Stela did a slow circle around me, staring. 'You look
good. That skirt is nice. Ann Taylor?'
Leave it to Stela to look at my ass and see a brand name.
She didn't need to know I bought it at the Salvation Army.
'Yes.'
'Nice. I have a great bag that would go with those shoes,
too. Let me go grab it.'
'Stela,' my dad broke in. 'We're going to be late.'
Stela fixed him with a look that put him in his place.
'Vince, realy. It's ten minutes away. Let me just run up
and grab the bag for Paige.'
My dad folowed her with a fond look as she ran up the
stairs. He always looked at her that way, as though he was
granting her every wish and it made him happy to do it. It
probably did. I sometimes wondered if he'd ever looked at
my mom that way.
'Where are the boys?' I asked him.
He waved a hand toward the den. 'In there, somewhere.'
'Have a good time,' I told him just as Stela reappeared
with a truly monstrous purse.
She handed it to me with a beaming smile. 'Here. Won't
they match just perfectly?'
I looked at my pointy-toed boots and then at the bag.
They were both black but that was where any matching I
saw ended. The bag sported several huge gold buckles,
and the straps had been braided with gold lame. Tassels
dangled. That purse had more bling than Flava Flav's
mouth.
I thanked her anyway, but she held the purse back when I
reached for it. Stela shook her head slowly and eyed me.
She put the bag on the kitchen table.
'No. You know, that's not realy for you, after al. It's not
realy your style, is it, Paige?'
I was too surprised that she thought I had a style to
disagree even for politeness. 'No. Not realy.'
'Stela. Time.' My dad tapped his watch.
She sighed. 'Oh, wel. I thought it would look so cute with
those boots, but honestly, Paige, you've got a much…
cleaner…style. Now.'
It wasn't the cleanest of compliments, but I smiled anyway.
'You'd better get going.'
In a cloud of perfume and the jingle of jewelry, she finaly
alowed him to pul her away. I walked them to the front
door and closed it after them, but it took me until I
reached the kitchen again to realize something. Even a few
months ago, Stela's compliment would have had me
buzzing with resentful gratitude. Now…it wasn't that I
didn't care. It was more that it didn't matter.
My phone buzzed against my thigh and I puled it out with
a smile.
