The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon

Author:Dianne Dixon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Literary, Contemporary Women, Fiction
ISBN: 9781402285721
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Published: 2013-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

AnnaLee

Glen Cove, Long Island ~ 1986

Innocence, AnnaLee is thinking. It’s something I never dreamed I’d associate with Persephone, but unbelievably here it is. Innocent is the only way to describe how she looks right now.

Persephone is in the garden, sitting beside AnnaLee. In the old wooden swing. On a late August afternoon. Her head is bent low over a piece of copper wire that she’s shaping and reshaping as easily as if it were embroidery silk. The slant of the sun is washing the copper with a fiery glow, turning it into a trail of liquid light.

Bella is hovering at Persephone’s knee, watching with fascination.

While AnnaLee is asking: “What’s it going to be?”

“I don’t know yet, but isn’t this wire cool?” Persephone says. “I found a bunch of it when I was with Rebecca Wang, helping get everything ready for the party at Mrs. Jahn’s estate. Rebecca came up with the idea that the dance floor should be inside a really pretty gazebo and the carpenter that’s working on it—or maybe it was the electrician—left pieces of this stuff all over the place. You should see the gorgeous decorations Rebecca has come up with. Mrs. Wang was right, her granddaughter really is a genius.”

Persephone is glowing with enthusiasm. “The party’s going to be incredible. And Rebecca is like out-of-this-world nice. I’m not just one of the people helping her anymore—she made me her assistant. And guess what? She said I’m the most creative visual thinker she’s ever met. Can you believe that?”

“Yes,” AnnaLee says. “I believed it the first time I saw one of your sketches.”

“Really, that’s what you think? You really think I’m good at being creative?”

“Yes. You’re tremendously talented.”

Persephone returns to working with the copper wire. “I used to really like doing sketches and I still do, but—”

Bella, fascinated by the sunlit wire, is doing her best to tug it out of Persephone’s hand.

AnnaLee lifts Bella’s rag doll from the seat of the swing and Bella immediately loses interest in the copper wire, happily taking the Raggedy Ann instead.

Persephone is now sitting cross-legged in the swing, facing AnnaLee, leaning toward her, confiding: “I’m really good at sketching, but after working with Rebecca on Mrs. Jahn’s gala, I’m starting to think there might be other things I could be even better at. AnnaLee, it’s like for the past few weeks I’ve been finding out I’m good at all kinds of different stuff. Like sewing. I mean, who knew? I never really sewed anything before Rebecca taught me how.”

She seems both bashful and proud as she’s explaining to AnnaLee: “There’re going to be these mannequins around the pool dressed like characters from the Gatsby book. Rebecca let me design some of the costumes and she showed me how to sew them. I had to work like a maniac to get it right, but they turned out great.” Persephone’s voice drops into an amazed whisper. “Rebecca said the geometry of the designs was outstanding, so did Mrs. Jahn. They said the way I see shape and pattern is unique.

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