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“Just open it, Anita. I hope I got the size right.” Anita took her time opening the box, undoing the bow with small precise gestures.
“Anita! Open the damn thing! Come on! I’m excited for you to see it.” She lifted the lid to reveal a pool of shimmering light blue and silver: a cocktail dress, one of those sparkling, slinky numbers. Anita’s hand fluttered to her mouth.
“Oh, Cruella, it’s beautiful. Thank you.” I knew Anita’s guardian didn’t lavish his ward with gifts and expensive clothing the way he did his own daughters. And I didn’t want her feeling out of place when we went out. This would be the first of many gifts I had planned to give Anita. Oh, I had such great plans for us. And I couldn’t wait to share them with her at dinner.
“Cruella, do you want to wear the black and silver?” Miss Pricket asked. I did. It was my favorite dress. “Oh! And my black-and-white fur. And my jade earrings,” I said.
Miss Pricket smiled at us and said, “You are both going to look so lovely tonight. I wish I could see it.” Anita flinched, and I could see she thought I should have invited Miss Pricket to dinner with us. I almost thought I should. She was, after all, there as a friend, even though she had quite seamlessly stepped right back into the role of being my lady’s maid. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. But I asked her never-theless. I was a new woman, after all, and I was stepping out of the traditional lady’s role. Why not invite her?
“Miss Pricket, you wouldn’t want to join us this evening, would you?”
Miss Pricket smiled, tears almost coming to her eyes. “Thank you, my dear, no. Though it means so much to me that you would ask, this is your special evening, and it’s going to be magical.”
The restaurant was glittering. It was everything I had wanted and hoped for. It was the first time Anita and I had been out together without a chaperone. I was eighteen. And Miss Pricket agreed it would be acceptable if we had the evening to ourselves.
As we walked up to the maître d’, I saw us in a large gilded mirror to our right. The words distinguish yourself rang in my ears as I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt empowered that evening wearing my finery, my coat and my earrings. I felt like I was on top of the world. And I had Anita at my side. I decided it was the perfect night to spring my news on her. My grand idea of touring the world together.
I knew she would be just as excited as I was. I waited until after dinner to tell her, and I was so giddy with anticipation Anita thought I’d had a bit too much sugar.
“Cruella! Maybe we should slow down a bit,” she said, pulling the dessert plate closer to her. She always made me laugh.
“Anita, stop. I have some news!”
She smiled. “I have some news, too, but you tell me yours first!”
I slammed my hand down on the table dramatically and exclaimed: “You’re going to be sprung from Miss Upturn’s in just a couple months, and as soon as you are, I want us to travel the world together! Oh, Anita, let’s start our adventure somewhere exotic—like Egypt! We can see the pyramids, ride camels. Or maybe we can find where my earrings are from, track down that pirate and see if he demands them back from me! Let’s escape stuffy London society and its insipid rules. We can go anywhere.”
Anita’s smile faded. This was not what I was expecting. I’d thought she would be happy. I’d thought she would be excited. I’d thought she would be thankful.
“What’s wrong? Do you want to go somewhere else? We can go anywhere you’d like! The world is ours to explore.”
“Oh, Cruella,” Anita said sadly. “I can’t go. I’m going to typing school right after I graduate from Miss Upturn’s.”
“Typing school?” I couldn’t think of anything duller. “Whatever for?”
“Cruella, I love learning French, how to paint, how to dance. I love all of it, but none of it will help me in the real world. I need a way to make a living for myself. I don’t want to be a governess or a companion to a snooty lady.” Her words stung. Was that what she thought of me?
“I see,” I said.
“No! That’s not what I meant.” She was mortified. “You’re different from the other ladies. I love you, you know I do, but Cruella, you don’t know what it’s like in the real world. You don’t have to worry about money. I need skills that will earn me an income I can depend on.”
“But Anita, I am offering to show you the real world! And you don’t have to worry about money. I’ll pay for everything.”
“And what if you fall in love with someone? What if your life takes you in another direction? Where will that leave me?”
“I won’t meet someone! I don’t want to marry. And I always want you with me! As my companion. I will always take care of you.”
“So I’d be a servant.”
“No, not a servant. My friend.”
“Your friend who you pay to spend time with you.” Anita reached across the table and took my hand sadly. “Oh, Cruella. I love you dearly, but don’t you see? I need to make my own way for myself in the world. I’m so sorry to disappoint you.” I drew my hand away, and Anita flinched.
“It’s fine. I understand,” I said. But I didn’t understand. What was so great about typing school that was worth abandoning your best friend? I was hurt.
“Are we okay, Cruella? Are you cross with me?”
I said I wasn’t, but I was terribly disappointed. The rest of the evening was very quiet between us. I didn’t even ask her about her news. I assumed she was just going to tell me about typing school. I supposed she was very excited about it, if someone could be excited about such a thing.
