Part 4 (2/2)
In theitene,youshouldbeabletofindmost of theseatGraciousHome
AnnickGoutalSoap Piper Heidsieck,sreen MontBlanc pen?small LAVENDARWATER
Seeyouat6!
I reread the note, wondering if I'ure out how many of eachitemshewantsmetobuy
She doesn't answer her cell, so I decide to call Mr X's office after getting his number off the phone list postedinsidethepantrydoor
”What?” heanswers after onering
”Urn, Mr X,it's Nanny?
”Who?Howdidyougetthis number?”
”Nanny I lookafter Grayer?
”Who?”
Unsure how to clarify without see impertinent, I barrel on ”Your ants iftbaskets fortheparty?
”Whatparty?Whatthehellareyoutalkingabout?Whoisthis?”
”Onthetwenty-eighth? For theChicagopeople?”
”Mywife toldyoutocall ry
”NoI justneededtokno andI couldn't?
”Oh,forcrissake”
Myearfillswith dial tone
Right
I walk over to Third, trying to figure out how ic puzzle It's a sit-down dinner, so it ) can't be a ton of people, but it ht, or so, if
she's having caterers and renting tables I think she's renting three tables j and they probably seatsix or eight each, so that'll be eighteen or twenty-1 four ? either I show up eht or I pick a number I Twelve
I stoP nfrontof theliquorstore Twelve Thatfeelsright
I lu tt16 twelve bottles of Piper Heidsieckto GraciousHome, a -1 housewa?es store, whose twoinitial branches are bizarrely right across I Third A611116 fr each other They carry everything from luxury: items atluxuryprices toeveryday householditems atluxury prices 1All so a woman canwalk in, buy a ten-dollar bottle of cleanser, and 1 walk out with a cute shopping bag, feeling as if she's had so out all their soap, but ?? I have nO idea what or where lavenderwateris I lookdownatthelist
Like theotherwo, threw the underline in as an afterthought' but, toIt's as if, suddenly,her life de-pends on LAVENDERWATER or MILK or EDAMAME I'm tempted to put mV hands up to my ears as their heads rise out of the notepaper, like so, ”CLORQXfI f /'/'”
I cofnrnence co the shelves in pursuit of lavender water and find that Caswell-Massey only makes freesia water, but she definitely wanted lavender Crabtree and Evelyn have lavender drawer liners, but that's clearly not it Roger and Gallet aud, I'm informed, ”doesn't do lavender”Then finally, on the very bottom shelf of another wall, with Grayer scheduled to drop and roll out of the town car in exactly five ranceMist,Parfuottobeit; it's the onlywatery-type lavenderythinghere I'll take it Makethattwelve
Nanny, I not sure where I gave you the impression that it was appropriate for you to botheryou up with a cell phone, so the net time you e in doubt we appreciateitif youjustcall iveyouthecorrectheadcount Butitwilldefinitelybecloserto thirtythantwelve Also, please find a ht yesterday for Lavender LinenWaterbyL ccitane (We onlyneedonebottleasit a cleaningtool,not a partyfavor) ”Hi,Motoyouon acellphone Knohy?”
”'Causeyou're oneof themnow?”
”No Because I'm so not one of them I can't be trusted to perform even the simplest task, say, pick out lavenderwater”
”Lavender what?”
”You pouritinyour ironanditmakesyourrentedtableclothssmell likethesouthof France”
”Useful”
”AndI amadetofeelincompetentover thiswh?”
”Bud?”
”Yeah?”
”Nocoirl-with-her-own-cell-phone”
”Fiiine”
”Love ya Bye”
The girl with her own cell phone calls her best friend, Sarah, at Wesleyan ”Hi, you've reached Sarah, impress downthestreet andtalkingtoyouJust like1 couldon a train, a boat, or even froot a cell phone She gave et as a professor's assistant Bye!”
ThenI ringGrandfabulousanyway Beep?
”Hi, Gran, c'estto you on mybrand-new cell phone Now all I need is a Donna Karan bikini and we can hit the Hamptons Woohoo! Talk to you later! Bye!” And then hoes ”hello?” myroommate's voice answers ”Charlene?” I ask ”Yes?”
”Oh,I wasjustcalling tocheckes””You don't haveany”
”Oh,okay,thanksGuesswhat?I'aveme a cellphone!”