Grease - h.s.

3

They had escaped in through the door; he had pushed it open for her and with a supporting hand resting on the small of her back led her in. Surely they must be a couple; why else would she care so much for him and he so much for her? And they were a stunning couple too. Both with perfect postures and perfect shape.

I let out my breath, as I finally was alone again. Feeling slightly embarrassed with having eavesdropped on their conversation, I felt jumpy and hurried back down the lane - this time choosing the path leading to the entrance of the main house.

 

“She always just runs off like that! No manners Charles, none at all! Don’t you see how out of hands things would get if you let her go to England?” I followed the high pitched voice of Judy, which sounded from the couch area of the lobby as I entered the main house.

“She’s going to be here any second just - ah see! There she is,” my father put away the newspaper he had been concentrating on, while Judy stared up at me with narrowed eyes.

“About time if I may say so,” Judy spat and touched her perfectly pinned hairstyle, in which she had emptied half a can of hairspray. Her long slender fingers moved down to the white pearl necklace, which had once belonged to my mother. Correcting that one, though it couldn’t possibly be out of place already. The sight made my stomach twist.

My dad sent me a smile not seeming to have noticed Judy’s comment and got up, “I hardly think Fran will spend her time doing anything else than studying once she gets to Oxford. How much trouble can she possibly get herself into a place like that?” The deep comfortable chuckles coming from my father were what made it bearable I was reminded, as he helped Judy up the couch offering her his hand.

“Where are Cynthia and Patricia?” I asked carefully pulling in the sleeve of my white cardigan, which I was wearing over the dress, that was pastel coral colored. Stopping just under the knee. Though Patricia, Cynthia, and Judy were all wearing high heels tonight I was sticking with my white keds. It was easier getting around this place with these. And there was no way I was going to be caught somewhere with them, because I couldn’t move around in high heels. Lastly Keds were much more comfortable - and honestly I hadn’t learned to walk in high heels yet. Too stubborn not to wear anything which had reminded of Cynthia and Patricia - not to forget their awful mother - I had never gotten around to learning it to their utter dismay.

“Oh Cynthia and Patricia? They will be here any second. Cynthia needed more time to do her hair, we can just go to the table now,” I rolled my eyes at Judy’s answer, as I followed her and my dad into the restaurant area. So the twins could be late - but I couldn’t? Judy-logic. Why not just let her hair down? Easy and simple. I preferred my hair that way; always had, always would probably.

The evening went on as least painful as it could get with my stepmother and her children. But dad made it okay. Luckily, I had scored the seat next to him, which made the whole thing a lot less worse. We got to talk about Oxford, while Judy constantly intruded coming with new arguments as to why I should stay home. But my dad didn’t listen to my joy. For now at least. I was pretty sure with him not here Judy would find a way to keep me - if it meant locking me up in the house she would probably do that too.

The ballroom was filled with wildly decorated round tables, where families and friends were gathered. Talking, laughter, and the sound of light music from the live band floated through the night summer air through the open balcony doors. The dinner had been remarkable - just like the rest of the facilities of this place seemed to be. I had gotten a pretty good chance to check out what kind of guests had lodged into the Kellerman's Summer Resort and as I had expected they all looked terribly rich. Judy probably  thought she fitted in her perfectly, though she lacked all kinds of manners and appropriate behaviour. Unlike my mother, who had come from a family with values teaching you to have a good heart. Judy wasn't like that - she only wanted to look rich and had bewitched my father to obtain that. As she sat there with her pearl necklace sipping the white wine she really seemed to have reached her goal, sitting with her two daughters each in their battling colorful dresses and extreme hairspray coiffures.