She felt like she was in a gallery. Being an art lover; this was right up her alley. She wanted to keep looking at them but they had reached the end of the hall. Ellie was ahead of Angela and had stopped to wait for her.
“I’m sorry. These are just so amazing,” Angela told her.
“Dot’s right here in the study.” She approached her and whispered. “She can be a little...um...of a personality. An acquired taste if you will.”
“I’m sure I can handle her.” Angela smiled back. Little did she know…
Dot sat near the window in a gorgeous upholstered sage green velour chair, smoking a cigarette. An empty chair sat opposite her, a glass of water on the glass table next to her.
The room was filled with cream built-in bookcases which reached all the way to the top of the high ceilings. A tall ladder was attached to the bookcase, resting at the center of the vast collection of books. Angela had never, in her life, seen a study like this.
She caught a quick glimpse of the garden through the tall draped windows as she made her way to Dot, a magnificent garden. She planned to admire it further later, when given the chance.
“Hello, there. You must be Angelina,” Dot said, with a slight English accent.
“Umm... it’s Angela actually,” she clarified, offering her hand. Angela was a little astounded by the grandiosity of her mere presence; an air she had. Dressed to the nines in a red wool jacket and a pearl necklace, she may as well have been wearing a tiara. Angela squeezed her hand lightly for fear of breaking her brittle bones. She was quite delicate, shimmering silver hair, and a soft wrinkled face with small blue eyes. Angela estimated her to be in her early eighties.
“You’re late,” she said sternly.
“Yes. I’m very sorry. I actually had a flat tire. Can you believe it?” Angela explained, seeking sympathy. There was none to be had.
“Well, you seem fine now.”
Angela couldn’t take her eyes off the room; with its intricate paneling, a large fireplace settled in white marble, a gold starburst mirror hanging overtop. The drapes on the windows were made of silk with exquisite detailing. A large sleek contemporary glass chandelier gave the room a warm glow.
“You’re older then I expected,” Dot told Angela, sizing her up.
I’m older than you expected?
“Usually I get the young girls in school, looking for extra volunteer work to get into fancy colleges. I get rid of them pretty fast.”
Angela was standing right in front of her and wondering when she would offer her a seat, smoke blowing upwards, in her face.
“Can I take a seat?” she asked as she sat down.
“You don’t mind the smoke, do you?” Dot asked, not really caring about the answer. It was more of a command than a question.
“No. My mother smoked all her life.”
“That’s good because I’m not planning to stop.” She tapped her cigarette on the side of her crystal ashtray.
“So why are you here?”
“Well...” Angela was taken aback. “Um... to get you books... to read....” she said, looking at the hundreds of books lining the walls. A grand piano sat at the far corner, adorned with a bouquet of yellow flowers. They looked fresh. She wanted to get up and smell them. Actually, she wanted to go up the ladder. She wanted to be anywhere but there, sitting in a cloud of smoke in front of this miserable woman.
“The other girls, they had a reason to be here. What’s yours? Don’t you have anything better to do than sit with old ladies?”
“Well, actually I do. I have a wedding to plan. I’m getting married,” she said proudly. Dot didn’t ask further questions. She didn’t care.
“I just...” she said, suddenly feeling stupid. “I want to help someone. Make a difference. Do something outside the house. Oh... I don’t know. Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“You’re sorrier than I am,” Dot told her, smiling.
“May I smell your flowers?” she asked as she got up; she needed to take a step back. They were real, of course, and beautiful.
“So what books do you enjoy? What should I get you?”
“Romance… anything romance… and drama. I love drama. I have a list of what I’ve already read. You can ask Ellie,” she told her, staring out the window. “…something with a little sex… but not too dirty.”
