“I have an old James Taylor CD in there now. It was Don’s favorite.” Maria turned on the audio, and Carol began to relax a bit more. With Christmas songs playing and Maria sweetly humming along, Carol was surprised at how quickly they got to town. And she wasn’t even driving fast!
Carol unlocked the Grange door with a bit of trepidation. What if Maria didn’t like what she’d done? Of course, she’d be fine to take it down and start over, but her feelings might be hurt. Reminding herself that professionals shouldn’t allow their personal feelings or oversized egos to come before pleasing a client, she opened the door and let Maria go first, fumbling to flip on the lights that buzzed and flickered and finally began to illuminate the large space.
“Oh, my.” Maria walked toward the center of the room, where tables were still set up with miscellaneous items strewn about.
Carol unzipped her parka. “Is it, uh, okay?”
“It’s marvelous.”
“Really?” Carol felt hopeful. “It’s only half done.”
“Well, I love it so far. I’m sure I’ll love it more when you’re finished.”
Carol brought a folding chair over to her work area. “How about you sit here and you can supervise and direct.”
“And stay out of your way?” Maria teased.
“I read the printed material urgent care sent home with you,” Carol reminded her. “It said you need to take it easy. I’m just following instructions.”
“Yes, yes, so you’ve told me already.” Maria sighed and glanced around. “I’m surprised it’s warm in here. Can you help me unzip this heavy coat?”
“I guess we forgot to turn the thermostat down.” Carol helped Maria pull off the parka and ease herself into the chair. “Should I turn it down now?”
“No, leave it. We always run the furnace the day before the cotillion. Takes a day to take the chill off in here.”
“Okay. I’m going to unload the car and then I’ll get to decorating.”
“Don’t forget my little CD player. And grab that black case from the console while you’re at it. It’s got several good Christmas CDs.”
With a background of cheerful Christmas music and her aunt’s random comments and rambling narrative, Carol busily hung wreaths and garlands and ribbons until she could finally put her focus on the tables and create an ambiance that would feel warm and inviting.
“I noticed there’s an abundance of tablecloths,” Carol said, extracting several from a box she’d found the day before. She pulled out a Christmas calico, a solid red, and a cheery red-and-green plaid.
“Yes, over the years we’ve used different ones. Red one year, green the next, and so on. It’s a way to appease all the women who’ve contributed them.”
“Well, I thought it’d be interesting to use a combination of fabrics.” Carol laid and lapped the three cloths over one table. “I’m going for sort of a country chic motif.” She stepped back to look.
“Interesting.” Maria drew out the word, as if she were a bit uncertain.
Now Carol arranged some of her dollar store items, along with some things from the storage room. Pausing to turn onthe flickering battery lamp on the first table she’d set, Carol turned to Maria. “What do you think?”
Maria smiled. “I think it’s lovely. Not like anything we’ve done before.” She shook her head. “I suppose because we’re all country bumpkins at heart, it never occurred to us to have a cotillion like that. Often the women have wanted glitz and glamour.”
“I noticed there’s plenty of sparkly decorations.” Carol pulled out a few more tablecloths. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m not using them. This old building seems uncomfortable with glitz. Kinda like a sweet old farm woman wearing a sequined gown and oversized rhinestones to a hoedown.”
Maria laughed. “I happen to like country chic. And Gloria Davenport, bless her soul, isn’t around to complain. Most of that glittery stuff was her contribution from back in the eighties.”
Carol continued to work, experimenting with lighting and ways to keep the extension cords that she’d unearthed in the supply room from becoming trip hazards. She thought keeping the tables along the walls and securing things with a big roll of masking tape seemed to do the trick. It was work, but when she had all the lights going and turned off the hideous fluorescent lights, Maria let out a squeal of delight.
“Oh, Carol, it’s just magical. I love it. Everyone is going to love it. How on earth did you even think of doing it like this?”
“To me light is key to good decor.” Carol set the antique spinning wheel she’d borrowed from one of Maria’s spare bedrooms on the long table she was arranging near the front entrance. “Without perfect lighting, a space never looks right.” She continued to putter, setting out various pieces and doing her best to make the big room look inviting.
“Don’t forget the refreshment table,” Maria called out from her chair, pointing to a corner near the kitchen door. “It doesn’tneed much more than a tablecloth and a few greens or whatever.”
“Hello?” a male voice called from the back of the room. “Anybody order a fireplace?”
“What?” Maria’s eyes grew wide.
