Page 66 of Meet Me on Greenwood

A horn honked from below.

Rita looked out from the balcony and yelled, "Hi, Pearl!" She grabbed my arm. "Come on!"

We ran to the car before Camille could warn us to stay out of trouble again. At first glance, Pearl wasn’t what I expected. She had short, cropped hair and wore a tailored suit as she smoked a cigar.

"What are you all wearing?" she asked.

"Come on, Aunt Pearl. We got to leave before she comes out."

"Too late," Pearl said between clenched teeth.

Camille was swift on our heels.

"Smile and wave," Pearl instructed. As we did, Camille waved back, and Pearl peeled out of the circle drive.

I heard Camille calling faintly in the distance.

"Don’t look back!" Rita instructed. "We need to make a clean getaway."

"I don’t understand. We are going to a film," I said. "Why do we have to be afraid of your mother?"

She sighed, untying her coat. "Because I’m wearing this."

She stripped off her coat to reveal a black dress with fringe and enough rhinestones to light up a midnight sky.

"Isn’t that a bit much for a film?" I asked.

Pearl leaned over. "Wait, you thought we were really going to see Cleopatra?" She leaned over in laughter. "Who is this girl?"

"I told you, she is my friend, Gema. Gema, this is my Aunt Pearl."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you. So, where are we really going?"

Pearl and Rita exchanged looks, then Rita said, "We are going to a club on Greenwood."

"Like a bar?" I asked.

They looked at me with confusion. "A speakeasy," Rita clarified. "They are a lot of fun. A lot of young women go there."

"Why can’t we tell Camille the truth?""Oh, she would never let us."

"That is true," Pearl chimed in, throwing the cigar out of the window. "She is a tad uptight, like our father. I’m glad I didn’t inherit those genes."

"Haven’t we been in enough trouble already? Camille is going to put me out on the street," I said.

"She’ll have to put us both out," Rita said. "Plus, she will never know." She pulled out something red and tinseled from her jacket. I held it up and realized it was a slinky flapper dress. I was having flashbacks to my college days when Maise would push me to wear her club outfits.

"You can thank me later for grabbing this for you."

I held it up and sighed. Was this my dynamic with my own sister? Was I the Camille, and Bri my Pearl? "You could have given this to me before," I said finally.

"And risk you giving us away? No. You needed to be innocent in this. Camille watches you like a hawk."

"And whose fault is that?" I asked.

"I’m sorry," she moaned. "I’m trying to make it up to you. You will love the Red Pussy Cat. It’s the best place in town, but you have to look the part to get in, so go ahead and change."

Rita and Pearl held up coats to hide me from sight as I slipped on the delicate silk and lace. The dress was low cut and nearly backless. She handed me a hairpiece that had a large plume and black sequins.