OFF-TANGENT(A Lesbian Story)

Chapter Six

Mika was out of breath when she arrived at the door of the Country Club's dining room. Would Mozzy even have waited for her, she wondered, in the instant before she saw the woman across the room. Mozzy Crisologo-Ravena, Mika thought, would always be a perfect lady in public. She was wearing a pastel floral print with a pastel scarf forming a sort of trailing veil. She looked cool and charming... as if she had just stepped from the pages of an etiquette book.

But it did not take intuition to know that underneath the public façade, Mozzy was coldly furious. She glanced at her delicate diamond-studded wristwatch as Mika hurried towards the table. She said in a frigid smile, "I am so sorry we could not find a more convenient time for you, Mika. If you'd only let me know this was an inopportune day..."

"It isn't!" Mika said breathlessly. "I was just very busy this morning, and time slipped away..." I'm only getting myself deeper, she thought. She was unpleasantly aware of the fact that her hair needed combing and her clothes were dusty. She had taken a quick glance at her reflection in the glass door as she came in, and had decided not to delay any longer by stopping in the ladies' room to freshen up. Apparently, the decision had been a mistake. She suspected, from the way Mozzy was looking at her, that there was a streak of dirt right across her nose.

Should she excuse herself for a moment and go to wash her face? No, she told herself firmly. She'd stick with the natural look, and if Mozzy could not understand that her job sometimes required her to get into some unladylike situations, that was Mozzy's problem and not Mika's.

She told the waitress firmly that she would like a cup of coffee. She was scheduled to go on air, and even if she had not been, she would not want to give Mozzy Ravena the idea that she was in the habit of drinking alcohol at lunch. She thought regretfully about a tall glass of wine cooler. At the moment it would have tasted divine. Or a Mojito... salty and biting...

Not in front of your mother-in-law, she scolded herself. There is no sense in letting her think you are a souse as well as unpunctual... and careless too, about your appearance.

"I thought we should start discussing the wedding plans," Mozzy said, getting on their main agenda for this meeting. "Kiefer said you have decided on a date in early December."

That is news to me, Mika thought. "We had not set a day, actually. We talked about having it sometime in December, but..."

"Since it would August soon, it will be very important to start planning immediately," Mozzy went on. "When Kiefer's sister, Dani, was married, we had a full year ... and we needed every day of it. Just to have her dress designed and made took five months." She calculated, and said, "I suppose you will have to settle for a ready-made one. There simply isn't time for a designer gown."

Mika was tempted to retort that she had seen a very nice weeding dress in her size at a dress rental shop just yesterday. But she swallowed the incendiary comment and said, "I am afraid so, Mrs. Ravena."

"As soon as you have set a date, we will have to see about reserving the Country Club. I'm certain your father will want to have plenty of room for the reception. We have many friends in common, of course, but I am sure that we will need the entire clubhouse. You will be having a catered dinner, of course."

Mika noted with interest that it was not a question. "Well, we really had not..."

"It is going to be difficult for you, I'm sure, to make your father understand that he simply cannot put this things off. It is so unfortunate that your dear mother passed away. She would have understood. Men seem to think that a wedding can be planned in a matter of days. Really, Mika, you are going to have to set a date no later than next week. Heaven knows it is important to get your photographer lined up right away, and the caterer. The band for the dance is just as critical. The flowers can wait a little while, I suppose..."