Page 57 of The House on Prytania
“Is she always like this in the morning?” Sarah whispered.
I nodded, my eyes now open enough to take in Sarah’s outfit. I recognized the blue sweater as one of my hand-me-downs, and a gold cashmere sweater had been knotted around her shoulders. It matched the gold Mardi Gras beads draped around her neck and the two large gold balls that hung from her pierced ears.
“You look very festive,” I said.
“Jolene let me borrow some of her stuff. And look.” She turned around so I could see her beautiful thick hair twisted into a perfect French braid and tied at the bottom with an enormous bow that would have looked at home on a Mardi Gras float.
“Gorgeous,” I said. “But isn’t the bow a bit... big?”
Jolene appeared from the kitchen carrying on a stand a tray with my breakfast neatly displayed on top, including a folded napkin tucked into an empty juice glass. “The bigger the bow, the more your mama loves you. Since we’ll be out and about today, I thought Melanie would appreciate it.”
“I’m sure she will.” I placed my napkin on my lap and looked at my pancakes. They appeared different than usual beneath the whipped cream and syrup smiley face I was used to, but my foggy brain couldn’t figure out how.
“I’ll get the orange juice,” Sarah said, disappearing into the kitchen before returning with a full pitcher of juice and filling my glass. “I told Jolene to use whole wheat flour for the pancakes. It’s a lot healthier and tastes just as good.”
“If you like eating cardboard,” I said, noticing that the usual fat slab of butter had been reduced in size.
“You sound just like Mom!” Sarah chortled. “That’s why Jolene and I decided you need to eat something now, before everyone else gets here, since we know how hangry you get when you haven’t been fed. Mom’s like that, too.”
I stared at her in horror, realizing she was right on both counts.
The doorbell rang, and Jolene froze, taking in my wild hair and baggy sleep shirt and lack of makeup. “If it’s Cooper or Beau or any other male who isn’t related to you, let’s throw a blanket over her anddecorate it with streamers and confetti.” Jolene quickly opened the door-camera app on her phone—one of the security measures Jaxson and Beau had helped install after the break-in during which the only defense Jolene had was a Barbie doll head. It had worked inasmuch as it had made the intruder run, but everyone agreed that a more aggressive would-be robber might not be as accommodating.
“It’s Sunny,” she said. “I wonder what she’s doing here so early.” She looked pointedly at Sarah.
“I know, I know. I’m the door greeter.” Jolene disappeared back into the kitchen as Sarah leaned in and whispered, “She said if I’d do it cheerfully each time, she’d let me keep some of the makeup she’s going to show me how to use. Just don’t tell Dad.”
“Dad? What about Mom?”
Walking toward the door, she called over her shoulder, “I don’t think Mom’s the one I need to worry about.”
I had almost finished my pancakes—not as bad as cardboard but definitely not as good as buttermilk—when Sarah and Sunny came up the stairs, Sunny carrying a gift bag with paw-printed tissue paper exploding over the top. Jolene whisked away my tray and refilled my coffee so I could speak coherently.
“Good morning,” I said, noticing how Sunny barely reached Sarah’s chin, and noting the stark contrast between her blond locks and Sarah’s almost-black hair. Sunny wore her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, her darker roots showing around the hairline. Not as dark as Sarah’s, but definitely not blond. I recalled what Jolene had said about Sunny’s bad dye job and hoped that my roommate would take her in hand and show her the right way to choose a shade. Not that I’d noticed or even cared, but I liked Sunny, and didn’t want her to be at a disadvantage as she navigated her new world. I could relate to how hard that was.
Noticing my state of undress, Sunny said, “Don’t worry—I took the streetcar and came alone. The rest will be here later. I thought you could use some help.” She turned toward the table, noticing the decorations for the first time, and gave a high-pitched yelp.
“It’s okay. We had the same reaction. It’s not real.” Turning to Sarah, I said, “When you greet people at the door, make sure you warn them.”
“I heard that,” Jolene said, carrying in a tray of homemade pralines and placing them on the coffee table. She spotted Mardi licking his lips and changed course to place the tray on top of an empty plant stand.
Sunny squatted, and Mardi ran toward her and nuzzled his face in her chest.
“He really likes you,” Sarah said, dropping down next to them.
“He likes everybody,” I said ungraciously.
“Ignore her,” Sarah said without looking up as she scratched Mardi behind his floppy ears, his eyes narrowing with pleasure at the attention. “She’s grumpy in the morning and hasn’t had her second cup of coffee.”
They both ignored my grunt.
Sunny reached for the bag. “I brought him a gift.” She held the bag open for Mardi to sniff inside. After an intense olfactory inspection, Mardi stuck his head inside and pulled out a small gray plush Eeyore, a pink bow at the end of its tail. Mardi held it in his mouth, giving it several satisfactory squeaks.
“What an adorable ass!” Jolene exclaimed from the dining room, where she was placing a large oval tray of sliced pieces of king cake.
We both looked at her.
“It’s Eeyore,” I said. “From Winnie-the-Pooh.”
