Cinderella's Shoes

by Shonna Slayton

  “Forgive my granddaughter’s excitement,” the princess said. “She meant to ask if Kate would like to go, and to tell you that we will take care of everything. You will have none of the worries. And then Nessa will have someone to help her prepare for her move to New York.”

  “Our treat,” Nessa added. “And maybe we could squeeze in a trip to Poland?” She looked to Princess Kolodenko for approval, but the princess only shook her head slightly.

  “We will have to apply for Kate’s visa immediately,” Princess Kolodenko continued. “I know someone who can take care of that. Tickets are available for the ship; Johnny already found that out.”

  Nessa flashed her Cheshire grin. “I made him keep quiet about it so I could tell you first.”

  Do you trust me? He had asked her. He figured out a way to get her to Europe. They wouldn’t have to rely on letters all summer.

  Mother interjected, “I have some money put away. My factory job paid well and—”

  Princess Kolodenko put up her hand. “Kate will be our guest. It is our pleasure. Our villa is much too big for just my husband and me. With Nessa’s mother in France and Nessa coming here in the fall, it would be lovely to have the rooms filled up for the summer.”

  Kate could hardly believe what she was hearing. Could it be that easy? She mouthed the word “Johnny?” to Adalbert. He briefly met her eyes and nodded before looking away.

  Nessa clasped her hands together, begging. “Can she go?”

  “Well, I—I—” Mom wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin before excusing herself from the table and locking the bathroom door behind her.

  “Oh, dear,” Fyodora said. “That was probably not the way to bring it up. I’m afraid we have scared her. I should have thought.”

  “What do you mean, Babcia?” Nessa asked.

  “Kate is all she has left. Europe has taken her husband and her son, and now her daughter.” She sighed. “I need to make this right. Excuse me.” She folded her napkin and placed it carefully beside her plate.

  Kate checked herself. She hadn’t thought about her mom in all this mystery. Maybe it was time to let her in on the secret, too. Originally Aunt Elsie didn’t want Mom to know, but Mom had changed during the war years. She wasn’t focused on impressing the elite women she served at the department store anymore. She was settled now. Content. The news about their family history would have a different effect than before. Or she might think I’m crazy and not let me go anywhere with the Kolodenkos.

  Princess Kolodenko knocked softly on the bathroom door. “Deborah? I am terribly sorry. I did not ask you to travel with us because I thought you would not want to go because of your work. But we would like you to go, too. In fact, I insist. We cannot take Kate from you. You must come and see our beautiful country. Even after the war it is still beautiful, and you must see it.”

  The lock clicked open, and her mother came out. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and she looked away like she didn’t want anyone to notice. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Of course Kate can go. What a thrilling summer it will be for her.”

  “And you, too.”

  Mother shook her head. “You are generous, but I’m not ready.” She met Kate’s eyes and gave a slight smile. “Maybe soon, but not now. I’m working on it.”

  Kate smiled back. Mom is okay. It didn’t feel like the right time to tell her about the family legacy. And if Kate read between the lines properly, she wasn’t going out with Neil, either. At least, not yet. But Neil would have ample opportunity while Kate was gone, and Mom could get lonely in the apartment by herself. The thought churned Kate’s stomach.

  Nessa grabbed Kate’s arm. “Let me help you pack.” She went straight to the bedroom and knelt by the trunk on the floor. “They’re in here, aren’t they?” She stroked the wood. “Mind if I have a fast look?”

  Kate closed the door and shrugged like it was no big deal. The dresses did belong to the Kolodenkos, after all. There was no reason at all that Kate should feel so possessive about them. She’d known about the dresses longer than Nessa, she’d had them in her possession longer, and she always would have them as long as she kept them for Nessa. As she sat on the bed, she pushed the creeping tendrils of jealousy down deep. Elsie never told her about these kinds of feelings. She thought the Keeper was supposed to be immune from the pull of the dresses. From the greed they created.

  But when Nessa started poking and probing the wooden chest, Kate jumped up to intervene. Now, the dresses may not be hers, but the chest was. “I’ll do it.” Deftly, Kate triggered the release, pulled out the three packages, and laid them on her quilt.

  Nessa bounded over to the bed, clearly unaware that Kate was a bit miffed at her. She ripped open the middle package and shook out the ball gown. Holding it up to her shoulders, she danced around the room, letting the fabric drag on the ground. Kate rushed over and lifted the skirt, following Nessa as she danced.

  “Be careful,” Kate said, trying to use a playful voice.

  “Oh, it’ll be fine. Your room isn’t even the least dusty. The first Cinderella probably walked through the mud in this thing.” Nessa thumped down on the bed. “The first Cinderella.” She looked up at Kate with wide eyes. “Can you imagine being her?”

  Kate shook her head. She had already tried. And she’d tried walking in the shoes of her own great-grandmothers. Touching the physical objects they had touched helped, but it was still mind-blowing to think of the fairy-tale legacy.

  “What do you think I can do with this dress?” Nessa asked slyly.

  “Excuse me?” Kate said. Wear it carefully was what she was thinking, but likely not what Nessa was getting at.

  “You know. Magic?”

  “What did your grandmother tell you?” Kate didn’t know what the dress was truly capable of, either. Elsie said it magnified people’s emotions, and Kate had witnessed that already.

  Nessa frowned. “Not much. She talks like it is just a pretty dress, but we all know about what happened the night the Burgosovs tried to steal it.”

  Did she ever. Kate wasn’t supposed to let the dresses be so publicly displayed, and then to have the Burgosovs come along and seemingly set the dress on fire . . . Her career as a Keeper had almost ended before it had started.

  “About that night.” Kate wrestled with how much to tell Nessa. She didn’t like how the older girl was sounding about the dress. “I have a theory.”

  Nessa pushed the bundles away, clearing a spot for Kate to sit with her. Kate shook her head. She needed to pace for this one, just like Elsie used to do when she talked of the dresses.

  “Elsie warned me the dress has personality. It didn’t make much sense to me at first, but now that I’ve had time to think about it, it does.”

  “What do you mean?” Nessa prettily lifted her right eyebrow. Her delicate features made her look a bit like a fairy herself.

  “It’s hard to explain. It’s almost as if the dress can take care of itself.”

  Nessa stretched out on her side, resting her head on her hand. “Interesting. What else?”

  Happy to have Nessa’s attention, Kate continued. “And I feel something, too, when I’m near the dress.” She held out her necklace. “For instance, hold this.”

  “It’s warm,” Nessa said in wonderment.

  “Even when Adalbert and Elsie first arrived, it happened, but I didn’t understand why. The necklace and the gown are connected.” Kate took a shaky breath, even now thinking about the dress catching fire. “And then, when we were setting up the window displays, the dress gave out a shock when one of the men touched it. It protects itself.”

  Nessa picked up the ball gown and examined it.

  Kate was trying to instill a sense of awe and reverence in the young princess in the hopes that she would help make Kate’s job as easy as possible.

  The princess got up on her knees. “That’s what I mean. What else can this dress do? Can it make someone fall in love with me like it did for Cinderella?”

&
nbsp; “Oh, I think the prince was already in lo—”

  “And will it bring me fortune like the Burgosovs think it will?” She shot a furtive look at the door. “My grandmother won’t admit it, but the war not only devastated our family, it has also taken its toll on our finances. We could use a little magic there.”

  Kate bit back what she was about to say regarding the glass slippers. She didn’t like the direction Nessa was headed. Kate had a feeling she would have to keep a sharp eye on this particular Kolodenko. Kate was Keeper of the Wardrobe to Kopciuszek’s legacy, to the whole family, not Nessa. She was to protect them from the greed.

  She gave Nessa a tentative smile as she watched the princess tear into the package with the wedding dress and examine the jewels on the bodice. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

  Chapter Nine

  The next few days were a whirlwind with getting all the paperwork in order and trying to contact Floyd to let him know she was on her way. And then she had to tell Josie she was leaving for the summer.

  “My treat,” Kate said, waving at the bank of tiny windows at the Automat. “Whatever you want.” She jangled her nickels as she waited.

  “I wish you would just tell me already,” Josie said. “I haven’t got much time for lunch. We’re working on a rush order, and I want to make a good impression. A recommendation from Bonnie would mean a lot for my future career.”

  “Do you want me to pick for you?” Kate asked, still waiting for Josie to finish her rambling.

  “No, I can choose my own food, thank you very much.” She hastily dropped in the nickels and put macaroni and cheese, green beans, and apple pie on her tray. “There. Now tell me why you are being so nice to me today.”

  “I’m always nice to you,” Kate said as she made her own selections. She led them to a table, all the while feeling Josie’s eyes burning a hole in her back.

  “Spill it.”

  “Fine. I’m going on a trip this summer.”

  Josie made a face. “Oh, is that all? Going to the beach again?”

  “Well, I will get a good look at the ocean.” Kate dragged out the suspense, either trying to make it a little fun for Josie or merely putting off the inevitable.

  “Tell me already.” She looked at her wristwatch. “I gotta go in five.”

  “Italy.” Kate squinted her eyes closed and hunched up her shoulders, waiting for the outburst. Her confession was met with silence. She peeked. Josie was pushing the macaroni around her plate with her fork.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Italy.”

  “And?”

  Josie set the fork down. “What? Do you want me to say it? All right. Your life is charmed, Kate Allen. Charmed. I think you and I were switched at birth. You are living the life that I should be living. You’re not even Italian.”

  Kate threw her hands in the air, mimicking Josie’s gestures. “And that’s the passion I was waiting for!”

  Josie frowned and lowered her eyes. “Don’t make fun of me, Kate. You know it’s true.”

  An outburst would have been less guilt-inducing. “I wish I could take you with me. But your life isn’t so shabby, either. Who is the one who got to go to the Central High School of Needle Trades when my mother said no way? And who is interning with the famous Bonnie Cashin, youngest designer to make it on Broadway? And who is it I saw standing at the corner talking to that tall blond?”

  Josie’s face turned bright red in a blush Kate hadn’t seen on her in years. “You saw that? What do you think? He’s a dreamboat, isn’t he?”

  Kate smiled her agreement, but kept them on topic. “Besides, we’re practically sisters, so I’m practically Italian.”

  “We are practically sisters, so you should find a way to hide me in your suitcase.”

  Kate sighed. “You know I would.”

  Josie was quiet, and the metallic clinking of forks and china around them grew louder. “I’m happy for you. You’ve been through a lot, and it’s nice to see something good happening to you. I’ll visit Aunt Elsie while you’re gone.”

  “She doesn’t scare you anymore?”

  Josie shrugged. “She hasn’t screamed ‘Ludmilla!’ at me lately, if that’s what you mean. Nah, she’s swell. She kind of grows on you.”

  “Thank you.” Josie was everything a girl could want in a best friend. “Think about what you’d like me to bring back for you.”

  “Could you swing an Italian boy?”

  “Ha-ha. You’ll have to go get one yourself.”

  “A girl can dream.”

  After lunch, the two went back to Harmon-Craig. Before parting at the entrance to go their separate ways, Kate gave her a tight hug. “You know I’d take you if I could,” she said. “We would have so much fun.” She let go and sighed wistfully. Sure, she’d have Nessa to show her around, but it wouldn’t be the same without Josie.

  “No way I’m going in there to talk to Mr. G for you,” Josie joked as she waved good-bye.

  Kate frowned. Mr. G was the next hurdle. She had to find a way to get time off for the summer while still having a job when she came back. She never knew with the temperamental Mr. G, and she hoped he was in a good mood.

  Kate knocked on the open door. “Mr. G?”

  He looked up, talking on the phone, and waved her in and motioned for her to take a chair.

  She edged past a giant stuffed bear standing near the door, and had to move a box filled with silk butterflies before she could sit.

  He hung up the receiver. “That was Cecilia Staples. She was updating me on my Christmas order.”

  “If you need me to go over there, I’ll do it. Anytime. Well, anytime after this summer.” Cecilia Staples had a wonderful warehouse filled with display props. She built specialty displays for most of the stores on Fifth Avenue. She was amazing.

  His eyes narrowed. “Is there something special going on this summer?”

  “Fyodora Kolodenko has invited me to go back with her to Italy.” She hoped that by invoking the name of Fyodora, Mr. G would be more inclined. He had been in awe of the princess ever since she had practically walked out of his window, his art come to life. The manikin he used for the Cinderella dresses had been modeled after a chance photograph he had taken in Europe, a photograph of Princess Kolodenko in her younger days.

  “You’re not asking my permission, are you?”

  Kate tensed. Even after working with Mr. G for years, he still made her nervous. “I-I . . .” she stammered. “I thought I should talk to you about it. I would like to continue working for you when I get home.”

  He leaned back in his chair, hooking his hands behind his head. “On one condition.”

  She waited. He seemed to enjoy making her sweat.

  “You get me photos while you’re there, and I’ll consider you still working for me.”

  “That’s a generous offer, sir,” Kate said, wishing she could take him up on it. “But I don’t own a camera.”

  Mr. G popped out of his chair.

  Kate blinked in surprise. Ever since he and Miss Lassiter started dating again, he seemed to have boundless energy.

  “You are in luck. I recently bought myself a new model. You may borrow my six-twenty flash.”

  “Oh, no, sir. I couldn’t take your camera.” What if something happens to it?

  He reached into a bottom drawer and pulled out a black box camera. “Nonsense. It’s a Brownie. Easy to use.” From the file cabinet he pulled out several rolls of film, which he lined up on his desk with the camera.

  Kate was tempted. “Do you mean it?”

  Mr. G nodded. “It was a trip such as yours that I went on as a young man.” He closed his eyes like he was imagining his early days. “You can’t put a price on inspiration. You never know what you will find when you set out on an adventure.”

  He pointed to a bulletin board filled with black-and-white photographs of the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and another landmark Kate didn’t recognize. />
  “Do you know how to operate the Brownie?”

  Kate shook her head.

  Mr. G pointed to the lights. “Turn those off, bobby-soxer. You’ll want to do this in a darkened room so you don’t expose the film.” He popped open the camera, pulling out a square frame. He handed her a film canister. “Open that. It’s 620 film. That’s what you need to buy. Attach the film to the spool here.”

  On the second try, she got the film to stay.

  “Now, you wind it around the frame, then put the box back together.” He demonstrated turning the dial until the window showed the number one. “It’s ready. Now, to take my picture we need to attach the flash. I don’t want to waste a bulb, so we’ll go outside for that. But here is how you attach the flasholder. It’s a little awkward, but you’ll need it for indoor shots.”

  After Mr. G showed her the finer points of operating the camera, they went out into the street. “Take my picture by the display window,” he said. He posed, arms crossed, facing the window, looking like he was examining his work.

  Kate chose the focus at five to ten feet. She lined up her shot in the viewfinder, and pushed the exposure button. Click.

  “Excellent,” Mr. G said. “Now wind it to the next frame.” He pointed to the tiny window on the camera, which revealed a number two after several twists of the winding knob.

  “You got that?” he asked.

  “I think so. Can’t wait to see how your picture turns out.”

  They returned to Mr. G’s office where he loaded her up with the flashgun, spare bulbs, and more film. “I’ll start you off with these rolls, but you might want to buy more. I’ve got my own equipment, so I’ll develop the film for you when you get back. My only fee is that you allow me a copy of whatever catches my eye.”

  “Swell. I’ll do my best, Mr. G. Thank you.” Kate refrained from jumping and clicking her heels. He was being so generous, she barely knew what to say.

  “And Kate?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Have fun.”

  Next up for good-byes was at the Memorial Hospital. Mother was the only one going to see them off at the pier the next day. Adalbert intercepted Kate at the entrance. “It is not a good day today,” he warned. “She does not recognize any of us. She is sitting, staring at the curtains. I am sorry for you to see her like this before you leave.”