Chapter 14

At the same time that the Eds were making their way back to the cul-de-sac, the Kanker-Lonergan family was on their way to Peach Creek Mall in Tabby's 2003 Honda Civic.

Interestingly neither Rod nor Tabby were behind the wheel of the car. Due to Lee being a couple of months shy of her 16th birthday, she was able to obtain a junior driver's permit in accordance with state law. Up until this point, Lee had been practicing her driving skills in empty parking lots and underneath highway overpasses. It was decided that a quick trip department store was a great opportunity for Lee to practice driving on the road.

Tabby was situated in the passenger seat next to Lee, with May being directly behind Lee, Marie directly behind Tabby, and Rod in the center seat. May was quite relaxed, reading one of her comic books, as was Marie who was currently sketching some of the Christmas scenery in her sketchbook.

Lee was leaning her left elbow on the window sill of the driver's side door, with her right hand placed at the twelve o'clock position on the steering wheel. Being the girl she was, and a new driver, she wasn't taking driving quite as seriously as she should. Tabby was quite distracted as well, as even though she was supposed to be the responsible adult chaperoning Lee's driving, the excitement of her daughters first ballet show was just too much for her. Whilst Lee drove the car through heavy traffic, Tabby was currently scribbling notes on the choreography score, in an attempt to assist Lee in perfecting it. The two women were in deep conversation regarding what kind of costumes Lee was going to pick out for her and Eddy to wear during the show, and final configuration of the dance steps.

In contrast to the rest of the occupants of the vehicle, Rod was in a borderline state of shock. His hands gripped the backs of the two front seats at he observed the car pass within inches of other vehicles as Lee changed lanes. Lee was a surprisingly good driver for it bring her first time, mostly due to luck and her tendency to ignore dangers and take risks. Accordingly, Rod's face displayed an expression of panic and he felt as though his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

As the car continued down the road, Tabby and Lee were in the midst of a conversation.

"So Annalee," said Tabby, "Do you think the first measure of the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy should have the pirouettes, or should we wait a bit to add flare. I think we should end in fifth position, and transition en pointe for the next part."

"That's fine," said Lee, "I want show off a lot of en pointe work during those chromatic runs like the one at the end of measure eight. It looks beautiful, and the whole lighter than air look is always great when you can do it fast and smooth."

At that point the traffic signal directly in front of the car changed from the green to amber. With the speed the car was currently traveling, as well as the distance from the intersection, there was no way that the vehicle was going to to make it through the light before it turned red. Rod took notice of this fact and decided to speak up, attempting to interrupt the women's conversation.

"Annalee," said Rod, "Stoplight...STOPLIGHT!"

Lee hit the brakes, causing the car to stop right in front of the cross walk as the light turned red. Tabby was unaffected as she continued to study the ballet.

"Calm down Daddy!" said Lee with sarcasm as she glanced in the rear view mirror at Rod, "I'm not blind."

A few seconds passed, at which point the light turned green, and the car was once again on it's way. Tabby decided to continue the conversation.

"As for the costumes," said Tabby, "Eddy's costume is a no-brainer, we just need to get a nutcracker suit and some black tights. Now what did you plan on wearing?"

"Can't go wrong with the classic costume for the fairy," said Lee, "I got the outfit in the closet at home, and the shoes to match."

After few more close lane changes, Rod decided to interject himself with some road guidance, interrupting the women's conversation.

"Now Tabby," said Rod, "Perhaps we can wait on discussing the ballet while we are driving, I don't think it is a good time to talk about it. Annalee should probably be a little more focused on the road."

Tabby suddenly whipped herself around to face Rod, and delivered a response with a cackling voice very similar to Marie's.

"There is never a bad time to talk about ballet!" yelled Tabby, after which she quickly turned back around to face forward.

After a few seconds, Tabby rethought her brash statement, rolled her eyes and closed the folder containing the ballet sheet music.

"Alright," said Tabby, "We'll wait to talk about it until later. And lay up a little on the lane changes, so your father doesn't have a heart attack before he can see you perform."

Lee shook her head to oblige, after which she focused herself completely on the road ahead.

Within minutes, the family had arrived at Peach Creek Mall. The complex was a large, long and narrow multi-level building, which housed hundreds of retail stores. The parking lot was quite full, as people from the surrounding suburbs and even many from the city flooded in, eager to take advantage of holiday deals. As such, it took longer than expected for the family to find a parking spot, and when they finally did, it was relatively far away from the nearest entrance to the mall. Once the car was parked, the family exited the vehicle and made their way toward the mall entrance, but not before Rod took the car keys off of Lee and proclaimed himself as the driver for the trek home.

After a short walk through the mall, which was quite busy with pedestrian traffic, the family had finally made it to the entrance of The Green Clover. The department store was large, multi-leveled, and carried a large assortment of items from home appliances to toys. Of course, a large Christmas tree had been erected in the lobby, and cheerful holiday music was playing over the stores PA system.

Upon reaching the store, Tabby and Rod decided to split off from the girls, allowing them to shop amongst themselves. The girls quickly located the clothing department on the store map, and made their way to the escalator well.

As the girls boarded the escalator, Marie decided to strike up a conversation.

"So Lee," asked Marie, "Have you ever decided what you are going to get Eddy for Christmas?"

Lee maintained a neutral expression as she responded.

"I'm working on it" said Lee, "I'll let ya know when I finish it, but I can't tell ya what it is cause it's going to be a surprise."

"Oooooh, mysterious," said Marie, in a teasing manner after which she laughed.

"Yeah, whatever," said Lee, "Anyway, I got bigger things to take care of right now, like beating Little Miss Shitorowski's ego to a pulp."

"What the hell Lee," said Marie, "You're gonna let her get in the way of you finishing Eddy's Christmas gift."

"Can the lecture Marie," said Lee, "You of all people should know that nobody on Gods earth get's in Annalee Kankers way. It's called setting priorities, and I'm good at doin' it."

Marie and May stared at Lee with doubtful expressions. Lee took notice and responded accordingly.

"Have I been wrong before?" said Lee, "Geez if you two knuckle heads hadn't learned to trust me by now, youse would have never made it past the age of five! I got this under control, no more moral lectures."

"Whatever ya say Lee," said Marie and May simultaneously.

There was a few seconds of silence, after which Lee decided to pose a question of her own to Marie.

"So how about you, what are ya getting your man for Christmas?"

"Yeah Marie," said May, "You never finished telling me what your big plan is for Double Dee, let's hear it!"

Marie smiled as she held the escalator handrail. She glanced over the side, watching the first floor of the department store disappear for a few seconds, after which she began speaking.

"Well it's a long shot," said Marie, "But I'm going to try. See, the other day in gym, Double Dee's hat accidentally got torn. That hat is really important to him because it belonged to his brother, and he was devastated when it ripped. While he doesn't want anything to happen to the hat, he has also become accustomed to wearing it to hide his injuries from the accident."

Marie paused, at which point the girls de-boarded the escalator and began walking towards the clothing department.

"I started thinking about ways I could help him protect his hat, and additionally regain confidence. I was searching the Internet a few days ago, and found a website that makes custom wigs for burn victims and cancer patients. They do a great job, and will make them to look just like the persons original hair. If I send them a picture of Double Dee prior to his injuries, they said they could make a perfect replica."

Marie paused.

"I'm going to get Double Dee one for Christmas."

"Marie..." said May as her eyes began to a water, "That's so sweet!"

Marie smiled at her little sisters comment as Lee turned towards her. She looked down at Marie with a genuine smile, her little sisters being two of the few people who were able to cause her to do so.

"Very thoughtful Baby Sister," said Lee in a gentle motherly voice, "I'm glad to see all of the crap we dealt with growing up didn't shrink that big heart."

"Hey, you're the one who raised me!" said Marie, "So give credit to yourself!"

"Don't push me Marie," said Lee as she playfully punched Marie, "You're lucky ya got one mushy comment out of me, I don't need none from you."

The two girls smiled at each other for a few seconds, after which the group continued walking down the green tiled floor of the department store.

"The only problem is the money," said Marie, "I don't have anywhere near enough to pay for my eye surgery, and Double Dee's present is just about the same amount. I don't know how I'm gonna get it, but dammit I'm gonna try."

Lee snickered.

"Isn't this interesting?" said Lee, "May needs money to get Ed that comic book set, you need money to get Double Dee his new hair."

At the exact moment Lee had finished her sentence, the girls reached the entrance to the clothing department. As the main display came into view, Lee suddenly stopped as if she had frozen in place. She placed her arms out across her sisters chests, stopping them in their tracks. Her eyes widened as she uttered a few simple words.

"And I need money for that!" said Lee as she pointed towards the display.

The girls glanced up towards a tall case made of glass. Several spotlights were trained towards the glass, their cream colored beams reflecting off of the exterior, as well as the content within. Inside the case was a long, strapless, silky emerald green evening gown. The dress was accented by silver sparkles on the bottom portion, which glistened underneath the stores lights.

Lee walked towards the display.

"Just imagine me walking into the ball wearing this," said Lee, "This will get me voted ball queen for sure, and it will piss Lindsay off double that I was able to afford it."

Marie walked up to the display case to observe the price tag. Naturally, a dress of such caliber did cost a pretty penny.

"Damn," said Marie, "This is expensive."

The girls grouped together around the display as Lee continued speaking.

"Maybe I'm an idiot for even thinking I could ever afford this," said Lee, "If I only had a way to get some cash."

At that point the soft, yet gentle voice of an elderly women rang out from behind the girls.

"Pardon me young ladies," said the voice, "But if it's money you need, I could sure use some help in the store."

The three girls quickly turned around. Standing behind them was an elderly woman, of about 70 years old. Her grey hair was tied into a bun, and the glasses adorning her face gleamed underneath the store lights. She wore a multicolored sweater, depicting Santa and his reindeer. Below the sweater was a red pleated dress under which she wore a pair of white stockings and black shoes and her feet.

Marie was the first to respond to the woman's statement,

"Help in the store?" asked Marie.

"Certainly!" said the woman as she walked towards the girls, "My name is Edith Jessup. I'm the manager and head seamstress for the clothing department. I've been making dresses for fifty years and I don't plan on stopping any time soon."

Edith made an okay sign with her hand.

"Keep's me moving and keeps me young!" said Edith as she winked, "So who may you girls be, and what brings you to the Green Clover this fine afternoon."

"My name is Annalee," said Lee, "These are my two sisters Annemarie and Annamae, you can call us Lee, Marie and May for short if you like. We are here shopping for Christmas presents with our parents, and I was looking for a dress for a winter ball that I am going to later this month. This one is perfect, but I don't have nearly enough money to pay for it."

Edith glanced at the dress, after which she decided to respond.

"It is an excellent choice," said Edith, "This beautiful emerald green would look outstanding with those pretty red curls hanging beside it. Funny thing is I designed this dress with a young, beautiful red headed woman in mind, and as fate would have it, I have my perfect customer!"

Edith paused, after which she looked Lee in the eye.

"Annalee," said Edith, "Do you have any experience with dress making?"

Lee appeared confused.

"No," said Lee, "I used to sew curtains for my next door neighbor though."

"I'll tell you what," said Edith, "If you're willing to learn, you can come work for me in the seamstress shop. I'll teach you everything I know, and you can help me with the holiday workload. As a side project, we can make a replica of this dress tailored just for you. I'll wave the fee for the dress, and consider the labor and the help your payment."

There was a pause for a few seconds, after which Edith officially posed the question.

"Would you like to give it a try?" asked Edith.

A few seconds passed, after which Lee's face transformed into a smile.

"Ms. Jessup," said Lee, "I'd be happy to work with you."

"Wonderful!" said Edith, after which she turned toward Marie and May.

"As for you two little sweet things," said Edith, "I could use some help on the sales floor and behind the counter selling chocolates and wrapping gifts. If you girls would like, I could put you to work for some extra cash as well."

Marie and May glanced at each other with smiles.

"Sure we'd love to!" said both of the girls simultaneously.

"Great!" said Edith, "I can work you girls from 3:00 to 6:00 every weeknight. You can start tomorrow afternoon, please meet me by the counter and I'll show you girls around."

Edith bid the girls farewell, with the girls also thanking her for the job opportunity, and made her way back to the employees only section of the store. Once Edith was out of sight, Lee flicked her hair over her shoulders and turned toward her sisters.

"How awesome is this," said Lee, "I knew we'd find a way to earn some cash, and we'll be home just in time to practice for the talent show with the boys every night!"

"You knew?," asked Marie, "Says the one who says she was 'an idiot' to think they'd ever afford that dress."

"Shut up Marie," said Lee, "The end result is what matters!"

"Speaking of our Eds" said May, "I think we should keep our jobs a secret so we can surprise them with our gifts! I can't wait to see my Big Ed so excited about his new comic collection!"

May hugged herself out of excitement, as Lee began making her way back toward the escalators.

"Take it easy Spaz," said Lee, "I know it's not everyday you get a bright idea, but I'll admit it's a damn good one."

Lee turned back towards her sisters.

"C'mon," said Lee, "Let's go find Mom and Dad so we can get back to meet our boys for practice."

Marie and May obliged as they both ran to catch up with their sister.