Page 107 of Shâhzâdeh

“I’m Lira, your consultant for today. We’ve gotten your measurements and you can try on anything within the store. We have a few pieces pulled but what did you have in mind?” The associate was beautiful with a bright white blonde bob against deep mahogany skin. The contrast was so striking and her features only made her that much more beautiful. She reminded me somewhat of Tems.

“Ms. Babette, what did you wear when you married, Mr. Bijan?” She had been the one marrying a man of a different faith and nationality so she would have more guidance than I would. There was the little platform and seats with a bunch of dresses that lined the outer perimeter of the staging area.

That tinkering laugh echoed through the space as she looked around. “Honey, it was the early nineties, you don’t want to look anything like I did then.”

“I just… I don’t want to make a mistake and embarrass anyone.”

“That is an impossible feat. One you aren’t capable of. I wish I could murder whoever turned your inner voice into a fount of their own insecurities. They are going to feel my wrath one way or the other.” Vehemence was laced through her tone and I wanted to get us back on track.

Lira didn’t even flinch at hearing Babette make that threat and I wasn’t sure if she thought it was hyperbole or if she was clued in and knew to keep her mouth shut.

“Why do you like to poison people?” Jada spoke up and I glanced again at Lira who again looked unbothered by the conversation.

“Besides it being a tradition amongst my family? I like my clothing and do not want to sully any of it with the blood of an ingrate. Less mess and no fuss. Do you think I would risk getting a hair out of place to handle a problem? No,sweetheart. The mark of a strong woman isn’t the brutality in which she seeks her revenge, it is in the effectiveness. We allow our enemies to boil from the inside out. Lose control of their bowels all while we watch with a glimmer in our eye and not a speck of their taint on us. It’s poetic. Biblical even.” Ms. Babette wore the most gracious smile as though she were directing debutantes for cotillion instead of the best way to commit a murder.

I didn’t remember any of that happening in the Bible and I’d read and copied that book more times than I can count. “I don’t remember that in the Bible.”

“You weren’t reading carefully then. What do you think a plague is? But now we are talking about more joyous things than the destruction of our enemies. Your dress, what are you thinking?”

“Xerxes likes very grand things.” I did too, but I doubted that I wanted to wear a big floral wedding gown. That was probably too much for even me.

“Blame his father and I for that. But this isn’t about what he wants. This is about you. Tell me about your first ceremony because I will not honor that travesty by calling it a wedding.”

“Um, the Kennedys’ big thing was service through humility. We didn’t have a lot and their church was one where people had little so that they could have more.” I felt the need to tug on my hair but I gripped my hands in a fist so I could feel my nails in my palms.

“But that more didn’t stretch down to you or the others did it?” Again, these people had mastered the ability to balance sympathy without making me feel pitied.

I glanced at Frankie who looked pissed because she wasn’t privy to a lot of this. “No, ma’am.”

“Of course not. I see that you… appreciate the finer things in life.” She smiled happily at my outfit and I knew she meant it was more the quality of things I owned than me wearing a bunch of labels.

“I’m not a gold—”

“Sweetheart, please do not finish that statement before I become annoyed. You are entitled to enjoy the lifestyle that you provide for yourself. If you had an arm full ofVan Clef and ArpelsAlhambra bracelets I would tell my son he needs to step it up and drape your other arm in diamonds. A man should always provide his woman with more than what she can provide herself. You have done so well despite the setbacks they attempted to put in your way. There is nothing wrong with splurging on yourself. I hope you don’t mind that I plan to spoil you terribly. If I so much as think you will like something, it will be at your door. I’m so glad you selected the house you did. That upstairs storage area will be perfect to set up as your winter wardrobe.”

“Winter wardrobe? The lady’s closet is more than—”

She was already wagging her finger at me and I clamped my mouth shut as everyone else giggled at me. “No. It is not. I am not trying to change anything about you, but the humility you have been told is your lot in life is not true. You have made it away from people who hoarded wealth and abused you. As yourmaman, I refuse to allow a child of mine to go without. So, Xerxes will have at least one thousand square feet of the attic converted into winter storage. You will need it.”

The little girl in me who used to watch people spoil their children grinned internally. I believe every word that Babette said and I felt myself getting emotional again.

“Thank you. Even though it is not about the things, it is about you wanting to be this kind to me.”

“I hate that you are just now knowing this type of love. Your heart is so pure, Vanya. You more than deserve to be celebrated for being just who you are. But if there was one thing I could ask of you.” She smoothed down my hair before kissing the side of it. Ms. Babette was slightly shorter than I was so she stood on her tiptoes to do so. When she pulled back she was studying me again and I started to get nervous. Instead of continuing to listen, Navi, Frankie and Jada had been working with Lira to pull out different styles of gowns.

“What is it?”

“What is the one thing you’ve always wanted since you were a little girl that you never got?”

“A doll.” The answer was swift because it was a very sensitive topic for me.

I could tell my response wasn’t at all what she expected. “I’m sorry?”

“A doll that wasn’t blonde and blue-eyed. I wanted a little black doll with freckles and curly hair that looked like me. It seems ridiculous since I’m a grown adult, but it’s what I’ve wanted. I know I have the money to get one right now, but I always wanted to have my parents get me a doll that looked like me. They never did.”

Her eyes shined as brightly as her smile. “Not at all, silly. My mother collected antique dolls and they are still in our family home in New Orleans. Now, if it is a doll you want, then a doll you shall have. But the task at hand, what are we going to do about this dress?”

My eyes darted around all the options that were hanging in the salon. I thought about everything I knew of my husband. The way he dressed and the meticulous way he carried himself. He was going to come correct and I knew I would need to as well. So, without second guessing myself, I gave her my answer.

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