic but I know I just sound catty. “Do you have any idea why?”

  When I glance over at Rainy, I can see her brow is furrowed. I think she knows exactly why Aaron hasn’t taken her to the country club. She doesn’t belong and I hope today’s little outing is going to make that exceptionally clear.

  “We’re both so busy with school,” Rainy says lamely. “I’ve got my internship. I’m co-authoring an art history book.”

  As if her helping her professor co-write a crappy art history book that maybe five people are going to read impresses me at all. Unless she’s going to make a billion dollars writing the next Harry Potter, I don’t care. “I know what you mean,” I reply. “Graduate school is so much more demanding than I thought it would be. But at least I have Aaron to help me when I need it.”

  It’s a small dig but at least it’s a dig, hopefully the first of many today. “I’m glad you’re getting the chance to get to know Aaron’s mom a little better,” I continue. “She’s like a second mother to me.”

  When Rainy heaves a small sigh, I decide to let her stew on that for a few moments. Then she says, “I always imagined when I got married that my husband’s family would become like a second family to me. It’s just me and my dad, so I wanted to be close to my mother-in-law and my future husband’s siblings.”

  Once again, I had to stifle a grin because there was no way Rainy is ever going to be close to Aaron’s mom. She’ll be lucky if Mrs. Donovan decides to tolerate her. Aaron’s brothers might like Rainy but only because they want to fuck her.

  “We made it,” I announce as I pull into the long driveway.

  I don’t even stop at the guardhouse because Hans, the man who has been working in the guardhouse for years, has known me my whole life. When he sees me, he just gives me a wave of his hand and opens the gate.

  When I pull up to the valet parking, Rainy and I jump out of the car and I see her eyes go wide as she takes in the enormity of the country club.

  I lean over to her a whisper, “Ever been to a country club before?”

  Rainy shakes her head in response as I hand the keys to the same sexy valet attendant, who was there the previous time. He gives me a little grin of recognition as Rainy and I walk by.

  Today, I made sure to wear a brand new Yves Saint Laurent dress that hasn’t even made it to the stores yet. I had to pull a few strings to get it but I know my mom and Mrs. Donovan will be impressed so it was worth the effort.

  “This way,” I say to Rainy as I grab her elbow and lead her towards the restaurant.

  Rainy looks around at everything like a baby taking in a new environment. She’s wide-eyed and seems filled with awe. “This place is amazing,” she says and points to a painting on the wall. “Is that a Jasper Johns?”

  “I’m sure it is,” I say dismissively even though Rainy takes in a sharp breath like she’s just seen a ghost.

  “That painting is worth millions,” Rainy mutters as if it’s something amazing.

  “So are half the cars in the parking lot,” I retort as we enter the restaurant.

  Rainy gulps as she looks around at all the ladies lunching. I think reality is finally starting to hit and based on the deep furrow in her brow, I think it’s hitting hard.

  As I scan the large open area, I spot my mom and Mrs. Donovan, who have acquired a prime spot in the garden area. Mrs. Donovan had to give someone an extra-large tip to score a table like that at lunch and especially on such short notice.

  “Over there,” I say to Rainy as I discretely point in the direction of their table.

  The maître-d’ greets us with a nod. “I’ll show you to your table, Ms. Whitley and Ms. Dey.”

  Rainy goes wide-eyed again and I can only assume she’s wondering how the man knows her name. I guess she doesn’t realize you can’t just walk into a country club as exclusive as this one without being cleared as a guest by the management. Another service on which Mrs. Donovan probably dropped a few thousand dollars to have the clearance expedited for our lunch today.

  Mrs. Donovan and my mom both stand when they see us arrive. Mrs. Donovan makes a point of giving me a big hug and then says, “Your dress is amazing. Yves Saint Laurent’s new line?”

  I give her a warm smile and nod.

  “You have great taste, Keira.”

  “I agree,” my mom adds as she gives me a cold A-frame hug, which could be the most affection she’s ever shown me. But it’s obviously not for my benefit; I’m sure it’s just part of the show.

  “Nice to see you,” Mrs. Donovan says as she gives Rainy the once-over.

  Rainy tries to smile but she looks like Mrs. Donovan just slapped her with her less than enthusiastic greeting.

  “Please, girls,” Mrs. Donovan says. “Have a seat.”

  We take our seats at the table and it isn’t long before the waiter brings four Cosmos, which seems to be the drink of the day.

  Rainy looks confused as she stares at the cocktail. “I didn’t order this,” she mutters.

  I slide toward her and whisper, “It’s what everyone is drinking today. They just assume you want what everyone else is having.”

  “But I don’t drink alcohol,” Rainy whispers back.

  “Fake it,” I advise. She’s going to have to learn to fake a lot of things if she thinks she’ll have a chance of surviving the country club crowd.

  Against my counsel, Rainy actually speaks up and announces that she doesn’t want the drink and that she doesn’t drink alcohol.

  I cringe as Mrs. Donovan glares at her. “We’ll just have to get the waiter to bring you something else,” Mrs. Donovan sneers.

  Mrs. Donovan makes a point of having the waiter bring Rainy sparkling water in an effort to embarrass her but I’m not sure Rainy is even aware enough to get the put-down. T
he only women who order sparkling water at lunch are lushes who have been to rehab.

  I have to control a gasp when Rainy actually opens her menu to look at it. My mom and Mrs. Donovan both give each other a knowing glance. The girl is truly clueless. No one looks at the menu at lunch. They always order the special selection of the day.

  As I glance around the restaurant, the reaction to Rainy is just as I suspected. Everyone is staring at her like she’s an alien that just landed from Mars. I wonder if Rainy can sense that all eyes in the place are on her.

  When the waiter comes to take our orders, Mrs. Donovan asks what the special is even though it’s obviously a walnut-crusted chicken salad because that’s what everyone is eating.

  As the waiter describes the special, I notice that he’s directing a lot of his attention to Rainy, as if he’s attracted to her. I wonder what it is about the girl that seems to get so many guys hot and bothered. The waiter is an attractive guy, not drop-dead gorgeous like Aaron, or hunky like Evan, but he’d definitely do if you were horny and in need of a little fling.

  Of course, Mrs. Donovan orders the special and my mother follows suit. When it’s my turn, I agree to what everyone else is having, even though I despise walnuts. It’s not like I’m actually going to eat any of it. When the waiter gets to Rainy, she orders a bowl of Clam Chowder and I swear my mother and Mrs. Donovan both gasp.

  When I glance at the waiter, I can see he’s stifling a grin and it suddenly occurs to me why so many guys have a thing for Rainy. It’s because she’s not like everyone else. She’s not afraid to be her own person no matter what the situation. And for a moment, I can’t help but admire her for it. I wish I had the confidence to really be myself but all I truly have is bravado and the need to be liked. It doesn’t seem to matter to Rainy whether people like her or not and that actually makes her more likeable.