Maxie Mainwaring, Lesbian Dilettante by Monica Nolan

Author:Monica Nolan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2013-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

“Hal’s the best boss in the world,” she told Phyllis that night. “But he’s so determined to keep anything sordid out of Polish!”

Phyllis looked up from the Sentinel’s story. “There’s no mystery here,” she declared. “Those dockworkers are in my district. The local is voting for a new president, and the mob is doing some heavy-handed campaigning for the corrupt candidate!” She brightened. “I think I’ll ask Miss Ware’s advice on how to handle this.”

As if the mere mention of Miss Ware had taken care of the corrupt union, she asked Maxie, “Dinner out with Pamela?”

“At the Blue Danube,” said Maxie, picking up her hair spray. Noticing Phyllis’s lonely look, she suggested impulsively, “Why don’t you join us? My treat!” Maxie knew Phyllis missed their companionable evenings practicing radiator recipes. They had dwindled away, once Pamela and Maxie were an item again.

Phyllis protested, “I’m sure you’d rather be alone.”

“Don’t be silly.” Maxie discounted her objection. “Pamela just phoned to say she’s invited Lois—the more the merrier!”

Maxie could afford to be generous. It wasn’t only that she was up-to-date on her rent, had repaid Lois’s loan, and cleared her debt at Luigi’s. When Maxie finally called Grunemans about her overdue account, she discovered it had been taken care of—and the story was the same at Countess Elfi’s and the Tip-Top Tailor Shop. Maxie wondered once or twice if Pamela was her benefactress, but it seemed unlikely her girlfriend would choose to be anonymous. More likely she’d make it an occasion for advice on staying out of debt!

It was easy to be frugal, with money in her pocket, Maxie thought that night, ordering a salad instead of the steak. Gone was the fatalistic feeling that since she was destitute anyway, she might as well spend a dollar as a dime. It was only when Pamela criticized—or at any rate, suggested—that Maxie should put the price of her new sailor-striped sweater in her savings account, that the ex-deb still got the yen to take all the spare cash in her purse and go on a spending spree.

But so far she hadn’t. And she hadn’t quarreled with Pamela either. Not even when the ambitious girl suggested for the twenty-third time that Maxie use her evenings and lunch hours to practice typing until she could match Lucille’s speed.

Two and a half weeks, and no sharp words had been exchanged. It was some kind of record, Maxie reflected. It demonstrated just what two girls in love could accomplish if they both tried their darndest!

Maxie had even been attending Step Stool meetings regularly. She’d grown interested in spite of herself, now that she was in the publishing business. After years of mocking the newsletter for its self-importance, she now took a more constructive attitude. In fact, she had a few ideas up her sleeve that would stir up the staid Step Stoolers, when she outlined them at the next meeting.

Cheering up Lois was another shared activity, Maxie thought, as she looked across the table at her forlorn friend.

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