The House of Eve (19)
“While it’s a darling dress, Ohio, you said William Pride and the Lincoln.”
“So?”
“A girl going out on the town with a handsome doctor-to-be needs something slightly more sophisticated.” Nadine rummaged around until she held a royal-purple swing frock with cap sleeves and a fitted bodice. It was even more beautiful than the last one Eleanor had borrowed.
Eleanor’s face reddened. “I don’t need you dressing me. You see what happened to the last frock you lent me.” She thought about the ruined dress at the back of her closet. With her tuition payment past due, she had no idea when she’d have the extra money to carry it to the dry cleaners. But Nadine brushed her comment aside.
“You know fashion is my forte. Besides, William Pride is a big fish. We need to pull out all the stops so that you can reel him in.”
“Who said anything about reeling anyone in? He’s just being polite. A penance for his good friend Greta Hepburn spilling pop all over me. We practically bathed together,” Eleanor mocked Greta’s shrill voice, and Nadine tipped over from laughing.
“I doubt that he’s thinking about her, Ohio. Like I said, tickets to the Lincoln don’t come easy. If they were such good friends, why didn’t he invite her?” With both hands, she presented the sparkling frock.
Eleanor knew she would be daft not to take it. Sighing, she slipped into the dress. Then allowed Nadine to brush pink blush onto her cheeks. When she looked in the mirror, a giddiness came over her that she couldn’t deny.
“There. You are as stunning as Lena Horne in Stormy Weather.” Nadine beamed.
Members of the opposite sex were not permitted past the front lounge in the girl’s dormitory, so when William arrived to pick Eleanor up, a junior who lived down the hall knocked to let her know.
“Last looks.” She faced Nadine, tugging at the petticoat under her frock, making sure everything was smooth and in place. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I’m meeting a gentleman caller later to go to the shake show at the Cave.” She shimmied her shoulders.
“Isn’t that after curfew?”
“Don’t worry about me. You just enjoy yourself, Ohio. I’ll be back by morning.” She gave Eleanor one of her wicked grins.
Even after rooming together all last year, Eleanor couldn’t figure out how Nadine got away with breaking all the rules, while never paying the consequences. When Eleanor turned the corner into the lounge, she noticed two girls pretending to read on the sofa, but their eyes kept floating up at William.
He stood by the fireplace, wearing a tailored navy suit. A stingy brim fedora centered on his head, with a slight tilt forward, lending him an air of mystery. When he moved to greet her, she inhaled that same mysterious scent. She decided it was more bergamot than bark.
“You look lovely.” He took her gloved hand and kissed it, sending tingles up her wrist. “Shall we?”
Eleanor linked her arm around his steady bicep, happy with herself for listening to Nadine’s dressing advice. Outside, the sun had set, stripping the warmth of the fall day with it, but as Eleanor walked next to William, her skin felt humid. She loosened the top button of her coat. Passing men said hello to William, and he shook a few hands as they walked through the yard.
“You seem to know a lot of people,” she commented.
“I lived in that dormitory right over there.” He pointed, then reached into his pocket for the key.
Eleanor didn’t know much about cars, but his, parked beneath a red maple tree, was far nicer than the badly corroded Chevy that her father drove. Inside, the car was still warm from his ride over, and as Eleanor settled in, she realized that she could stretch her feet forward without them sinking through rusty holes in the sheet metal like they had in the old Chevy. In William’s car, even the floor mats were plush. She folded her hands so she wouldn’t fidget. Being this close to Mr. Back, alone on a date, was making her more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room filled with rocking chairs.
“So where did you say you were from?” William switched gears and merged into traffic. The engine revved softly, and it felt like the wheels barely touched the street.
“Ohio. Not far from Cleveland” was the best way to explain Elyria, which most people had never heard of. “You?” Eleanor asked, not wanting to reveal that she already knew he was from D.C.
“Born and bred right here in the nation’s capital.”
Eleanor watched the city pass her by through the window. She loved how vibrant and pulsing D.C. was in comparison to the drab, industrial town of Elyria. “It must have been nice growing up in such a thriving city, with everything right at your fingertips.”
“Hard to say since it’s all I know. You must be from a small town.”
“Tiny is more like it.”
“Well, sweet people usually come out of tight communities.” William winked, and his attention made her feel gushy all over.
He circled the block a few times, and then found a parking space on 12th Street at the corner of T. The theater was a brick building, with “Lincoln” spelled out brightly in lights. The white billboard held the names of several upcoming acts. Pictures of past performers, including Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, were posted in oversized frames along the wall around the entrance. While they stood in line, Eleanor watched the crowd of well-groomed men and stylish women chat excitedly as they waited their turn to enter. William produced two tickets from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed them to the usher. They walked through a second set of doors, and her heels sank into the thick burgundy carpet. The usher stopped at the third row.