Marie’s words landed with a punch.
“Elaine…I…need to make some money. I’m so broke…in so many ways.” Marie’s raw, dire voice, worn and strained, traveled along the copper telephone lines of the Lower East Village and projected west 369 miles across New York State to Elaine Stec’s Cheektowagian home in the fall of 1969.
The words flowed into Elaine’s ear as she peeked through the sheer curtains covering the picture window. The headlights illuminated Trudy Lane as a gold car glittering from the streetlamp pulled into the Stecs’ driveway.
Elaine’s fingers fumbled with the buckle of her heels. She stumbled as the taut phone cord pulled her toward the kitchen. She fixed her sweeping bangs that obscured her left eye. Elaine, twenty-one, restless with her home and family, yearned to be free of the tiny house and the childhood bedroom, an outgrown cocoon. If Marie returned from New York City, they could share an apartment, maybe the one with the large porch on Richmond Ave. She wouldn’t have her mother looming always, with her constant questions and investigating glances.
“Of course, Marie, oh, I miss you. Listen to me. I got you. There’s a big party on Monday night, lots of money, lots of important men, and lots of opportunities. They need girls for cocktail service, but I can get you behind the bar with me. It will be more work, but with all the weddings we served, it won’t be a problem.” Elaine heard Gino’s engine turn off in the driveway. She quickened her pace. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation for the night out, away from the tree-lined streets.
“Marie, are you still there?” She heard Marie sobbing with short, abrupt breaths.
“Real-ly?”
“Listen, fuck New York City, don’t worry about anything. Ma’s already making the meatloaf and rearranging the sewing room for you. Everything’s gonna be fine, listen to me. Buffalo wants you. I want you. I can’t wait to see you.”
“ELAINE!” shouted her mother, Eleanor, from the sewing room.
“Sorry, Ma! Listen, I gotta go. Gino just pulled into the driveway. He’s taking me to Salvatores with Susie and Stan. I’ll see you Sunday.”
“Yes,” Marie wiped her tears.
“Marie, it will be okay! I promise. They’re here. Va-le.”
“Okay, Va-le, thank you, Elaine, Va-le,” the tears streamed down Marie’s face. She let out a guttural exhale and slid down the glass onto the cold concrete. She had found a way out of the city.
“You girls and your Latin. Take your coat, Elaine. It’s going to get cold tonight!” Elaine’s mother seized the phone before Elaine hung it up. She pressed the receiver against her warm chest, waiting for Elaine to leave the room.
Elaine selected a short mink coat from the closet, the one Gino had given her on their first date. A smile touched her lips. He would love to see her wear it. Elaine looked into the mirror one final time. The jet-black fur made her blue eyes sparkle. Her bobbed haircut framed her head, perched upon her thin neck. She clutched her leather pocketbook from the bureau. The loud grandfather clock rang seven chimes. It was all happening. College, her lovelife, and now, with Marie’s return, she could move out. It was all working out; this was her chance.
“Bye, MA.”
“Bye, honey. Be careful!” Her mother pressed the phone against her ear. “Marie, are you there, Marie?” She heard silence before a rustling knocking amplified from the receiver.
“Yes! I’m here!” shouted Marie.
“Marie, we can’t wait to see you. Marie, honey, I don’t like this, Gino. He seems too old for Elaine. I think he’s trouble. When you return, can you talk some sense into her?”
A female voice interrupted the call, “This is the operator. Your call will be disconnected in 30 seconds unless you deposit 10 cents for the next 5 minutes.”
“Oh, Mrs. Stec, it’s so good to hear your voice. Oh, I will, I’ll talk to her, I will, I can’t wait to see you.”
“Okay, honey – see you then.” Eleanor uncurled the orange phone cord as she hung up. A large slam reverberated from the screen door. “I have to get Walter to fix that,” Eleanor mumbled.
***
A surge of excitement washed over Elaine when the cool night’s air rushed over her face. Tonight, she would travel to a different world full of glamour and adventure. She observed her friend, Susie, sitting in Gino’s Caddy. Susie, young and sultry, rolled down the back window. The wind flitted her red hair up against her alabaster face. Susie shouted to her boyfriend Stanley, “Get back in, here comes Elaine!”
Stanley was distracted by a lone apple hanging from a tree. “Ji-ik-do,” he exclaimed as he plucked it from the branch.
“What are you saying?” Susie rolled her green eyes. Stanley took a bite, gnashing the small apple in his teeth before spitting it out. “Crab apples. This area used to be full of them. Jiik-do-wah-gah – Cheektowaga, land of the crab apple.”
“In what language is that sound crapapple?” Susie’s lips curled upward.
“Iroquian” Stanley returned to the car, leaned in through the open window, and gently kissed Susie, allowing the apple to drop from his hand.
Elaine walked toward the group as Gino corrected his posture, checking the loose button on his tailored coat. Strolling up the walkway, their eyes met, and he stretched his hand toward her, holding a dozen roses.
His pompaded hair shimmered a midnight blue. He was so handsome, with a chiseled jaw and stormy eyes.
“Oh, you look gorgeous. That fur I got for you suits you perfectly. Take it off and put it back on for me. I like the reveal of a collarbone.”
Elaine obliged. A man had never given her such gifts. “Thanks, many lives were sacrificed for it.” She unbuttoned the fur, revealing her structured neckline.
“Oh, that’s what I like about you, Elaine. You’re a real firecracker. You’ve got some good lines, lady. Here, let me get the car door for you.” He sniffed her neck as she whipped the mink back upon her shoulders. “Ah, you got me. You smell like roses.” He inhaled deeper. “Is that the Chanel perfume I had delivered for you?”
“Yes, it is. You’re showering me with so many precious things. The perfume, the coat, and these ruby roses.” Gino opened the back door, and Elaine slid onto the black leather seat. A chill permeated her pantyhose and skin. She warmed her legs as she inhaled the new leather scent. The girls chatted as they drove from Cheektowaga into the city for dinner.
Stanley looked into the distance.
Gino snarled, “What’s wrong with you tonight? Why are you so quiet tonight?
“Well, with all that’s going on, I know Sammy is gonna want me to..”
Gino interrupted, “Yeah, yeah, we all have to go to college sometime. Snap out of it, Stan. You think you’re special. And don’t talk about that stuff in front of her or these fine ladies.”
“What do you mean, her?” Susie exclaimed. “ I’ve told her all about Stanley.”
The occasional light flashed across Susie’s face as she defended Elaine’s bad side. “Gino, she’s not a good girl. Remember, Elaine, we were stranded in Canada. Together, we stole that can of gas to get back over the border.”
“How could I forget?” Elaine sat back, gazing out the car window. She remembered the smell of gasoline and the clicking of the gas meter, the police’s voices, and the smell of urine in the jail cell. Susie escaped. The offense turned into an arrest and a court appearance for Elaine in Canada. Eleanor even fainted in the courtroom, breaking her glasses. It was such a production.
“I never did get caught for that, because of you.” Susie shook Elaine’s leg.
Gino looked in the rearview mirror and sensed Elaine’s change in mood. “You took the rap for her? Took the charge and keep your mouth shut.”
Elaine locked eyes with Gino in the rearview mirror; she searched for a gleam of approval in his pupils. And by the smile lines forming around his ocular creases, she could tell he was pleased with her. She exhaled, relaxing in her leather seat.