"I think you should be flattered. A lot of men would have wanted nothing to do with it. And Raina?"
"Yeah, Mom?"
"There are still some men left in the world who aren't all about expressing their every feeling. You young girls want to turn all your men into females in male bodies. There's something left to be said for men who aren't as 'sensitive' as women seem to demand today."
"Well you don't have to worry about Tristan being sensitive or overly expressive. He's much more what I think your generation defined as 'a man's man'."
"Your father's a 'man's man' and he's been the best husband a woman could ask for," Mom said with a touch of defensiveness.
"Don't go off, Mom. Daddy hung the moon for me and you know it. Maybe that's part of what attracted me to Tristan in the first place. He is utterly masculine."
"Well he shares that with your father, along with breath-taking good looks and a fortune bigger than many small countries."
We both laughed over that. My father is a craggy man who'd never win a beauty contest and whatever material worth he has was hard won, inch by inch.
"Is it okay if we explore the hotel? It looks like there's a lot more here than there was twenty years ago. I think it's been that long since I was inside the Plaza."
"Sure, let's take the tour."
***
Mom and I walked the entire huge first floor of The Plaza. There was a gourmet food court that sucked us in right away, even though we had just finished a huge lunch. The shops were elegant and the décor everywhere was stunning. Kwan kept a low profile but was never far. If Mom noticed him, she never mentioned it. I wasn't sure whether it made me feel safe or creeped me out to have him shadow us like that.
Around three-thirty, Mom wanted to go back to the room and phone Dad before she took a little rest. As soon as we got into the room, her cell phone rang. She fished it out of the suitcase she calls a purse and answered.
"Why, hello Tristan!"
I still had a dead phone, so it was logical for him to call Mom. My body instantly reacted to knowing he was on the end of that connection. All my nerves stood at attention and I could almost imagine an order for "increase blood supply to sex organs!" going out from the command center in my brain.
"That's very kind of you, but I am really quite exhausted. I have my eye on that marvelous deep tub in the master bath. Really, this suite is fit for royalty." He said something that made my mother giggle like a sixteen year old. "Well, you're sweet to say that."
"Of course, I'll be fine. My daughter probably deserves a break from me, anyway." Mom looked over at me and smiled. "You best make it pizza or burgers, though. That child's brought nothing to wear but her usual uniform."
At that, I scowled at her and held my hand out for the phone. "Here's Raina, then. Nice talking with you, too."
"Hi Tristan."
"Hi Raina. I wanted to take you and your mother to dinner tonight, but she…well, you heard."
"She's been good all day, but I know the worry and the stress has to be catching up with her."
"I understand. Would you be comfortable leaving her at the hotel and having dinner with me.? I'm sure she'll be quite safe."
"I'd love to. She's right about the jeans and T-shirt, though. We'll have to make it casual."
"The only casual I like is what I do at home. There are too many great restaurants around The Plaza to miss the opportunity for a spectacular meal. I'll cook you the best pizza you ever ate in my clay oven when we get back to the hills."
I reluctantly offered to grab something to wear at Bloomingdale's or Macy's but my heart sunk at the prospect of what it was going to cost me. I should have known better.
"Nonsense. You're only a couple blocks from Bergdoff's. Kwan will take you there and take care of anything you need. I've never seen you dressed up. Surprise me."
"But…"
"You have plenty of time and they're sure to have something you'll like."
"But…"
"Raina, you're repeating yourself. Is it so much to ask that you have a proper dinner with me? Humor me."
I felt guilty and ungrateful then. "Of course, Tristan. What time?"
"I'll come for you at seven-thirty. I'd like to say hello to your mother before we go out."
"She'd like that."
"Try to enjoy the shopping. Many women would love to have carte blanche at Bergdoffs."
I was tempted to say that I was sure 'many would' but I bit my tongue. "I'll see you at seven-thirty then."
"Very good then. Bye."
Half an hour later, I was sitting in a salon with a woman who was trotting back and forth to some unseen room to fetch dresses for me. Kwan had escorted me past racks and racks of beautiful clothes and into a back room with a couch, a triple mirror and the breathless woman who introduced herself as Ms. Summerland. After I had refused champagne, wine, coffee and tea, a tray with some designer water appeared on the table beside me.
She asked me about my 'tastes'. I'm quite sure that by the time the first three sentences were out of my mouth she realized that I had no 'taste' at least not the kind she could use for guidance. I told her I liked bright colors and black and white but that I wasn't big on earth tones. She asked me which designers I favored. I shrugged. Kwan stood by the door and wore the same expression he always wore--unreadable.
When she was gone I looked over at the non-committal Kwan. "Look, Kwan," I began. "I get the feeling you don't like me much, but I could really use some help here. I don't know anything about clothes like this or what Tristan would expect. Can you at least nod if something looks good to you and shake your head if it's horrible?"
I think that was the first real smile I ever saw the little Asian guy give. "I think I can help you out."
"And don't set me up, okay? Don't choose something awful on purpose. Please."
"I wouldn't do that to you, Miss Raina."
I believed him. Something in his attitude had changed. Maybe it was my mother, our life, the way our family was together. I was grateful for the ally.
In the end, I found a very chic, almost vintage looking dress that had small cap sleeves, a small stand up collar and a slit up the right side to the mid thigh. It was poppy red with black buttons across one shoulder. It fit beautifully, hugging my curves and accentuating my small waist.
"How about this one? I like this best of all I've seen." I twirled around in front of Kwan who grinned at me.
"It is very reminiscent of a cheongsam. That's a traditional Chinese dress. I love it. It's classy, but the red is out there. Good choice."