Saturday, April 30, 2016

Vondalee Makes an Appearance


I was on my way home from the plant nursery when I caught sight of this convertible and my jaw dropped. Not that I'm blown away by old cars (though this was much like some I remember from my high school years) but because this is the car belonging to the main character in a short story I'm writing.

I followed the car for a while, hoping the woman driving it would turn in at the grocery store where I was headed but, alas, it was not to be.





Here's the opening of the story titled  "Vondalee Puts on Her Cat's Eye Glasses" :

Vondalee puts on her cat’s eye glasses with the diamonds on the edges and checks her lipstick in the mirror. Revlon’s Fire and Ice has always been her signature color, just as Emeraude is her scent. Back when she was a senior in high school she read in some magazine – Mademoiselle? Glamor? – about the importance of having a beauty signature and she has stuck by her choices ever since. The girls at the doctor’s office always comment that they can tell it’s her in the waiting room, just by the waft of her perfume.

            The white felt of the poodle skirt has yellowed and the waistband won’t meet but Vondalee has a big old diaper pin to hold it shut and she drapes a cardigan over her shoulders to hide the gap. It’s her best sweater -- baby pink angora with a precious kitty cat made of black sequins on the front. She frowns as she sees the sequins of the cat’s curling tail hanging loose and makes a mental note to get SueEllen to tack them down later.

Vondalee eyes the faded shoe box that holds the black and white saddle shoes with red rubber soles. She adored those shoes -- they really completed this outfit. But there's no point even getting the box off the shelf what with the bunions on her feet. The ugly sandals the foot doctor put her into will have to do. She will rise above her feet.

She’s stayed close to home ever since the hip operation – watching soap operas and never going anywhere but to church and to the doctor and to the grocery store with SueEllen where she can ride around on one of those little scooters. Like some old lady, she thinks. Time I got out on my own, like I used to. Time I got back to where I used to be.

Just a taste -- I'm about half way through the story and can't wait to see what Vondalee gets up to . . . and where she's going.



10 comments:

katy gilmore said...

Love those glasses! Hope we get to read more..

Ms. A said...

Oh, mercy... those glasses!

Barbara Rogers said...

Oh my goodness gracious great balls of fire! I wore both that lipstick and emeraud perfume for years. I just ran into my double...well not quite, since I only had sunglasses that shape (white). And my poodle skirt was dark green. So glad to hear about sister!

Frances said...

Vicki, you've got a real character there in Vondalee. How kind of her to drive past you in that blue sedan. Was it a Chevrolet? Once upon a time I could identify cars by their styles. Not so true anymore, beyond the Mini and occasional Jaguar or Rolls.

I can imagine what Vondalee might be having for lunch, too. That you for this taste of her life. xo

Suz said...

A role made for Kathy bates. Love it. .....

Jime said...

I'm gonna put on my blue suede shoes and jump in my black 1950 ford with a red dash and glass pack mufflers and chase down Vondalee. Yeah I owned that piece. It also had fender skirts and moon hubcaps. Them were the days. Never won a race cause it would get stuck in second gear.

Carol Crump Bryner said...

Good and intriguing start to the story. And that car! And the glasses!! We had a car sort of like that in my teenage years, and I still have the white framed cats-eye sunglasses I wore as I drove it.

Carolyn said...

My husband says '57 Chevy convertible. What a great example of the Law of Attraction! I had a poodle skirt (that my mom made for me) and cat glasses at one time, but I was too young to wear lipstick and perfume. I'd like to hear more from Vondalee. I know it would have been stalking, but weren't you curious where your character was leading you?

Vicki Lane said...

Oh, Carolyn -- I really wanted to keep following her but she'd already seen me stop and take her picture then follow her and take more. I was afraid she'd get freaked and call 911 and say a crazy woman was following her. I'll just have to follow her in my imagination....

Darla said...

Cute! I'm eager to read more...