Gossip Times Three by Amy Goldman Koss

Author:Amy Goldman Koss
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

Chapter Five and a THIRD

a note about Lindy’s roots (and a confession)

BESS’S MOM, LINDY, took her personal grooming very seriously. She spent a large percentage of her income (from her job as an assistant interior designer) on the beautification of her self, including: lotions, gels, paints, sprays, masks, and scents for home improvement of hair, nails, and skin, and professional outside assistance such as her beautician, manicurist, waxer, and personal Pilates trainer. Plus clothing, of course, and accessories. (An assistant interior designer can’t exactly show up like a total slob and expect to keep clients, now, can she???)

That isn’t to say that Lindy was shallow, because she wasn’t. And I’m not just saying that so she won’t get mad if she reads this. (Maybe you’ve noticed I’m going for full truth, except for names. And I hope you appreciate it, because I may very well end up alone, shunned and despised as a result of all this honesty.)

And, as I mentioned earlier, this obsessive good-grooming thing comes in handy if you happen to meet a cute boy when you’re not expecting to, such as when Gilda wished she’d washed her hair for that study date with Grant before he turned out to be a little too cool for her taste. Meaning he was too cool and laid-back to remember to be where he’d said he’d be when he said he’d be there. THREE tastes of that and Gilda no longer gave the least fig whether her hair was clean for Grant, but the point is, Lindy’s hair, makeup, etc. wasn’t as silly as some may think.

Oh wait. The real point is that although Lindy was not a vain or superficial woman, neither was she the type to simply lose track of her hair color. No, Lindy wouldn’t forget to touch up her roots. Nor would an appointment with her hairdresser normally slip her mind, unless something was definitely not okay.

And now, the confession: There’s something I didn’t tell you about the beach scene with Steve. At the time, I thought I had a good reason for skipping this part, but now I realize it’s best to just give over the whole, entire, complete, uncensored, unabridged story—and so what if it sounds a little over the top? What I mean is, I was afraid that if I put in this last bit, you’d think I’d crossed the line and gone too far in the direction of corny, hearts and flowers—the direction that would make you lose all faith in me. But now I realize that schmaltzy, sappy stuff is part of reality too. And like it or not, sometimes reality is hokey. We always hear about “harsh, cold reality,” but warm baby bunnies, fluffy kittens, and chubby puppies are real too, right?

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this: Remember how Abby’s mom’s “friend” Steve knew that bell peppers made Abby burp and reburp that sick green taste for hours and hours till she’d want to scream? Well, maybe Steve didn’t

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