He nodded and settled back in his seat, pulling a pen from his pocket.
“Why not? Here’s my address, inasmuch as I have one.”
Feeling almost ashamed of herself because she hadn’t been this excited about a party for years. Lora took ,` special care before her mirror, selecting her best makeup and perfume, then deliberately putting on a dress her father hated. a harlequin rig of lozenge-shaped bits of cloth tacked together only at the corners, which showed as much of her as it concealed.
No doubt that meant that some of Dad’s friends would try to feel her up. and she didn’t intend to put out for reeky old turds like them. but if Danty did show . . .
“Here’s my address, inasmuch as I have one.” Wow.
The house-phone rang. It was her mother.
“Lora honey. would you fix me a drink?”
She stamped her small foot. “Can’t you send Estelle?”
“Well, she’s fixing my hair right now.”
“Oh . . . 1 Oh, all right.” In a sullen tone. But she was all through dressing, and Peter might show up any minute, . so getting out of the room was not a bad idea-
And here he came, panicking starting to throw his outdoor clothes all over everywhere as usual. She headed promptly for the door.
“Don’t let me drive you out, sister mine!” he exclaimed.
“You saw me take my pants off before. didn’t you?”.
“Going to fix Mom a drink.” Lora said, sweeping by.
“Me too!” Peter cried. “I’m in a rush!”
“That’s your fault,” Lora snapped. and strode away.
The nearest liquor cabinet was in her father’s room. The room was empty. She mixed a gin atomic for her mother and a weak Bloody Mary for herself, and went ` next door where Mrs. Turpin sat naked at her mirror while her French-Canadian maid set out accessories to go with her radion gown.
“Thanks, honey.” she said in a strangled tone due to the need to let her lip-shade dry without wrinkling. “Put a straw in it for me, Estelle!”
“Mind if I drink mine here?” Lora said. “If I go back in my room Peter will grab it. And by the way!”
“Yes?”
“You couldn’t arrange to have his drinks watered tonight, could you? He’s bad enough sober. When he’s drunk-Christi”
“Oh, he won’t try and rape you, if that’s what you mean,” her mother said calmly.
“Mom! That’s beyond joking” Lora gasped.
“Unfortunately it is. But the fact stands: You’re a girl. And, come to think of it, you seem to want everyone to be absolutely certain. Are you seriously going to wear that bunch of rags, if you can call it wearing?”
“Why not?” With a gulp of her drink.
“Well, your father-but I guess that’s why you put it on. More important, I asked Rev. Powell to be here sharp on time, and I don’t want him to see you dressed like a whore.”
“Don’t make me laugh He made a pass at me last time he was here, the slimy slug”
“Well, he doesn’t pretend to be above temptation that’s one reason people like him. But don’t let me hear you call him a slug again, understand? Or I’ll forget you’re eighteen and whop you blue. I won’t have you badmouthing a minister. And one more thing Don’t spend the evening like you usually do, moping around some plastic headed boy. Mix Talk to people-”
“I’ll spend the whole radiated night with anyone I choose,” Lora said, and slammed the door.
After that, she didn’t really want to join the line-up at the entrance to the party hall. That was a room about sixty feet by eighty, shared between their apartment and the next; there was one on each floor of the tower, and doors off it were unlocked according to which family were the hosts.
But she was afraid of missing Danty if she didn’t.
So she waited until her father was busy greeting an early guest, then darted into a spot beside Holtzer, thinking that even if Dad did want to slang her for wearing this dress he’d hardly do so in a stranger’s hearing. She was right, and escaped with a mere scowl.