As she turned to wave goodbye, her grandson repeated his one-word vocabulary: ‘Dada.’ Katherine Kane laughed. ‘What chauvinists men are. That was also Richard’s first word. Has anyone ever told you what yours was, Florentyna?’
Annabel came screaming into this world a few weeks later, and her parents held a double celebration at the end of the year when Florentyna’s delivered a profit of $19,174. Richard decided to mark the occasion by spending a small part of the profits on a dual golf membership at the Olympic Club.
Richard was given more responsibility in the overseas department of the bank and started returning home an hour later. Florentyna decided the time had come to employ a full-time nanny so that she could concentrate on her work in the stores. She realized she would never find a Miss Tredgold, but Bella recommended a black girl named Carol who had graduated from high school the year before and was finding it hard to get a job. Their son threw his arms around Carol the moment he met her. It brought home to Florentyna that prejudice was something a child only learns from its elders.
Chapter nineteen
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Florentyna. ‘I never thought it would happen. What wonderful news. But what made him change his mind?’
‘He’s not getting any younger,’ said Katherine Kane, her voice crackling over the phone, ‘and he’s frightened that if he and Richard don’t patch up their differences soon, he will retire from Lester’s without a son on the board. He also believes that the man most likely to succeed him in the chair is Jake Thomas. Mr. Thomas is only two years older than Richard and he certainly won’t want a younger man — especially a Kane — in the boardroom.’
‘I wish Richard were at home so I could tell him the news. But since he’s been promoted to head of the overseas department, he rarely gets back before seven. He’ll be so pleased. I’ll try not to show how nervous I am about meeting your husband,’ said Florentyna.
‘Not half as nervous as he is about meeting you. But have no fears, my dear, he’s preparing the fatted calf for his prodigal son. Have you heard anything from your father since I last spoke to you?’
No, nothing. I fear there’s never going to be a fatted calf for the prodigal daughter.’
‘Don’t give up; something may yet arise to make him see the light. We’ll put our heads together when you come to New York.’
‘I would love to believe it was still possible for Papa and Mr. Kane to be reconciled, but I’ve almost given up hope.’
‘Well, let’s be thankful that one father has at least come to his senses,’ said Katherine. ‘I’ll fly out to see you and fix up all the details.’
‘How soon can you come?’
‘I could get away this weekend.’
When Richard came home that evening he was overjoyed by the news and once he had finished reading the next chapter of Winnie the Pooh to his son, he settled down to listen to the details of his mother’s news.
‘We could go to New York around November,’ said Richard.
‘I’m not sure I can wait that long.’
‘You’ve waited for over six years.’
‘Yes, but that’s different.’
‘You always want everything to have happened yesterday, Jessie. That reminds me, I read your proposal for the new store in San Diego.’
‘And?’
‘Basically the idea makes a lot of sense and I approve.’
‘Good heavens. What next? I never thought I would hear such words from you, Mr. Kane.’
‘Now hold on, Jessie. It doesn’t get my wholehearted support because the one part of your expansion program I don’t understand is the necessity to employ your own designer.’
‘That’s easy enough to explain,’ said Florentyna. ‘Although we now have five shops, my expenditure on buying clothes remains as high as forty percent of turnover. If my own models were designed for me, I would have two obvious advantages. First, I could cut down my immediate expenditure, and second, we would be continually advertising our own product.’
‘It also has a major disadvantage,’ suggested Richard.
‘What’s that?’
‘There can be no rebate on clothes returned within ninety days if we already own them.’
‘Agreed,’ said Florentyna. ‘But the more we expand, the more that problem will diminish. And if I choose the right designer we’ll end up with our trademark clothes also being sold by our rivals.’
‘Has that proved worthwhile for other designers?’
‘In the case of Pierre Cardin, the designer became more famous than the stores.’
‘Finding such a man won’t be easy.’
‘Didn’t I find you, Mr. Kane?’
‘No, Jessie, I found you.’
Florentyna smiled. ‘Two children, a sixth shop, and you’re going to be invited to join the board of Lester’s. Most important of all, I have a chance to meet your father. What more could we want?’
‘It hasn’t happened yet.’
‘Typical banker. Whatever the forecast, you expect it to rain by midafternoon.’
Annabel started to cry.
‘See what I mean?’ said Richard. ‘Your daughter’s at it again.’
‘Why is it always my daughter who is bad and your son who is good?’
Despite Florentyna’s desire to travel to New York immediately after Kate had returned to the East Coast, she was more than fully occupied with opening the new shop in San Diego, keeping an eye on the other five stores, and somehow looking for the right designer — while still trying to be a mother. As the day for their journey to New York grew nearer, she became more and more nervous. She selected her own wardrobe carefully and bought several new outfits for the children. She even purchased a new shirt with a thin red stripe running through it for Richard, but she doubted that he would wear it except on weekends. Florentyna lay awake each night anxious that Richard’s father might not approve of her, but Richard kept reminding her of Katherine’s words: ‘...not half as nervous as he is.’
To celebrate the opening of the sixth store and the imminent reconciliation with his father, Richard took Florentyna to a performance of The Nutcracker by the Italian State Ballet Company at the War Memorial Opera House. Richard didn’t care much for the ballet himself, but he was surprised to find Florentyna equally restless during the performance. As soon as the house lights went up for the intermission he asked if anything was wrong.
‘Yes. I’ve been waiting almost an hour to find out who designed those fabulous costumes.’ Florentyna started to thumb through her program.
‘I would have described them as outrageous,’ said Richard.
‘That’s because you’re color-blind,’ said Florentyna. Having found what she was looking for, she started reading the program notes to Richard. ‘His name is Gianni di Ferranti and his biographical sketch says he was born in Milan in 1931 and is on his first tour with the ballet company since leaving the Institute of Modern Art in Florence. I wonder if he would consider resigning from the company and working for me.’
‘I wouldn’t, with the inside information I have on the company,’ said Richard helpfully.
‘Perhaps he’s more adventurous than you, darling.’
‘Or just mad. After all, he is Italian.’
‘Well, there’s only one way to find out,’ said Florentyna, standing up.