CHAPTER THREE:
At the same time that Jack was talking to Mush, two young ladies were having a different sort of conversation in Brooklyn.
"Please Anita, make the neck lower." A pretty, blonde haired girl pleaded with her friend.
"Stop it Maria, I said no." Anita replied, pushing a stray lock of red hair back behind one ear.
"One little inch. What can one little inch do?"
"Too much."
"Anita, this is no longer a church dress! I will be dancing, not praying."
"With those boys you can start in dancing and end up praying."
"Anita," Maria cooed, "one little tiny-"
"Spot made me promise."
Maria groaned, exasperated. "I've been living here for a month and do I even touch excitement? No! I sit all day, sew all night...why am I even here?"
"For your protection, Maria. Besides, we all know that Spot wants you to marry Jake."
"Jake." Maria rolled her eyes, "When I look at Jake, nothing happens." She plopped down on one of the dress-makers stools and rested her chin in her hands.
"What do you expect to happen?" Anita asked with a laugh. She raised an eyebrow at Maria as she looked back down at the dress she was working on.
"I dunno. Something." Maria said. She thought for a minute and then smiled. "What happens when you look at Spot?"
"It's when I don't look that it happens." Anita replied with a smile.
Maria stood and walked over to the window and played with one of the dressmaker dummies for a moment. Suddenly, she turned around with an impish look on her face.
"I think I will tell your mama and papa about you and Spot up on the roof last week!" Maria threatened teasingly.
"I will rip this to shreds!" Anita threatened, though she was genuinely afraid that Maria would do what she said.
"No!" Maria took the scissors from the work desk and held them out to Anita, "But if you could perhaps manage to lower the neck..."
"Next year." Anita replied.
"I hate that dress!"
"Then don't wear it and don't come with us to the dance."
"Don't come!" Maria grabbed the dress and held it up in front of her. "Could we not dye it red at least?" she asked.
"No we cannot."
"White is for babies!" Maria complained, "I will be the only one there in a white..." Maria saw herself in the mirror. She smoothed the skirt and smiled. "Oh...it's beautiful Anita!" she exclaimed. There was a knock on the back door and Spot leaned in.
"You ready?" he asked the girls, opening the door wider.
"Look Spot!" Maria said excitedly, "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yeah. Very beautiful." Spot smiled at his sister gently. He'd been her caretaker for a month now- since their parents had died in a fire. She hadn't really meant much to him before, but now he wouldn't let anything happen to her- even if it cost him his life. She was 16- 4 years younger than he was. But they had grown close over the past month.
"I didn't quite hear you." Anita said, breaking into his thoughts. She stood with her hands on her hips and a seductive smile on her lips.
"It's very beautiful, Anita." Spot went over to his girlfriend and kissed her. As he did, Maria turned to Jake, Spot's friend, who stood in the doorway, too shy to come into the dressmaker's shop.
"Come in, Jake." Maria insisted, "Don't be afraid."
"But...dis is a shop for girls." Jake said, stepping in the door- but just barely.
"Our girls." Spot said, putting an arm around Anita.
"Spot, it's really important that I have a really good time tonight." Maria said, her dark eyes bright and eager.
"Why?"
"Because tonight, it's the real beginning of my grown-up life."
At the same time that Jack was talking to Mush, two young ladies were having a different sort of conversation in Brooklyn.
"Please Anita, make the neck lower." A pretty, blonde haired girl pleaded with her friend.
"Stop it Maria, I said no." Anita replied, pushing a stray lock of red hair back behind one ear.
"One little inch. What can one little inch do?"
"Too much."
"Anita, this is no longer a church dress! I will be dancing, not praying."
"With those boys you can start in dancing and end up praying."
"Anita," Maria cooed, "one little tiny-"
"Spot made me promise."
Maria groaned, exasperated. "I've been living here for a month and do I even touch excitement? No! I sit all day, sew all night...why am I even here?"
"For your protection, Maria. Besides, we all know that Spot wants you to marry Jake."
"Jake." Maria rolled her eyes, "When I look at Jake, nothing happens." She plopped down on one of the dress-makers stools and rested her chin in her hands.
"What do you expect to happen?" Anita asked with a laugh. She raised an eyebrow at Maria as she looked back down at the dress she was working on.
"I dunno. Something." Maria said. She thought for a minute and then smiled. "What happens when you look at Spot?"
"It's when I don't look that it happens." Anita replied with a smile.
Maria stood and walked over to the window and played with one of the dressmaker dummies for a moment. Suddenly, she turned around with an impish look on her face.
"I think I will tell your mama and papa about you and Spot up on the roof last week!" Maria threatened teasingly.
"I will rip this to shreds!" Anita threatened, though she was genuinely afraid that Maria would do what she said.
"No!" Maria took the scissors from the work desk and held them out to Anita, "But if you could perhaps manage to lower the neck..."
"Next year." Anita replied.
"I hate that dress!"
"Then don't wear it and don't come with us to the dance."
"Don't come!" Maria grabbed the dress and held it up in front of her. "Could we not dye it red at least?" she asked.
"No we cannot."
"White is for babies!" Maria complained, "I will be the only one there in a white..." Maria saw herself in the mirror. She smoothed the skirt and smiled. "Oh...it's beautiful Anita!" she exclaimed. There was a knock on the back door and Spot leaned in.
"You ready?" he asked the girls, opening the door wider.
"Look Spot!" Maria said excitedly, "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yeah. Very beautiful." Spot smiled at his sister gently. He'd been her caretaker for a month now- since their parents had died in a fire. She hadn't really meant much to him before, but now he wouldn't let anything happen to her- even if it cost him his life. She was 16- 4 years younger than he was. But they had grown close over the past month.
"I didn't quite hear you." Anita said, breaking into his thoughts. She stood with her hands on her hips and a seductive smile on her lips.
"It's very beautiful, Anita." Spot went over to his girlfriend and kissed her. As he did, Maria turned to Jake, Spot's friend, who stood in the doorway, too shy to come into the dressmaker's shop.
"Come in, Jake." Maria insisted, "Don't be afraid."
"But...dis is a shop for girls." Jake said, stepping in the door- but just barely.
"Our girls." Spot said, putting an arm around Anita.
"Spot, it's really important that I have a really good time tonight." Maria said, her dark eyes bright and eager.
"Why?"
"Because tonight, it's the real beginning of my grown-up life."