Dinner at Eight

Tiffany sipped her glass of Chardonnay, while thumbing through her address book. She ran her finger across the number, memorizing it before she dialed. The call connected immediately. "Bonsoir ! Pourriez-vous me connecter la pi ce du Scorpion de Robert s'il vous plaît ?" she asked the hotel operator in Paris. [Good evening! Could you connect me to Robert Scorpio’s room please?] She tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the desk, while she waited for him to answer. On the fifth ring, she heard the familiar voice.
"Scorpio," he said.
"Honestly, Robert!" she chided. "Is that any way to answer the phone?"
"Hello, love," he said, ignoring her question. "How was your trip?"
"Long!" she said, closing the address book and returning it to her purse. "Luke looks like hell!"
"I hope you told him that."
"I most certainly did! For all the good it did," she replied with a pout in her voice. "Any news at your end?"
"I’m picking Robin up from the airport in the morning," Robert told her. "We have an appointment with Bourgogne’s assistant tomorrow."
"Really?" Tiffany answered. It was hard to keep the excitement out of her voice. " That sounds very promising."
"Robin says the new research shows there’s a good chance that the preliminary tests on LS-49 were wrong," he replied.
"Oh, God!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Do we dare get our hopes up?"
"Not yet, Love," he replied. "And I’m not telling this to Luke just yet. I don’t know how much more he can take."
"I agree," Tiffany said, taking a sip of wine. "I think he’s at the end of his rope. I really do."
"Have you seen her?" Robert asked.
"He wouldn’t let me," she said. "He said she wouldn’t want me to remember her like that. I want to see her so badly though."
Robert echoed Luke’s thoughts. "No you don’t! I wish to God I hadn’t seen her. It tore my heart wide open. She’s as beautiful as ever, but I can’t get the imagine of that vacant stare out of my mind, Tif. It’s not Laura. I can see why Luke drinks like he does."
"I’m glad you brought that up," Tiffany said, the concern evident in her voice. "I’m worried about that."
"There’s not much we can do about it," Robert told her. "His life is a bloody mess. If I were him, I’d be drowning my sorrows too, but Luke’s always been a drinker. I think he’s got it under control."
"I’m not sure I agree with you." Robert chuckled. "Well, Love! It wouldn’t be the first time."
"Oh, you!" Tiffany said, laughing as well. "I’m having dinner with him tonight. Do you want me to tell him about the meeting tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Robert said. "You do that. Tell him I’ll call tomorrow afternoon as soon as the meeting is over."
"Okay."
Robert hesitated telling her the next part. "And tell him I’ll get word to Tracy that he’s alright."
Tiffany was silent for a moment. Tracy Quartermaine was a sore subject, but she had a deliciously wicked idea. "Oh, let me do it!"
Robert laughed a hearty laugh, replying. "You’re a naughty girl!"
Tiffany laughed again. "She deserves it," she said. "Let me do it, for Laura’s sake."
Robert had never been too keen on Luke’s sham of a marriage either, and he certainly didn’t relish the thought of having to call Tracy. It would also send a message to her that she wouldn’t like, and Robert was all in favor of that.
"For Laura," he said.
"I’ll talk with you later," Tiffany said, sounding devilish. "I’ve got some phone calls to make."

*      *      *
Tiffany smiled when she heard the voice on the other end of the phone. "How’s my favorite Goddaughter?"
Lulu laughed, replying. "I’m your ONLY Goddaughter!"
Tiffany laughed. "A minor detail," she said, dramatically.
"Where are you?" Lulu asked, laughing too. "Are you in New York?"
"Not yet, Honey Bun!" Tiffany replied. "I’m taking care of some business, but I’ll be there next week. I wanted to take my girl out for a belated birthday dinner."
"I’d love that!"
"Me too," she said. "Now you think about where you’d like to go, and I’ll call you next week. Let’s plan on Thursday."
"Sounds good," Lulu replied. "I can’t wait to see you!"
"I can’t wait to see you either, Darlin’," Tiffany said, taking a sip of wine and thinking of Laura.
"My goodness! 19 already....where has the time gone?"
"That’s what Grandma says."
"Well, it’s true!" Tiffany marveled. "It seems like just yesterday that I was changing your diapers and now you’re a young woman."
"Aunt Tiffany!"
"Alright. Alright," Tiffany said. "Pretty soon, though, you’re going to be older than me, you know?!"
"Yep! I’m gaining on you alright!"
Tiffany laughed. This child did wonders for her soul. "I’ll see you next week! I love you."
"Love you too," Lulu said.
Tiffany waited for the line to disconnect, before she put the phone back in its cradle. After she did, she buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow.

*      *      *

Tiffany stayed like that for a while: face in hands, tears pouring down her face. T.S. Elliott wrote that April was the cruelest month. For Luke and Laura, every month was cruel, she thought. She didn’t just cry for Luke and Laura. She cried for their kids and Laura’s grandson. There was so many wonderful things they didn’t know about their mother, and the thought that her grandbaby would never see the sparkle in her eyes or hear her intoxicating laugh or know the goodness of her love was almost unbearable to Tiffany.
And Lulu...
These were the years when a girl grew to appreciate her mother and begin to see her as a woman in her own right. Laura had been denied so much, and no one could make up for it in that child’s heart. Tiffany had tried to be there for her in the ways she knew Laura would have wanted, but it wasn’t the same. When she looked at Lulu now, she saw Laura plain as day. It was uncanny how much she looked like her mother - her smile, the way her eyebrow went up just like Laura which conveyed so much without a word. There were times when she even sounded like her mother. It was all so bittersweet.
She missed her best friend more than words could say. There friendship was measured like most: in laughter and tears, and there had been many of both. What most people didn’t know was how funny Laura could be. She was quick on the uptake. Laura had a true wicked streak just as she did, and they had their share of fun as a result.
Laura had given her the greatest gift when Luke and Laura asked her to be Lesley Lu’s Godmother. She and Laura had spent a week hunting through every boutique and antique shop looking for the perfect christening gown. Finally, after days of searching, they found one in a vintage dress shop, of all places. It had hung in the back with the wedding dresses. The gown was the most exquisite thing either of them had ever seen. It had a cream colored, raw silk underslip with a sheer overlay that had floral patterns all throughout the gown, accented with little seed pearls.
Everywhere you looked, there was lace trim: around the short sleeves, along the tiny neckline and around the base of the hemline. Three feet of silk and lace flowed from the top of the gown to the bottom. There was even a headband of the same lace and seed pearl pattern which formed a bow at the top of the head, making the precious child who wore it look like a gift. It was a gown made for a princess.
Laura about fainted when she looked at the price tag: $650.00.
"Dear God!" Laura exclaimed. "That’s twice my monthly car payment! Luke will kill me if I spend this much on a dress she’s going to wear once."
Tiffany pulled Laura closer to her and whispered. "It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, Darlin’!"
Laura bit her lip, thinking about how perfect her baby girl would look in this gown. She stood for what seemed like an hour, with her thumb under her chin and her index finger over her mouth studying the gown.
"Oh, look," Laura said disappointed, pointing to the hem of lace. "The lace is all tattered here in the front." She pulled the dress up and examined it closer. "I think I can fix it though," she whispered.
"Well," Tiffany huffed, loud enough for the attendant to hear. "I certainly think that should knock something substantial off the price!"
The saleslady came to their side, attempting to close the sale. "It’s exquisite! Yes? Very rare," she marveled in a thick, Hungarian accent. "You won’t find material any better than this."
"Hmm," Laura said, not letting on how much she wanted the dress. "It is quite lovely, but the lace at the hemline isn’t in the best shape."
The store owner put on her glasses and examined the area that Laura was pointing to. "Dress is very old. These things happen."
"I understand," Laura said. "But it’s for my daughter’s christening, and she couldn’t possibly wear it in this condition."
"Certainly not!" Tiffany chimed in.
"Tiffany," Laura asked innocently, "do you think your seamstress might be able to fix it?"
"Well, Darling," Tiffany said, biting her lip and trying to sound like it was a small imposition. "Icould ask her. But, you know Ingrid’s very busy with the wardrobe alterations, and she’d have to spend quite a bit of time repairing this - the lace is extremely delicate," Tiffany squinched her nose at the sales lady, and smiled as if this was something that didn’t really need to be pointed out.
Laura leaned in towards the woman, putting her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered. "Tiffany is an actress."
The woman pulled her glasses down and examined Tiffany more closely. "Ah, yes!" She said in a voice of recognition. "I thought you looked familiar."
Tiffany blushed slightly as Laura asked. "What do you think Ingrid would charge to fix something like this?"
"Oh my heavens!" Tiffany exclaimed, adding just the right amount of drama. "I couldn’t venture a guess!"
"I sell it to you for $500."
"$250," Tiffany countered, as Laura’s eyes opened wide with surprise. She had been prepared to offer $300. The dress was exquisite and worth every penny.
There was a long pause as the woman considered the offer. "I sell it for $300."
Laura was about to speak when Tiffany looked at her and winked. "The more I think about it," she said to Laura. "The more I think that Ingrid could make the entire dress quicker than it would take her to repair that delicate lace. It will be just as lovely!"
Laura’s heart was in her throat as she played along with Tiffany’s bluff. "Are you sure?"
Tiffany nodded her head, almost dismissing the sales woman. "Let’s go call her so she can jump-start the hunt for the appropriate lace and pearl accents."
Immediately, the woman intervened. "No. No," she said. "No need to trouble her. I sell it for $250."
Laura’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she placed her hand across her chest. "Really?" she asked, delightedly surprised.
The woman threw her hands in the air as if it were no trouble. "Of course! Special dress for special occasion. It would be my pleasure to know the child will look like a princess."
Laura reached for her purse when Tiffany subtly placed her hand on top of Laura’s. She turned to the woman. "Would you take a check?" she asked, sweetly.
"Absolutely."
Tiffany wrote out the check as the woman gently wrapped the gown in tissue paper. "Thank you so much. My Goddaughter is going to look heavenly in this gown! How ‘bout we send you a picture of the two of us with my Goddaughter wearing her stunning christening gown?" Tiffany looked at Laura for approval.
Laura nodded. "Of course."
"That would be wonderful!" The woman exclaimed. She wrote out her address for Tiffany. "My name is Maria. I am the owner."
"Well, it’s been lovely doing business with you Maria," Tiffany said in her most charming, southern accent. "I’ll make sure you get that picture."
Tiffany and Laura walked out of the shop with arms intertwined and heads together, laughing like two schoolgirls. Laura fluttered her eyelashes at Tiffany in pure amazement.
"My dear," she said. "You are good!"
"You’re not so bad yourself," Tiffany said, laughing with her friend. "Oh, that was fun!"
Laura turned serious. "I didn’t expect you to pay for it," she said.
Tiffany swatted Laura’s arm. "I didn’t," she said with confidence. "How much do you want to bet that she never cashes that check? You did tell her I was an actress."
Laura’s eyes grew wide. "You think?"
"Oh! Honey, I know!" she said again with confidence. And they walked down the street, giggling louder over their coo.
Tiffany smiled at the memory. She had been right on the money too about Maria Wojik. She never cashed the check. Instead, Tiffany would learn a few years later when she visited the shop again, that her check had been framed and hung on the wall along with the autographed picture that Tiffany had sent to Maria of her holding Lulu on christening day. It was a win-win-win situation.
Lulu got her fabulous christening gown which took Laura no time to repair. Maria Wojik made more sales from the fact that Tiffany Hill shopped in her store, and she and Laura got one hell of a bargain on a one-of-a-kind christening gown for her one-of-a-kind Goddaughter!

*      *      *

Tiffany and Luke had finished their dinner and were having brandy when a gentleman stopped by their table.
He glanced at Luke but turned his attention toward Tiffany. He bent to kiss her on both sides of her cheeks. "Tiffany Hill!" he exclaimed.
"What on earth brings you to Amsterdam?"
"Warner Hughes!" Tiffany replied, as Luke shifted in his seat. "What a small world!"
The man cast a glance at Luke before saying, "Is Sean with you?"
Tiffany smiled, not missing a beat. "No," she replied, sweetly. "He couldn’t get away this time. Warner, do you know Arjen Diederik? I’m trying to coax him into directing a small, independent film that I’ve had my eye on."
"Mr. Hughes," Luke masterfully said with a Dutch accent. He extended his hand, nodded and said.  "Pleasure."
Warner Hughes stared at Luke for a moment. One could tell he was trying to recall what films the man had directed. He shook his hand vigorously. "The pleasure is mine! I’m a great admirer of your work."
Tiffany and Luke looked at each other, smiling and savoring their private joke. Luke’s eyes came to life for the first time in a while as he asked. "What is your favorite?"
Warner Hughes hesitated for a moment, then replied. "Everything you do is brilliant."
"‘De Bekoorde Hollander’ just got rave reviews at Cannes," Tiffany added.
Warner latched onto Tiffany’s words. "Ah, yes! ‘The Enchanted Dutchman’," he stammered.
"Celeste and I caught that last month at Sundance."
Tiffany took his hand, giving him his leave, so that he’d not make a further fool of himself. "Oh, do give Celeste my best!"
"And Sean ours," he said, before nodding and bidding them both a good evening.
Luke leaned back in his chair, laughing. "Oh, Baby!" he said with admiration. "Why you never won an Academy Award is beyond me."
Tiffany dabbed her napkin at the side of her mouth and feigned surprise. "Shocking, isn’t it?"
"You’ve gotten better with age."
She purred at the compliment. She never tired of hearing them, especially from a friend. "Haven’t we all!" she said, playfully."So," Luke said, catching the waiter’s eye and pointing to his empty snifter. "You spoke with Robert today?"
"Yes," she replied. "Robin is flying into Paris tomorrow and they are meeting with Bourgogne’s assistant. Robert said he’ll call you in the afternoon."
Luke thought about her comment then asked, "did he say anything else about the test results?"
Tiffany shook her head, playing down what Robert had told her. "No," she said. "Just that Robin’s been following the extended research closely and wanted to discuss some of the earlier trial results with him in further detail."
The waiter placed another brandy in front of Luke. He took a sip. When he spoke, he had admiration in his voice. "My Goddaughter is an amazing young woman."
"Yes, she is," Tiffany agreed. "Speaking of Goddaughter’s, I spoke to mine this afternoon."
The admiration didn’t leave Luke’s voice as he asked. "How is my daughter?"
"She sounds good," Tiffany said. "I’m taking her to dinner next week for a belated birthday celebration."
Luke smiled. "Thank you."
Tiffany touched his hand and softly said. "You don’t need to thank me for that."
Luke’s eyes connected with hers and held as he said. "I’m not very good with sentiment, but I can never thank you enough for what you’ve brought to our lives."
Tiffany’s eyes glistened with tears. "Ya know," she said, eyeing him knowingly. "That sounds good when you say it, but I happen to know that you are one of the most sentimental men I know."
Luke let out a long sigh and shook his head. He could never catch a break with her. "You know I’ll deny it, Baby!"
Tiffany glanced at him with the love and respect that comes from many years of friendship. "You don’t have to," she said, holding his gaze. "I’ll never tell."
Luke took a sip of brandy. "You’re quality, Baby! All quality."
"I hope you still think so after I tell you that I spoke to your insignificant other today," Tiffany said, taking pleasure in her announcement. "I told her that you and Laura were doing just fine, and that the view of the river from the lovely suite you’d gotten for her wasn’t so bad either! " She, of course, did not tell Tracy where they were.
Luke let out a deep bellowed laugh. "Oh, Darlin’," he marveled. In the balls department, none came any bigger than Tiffany’s. "I think you’re hellbent on getting me on her shit list."
Tiffany pursed her lips and blew his a kiss. "Mission accomplished," she said, triumphantly.
"Dare I ask what she said?"
"She seemed rather pissed that I was here with you," Tiffany told him, pretending not to understand why.
"Ya don’t say!"
"And," Tiffany rattled on, enjoying this exchange. "She demanded to know when you were returning to Port Charles, and, of course I told her whenever it was safe for you to bring Laura home."
"I’m sure that went over well."
"Did you know that Edward had her committed to Shadybrook?" she asked with a tsk, tsk sound in her tone.
Images of Tracy talking to empty furniture popped into his mind. "I told her it was only a matter of time, if she didn’t pull herself together," he said, unsurprised [and to Tiffany, it seemed, unconcerned.] "She hasn’t fully accepted Alan’s death," he added.
"Such a tragedy," Tiffany said. "Alan was a good man. His sister is a bitch," she added as an afterthought. "But, he was a good man."
"You are a she-devil, Tif!" Luke said. He truly did adore this woman. "Anything else I need to know about?"
"Other than the fact that she hung up on me?" Tiffany replied, innocently. "No." She studied Luke’s demeanor for a moment. "So, what do you think of me now?" she challenged playfully.
Luke helped her on with her cape then threw some bills on the table. He gently put his arm around her as he led her from the restaurant back to their hotel. "Quality, Baby! All quality."

*      *      *