Jerry raised an eyebrow. “Is that an invitation?”
“Sort of. Ana and I decided that you two should use a couple of the extra comp tickets the station was given for the First Night Gala at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. I texted Manny to clear it and he loves the idea. Most of the staff will be there so you just have to come. Great food, live music, and you don’t have to dance if you’re not up for it. You don’t have to, but I got the impression that Ana will be seriously disappointed if you don’t.”
“Not as disappointed as she’ll be when she sees me dance and realizes that I’m beyond bad.”
“Well, whether you’re dancing or not, she needs an outfit to die for.”
Jerry smiled at the unintended pun. “If she really wants to go, then she’ll have it. Neither one of us has been to a gala since sometime last century. Do me a favour, please, and email me the details. Are we talking ‘killer’ cocktail dress or fancy schmancy ball gown?”
“Last year there were prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and one or two fancy gowns. Floor-length was the trend. It’s tux-or-stay-home for the men. I’ll include a few pics from last year’s event. It was absolutely amazing.”
“Better send me the links to the most likely shops to carry this stuff.” An idea occurred to him. “Actually, Mika, do you know of any good costume shops? Places that rent quality costumes?”
“Only one place to go for fancy—Island Costumes. We use them all the time for our Steampunk events throughout the year. They’ve got everything. I’ll include their contact info.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” Jerry stood, stretched the kinks out of his back and neck. “Now we’d better fetch Ana—she and I have some shopping to do.”
EVEN WITH HER gold-lacquered nails, red-and-black-dyed hair, and dangly pearl earrings, the sales girl at Island Costumes looked to be about twenty-two and was about as giddy as a sixteen-year-old when Ana told her what she was looking for in a dress. She rooted under the counter while nodding her head and saying, “Yes… yes… yes…” to everything Ana said. Her nametag said “Ginnius” and she seemed as mentally flighty as any genius Jerry had ever met.
“A ball gown, please,” Ana described. “Strapless. Natural waist. Hemline just above the floor so I can dance.”
“With whom, Ana?” Jerry didn’t see the need to be specific about her dress style just so she could sway back and forth on the dance floor to “Stairway to Heaven” with him at the end of the night.
“Shush, silly man. I am picturing something in my mind.”
“Then you’d better picture a clumsy oaf stepping over your feet while you’re at it.”
Both women frowned at him simultaneously. Ana went on imagining out loud, while Ginnius returned to searching. “Sleeveless, appliques, beading.”
“Taffeta?” asked the voice from beneath the counter.
“Please.”
“Embroidery? Crystals or just beads?”
“Crystals? Oh, yes. Crystals and beads both would be marvellous. And embroidery.” She bounced on her toes, excited.
“Cool. Lace-up back?”
“Of course!”
“Fully lined? Built-in bra?”
“Um, yes?”
Jerry could have sworn Ana blushed. She truly was an old-fashioned girl. He’d better keep her away from a Victoria’s Secret store or she’d be completely scandalized. He smiled. Her sweetness was enchanting.
“Okay. Fully lined, with a built-in bra. Boning okay? Well, metal boning. Plastic tends to break and can cut you or worse, and we prefer to leave real whalebone for the museums and collectors. Since you’re just renting, it’s about the look, not the value. So, boning?”
“Of course. Please.”
“Got it!” Ginnius came up from below holding a photo album and slapped it on the wooden countertop. “We have three left. One just came back and still needs to be dry-cleaned so you’ve got a choice of off-white or emerald green… I think.” She flipped through a couple more pages and finally found what she was looking for. “Sorry it took so long. Computer crashed this morning, and we’re strictly old-school, low-tech until the boss gets back next week.” She spun the album around and tapped a photo of a model in an emerald green ball gown. “Green or white. Not many choices at the last minute. Wouldn’t even have these if all the themed New Year’s parties this year hadn’t gone for the Jackie O retro sixties look.”
Jerry interrupted. “Even the one at the Empress is sixties?”
“Good God, no. That one is always très trad. If you’re going to the Empress Ballroom, then forget the white and go with the green. It’s the only green one we’ve got, and two whites and a pale blue have already been rented for the same party.”
“The same style? I’d like Ana to feel special, not like one of a dozen women dressed the same.”
“Not a problem. The others went to old women who haven’t rocked an hourglass shape in decades. Two of them had us add trains and Queen of England crowns, and one even has a sceptre. Think more Queen Mum than Kate, Duchess of York.”
Ana hadn’t said a word since the photograph was placed in front of her. Her fingertips gently traced the outlines of the dress in the image, and Jerry thought she was going to cry. “You okay, Shvibzik? Are you sure you want to do this?”
When she finally looked up, Ana was grinning widely, her eyes sparkling like gems. “Oh, we are most certainly going to do this. But only if we can find you something to match.”
Ginnius flipped the page over and pointed at a set of formal tails. “The real deal. Most men in this town either own tuxes and tails or wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them. This suit, that dress, a faux-fur-trimmed, velvet cape, a couple simple accessories, and you two will own First Night, babes.”
“We can get them ready in two days?”
“If we get the fitting done now, I’ll do the work myself, and have them for you by ten in the morning on the 31st. Good enough?”
“It will be perfect!” Ana answered, then her shoulders slumped just a little and she turned to Jerry. “I am so sorry, Jerry. It is your decision. I should not be so inconsiderate, so loose with your money. It was a lesson Papa tried over and over to instil in us. I will be perfectly happy in a simple frock, so long as I am with my darling.”
“Ten on the 31st, Ginnius?” Jerry could already picture Ana in the dress, shaming even the professional model in the photo.
“Noon, at the absolute latest.”
“Sold… or at least rented. I sure hope you take plastic.”
“Of course. Now, give me a couple minutes to find these in the back and we’ll get started.” She trotted off with a purpose, leaving them alone.
Ana did a quick twirl and hugged Jerry. “Are you absolutely, most definitely, without any cause for doubt or concern certain, my Sweet? There are any number of beautiful choices in the catalogue. Please do not do this for me, because I will be perfectly ecstatic just being with you.”
He kissed her quickly on the tip of her nose. “Shut up, Ana. Just enjoy. Besides, maybe I’m doing this for me. Maybe, just maybe, I want to be at the biggest party, with the best music, and the most beautiful Shvibzik in the world.”
“Now I know you’re being silly! I’m the only Shvibzik in the world.”
“Yes you are. The one and only original.”
A door slammed at the back of the store and Ginnius’ muffled voice interrupted them. “Okay, kiddies… let’s get this party started!”
THE SONG ENDED, and Ana reached up and kissed Jerry’s cheek before releasing his left hand. Jerry gently stepped out of her arms and reached for the tumbler of ginger ale on the kitchen counter. “So that’s a waltz, eh?”