The next few days were a whirlwind with getting all the paperwork in order and trying to contact Floyd to let him know she was on her way. And then she had to tell Josie she was leaving for the summer.
“My treat,” Kate said, waving at the bank of tiny windows at the Automat. “Whatever you want.” She jangled her nickels as she waited.
“I wish you would just tell me already,” Josie said. “I haven’t got much time for lunch. We’re working on a rush order, and I want to make a good impression. A recommendation from Bonnie would mean a lot for my future career.”
“Do you want me to pick for you?” Kate asked, still waiting for Josie to finish her rambling.
“No, I can choose my own food, thank you very much.” She hastily dropped in the nickels and put macaroni and cheese, green beans, and apple pie on her tray. “There. Now tell me why you are being so nice to me today.”
“I’m always nice to you,” Kate said as she made her own selections. She led them to a table, all the while feeling Josie’s eyes burning a hole in her back.
“Spill it.”
“Fine. I’m going on a trip this summer.”
Josie made a face. “Oh, is that all? Going to the beach again?”
“Well, I will get a good look at the ocean.” Kate dragged out the suspense, either trying to make it a little fun for Josie or merely putting off the inevitable.
“Tell me already.” She looked at her wristwatch. “I gotta go in five.”
“Italy.” Kate squinted her eyes closed and hunched up her shoulders, waiting for the outburst. Her confession was met with silence. She peeked. Josie was pushing the macaroni around her plate with her fork.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah. Italy.”
“And?”
Josie set the fork down. “What? Do you want me to say it? All right. Your life is charmed, Kate Allen. Charmed. I think you and I were switched at birth. You are living the life that I should be living. You’re not even Italian.”
Kate threw her hands in the air, mimicking Josie’s gestures. “And that’s the passion I was waiting for!”
Josie frowned and lowered her eyes. “Don’t make fun of me, Kate. You know it’s true.”
An outburst would have been less guilt-inducing. “I wish I could take you with me. But your life isn’t so shabby, either. Who is the one who got to go to the Central High School of Needle Trades when my mother said no way? And who is interning with the famous Bonnie Cashin, youngest designer to make it on Broadway? And who is it I saw standing at the corner talking to that tall blond?”
Josie’s face turned bright red in a blush Kate hadn’t seen on her in years. “You saw that? What do you think? He’s a dreamboat, isn’t he?”
Kate smiled her agreement, but kept them on topic. “Besides, we’re practically sisters, so I’m practically Italian.”
“We are practically sisters, so you should find a way to hide me in your suitcase.”
Kate sighed. “You know I would.”
Josie was quiet, and the metallic clinking of forks and china around them grew louder. “I’m happy for you. You’ve been through a lot, and it’s nice to see something good happening to you. I’ll visit Aunt Elsie while you’re gone.”
“She doesn’t scare you anymore?”
Josie shrugged. “She hasn’t screamed ‘Ludmilla!’ at me lately, if that’s what you mean. Nah, she’s swell. She kind of grows on you.”
“Thank you.” Josie was everything a girl could want in a best friend. “Think about what you’d like me to bring back for you.”
“Could you swing an Italian boy?”
“Ha-ha. You’ll have to go get one yourself.”
“A girl can dream.”
After lunch, the two went back to Harmon-Craig. Before parting at the entrance to go their separate ways, Kate gave her a tight hug. “You know I’d take you if I could,” she said. “We would have so much fun.” She let go and sighed wistfully. Sure, she’d have Nessa to show her around, but it wouldn’t be the same without Josie.
“No way I’m going in there to talk to Mr. G for you,” Josie joked as she waved good-bye.
Kate frowned. Mr. G was the next hurdle. She had to find a way to get time off for the summer while still having a job when she came back. She never knew with the temperamental Mr. G, and she hoped he was in a good mood.
Kate knocked on the open door. “Mr. G?”
He looked up, talking on the phone, and waved her in and motioned for her to take a chair.
She edged past a giant stuffed bear standing near the door, and had to move a box filled with silk butterflies before she could sit.
He hung up the receiver. “That was Cecilia Staples. She was updating me on my Christmas order.”
“If you need me to go over there, I’ll do it. Anytime. Well, anytime after this summer.” Cecilia Staples had a wonderful warehouse filled with display props. She built specialty displays for most of the stores on Fifth Avenue. She was amazing.
His eyes narrowed. “Is there something special going on this summer?”
“Fyodora Kolodenko has invited me to go back with her to Italy.” She hoped that by invoking the name of Fyodora, Mr. G would be more inclined. He had been in awe of the princess ever since she had practically walked out of his window, his art come to life. The manikin he used for the Cinderella dresses had been modeled after a chance photograph he had taken in Europe, a photograph of Princess Kolodenko in her younger days.
“You’re not asking my permission, are you?”
Kate tensed. Even after working with Mr. G for years, he still made her nervous. “I-I . . .” she stammered. “I thought I should talk to you about it. I would like to continue working for you when I get home.”
He leaned back in his chair, hooking his hands behind his head. “On one condition.”
She waited. He seemed to enjoy making her sweat.
“You get me photos while you’re there, and I’ll consider you still working for me.”
“That’s a generous offer, sir,” Kate said, wishing she could take him up on it. “But I don’t own a camera.”
Mr. G popped out of his chair.
Kate blinked in surprise. Ever since he and Miss Lassiter started dating again, he seemed to have boundless energy.
“You are in luck. I recently bought myself a new model. You may borrow my six-twenty flash.”
“Oh, no, sir. I couldn’t take your camera.” What if something happens to it?
He reached into a bottom drawer and pulled out a black box camera. “Nonsense. It’s a Brownie. Easy to use.” From the file cabinet he pulled out several rolls of film, which he lined up on his desk with the camera.
Kate was tempted. “Do you mean it?”
Mr. G nodded. “It was a trip such as yours that I went on as a young man.” He closed his eyes like he was imagining his early days. “You can’t put a price on inspiration. You never know what you will find when you set out on an adventure.”
He pointed to a bulletin board filled with black-and-white photographs of the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and another landmark Kate didn’t recognize.
“Do you know how to operate the Brownie?”
Kate shook her head.
Mr. G pointed to the lights. “Turn those off, bobby-soxer. You’ll want to do this in a darkened room so you don’t expose the film.” He popped open the camera, pulling out a square frame. He handed her a film canister. “Open that. It’s 620 film. That’s what you need to buy. Attach the film to the spool here.”
On the second try, she got the film to stay.
“Now, you wind it around the frame, then put the box back together.” He demonstrated turning the dial until the window showed the number one. “It’s ready. Now, to take my picture we need to attach the flash. I don’t want to waste a bulb, so we’ll go outside for that. But here is how you attach the flasholder. It’s a little awkward, but you’ll need it for indoor shots.”
After Mr. G showed her the finer points of operating the camera, they went out into the street. “Take my picture by the display window,” he said. He posed, arms crossed, facing the window, looking like he was examining his work.
Kate chose the focus at five to ten feet. She lined up her shot in the viewfinder, and pushed the exposure button. Click.
“Excellent,” Mr. G said. “Now wind it to the next frame.” He pointed to the tiny window on the camera, which revealed a number two after several twists of the winding knob.
“You got that?” he asked.
“I think so. Can’t wait to see how your picture turns out.”
They returned to Mr. G’s office where he loaded her up with the flashgun, spare bulbs, and more film. “I’ll start you off with these rolls, but you might want to buy more. I’ve got my own equipment, so I’ll develop the film for you when you get back. My only fee is that you allow me a copy of whatever catches my eye.”
“Swell. I’ll do my best, Mr. G. Thank you.” Kate refrained from jumping and clicking her heels. He was being so generous, she barely knew what to say.
“And Kate?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have fun.”
Next up for good-byes was at the Memorial Hospital. Mother was the only one going to see them off at the pier the next day. Adalbert intercepted Kate at the entrance. “It is not a good day today,” he warned. “She does not recognize any of us. She is sitting, staring at the curtains. I am sorry for you to see her like this before you leave.”
“I understand. But we take Elsie any way we can get her.”
While they walked up to Elsie’s room, Adalbert reviewed Kate’s plans for finding the shoes. “I am second-guessing,” he said. “Maybe you should tell the Kolodenkos your plans. You have so little information.”
“I’ve toyed with telling them, but the timing has never been right,” Kate answered. Although her gut warned her not to tell Nessa. And every time she’d planned to speak with Princess Kolodenko, they’d been interrupted. Surely on the ship they’d find a quiet moment where Kate could tell her the good news about the shoes.
“I have been asking around for the location of Malwinka. My friends, some say the name is familiar, like a legend, but no one knows how to find her. You will have to try yourself. She has not been like Ludmilla, which I always thought surprising. I wonder why she does not come after the dress like the others do.”
By now they had reached the top of the stairs. Adalbert paused with his hand on the door handle. “I wish we could go with you, then continue home to Poland.” He shrugged. “But with Elsie the way she is, we stay here. Besides, even now, Poland is not the place for me, a Jew, nor someone like Elsie, who married one. You would think after the war, people would be kind, but no. If my home survived the bombings, someone else is living there now. Someone else is wearing my clothes. Someone else is using Elsie’s dishes. They would not welcome us home.” He opened the door.
“I’m sorry, Uncle.” It was the same story for many of his friends. They were not going back to their homeland.
Elsie was just as Adalbert had described. She was propped up against her pillows and staring, unblinking, at the curtains. Kate took a deep breath. Elsie may never know she stopped to say good-bye, but she, herself, would know.
“It’s good to see you, Aunt Elsie.” She spoke in Polish. “I’m leaving in the morning.”
A slow blink was the only movement Elsie gave. Kate took that to mean she had at least heard Kate’s voice. Thinking a hug was out of the question, Kate reached over to squeeze Elsie’s hand. At first, the older woman resisted and tried to pull away, but then her fingers relaxed.
After a moment, Kate let go. “I will try to find what’s been lost.”