Chapter 8

“Absolutely not, no way!”

“For that matter, there's no question of even spending two thousand dollars on a ski suit. That's crazy, Karin, I would feel too guilty!”

They were in the car and were standing in front of a traffic light and, more specifically, in front of an arrow pointing in two directions: Kensington Road and Monroe Drive.

Dawney, who was in the driver's seat, was more than willing to continue in the direction of Kensington Road, where the street vendor booths were located and where, or at least she hoped, she would surely find some winter clothes and ski accessories in one of the many thrift stores that crowded the main street. Karin, who had managed to wrest a day off from Mr. Rossini, was instead trying to persuade her to turn onto Monroe Drive, the haunt of shopaholics, celebrity influencers, and VIPs, where all along the street, and on every corner, there was a store selling designer clothes or accessories and where, as she claimed, they would surely find something suitable for her month in Aspen.

“Okay, let's start getting out of here and park the car, we're making column,” said Karin, looking in the rearview mirror and noticing that, the driver behind them, had begun making impatient gestures in their direction.

“On this I more than agree with you,” remarked Dawney and, after making sure that no one was coming from the right, went straight ahead and, after turning left, drove five hundred meters before finding a free parking lot. 'What luck,' she thought in spite of herself.

At that time, normally, those parking lots, precisely because they were convenient and located in the center of town, were all occupied.

She slipped the car into the free space, then, after maneuvering three times, turned off the vehicle and took the key out of the ignition.

Karin resumed her speech:

“Seriously, Dawney, you can't show up in Aspen in a ski suit and hand-me-down clothes. They're all going to be dressed in the latest fashion, and sure enough, they're all going to be looking at you and, if you're not more than top-notch, they're going to make your life hell.”

Dawney huffed. “Yesterday I found yet another reminder from the health insurance company,” she confessed. “I paid it right away and before mother saw it. It was four thousand dollars.”

“What?!” Karin exclaimed. “Why didn't you tell me anything? I could have helped you!”

“Because, for the time being, I am the only one in the family who earns enough and receives a fixed salary.”

Karin tightened her lips, openly showing her that she did not agree with her decision at all. “I, too, although I earn less than you, have a fixed salary. You could have told me.”

“Keep it aside and invest it in your acting career. Someday, when you get a leading part in a major film and receive your first Academy Award, you will thank me.”

Karin shook her head. “And that is exactly why we are going shopping on Monroe Drive today. You sacrifice too much and now it's time for you to think about you.”

She tried to reply, but when she did, her voice rang out tiredly: “Instead of winter clothes and designer ski gear, I should use part of the deposit Cole gave me to pay off Mom's debts.”

The sister looked at her fixedly, then her eyes lit up. “Listen, I found a way to please both of you and solve your qualms, too. We will now go shopping on Monroe Drive, because you deserve it and, and don't tell me it's not true because I know, because you haven't bought a new dress or anything nice for yourself since you came home. And don't deny it, because Mom told me all about it.”

Dawney did not. It was the truth: since she had come home, all of her salaries, from the first one she had received to the one she was receiving now from L.A Hospital, she had allocated them first to help her mother pay her house expenses, health insurance, debts, and even groceries, water, gas, and electricity when necessary; then, when Karin had also come home, the acting classes and clothes her sister had had to buy to do castings. The only new things she had treated herself to were her work uniform and accident-proof shoes, but otherwise the few “new” clothes she had bought for herself in the past seven years had all come from thrift stores.

“Then, once you're back from Aspen, if it makes you feel better you can sell them and, with the money you make from them, go back to paying our bills and helping me or Mom. Know, however, that when I become a famous actress, I will shower you with gifts and take you every day on Monroe Drive.”

“And maybe you will also find me a new job, since, probably, after three days of absence the big boss will fire me on the spot?”

“Oh, stop it! I think she would like you to take a break from time to time too, after all, she gave you a month's vacation yesterday, and today, when you asked her if you could have a morning off to pick up the supplies for Aspen because you were leaving tomorrow morning, she gave you the whole day off!”

That was true, Dawney conceded.

She was still torn. On the one hand, she thought that with that thirty-seven thousand dollars she had planned to save, she could relieve some of her mother's worries and support her sister as well. On the other, however, it had been seven years since she had indulged in anything for herself, and, after all, when would she ever again get the chance to indulge in a little shopping spree with her sister and without standing there counting the pennies in her wallet?

“So be it, let's go for Monroe Drive,” she surrendered.

“Good sis,” commented Karin, satisfied. “You'll see, we'll have a great time and you'll make the rich ladies in Aspen green with envy, because you'll be the prettiest of slopes. Let's go now, let's not waste any more time.”

***

Four and a half hours later they left the Louis Vuitton store, and Karin, before Dawney could protest, took her to Le Petit Macaron, a French patisserie popular among VIPs and where they stopped for tea and also for its famous vanilla and rum cannelés.

“You are crazy,” Dawney repeated to her for the umpteenth time, after putting one of those exquisite treats in her mouth. “Six thousand dollars for a suitcase. I can still hardly believe I spent them.”

“Believe me, as soon as you are in Aspen, you will thank me. And then, if you don't want it anymore, when you come back from your extra month of work, you can always give it to me as a gift,” said Karin. “I love Louis Vuitton. When I'm a famous actress, I will exclusively buy its bags and accessories. Not the clothes, though: they have a style I don't like.”

Dawney, for the first time in seven years, chuckled. “You can't be perfect in everything.”

“This is also true,” Karin said, agreeing with her. “By the way...tea and channels are on me, the audition went well! They called me yesterday afternoon at work, I will start next week.”

Dawney opened her mouth wide in astonishment, then recovered.

“How wonderful, Karin, I'm so happy for you! And do you already know the role you will play?”

“Of course I do! I will be the protagonist,” she added, winking.

Dawney could not believe it. She could not wait to see her in action, even if it meant purposely buying a subscription to the streaming platform on which the TV series would be broadcast. “I don't know what else to say, Karin, except that I'm happy for you.”

“Oh, don't worry!” her sister exclaimed, taking one of the channels and putting it in her mouth. She chewed it briefly, then downed it: the ones from Le Petit Macaron were really the best, and she could not wait to start bringing them to her mother and sister more often. “I only have to look at your face to see how happy you are for me. How about you? Are you ready for the extra work?”

Dawney, taken aback by that unexpected question, fell silent. Her smile faded, immediately replaced by a serious and focused expression.

“Yes and no,” she bluntly admitted. “I mean...after what happened ten years ago, it's not going to be easy to be with him around the clock, but after all, it's one month. And the pay is very good and will help us pay the back payments on the house.”

Karin grimaced, then, after taking a sip of her jasmine tea, decided to ask the question that had been buzzing in her head ever since her older sister had confided in her that she had had an affair with the guitarist of the Razor Edge: “What's the name of this guy you've been with?”

“Cole.”

“Okay, Cole,” she said, thoughtfully. “I mean, what happened between you and him? If it went bad...well, it happens to everyone to be left, but...something serious must have happened. I've never seen you so on your toes.”

“As I've already explained, I don't like to talk about it,” revealed Dawney, hoping that after she told her what she was about to tell her, Karin would drop the subject and, more importantly, not mention it to her mother. “However...something serious happened. I won't tell you more, except that that something prompted me to leave the life I was leading before and start school to become a professional rescuer.”

Karin did not know much about the life Dawney led before: when Mom kicked her out of the house after finding out that she had dropped out of high school to follow the Razor Edge, she was only thirteen years old and did not remember much. The only thing she knew was that, her older sister, had discovered a cool rock band, the Razor Edge, and in order not to miss one of their concerts, she had traveled all over America, even going so far as to lie, on several occasions, about her age.

Which was not difficult because, at the age of sixteen, Dawney had a bob of black hair and also had a habit of wearing heavy makeup and also that horrid plum-colored lipstick that did not suit her at all, so she showed many more years than she actually had.

Looking at her then, one could have easily mistaken her for a girl of twenty-two or twenty-three years old.

Not knowing how to help her, and not wanting to press further and forcibly force her to tell about an episode that, and it was obvious, was still hurting her, she simply said the only thing that made sense to her and that crossed her mind at that moment:

“I know, it's hard, but...even though, for sure, it was something serious, try not to think about it too much. Instead, think about doing well the work he will ask of you, although I am more than sure you will do it, and it will only be for a month.” After pausing for effect, she added, “Also, keep in mind that that is not real life. I know, when I was a child I dreamed of it, I had a head full of fairy tales and very rich prince charming who would come and take me away to some exclusive resort to propose to me, but...now I've grown up, and I've learned that men who are so rich, and who have everything, bring nothing but suffering. And Mom is an example of that.”

Dawney sighed, finding herself agreeing with her. Thirty years earlier, Brittany, their mother, while at an art gallery opening with her boss, had met the gaze of James, their father, who was there to purchase one of the paintings on display. The two of them had struck the classic lightning bolt, and newspapers had been talking about their love story for months, because he, who was “as handsome as a movie star” and had “also amassed several million dollars thanks to the legal field,” in order to have that “most beautiful green-eyed assistant he had ever seen,” had left his longtime lover and, after a very close courtship, had asked her to marry him, without even doing a short engagement period, and a year after their first meeting had led her to the altar.

A year later Dawney had been born and, a few years later, Karin had arrived and, most recently, Kenneth and Jason, the twins, who would have turned twenty-two in early February and were currently attending a school to become professional field hockey players in Toronto, Canada. Both of them had been in shock over their parents' stormy divorce, and, not wanting to give them any more worries, when they had left for college, Dawney had preferred not to tell them that their family finances were in a worrisome condition. Secretly from her mother and sister, she had also paid their college tuition. This had been made possible by the extra shifts she had volunteered to work on the ambulance or the many substitutions they had made to replace a colleague who needed time off for family, for self, or for other reasons. She had continued in this way until, one day, she had received a phone call from Jason:

“Hi, Dawney, I called to warn you not to send us any more money for college tuition.” Here, her brother had fumbled on the phone to show her how much he disagreed with his thinking. “Dad called us and told us that, from now on, he will take care of it. He said he doesn't want to make his male children lack anything. I'd better not tell you how we think...when he does that, I just can't stand him,” he had added, categorically.“Don't tell Mom, but my guess is that Dad, deep down, still loves her a little. Who knows if they might get back together someday?”

She had not told him, but given the threats he had made to her and the new family he had created in the meantime, she doubted they would get back together. But what he had done toward her brothers had already been a small step forward.

She did not notice that while she was deep in thought, Karin got up and went inside to pay. When she returned, she put two thousand dollars in Dawney's hand.

“Karin, but...”

“Consider that as a small thank you for what you have done for me,” she told her, silencing her. “Come on now, we still have to get your skis, your boots, your helmet and your poles. And I also know a nice store where you can find them.”

Dawney, despite herself, sighed again, then got up from the coffee table and, after retrieving her bags with parcels and packages of all shapes and sizes in them, followed her.

If her mother had known how much they had spent that afternoon, she would have killed them, little doubt.