Page 28 of Mean Moms
“Have you all heard that Sofia is going to host the annual benefit?”
“You’re a hero, Sofia,” said Frost.
“I do what I can,” said Sofia. “The theme is a surrealist ball—start thinking of your wacky costumes now!” Sofia had volunteered to throw the benefit after she’d heard it was subsidized by the school. She’d figured it was a good way to solidify her standing on the PA and also get the word out about her own venture, which was beginning to take shape.
“Speaking of,” said Frost, “I had an idea for this Friendsgiving party, inspired by you, Sofia. The women fromSex and the City.” Sofia felt herself flush. To be included in their group costume, as a famous foursome, no less, meant Sofia had really made it.
“I love it,” said Belle, entirely cheered up and always happy to be Frost’s hype man.
“So who’s who?” said Morgan. “Sofia, I know you’re Samantha.” Sofia smiled, though it felt like an insult. She scratched her arms. The Dress was starting to bother her.
“I can’t wait,” Sofia said gamely. “I’ll just have to get a blond wig.”
“I know the best wig place in NYC,” said Morgan, her voice turning into what Sofia now recognized as Morgan’s “Ask Morgan” tone. “It’s where all the cool Hasidic ladies go.”
It was settled that Belle would be Carrie, Morgan would be Charlotte, and redheaded Frost would be Miranda.
Belle went off to pitch her product to the editors in attendance, instructing the others to walk around the store and lookextremelyinterested in everything. Sofia was bored. She was getting sick of this New York way of socializing—groups of women gathering to celebrate and “support” one another’s ventures. It all felt fake and not the least bit fun. She went over to a display of gold necklaces, standing next to two attractive young women in matching pink lipstick, one blond, one brunette. Both were in The Dress. Sofia pretended to look at her phone while she eavesdropped.
“How many of these rich-lady-with-a-fashion-line previews do I have to attend in one lifetime?” said the blonde. The brunette shrugged.
“We have to cover it on the site because she’s friends with a company board member or something—their kids go to the same school. But come on, if she thinks anyone will ever buy this sad, brown, scratchy thing, she’s out of her mind.”
“Itisscratchy,” said the blonde. “But I don’t know. People bought the nap dress.”
“Yeah, but that was during the pandemic, and everyone had lost their mind,” said the brunette.
“What does her husband do again?” said the blonde. They both looked over at Jeff, still on his phone.
“I don’t think anything exciting,” said the brunette. “It’s her dad with all the money. Imagine being that rich and then deciding,wow, what I really want to do is make some ugly dress. Wouldn’t you just, like, do nothing?”
“I’d sleep in, have my nannies deal with my kids, and then go shopping all day,” said the blonde. She scratched herself.
Belle swanned over, her Dress making an oddly stiff swishing sound.
“Girls! Thank you so much for coming,” said Belle. “You both look gorgeous in The Dress.” Sofia kept her back to them, shifting so she could still hear what they were saying.
“I appreciate your support for Pippins Cottage Home and can’t wait to see how you’ll cover it. Let me know if you have any questions about production or my inspiration. I’ve always wanted to be a designer, since I was a little girl, and The Dress is the result of playing with this idea of: ‘What is the perfect piece for a capsule wardrobe?’” The two women hmmmed and ahhhed enthusiastically.
Sofia saw Frost across the room, chatting with another woman whom Sofia didn’t recognize. The previous day, she’d secretly trailed Frost after drop-off, expecting her to go to her art studio on Twenty-Second Street, perhaps to meet Art. Instead, Frost headed straight to Friend of a Farmer, on Irving Place, waiting outside the restaurant until it opened at 9:00 a.m. Sofia had peeked around the corner to see Frost hugging a man who definitely wasn’t Art. He was tall and leggy, with shaggy hair, and when he turned around Sofia saw that it was Tim, Frost’s husband. Holding hands, they went into the restaurant together. Sofia, surprised, had rushed toward Union Square to escape notice.
Sofia now felt an arm slip through hers. It was Morgan’s. She was wearing a turtleneck under The Dress.
“How are you?” said Morgan sweetly. Sofia didn’t really feel like chatting.
“How are the kids doing? Adjusting to their new life okay?” Morgan tilted her head sympathetically. Sofia didn’t know what Morgan was fishing for. Out of everyone she’d met, Morgan was the hardest to pin down. She didn’t understand Morgan’s motivations, and that upbeat-cheerful-amazingthing. Sometimes Sofia thought she got a glimpse of a monster inside of Morgan, a flash of bones, filled with the drugs she was taking to stay thin. Sofia had seen the needle the other day in the bathroom, after she’d heard Morgan kicking the stall. Who was Morgan so angry at?
“Yes, they both really love Atherton,” said Sofia politely.
“You know, you never did tell us how you came to find the school,” said Morgan, looking at Sofia intently. Morgan’s face appeared to be pulled at the edges, like someone had stretched her skin over her cheeks. “It’s rare that two siblings find spots in nonentry grades. You were so lucky!”
“I suppose so,” Sofia said.
Just then, Ava Leo entered the pop-up, cutting their conversation short. After being accosted by an attendant and doing a double take when asked to wear The Dress, she reluctantly went in to change. She came back in The Dress, plus her own black blazer, rendering Belle’s creation nearly invisible underneath. Ava walked up to Sofia and Morgan.
“I’m here!” said Ava jovially. “I have to run soon—I have a Gucci event in Midtown after this and then a Prada dinner after that, but I wanted to stop by.” (Everyone in New York was always having “to run” as soon as they arrived somewhere.) “I got the sense that Belle might commit suicide if I didn’t show. All good with you two?” Sofia and Morgan nodded.
Belle and Frost approached, Belle with a grin so big Sofia thought her face might crack in half. “Ava! I amthrilledyou could make it!”said Belle, as if greeting a long-lost relative instead of someone she saw nearly every day. Belle looked Ava up and down, her face freezing in disappointment when she realized that Ava had all but hidden her Dress under her blazer. Sofia ached for her.
