Comfort and Mirth

36. Desire

>36. Desire Camille’s evening dresses were hopelessly out of date, and she had no time or desire to shop.While looking through her wardrobe and fabric reserve and checking the trends as reported on the society page of the Statesman, she devised a plan. She pegged the sides of an old black crepe skirt until it followed the line of her leg, hemmed it up six inches, and opened a vent at the bottom of the back seam. She fashioned a quick loose-fitting tunic out of several yards of plum and black print voile she had purchased before Margery Rose was born and cut a length of the fabric on the bias to fashion a sash.The evening of the reception, she wore a black camisole with the skirt, pulled on the tunic, wrapped the sash over her hipline in front, and tied it into a huge bow in the back. She pulled the tunic up over the sash into a soft blouson. She called Coral upstairs for her opinion, and after turning in front of the mirror several times, Coral helped her untie the sash, pull it into soft pleats, and wrap it around her hipline in back, forming the bow in front just left of center. Coral stood back.“Stunning!” she reported. Camille sighed as she pulled on her black kid gloves and rummaged through the wardrobe for her evening purse. “I just hope I make it through the night,” she said. “Miss Camille,” Coral answered as she reached up and smoothed a loose strand of hair back under her comb,“you 298 have more class than those stuffy old professors and all of their wives put together.” Camille’s shoulders fell. “I wish I could make myself believe that. It’s going to be brutal.” + The reception was held in the faculty club dining room, where couples were taking places at round tables throughout a dimly lit room carpeted in a burnt-orange pattern that made Camille dizzy if she looked down. Oscar Merriweather greeted them at the door and led them to the table at the head of the room and nearest the lectern. Alicia was already seated. Her face flushed as she watched her husband pull out a chair across from hers for Camille. He seated Brooks to Camille’s right and took his own place between his wife and the guest of honor as he briefed Brooks on the events of the evening. Alicia’s eyes darted around the room before she excused herself to the ladies’ room. Camille ordered a gin and tonic from the waiter and busied herself analyzing other details of the hideous decor. Thomas led Eveline to their table and, after congratulating Brooks, gave Camille a warm smile and courteous hug. Eveline’s hazel eyes widened as she nodded to Camille and took the seat next to Alicia’s empty chair.“You look lovely,” she remarked. “Thank you,” Camille replied as the waiter brought her gin and tonic and Brooks’ bourbon.Thomas ordered bourbon as well, and Eveline’s eyelashes fluttered as she asked the waiter if the bartender could make a Sazerac.The waiter left to find out. “What’s a Sazerac?”Thomas asked. 299 Desire “The new rage drink out of New Orleans,” Eveline explained. Thomas winked at Camille.“What’s in it?” “I don’t know,” Eveline whined,“but I’ve been dying to try one.” Oscar finished giving Brooks directives as Alicia came back from the ladies’room and exchanged hugs with Eveline. “Brooks.” Thomas leaned forward in his chair. “Do you know what a Sazerac is?” “Whisky with bitters,” Brooks retorted. “One of those back bayou sickening sweet and sour drinks. Nasty stuff.”The waiter returned with Thomas’ bourbon and apologized to Eveline that the bartender had no bitters. “That’s fine.” Eveline smoothed the lace of her slate-blue sleeve over her wrist.“I’ll just have a glass of white wine.” Camille felt as if she were standing outside a window watching the party within as Eveline and Alicia babbled on about fashionable drinks,hats,and cars and the men discussed their grading loads and class plans for the fall semester. She watched as Faye Rittenhauer floated into the room on Adolph’s arm wearing her sleek beige jacquard hobble dress. She sighed as they took seats across the room before Alicia noticed they had arrived. Charles and Maribel...