DATE:January 25, 2019
SUBJECT:Viv’s party
TO:Josephine Bordelon
Josie,
Please come down to my office to talk about your aunt Viv’s party. It’s less than six weeks away. Elsa, my assistant, will let me know when you arrive.
Please be on time. 10:15 sharp.
Nan Gooding
HEAD OF SCHOOL
FAIRCHILD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
Holy hell. I had prayed that the idea for Aunt Viv’s party died with the Christmas chrysanthemums and Nan’s holiday cheer. I put a little lipstick on and head to Nan’s office.
“Hi, Nan.” I walk past Elsa and knock directly on Nan’s door, opening it a smidge. Her irritation at me has yet to subside since the admissions committee incident. My insubordination in bypassing Elsa and coming straight into her office only adds insult to recent injury.
“Is Elsamyassistant not at her desk?” Nan leans over her laptop to look out to the foyer.
“What would you like to talk about, Nan? I thought the party wasn’t happening since you haven’t mentioned it to me since mid-November. And I know you must be so busy working on your STEAMS project that I can’t imagine you have time to organize a party.”
“Well, yes, I am very busy with my STEAMS project. It’s not even up and running yet and I can’t keep up with the requests from around the country to come and speak at different schools on behalf of the project. The head of school at Hotchkiss has been pestering me nonstop to come speak to his faculty and board of trustees, but I finally had to put my foot down and tell him that Fairchild requires me here. I can’t spend all my time on planes and at speaking engagements up and down the East Coast. So, yes, STEAMS does seem to keep me locked up in my office most of the day, but I’m a woman who can wear many hats and I’m still planning on hosting Viv’s party.”
I struggle not to show my disappointment at this decision.
“You’ve told Viv about the party like I asked you to, haven’t you, Josie?”
“I was waiting to make sure the party was a go for sure. You know, I didn’t want to raise Aunt Viv’s hopes only to have them dashed.” If only there were a trapdoor I could drop through and disappear from this conversation.
“When have I ever changed my mind on a decision that I have made public in front of faculty and staff? Again, Josie. I ask you todo something, and again you disappoint.” Nan shakes her head. My fists are in balls at my side, nails digging into my flesh. It’s either self-inflicted pain or Nan is going to get a beat down.
“Whendoyou plan on telling your aunt Viv about the party? I know she’ll want plenty of time to prepare,” Nan asks, her eyebrows raised so that they are hiding under her bangs. The only time and preparation Aunt Viv needs is to bitch and moan to me about the party, bitch and moan about my inability to cancel the party to her card group, and bitch and moan to Etta that I’m a terrible niece and when she dies, all her worldly possessions will skip me and go directly to Etta.
“Trust me, Nan, I’m the last person in the world Aunt Viv wants to hear from about this party. Like I said before the break, I think it will mean so much more coming from you.” I don’t want to be the messenger who gets shot.
“Well, I’m just so busy here, Josie, I don’t know when I’ll find the time to find, er, I mean, go to the kitchen and tell Viv about the party. I would send her an e-mail, but you were the one who told me that the invitation should be delivered in person.” I have a pile of admissions files back in Colson Hall to go through and, frankly, I don’t have the time right now for a verbal badminton match that I’m eventually going to lose since Nan’s my boss. I throw the match but with a caveat.
“Okay, Nan. I’ll do it tonight, but I want to see the invite list so I can show Aunt Viv who’s been invited so she’ll get excited for the party.”
“Yes, fine, fine, fine. Elsamyassistant will e-mail the Viva la Viv list to you. I think we are done here, don’t you?” Nan has surpassed her standard two minutes of human interaction. “Elsamyassistant will see you out now.”
SEVENTEEN
I stare at the App Store button on my phone. I’ve been doing this about six times a day ever since Lola and I came across Michael’s profile on Bumble. There are so many unanswered questions I have, and I want Bumble to be able to answer them for me. What happened to the job in Sacramento? When did Michael move back to San Francisco? Where does he live? Does he have a girlfriend? A wife? Is her booty bigger than mine? And since he’s been back in San Francisco has he ever been compelled to get ahold of me? To find out how Etta’s doing? I haven’t had the guts to download the app again, but it doesn’t mean every time I look at my phone I don’t want to. Sheer willpower and pride have kept me from going down the ex-boyfriend rabbit hole.
TY
S.O.S. Daniel’s NOT going to be happy with me. I can’t make the date of our Fairchild visit date for Gracie. I haven’t told him yet. Can you help an absentminded doctor out of an ugly domestic situation and schedule us for another date? Please, I’m begging you. If you don’t my sister will kill me and then who will take care of Aunt Viv?
10:22 A.M.
Excellent, a distraction. I swipe over to text.
JOSIE
