Once Is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann

Author:Jacqueline Susann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: GROVE PRESS
Published: 1997-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

JANUARY SAT in Linda’s office drinking lukewarm coffee from a plastic container. Linda was in one of her down moods. Linda was always morose on Mondays. But a rainy Monday in February was, as she put it, the “mother of them all.” January was cheerful in spite of the weather. After all, February only had twenty-eight days. And the twenty-first of March was officially spring. So once you cracked February, winter was practically over.

She had always hated winter. Winter had meant school. Summer and holidays had meant Mike. But now holidays meant Palm Beach. She had gone there Christmas Eve and stayed through New Year’s. But before Palm Beach there had been . . .

THAT WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK!

Holly and fake Christmas trees at the office even though everyone is working on the layout for the April issue.

The sudden change of attitude of all the employees at the apartment building. The doorman springing to open the door. The elevator man’s newly acquired talent of leveling the car with the floor. The fifteen names of hitherto invisible employees that suddenly crop up on the “Christmas list” the super slides under the door.

Sloshing through the rain. People on every corner weighted with shopping bags, futilely signaling at the empty taxis that flashed by flaunting their OFF DUTY signs. Dismal men in Santa outfits, their arms jerking with a spastic reflex as they rang their tinny bells. “Merry Christmas. Help the needy.”

Fighting through Saks—a madhouse encased with silver decorations. A cashmere scarf for David; squashing into the elevator to the third floor to get a Pucci bag for Linda, which Linda promptly returned. (“January, I’ve told you a million times . . . it’s Gucci that’s in . . . Pucci is out!”)

At least Mike had been easy. Two dozen golf balls with his name engraved on them. But Dee! What can you buy for a Dee? (And this was before she learned that the crystal icicles on Dee’s Christmas tree were from Steuben.) You couldn’t get Dee perfume. She had a closet full. At Palm Beach and the Pierre. Probably in Marbella, too. The salesgirl at Bonwit’s recommended a “Fun” present, like red flannel booties. She finally wound up buying some imported linen handkerchiefs at a shop on Madison Avenue. Dee could always give them to someone else as a gift.

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