"It's Mona's birthday today," Bea confided to Juliet over breakfast, and Juliet couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed that Bea knew things about Mona that she did not. Weren't they going to try at least to be friends? Hadn't the conversation they'd had days before meant anything to Mona? True, she had been a bit nicer--she hadn't been surly at all--and she and Juliet had finally been able to laugh and joke, cautiously, with one another, much to Maggie's delight. But to not even tell Juliet about her birthday! No, she couldn't help feeling annoyed.
"So?" she said crossly to Bea. "If Mona didn't want any of us to know it was her birthday, I don't see as though we should do anything about it."
Bea pinched Juliet on the nose--infuriatingly, at least to Juliet. Why was she so cross this morning! "You dear naïve, cynical little thing!" Bea exclaimed. "Of course Mona wants us to do something for her big day! She's just pretending not to. You like a big fuss on your birthday, don't you?"
"Yes," Juliet admitted grudgingly. "But Mona isn't like me, Bea."
"No," Bea rejoined. "She's like me. And I like an even bigger fuss. I've been reading the paper all morning until you got up, lazy-bones, andI read there's a dance tonight down at the Harbor Place. I want us to all get gussied up as a group and go."
"A dance for Mona's birthday!" Juliet grumbled--and at the same time, feeling ashamed of herself for grumbling.
"Well, that's not the only reason." Bea's eyes were warm. "Juliet, we've been to a thousand dances together--at least a thousand. I miss going with you. Oh, darling, do you remember our first dance? You were almost fourteen and of course you were going with Allan--"
"And you were only twelve and weren't allowed to go," Juliet finished. "You snuck out of the house because you wanted to dance with Harper Madison, who came down with a terrible case of acne two years later but was the handsomest boy around then. You thought you'd be back in bed before anyone noticed you missing, but--"
"I stole a pair of Mother's high heels and fell and broke my ankle!" Bea laughed. "I was in trouble for sneaking out--and for ruining Mother's best pair of shoes! I think she was more concerned about them than her ankle."
"Auntie Ilse has always had a thing for shoes," Juliet smiled. This trip down memory lane with Bea had cheered her. "All right," she said suddenly. "We'll go to the dance tonight--we'll celebrate Mona's birthday, even if she doesn't want us to--it'll help me get out of this funk I've been in. I feel so tired and annoyed all the time lately--did that happen to you with Linda, Bea?"
"Did it ever!" Bea laughed merrily as she pranced out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "I thought David would divorce me! I'll go tell the men-folk about our plans for tonight. Boys! Boys! We're going to a dance!"
Juliet heard Allan and David's commingled groans and smiled. Maybe--just maybe--a dance was the best thing for her.
* * *
They took David's car because it was bigger and there was room for all of them to crowd in, the men up front and the girls in the back with their frilly dresses spread over the seat like sea-foam. Maggie waved from the window with Melanie and Denny, little Linda in her arms. Miss Eppie had promised to look in on them later.
David was quite worried about leaving his girl--it was the first time they had ever gone out without Linda. "Do you think she'll be all right?" he asked Bea worriedly. "I hope she doesn't cry--I hope she doesn't miss us too much."
"Fiddlesticks!" Bea said. "David, if you fret over her so you'll spoil her! And Linda better learn not to be too upset when Mummy and Daddy go out for the night--I won't stop going to dances just because I'm a mother! Besides, David, Linda loves Maggie. Just look at them together!"
They all looked as the baby leaned forward to plant a wet kiss on Maggie's face, her tiny hands closing around the bright ear-rings in Maggie's ears. Juliet and Allan shared a significant glance in the rearview mirror--sometime next spring they would have one of those marvelous little creatures! Perhaps not so big, perhaps not giving kisses and beginning to wave bye-bye like a big girl, but just as sweet, and their own to boot!
"I'm here!" Mona said breathlessly, slipping into the car. "Let's go, if we must!"
"Happy Birthday, Mona!" they all yelled raucously, and the birthday girl jumped and then glared at Bea.
"You told," she said accusingly. "Oh, Bea, I told you I didn't want a fuss! So I'm one year older, so what?"
"Lock the door Juliet," Bea said calmly. "David, drive before she tries to jump out. You might not feel like a fuss tonight Mona, but I do. We're going to this dance, and we're going to have a good time! Come on!"
* * *
"I am having a good time!" said Mona breathlessly, her eyebrows arched in surprise, as she tripped off the dance floor and flopped down in her seat by Juliet. "Phew! I'm parched. Can I have a sip of your drink?"
"I haven't been well lately," Juliet said. "You might not want to drink after me."
"Honey, there's only one thing wrong with you and that's not catching," Mona smiled, taking a big gulp. "Good! I've got to rest a bit or I'll drop down dead from exertion--I wonder if anyone's ever actually danced themselves to death?"
Juliet looked at Mona watching the faces in the crowd whirl by and was struck suddenly with a wave of--what? Jealousy? Admiration? Perhaps--both.
Mona had somehow managed to dig up a sleek satin evening gown--in buttercup yellow--and with her gleaming red hair and bright eyes she looked like a dancing daffodil. Little straps went over her strong shoulders and accented her long, white neck and Juliet realized with a flash that Mona was really beautiful! Her face was open and happy and glowing and she looked more like a girl of sixteen than a woman of twenty-three. Who knew Mona could look so well! Her work clothes must have covered up all of her beauty--along with that scowl she's always wearing, Juliet added silently.
Next to her Juliet felt provincial and frumpy in her pink tafetta party dress. She had been so pale lately--and there were dark circles under her eyes--and she hadn't been able to do anything with her hair! And pink wasn't her best color--she looked far better in dusky greens and midnight shades of blue. But none of her old dresses would fit, thanks to her expanding waistline, and Juliet had had to borrow this pink--monstrosity--from Miss Eppie's youngest step-daughter. She grabbed the tulle overskirt and fought the urge to rip it into shreds.
"If Mona's a daffodil, then I'm--a thistle," Juliet thought.
"There are so many people here tonight," Mona said with a low whistle. She smiled at Juliet--she couldn't have known what Juliet was thinking or she wouldn't have smiled. Mona looked even more lovely when she smiled. "Look at that lady over there, in the fur. She fancies herself the Queen of England, doesn't she! There are so many pretty young girls here--when I was their age I was home at nights, taking care of a little baby and worrying about the daily movements of troops in Europe and the South Pacific. I feel as though I never really got a youth--these girls today are lucky, aren't they? Juliet, I hope they'll never have to go through what we went through."
Juliet nodded curtly, fiddling with some of the disgusting lace on the hem of her dress.
Bea danced over with David. "Mona, the man over by the refreshments is looking at you!" she hissed, before whirling off.
Mona laughed. "I couldn't care," she said. "I'm not in the market for a husband--or a boy-friend--but shall we have a look at my admirer, Juliet?"
"Sure," Juliet sighed. "Is it that fellow with the dark hair? He's been looking over here."
"No, he's waving at the people behind us," Mona answered, swiveling round. "Maybe it's that man with the poorly tied cravat? I would attract a man like that--there are probably crumbs in his pockets and his socks are mismatched. But I could probably love him for it--if I tried. Juliet," she said, suddenly clutching Juliet's arm. "Who--is--that? The blond man--over there--"
Juliet looked--and recognized the face. "Mona, are you daft?" she said, looking at her companion oddly. "That's Allan."
"No!" Mona breathed. "Is it really? Oh, God--in that light--he looks just like someone I used to know."
"You've seen Allan a dozen times and never noticed anything before," Juliet said incredulously.
"No," said Mona, curt again. "It's something about the way the firelight plays on his face--his hair--his cheekbones. With his eyes in shadow like that--oh!" With a small cry, Mona lifted her skirts and dashed from the room.
Juliet stared after her in amazement--the lifted her own skirts and followed Mona outside. She didn't know what had made the girl so upset, but she couldn't let her be by herself in this state--not on her birthday, at least! She found Mona on the pier, crying into the skirt of her dress. "Darling!" Juliet thought she heard her say. "Oh darling Barry--why did you have to go away?"
"Mona?" Juliet asked softly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes," Mona wept. "You can go away. I was crazy to think I could be friends with you--I can't--I hate you. I've never hated anyone before in my life, but I hate you!"
"But Mona--why?" Juliet cried, shaken.
Mona would not answer. " Go away, Juliet, and let me alone--I don't want to see you again," she said, with steel in her voice and tears in her eyes. With anger flaring up in her own heart, Juliet turned on her heel and did as Mona bade her.
* * *
The drive home was very tense and strained. Juliet and Mona sat rigidly and didn't let their shoulders touch. Bea stared at them both as if they'd grown two heads. Occasionally Allan would look back at the women and smile and every time he did it Mona flinched as if she'd been burnt with hot coals. Only David was happy. He'd met an old college chum at the party and they'd caught up on old times. He turned the radio on and whistled along to the happy tune, too excited to notice anything wrong.
David and Bea went right upstairs when they got home, too tired from dancing to stay up and chat. Allan went into the parlor and poured himself a drink. Juliet joined him, sitting cross-legged on the couch and letting the white, white moonlight wash over her.
"What are you thinking about, dearest?" Allan asked, sitting next to his wife. "Shoes and ships and sealing wax--and cabbages and kings?' You have a pensive look about you."
"I wasn't thinking of anything so glamorous as sealing wax," Juliet smiled. "I was thinking about Mona."
"I wonder what made her so upset tonight?" Allan questioned. "Probably because it was her birthday--none of us like getting older. Although Mona's still very young--and looks it."
"Yes--Mona is very pretty," said Juliet slyly. "She looked very well tonight, didn't she?"
"'Spose so," Allan yawned and stretched.
"And her dress was just lovely on her"
"I guess," Allan said. "I'm not a fan of yellow on redheads. Plus, I like pink dresses--like that little one you've got on. Oh, don't hide your face--you don't look ridiculous. It's not as sleek as the gowns you're used to wearing, little wife of mine, but it suits you. You look like a powder-puff. Say! There's something I've got to do!"
Allan jumped up and crossed to the radio and tuned it until he found some romantic music playing softly.
"We didn't get to dance together once tonight--you seemed intent on being a wall-flower," he said, holding his hand out to Juliet. "Come on--let's do it now."
"Oh," Juliet said bashfully, but Allan insisted. "Fine," she finally agreed, putting her hand in his and letting him pull her into an embrace.
They danced, Juliet leaning her head against his shoulder. As Allan twirled and dipped her, Juliet felt all of the insecurities she'd felt throughout the evening fall away. Who cared that she thought she looked dreadful--Allan didn't! He thought she was pretty in pink--that she looked like a little powder-puff!
"Allan Miller, I've said it before but I'll say it again," Juliet said, with her eyes shining, feeling happier and more content than she had in days. "I love you!"
* * *
A/N: Thanks for the reviews!
Rude Bob: I'm definitely working on the Juliet-befriending-a-kid angle. You'll see! And thanks for putting me on your fave list! Such a compliment!
Windowseat Wonderer: I'm glad you like Bea!
Elen of the Ways: Thanks for your review and I actually have two previous fics about Juliet, Juliet of New Moon and Juliet Climbs, plus an Emily fic, Emily's Path, that features Juliet and her twin, Douglas, when they were small. I'd love if you could read and review those, too--your comments are so helpful.
