Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil Part 21

"The AKAs want to sponsor it, too," another woman said, referring to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Although the woman was an Alphabette, she was also an AKA, and it was clear she had mixed feelings on the issue. "This has been a long-running battle," she said. "We women feel the matter of debutantes should be our prerogative. It should not be left to a male fraternity."

The three Alphas at the table laughed contentedly. "If we gave it up," one of them said, "we'd lose our status. We can't do that."

The women exchanged silent looks. One of them pointedly changed the subject. "My, isn't that that a lovely gown," she said, gazing across the room. a lovely gown," she said, gazing across the room.

I turned and looked in the direction she was facing. An elegant black woman was standing at the entrance to the hall, peering uncertainly into the room as if looking for someone. She wore a slim-fitting dark blue evening gown with a solid ma.s.s of rhinestones glittering across the top. I turned back to my table, but something about the figure in the doorway-something about the rhinestones and the way the woman held her head haughtily in the air-made me take a second look. Sure enough, it was Chablis.

At the moment I saw her, she saw me. She took a deep breath, raised her chin a little higher, and started walking toward me at an exaggeratedly regal pace. Her eyes were locked on to mine, and her lips were pursed in a fashion-model-style pout. She was playing The Lady Chablis, The Grand Empress of Savannah. The crowd parted for her as she approached, all eyes on her. I felt a sudden throbbing in my head and a ringing in my ears. She was not more than five steps away from me when she reached out a slender gloved arm. I saw it as the Grim Reaper's scythe, swinging toward me. At the last moment, she turned to the right and clasped the forearm of a muscular teenager standing next to my chair.

"Young man," she said, "can you help me?" She looked plaintively into his eyes. "I am a damsel in distress. I surely am."

The young man broke into a handsome smile. "I can try, ma'am," he said. "What's the problem?"

Chablis turned her shoulders slightly so she could see me as she spoke. "I am here alone," she said. "I do not have the slightest idea who invited me. I am serious. My social secretary took down the information and wrote it on a piece of paper, but I left the paper in the limousine and sent my driver away. He won't be back till midnight."

Chablis entwined both of her hands around the young man's biceps. "And you know how it is with us ladies," she purred. "We must never be alone. That is not acceptable in polite society. We must always have a mayyin mayyin by our side." by our side."

"I know what you mean, ma am," he said.

"So I was hopin' you would stay by me till I can find my host," she said. "And you can quit callin' me 'ma'am.' My name is Chablis. What's yours?"

"Philip. I'm an escort."

"Ooooo, child! An escort! You mean you work for one of those dating services?"

"No, no," he said. "See, all the debutantes here have escorts. I'm here with a debutante."

"Oh, I see. Which one is yours?"

"She's standing in that group over there. It's my sister."

Chablis drew back in surprise. "Child, you have got to be kiddin'! You mean to tell me you're doin' it with your sister?" sister?"

"No, no, no," Philip said. "You got it all wrong. See, Gregory-that's my sister's boyfriend-he flat refused to come to this thing. He said, 'No way. I'm not going.' So I got roped into coming instead. That's how it works sometimes."

"Oh, now I understand," said Chablis, "you're just fillin' in, huh? You ain't got a real date tonight, do you?" She leaned closer to him, her hands gently stroking his arm.

"Well, that's sorta true," he said.

"Tell me something, child. Are you carryin' a gun?"

"A gun? Naw, I don't mess with that stuff."

"That's good. I didn't think you did, honey. But you see, one time I was out with a very high-cla.s.s gentleman, and he put a gun to my head. So I always like to ask."

"I don't think you'll run up against any guns in this ballroom," said Philip. "Everybody here is pretty law-abiding."

"You've never even been arrested? Not even once?"

"Well ..." Philip smiled shyly. "One time, sorta."

"Ooooo! Tell me, tell me, tell me! What was it for? Drugs? Reefer? 'Cause I am simply dyin' for a drag on a-"

"Naw, it wasn't much. Me and a couple of guys had a few too many drinks one night and we kinda, you know, disturbed the peace a little."

"Ooooo, I bet you did! I bet you could disturb that peace real bayyid bayyid if you wanted to. I can see it now. Yayyiss." Chablis shuddered with pleasure. She was now ma.s.saging Philip's arm. "Oh, look," she said, "here comes Mother Superior headed this way!" if you wanted to. I can see it now. Yayyiss." Chablis shuddered with pleasure. She was now ma.s.saging Philip's arm. "Oh, look," she said, "here comes Mother Superior headed this way!"

"That's my sister," said Philip.

Chablis loosened her grip on the young man's arm as a tall debutante in a lace gown approached. "Chablis, this is my sister LaVella," he said. "LaVella, this is Chablis." LaVella wore her hair in bangs and a pageboy cut.

Chablis offered her hand. "We was just talkin' about you," she said. "I understand y'all goin to college."

"Yes, I'm a freshman at Savannah State," LaVella said with a perky smile. "I'm majoring in electrical engineering."

"Really, child! Electrical engineering! See now, that's something I wish I knew how to do. Last week my TV broke down right in the middle of The Young and the Restless The Young and the Restless, and all I could think to do was kick it. That didn't help none at all. 'Course I never got to go to college. I had private tutors from kindergarten right on up. It doesn't matter now, though. I'm in show business, and I go on tour most of the time."

"Oh!" said LaVella. "That sounds so glamorous! You get to travel to so many places."

"Travel does have its points," said Chablis. "See this little handbag?" Chablis held up a beaded clutch purse that twinkled in the light. "I got it in London."

"Oh! It's so beautiful!" said LaVella.

"And my shoes are from Rome. And, let's see ... the gloves are from Paris, and the gown is from New York."

"Gosh!" said LaVella. "We've all been admiring your gown. It's exquisite."

"Well, honey, you, too, can have clothes like this if you play your cards right."

"I guess I better start saving up right now!" said LaVella.

"Oh, no! Uh-uh!" Chablis waved a finger. "That is not the way to do it. Never spend any of your own hard-earned money on clothes and accessories. You need to get yourself a may mayyin to buy all of that for you." Chablis put her hands on Philip's arm again. "You need to have a talk with that boyfriend of yours-what's his name, Gregory, the one that refused to come with you tonight. And you need to tell Gregory to get ready to shake loose some of his coins and buy you gowns and finery."

"I can try," LaVella said with a rueful smile, "but I don't think it will work."

"Then, I guess you'll just have to get all this s.h.i.t the way I did," said Chablis. "Shoplifting."

Before LaVella could respond, Chablis took Philip by the arm and led him toward the dance floor. "'Scuse us, Miss Thing," she said, "me and Philip is about to disturb the peace a little."

My first thought was to flee immediately before Chablis had a chance to make it known that I was more-or-less responsible for her presence. She had a devilish smirk on her face. She was in her glory. She pressed against Philip's body as they spun around the floor. They moved as one, not so much dancing as writhing to the beat. The rhinestones on Chablis's dress sparkled in the light and set her face aglow. I recognized it as the dress I had zipped her into backstage at the Pickup, the one with the slit up the back. Every so often the slit parted, revealing a whole haunch of calf, thigh, and b.u.t.tock.

So far, Chablis's antics had gone unnoticed, but I doubted they would remain unnoticed for long, considering the deep backward dips she was now executing, not to mention the full-throttle b.u.mps and grinds. I got up from my chair and headed for the door, but my path was obstructed by an exuberant Dr. Collier.

"There you are!" he said. "I've been looking for you! What did you think of the minuet?"

"It was stunning," I said, "and I want to thank you so much for inviting me. It was very kind of you. I've had a lovely time ..."

Dr. Collier had me firmly by the arm. He was looking around the room. "I want to introduce you to the man that taught 'em how to do it. He's the athletic director at Savannah State. John Myles. He taught 'em the waltz too. I don't see him just now, but that's okay ... we'll catch him a little later."

I now had a choice of slipping away and insulting my host or staying and becoming entangled in Chablis's inevitable denouement. I withdrew to the bar nearest the door to figure out what to do next. From that vantage point I had a view of the dance floor and a clear shot at the exit. I ordered a double scotch.

"And I'll I'll have an apple schnapps!" said Chablis, suddenly materializing beside me. She was breathing heavily and dabbing her face with a napkin. have an apple schnapps!" said Chablis, suddenly materializing beside me. She was breathing heavily and dabbing her face with a napkin.

"What happened to your friend Philip?" I asked.

"His sister cut in on us," she said with a look of extreme distaste. "But that's all right, honey. I'll get even with her. And anyway, I don't mind. The Doll has her eye on a couple of the other escorts now. Soon as she gets a little liquid fire in her belly, she'll be getting' into the cuttin' -in business herself. Big time." The bartender set a shot gla.s.s of apple schnapps in front of Chablis. She drank it in a single gulp and coughed. Her eyes blazed. She looked out over the dance floor, and her mouth twisted in a leer. "Eeenie, meenie, mynie, mo ... catch an escort by the toe. Isn't that how the little ditty goes, honey? Did I get it right? Did I? Hey, Mr. Chauffeur, are you listenin' to me?"

"Forgive me, Chablis," I said, "but I think you have a h.e.l.l of a nerve busting in here like this."

"Ooooo, I have made you angry, baby. You are some kinda cute when you get may mayyid, child. But you see, baby, The Doll felt like bein' a little uppity tonight. And this ballroom happens to be the uppitiest place in Savannah at the moment. That is why she is here."

"Well, let's not argue," I said. "I have no intention of insulting these people, and if you're planning to pull any more pranks, I'd appreciate it if you'd stay well away from me. Better yet, why don't you just leave now? Before things get out of hand. You've had your fun. Why ruin it?"

"Oh, but the fun's just startin', honey."

"Well, it's all over for me," I said. "I'm leaving."

"Oh no, you ain't, child. 'Cause if you do, I will read your beads right here in public, I promise you. I will scream and carry on. I will go up to that old man in the blue ruffled shirt you was just talkin' to, and I will tell him that you brought me here, and that I am carryin' your baby, and that you have just walked out on me."

Every hair follicle on my head began to tingle. I was too respectful of Chablis's sense of drama to dismiss her threat out of hand. She smiled and moved closer to me. "This is what you get for not bringin' me as your date," she said. "But if you are a good boy, I promise I won't say nothin'."

"Just behave yourself, Chablis," I said.

"I'll try, honey," she said. "But it ain't gonna be easy. Whenever I'm around high yellas, I get jumpy. Know what I mean? And this place is loaded with 'em. Just look around." Chablis leaned on an elbow and scanned the crowd, panning slowly from one end of the hall to the other. "What you are lookin' at is 'black society,'" she said. "And now you know the big secret about black society: The whiter you are, the higher you get to rise in it."

"But the debutantes don't all have light skin," I said. "They represent a pretty broad mix if you ask me."

"They can make debutantes in any color they want," said Chablis, "but it won't make any difference. The girls with the light skin are the ones the successful black men are gonna marry. It gives them status. Black may be beautiful, honey, but white is still right when it comes to getting' ahead in this world, in case you didn't know. I ain't got nothin' against high yellas. Their color ain't their fault, but they do tend to clan together. You oughta see em at Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church on West Broad Street. That's the black status church here in Savannah. People say they got a comb over the front door, and they won't let you in unless you can run the comb through your hair without breakin' it. Inside the church the real light-skinned people sit in the pews up front, and the darker ones sit in back. That's right, honey. Just like it used to be on the buses. Y'see, when it comes to prejudice, black folks are right up there with white folks. Believe me. It's no big deal, but when I see black folks start actin' white, honey, it brings out the n.i.g.g.e.r b.i.t.c.h in me." A sly smile crept across Chablis's face. She peered seductively over her shoulder at me.

"Behave yourself," I said.

Chablis ordered another apple schnapps and drank it down. "We gotta stop talkin' now, child. It's time for The Doll to go play with the boys."

Chablis walked demurely onto the dance floor and tapped the shoulder of the first debutante who pa.s.sed. She and the debutante exchanged polite smiles and traded places. In a moment, Chablis was nestled against the chest of her new dancing partner. I watched from the bar, my anxiety tempered somewhat by my double scotch. Five minutes later, Chablis disentangled herself from her new partner and cut in on another couple. She did this several times in the next half hour, working the room and rubbing up against all the best-looking young men. She took care, as she made her rounds, not to neglect the feelings of the debutantes. "Love "Love the gown!" she would say as she cut in. Chablis's mouth was moving as fast as her body. She whispered to her partners, she gossiped with the girls. the gown!" she would say as she cut in. Chablis's mouth was moving as fast as her body. She whispered to her partners, she gossiped with the girls.

At one o'clock, the dancing came to an end, and a breakfast buffet was laid out. Chablis filled her plate with eggs and sausages and then, as people began to sit down at their appointed tables, she floated around the room looking for a place to alight. Before long I noticed she was floating in our direction. She scooped up an empty chair from the next table and dragged it over to ours, squeezing it in between the two matrons who were sitting opposite me. They obligingly made room for her.

"Oh, pardon me," said Chablis. "Is it all right if I join you?"

"Why, certainly," said one of the women. "I must tell you I have not been able to take my eyes off your beautiful gown all night. It makes you look like a movie star."

"Thanks," said Chablis, settling into her seat. "As a matter of fact, I wear it on stage a lot."

"Oh, are you in the theater?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I'm an actress," said Chablis.

"How fascinating. What sort of acting do you do?"

"Shakespeare. Broadway. Lip sync. I'm based in Atlanta, but I came to Savannah tonight so I could see my cousin become a debutante."

"Oh, how nice," said the woman. "Which one is she?"

"LaVella."

"Oh, LaVella's a lovely girl! Don't you think so, Charlotte?"

"Oh, my yes," said the other woman, nodding and smiling broadly.

"I think so too," said Chablis, a saccharine sweetness creeping into her voice, "and she's always wanted to be a debutante. Ever since I can remember." Chablis ate her food with exaggerated gentility, both pinkies raised.

"Isn't that sweet," said the woman. "LaVella's so delicate and pretty. And so intelligent."

"She's wanted it so bad. We used to talk about bein' debutantes when we was kids," said Chablis. "I'm so glad she got to be one. She was afraid she wouldn't make it, though."

"Well," said the woman, "I can tell you LaVella had nothing to worry about. She's a first-cla.s.s young lady."

"She was worried anyhow. She'd say to me, 'Oh, Cousin Cha-blis, I'll never make it.' I know I'll never make it. And I would say, 'Now listen, girl. You got nothin' to worry about. If Vanessa Williams can get to be Miss America in spite of all the checkin' up they do at the Miss America pageant, you ought to be able to slide right by that two-bit debutante-screening committee in little ol' Savannah."

The two matrons glanced across Chablis at each other.

"'Besides, LaVella, honey,' I said. 'You are always so careful to save your whorin' around for when you come to Atlanta. No one in Savannah has a clue.'"

The two women stared wordlessly at Chablis, who continued to eat her breakfast daintily while she talked.

"I wanted to be a debutante too," she went on. "Oh, yes, I really dee deeyid. But like I said to LaVella, 'If I am gonna be a debutante, let me be a real real debutante. Let me be a Cotillion debutante. I am serious.'" debutante. Let me be a Cotillion debutante. I am serious.'"

One of the women coughed; the other looked away from the table in desperation, as if searching the horizon for a rescue ship.

"'Oh, sure, LaVella,' I said, 'The Alpha ball is very beautiful and glamorous. Don't get me wrong. But, LaVella,' I said, 'what are you gonna do this summer when you get off from school? Huh? You're gonna work at the Burger King on West Broad Street. Right? Well, honey, Cotillion debutantes do not work at the Burger King. No way, child. They take bicycle trips through France and England. I am serious. They go to Washington and work for a United States senator who happens to be a friend of the family. They sail on a yacht. They fly to a spa and lay on their a.s.ses all summer. That's what they do. And that's what I I want to do as a debutante.'" want to do as a debutante.'"

Chablis pretended not to notice the discomfort she was causing the women. She glanced at me briefly and pursed her lips. Then she went right on talking.

"So I said, 'Go ahead and laugh, girl. But you know I really could could be a Cotillion debutante if I wanted to be. 'Cause I'm so good at pa.s.sin'. I can be whatever I choose to be, and if I choose to be a rich white girl, honey, that's what I will be. G.o.d knows I'm halfway there already. I have plenty of blond hunks to play with, honey, and I'm workin' on havin' me a white baby.'" be a Cotillion debutante if I wanted to be. 'Cause I'm so good at pa.s.sin'. I can be whatever I choose to be, and if I choose to be a rich white girl, honey, that's what I will be. G.o.d knows I'm halfway there already. I have plenty of blond hunks to play with, honey, and I'm workin' on havin' me a white baby.'"

The women gave me pained glances, embarra.s.sed that I-the only white person in the ballroom-should be forced to hear such talk. The temperature in the room seemed to rise by sixty degrees. I was sure my face was bright red. Suddenly Chablis put down her knife and fork.

"Oh, my goodness!" she said. "What time is it?" She grabbed the hand of the woman next to her and looked at her watch. "Half past one! My driver's been waitin' for me since midnight." She glanced around the room, then pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. "Well, it's been nice meetin' you," she said. "I gotta say good-bye to some people before I go. If you ladies happen to see my chauffeur, would you tell him I'm still here and not to leave without me? Tell him we'll be takin' my cousin with us-my other other cousin, that is. Philip. Tell him Philip and me haven't finished disturbin' the peace yet. He'll know what that means." cousin, that is. Philip. Tell him Philip and me haven't finished disturbin' the peace yet. He'll know what that means."

"Yes, why certainly," one of the women mumbled.

"And you won't have any trouble spottin' my chauffeur," said Chablis, casting a glance my way. "He's white."

Then she set off around the room, table-hopping and slipping her telephone number to several of the boys. Now, I figured, was the time for me to leave. Quickly. I nodded good-bye to my table mates and headed toward the door, giving Chablis a wide berth. I knew that if she saw me she would draw me into whatever stunt she was about to pull. I approached Dr. Collier and hurriedly thanked him for inviting me. Dr. Collier did not sense the urgency of my departure and introduced me to the man standing next to him, the man who had taught the debutantes how to dance the minuet. I smiled and uttered pleasantries but barely heard a word that either of the two were saying; my eyes were darting around the room for signs of Chablis. When at last it was possible to take my leave, I withdrew, ducked around the bar, slipped through the ballroom doors, and bounded down the escalator two steps at a time. I managed to make it across the lobby without incident and dashed out the front door into a calm, untroubled misty night on Bay Street.