Betty's Invitation

Rain begins to fall outside the former wedding dress shop. Max flies over, handing me the silver owl purse in his beak. He shakes water off his feathers and takes off into the night.

"Max!" I call, but he keeps flying. I don't know why I assumed Max was coming with me, but now that he's gone, the emptiness of Miracle Mile seems palpable.

The columns of the new building seem to loom like concrete guards in the rain. There is a light on in an upstairs window. As I pass by, I can barely make out the outline of someone on the phone before he (or she) swiftly turns the light off.

I feel a sharp pain in my gut, like a terrible cramp, and stop for a minute until it passes. If I had to tell a doctor, I’d say the pain first started on the day I moved back to Miami, and lately, it’s been getting worse.

I put my hand in my pocket for warmth and pull out Officer Khost's card. A drop of rain hits his name, dissolving it, so the entire card is now blank. Great.

***

I flip the light switch. My apartment looks as it did this morning, no hint of any break-in or natural disaster. Finally relaxing, I drop the dress box and purse on the couch and take out my cell phone.

"Hello?"
"Betty. It's Francie."
"Francie! I tried calling you three times, but your line was busy."
"Yeah, sorry bout that...listen, I need your help. I need to find the Queen Conch."
"That makes two of us," says Betty.
"No, not about the job...this is important."
"Francie, you know I don't have the Queen's digits. That's all Eva."
"I don't want to go through Eva. The other day, after Maribel was killed, Eva was wearing a necklace. It was the same necklace Maribel had on the night she died..."
"Don't tell me you're going all conspiracy theory on me. In Miami it's either sex or drugs. I saw on the news, the police think Maribel was using the shop as a cover for some sort of import/export business...I know Eva's not your favorite--"
"No, I'm...look, forget about Eva...is there any other way to get in touch with the Q.C.?" I look at the owl purse sitting innocently on the couch. It stares back at me.
"I don't know...there's a party tonight, at Havana. Let's meet there. We'll figure something out. But Francie...I don't think it's a good idea to go looking for the Queen if she's not looking for us."

***

I remember I'm starving. I haven't had much time to shop lately, so I scrounge up some spelt bread and almond butter. I'm trying to balance both and grab a plate when the plate slips out of my hands and smashes to pieces. I guess I'm still a little on edge. I eat my sandwich over the counter, watching the rain fall outside.

I love how time seems to expand in Miami, so that even though it feels like I spent hours in Grandma's parlor drinking mango green tea, my night is just beginning.

***

It's time to get ready. I sift through my closet in fast forward, tossing clothes all over the floor. I'm about to give up when I remember Grandma's gift.

I lift the yellow dress out of its tissue paper nest. It's perfect.

I grab the owl purse and my grey hoodie. "Secret Meeting" by The National is in my head. I turn and look at my apartment. I can see: a broken dish still on my kitchen floor, clothes strewn everywhere...a sudden gust of wind knocks the sliding glass door open and I rush over to lock it tight before rain pours in.

I smile, thinking about the scene in Grandma's window. Maybe it's okay if things aren't always what they seem.