3 The Kit-Kat Club
In my mind. Saturday morning began with a drumroll. The moment the light slipped in around my window curtains to caress my face and nudge my eyelids open, it started. I had dreamt I was in the circus and Mama was the ringmaster, snapping her whip at the lions and tigers and drawing the audience's attention to the small circle in the center where I stood spotlighted in my new outfit, all dressed up and ready for "The Greatest Date on Earth."
As if she had been aware of my dreams. Mama swept into my room almost immediately after I had woken and had started to rise.
"I don't want you doing all that much today, Ice. You need to rest and do a beauty treatment," "What's that?"
"You'll see." she promised.
After breakfast. Mama set out her creams and
lotions. I never realized all that she had and did to herself before she ventured out in public. She had products to reduce tension, soften the skin, relax the eyes. She had creams for her hands, her feet. Later in the day she had me lie on the bed with slices of cucumber over my eyes.
Daddy was annoyed and disappointed because he received a phone call early in the day from his boss asking him to come in to work. He was supposed to be off, but his replacement had called in sick. Now he was worried because he wouldn't be home to greet Shawn when he arrived to pick me up. He wandered aloud if he shouldn't call to get someone to substitute for him so he could be here. Mama insisted it was unnecessary.
"I think I know the right things to say. Cameron, and besides, what's your being here going to do. huh?"
"I have enough experience to know what to look for in a soldier, Lena."
"Oh stop. You'll frighten the girl with that kind of talk and that's no way for her to be on a first date with someone. You need a can opener to get words out of her mouth as it is. If you keep up this talk, you'll put stress in her face," she added. "and ruin all my work.."
"She didn't need all that work to start with," Daddy muttered.
Mama glared at him for a long moment. I thought it was going to turn into one of their bad fights, her eyes heating and brightening with her riled temper. She looked ready to heave something at him. Daddy glanced at me and quickly walked away.
"See what I mean about men?" Mama said nodding in his direction.
Actually. I was hoping Daddy would meet Shawn and I was more disappointed than he was. but I was concerned about making any sort of comment about it because Mama would feel I didn't trust her enough to do and say all the right things. She was so excited all day and hovered over me with reports from her girlfriend Louella telling her when Shawn would arrive, what he looked like when he did, and how much he was looking forward to this date. too.
"He's very excited about meeting you." Mama came by to tell me late in the afternoon. I was lying on my bed with those cucumber slices over my eyes, feeling very silly. "Louella said he's more excited about you than he is about seeing his family.'
I took off the slices and sat up.
"How can that be. Mama?" I asked. "He doesn't know anything about me, not even what I look like,"
She shifted her eyes guiltily away. "Marna?"
"Well, I told Louella stuff about you and I gave her a picture to send him."
"What picture?" I asked.
"That one we took a month or so ago when we celebrated my birthday. I just cut me and your father out of the picture and sent you."
"I guess this is only a blind date for me then," I said.
"It doesn't matter. Ice. Any date with any new man is a blind date. No matter what people tell you about him. Believe me about that. If you hear about a man from another woman, it's half lies or
exaggerations, and if another man tells you about him, you got to color in green for jealousy. There's only one person who can tell you what you got to know about a man and that's you."
She smiled,
"Maybe I oughta be writing a newspaper column of advice for lovers. huh?"
I widened my eyes and she laughed.
Nothing I could recall in our recent history made Mama so young, bright and happy as my impending date. I was afraid to utter one negative comment or iota of hesitation.
Before Daddy left for work, he stopped by and just stood in my doorway.