Chapter 21

Chapter 21

New Year's Eve Day Shopping for a Cause

B y the time they made their way home the night before, everyone was disheveled and bone-tired. It was nine o'clock, and they had put twelve hours under their tourist belts. Dinner in Sorrento would have been lovely, but it still had been a perfect day.

Giovanni was the first up in the morning. He made a cup of cappuccino for Frankie and brought it to her room. He gently knocked and then heard her soft voice, "Sì?" Giovanni slowly opened the door. There was Francesca, looking beautifully rumpled. A Mona Lisa smile on her face.

"Buongiorno, bella." He handed her the steaming coffee.

"Buongiorno," she replied with a smile, then quickly switched gears. "What's up?"

"I've been thinking about Rachael and Randy renting the Vespa."

"And?"

"And I'm not so sure it's a good idea."

"You were all for it yesterday."

"Yes, but driving on the highway yesterday reminded me how dangerous it can be."

"I'm sure they'll stay off the main roads." She slurped the frothy coffee. "I'm not about to tell them it's not a good idea. You know how defensive Rachael can be when you question one of her decisions."

"This is true." Giovanni kissed Frankie on her head. "Come. I have nice brioche waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Be out in a minute." Frankie was much more interested in the jaunt she and Nina were going to have with Rosevita and Lucia. There would be no arguments there. As the morning fog began to rise from her brain, she wondered what colors would look good on Lucia. She had seen Rosevita in "civilian" clothes many times. She would be easy.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another knock on the door. This time, it was Rosevita.

"May I come in?"

"Of course." Frankie patted the side of the bed. "Sit."

"No. No. I just want to say how much I appreciate what you're doing for Lucia, and for me. It has made me tired being with someone who has a cloud follow them every day. And she never would talk."

"I can understand that. It's too bad she felt that way for such a long time."

"This much is true. I am so grateful, and I look forward to having a, what you call it, ‘a girls' day' with you and Nina."

"Me, too." Frankie wanted so much to come out and ask Rosevita for the panettone recipe . Now would be the time. Or would it? Maybe not. Let's not muddy the waters. One situation has nothing to do with the other.

Rosevita noticed the faraway look in Frankie's eyes. "Everything okay?"

Frankie blinked. "Oh, yes. I was just wondering what colors would look best on both of you."

"We find out today!" Rosevita got up and clapped her hands.

Frankie was glad she held back from asking about the recipe situation. She wondered why it was such a big secret. Frankie was confused. The Lombardis were very generous people. It was odd that Rosevita wouldn't want to share something that was so important with the rest of the family.

Frankie waved it off. There had to be a good reason. More on that later. Today would be a "girls' day," and she would have another victory under her belt. Frankie often challenged herself. This one was a biggie. Get Rosevita and Lucia to change their outfits? That was one for the record.

She wiggled out of bed, put on a robe, and shuffled to the kitchen. As promised, Giovanni had a fresh brioche waiting for her with a slice of melon.

"Another cup?" He gestured toward the coffee machine.

"Not just yet." She picked up her plate and brought it outside to the patio, where one of the heaters warmed the tile. "Another beautiful day," she said to herself, raised her coffee mug, and toasted the air and the sea.

Giovanni joined her at the table. "What time are you taking Mama and Aunt Lucia into town?"

"I have to check with Nina. I believe Jordan is arriving this afternoon. I want to give her a little more time to sleep in this morning. It was a long, but glorious day yesterday."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry we all pooped out on you and your dinner plans."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Giovanni whispered.

"Of course." She took a sip of her coffee and then said, "Spill."

Giovanni recognized Frankie's word for telling secrets or telling it like it is.

"I was so happy everyone wanted to come back. How does Rachael say it—‘the dogs, they bark'?"

Frankie chuckled. "Sorta."

"But, for real. These shoes are not meant for walking on the stone streets all day."

"Right. You're going to have to take them to a cobbler."

"I thought about buying other shoes, but then I thought wearing new shoes for walking all day, maybe not so good."

"Speaking of which, any word on your luggage?" Frankie asked.

"No," he said, and shrugged. "What does it matter now? I have a new shirt and a new jacket."

"Yes, but if those jeans go through the spin cycle one more time, they may not hold up for another day."

"Maybe you are right. I'll buy another pair today. I give up on my suitcase."

They finished their breakfast and watched the colors of the sky change from pale pink to a spectacular azure and royal blue. The contrast to the multi-colors of the turquoise sea made it impossible to choose which shade was more beautiful.

"Giovanni?"

" Sì , cara ."

"Would you ever want to come back here?"

"For sure! We come back to visit any time you wanna."

"No, I mean permanently. Move back here?"

"I don't think about it."

"But it's so beautiful here. The people, the pace. La Dolce Vita ."

"But we have a business. We have a life. I've been in New York longer than I was here."

"Yet you still have that charming accent."

"I pretend." He chuckled.

She turned to him. "Seriously. Would you consider moving back?"

Giovanni was surprised at Frankie's question. " Cara , I don't know if it's possible. What would I do? What would Marco do? He would not be able to run the restaurant alone." He went on, "What would you do? I mean if you would come here, too."

"I suppose you're right, but it's nice to think there are options."

"True. But now, what is the option? I need to work. You need to work." Giovanni knew Frankie wouldn't want to leave her job. For some editors, they can work remotely. But in her case, it was hands-on, and she needed to be available to her authors, especially with all the charity work involved.

Frankie sighed. "Well, I am going to stick to one of my favorite expressions."

"You never know," they said in unison.

Frankie's phone vibrated in the pocket of her robe. " Buongiorno , Nina! Come stai ?"

" Molto bene ! I can't remember the last time I slept that well."

"A trip to the Amalfi Coast and some limoncello can do to that to you." Frankie grinned.

"After you guys dropped us off, we cracked open a bottle. It was incredible."

"That's one of the things the town is famous for. Did you leave anything left to bring back?"

"Richard hid his bottle!" Nina chuckled.

"I don't blame him. Is he enjoying himself?"

"Like I've never seen. He's so relaxed."

"Richard always seems pretty chill," Frankie said.

"It's that lawyer thing. Never let them see you sweat."

"And I thought it was a slogan for antiperspirant," Frankie laughed. "My mother always said, ‘Never let them see your hand.' "

"Same thing," Nina acknowledged. "I know Richard can seem pretty buttoned-up, but he's learning to let loose."

"I'm sure you have a lot to do with that."

"He appreciates my dry humor."

"Well, I'm very happy he's having a good time."

"And the food? We have a convert."

"What do you mean?"

"Carbs!" Nina laughed. "You can't get away from them here between the pasta, pizza, and bread."

"Why would anyone want to?"

"Exactly."

"So, what time is Jordan arriving?"

"Some time around five. I told him the party didn't start until ten, but that we were going to Mr. Parisi's first."

"Well, before any of that happens, I have a project for us today."

"And what might that be?" Nina asked curiously.

Frankie lowered her voice. "We're going to do a makeover."

"For who? Or is it whom?"

"It's Rosevita and Lucia," Frankie said gleefully.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I had a heart-to-heart chat with them. More specifically, Lucia. I am not going to get into details, but I convinced both of them that every moment is a gift, and a gift to enjoy."

"Wow. Are you sure you're in the right business?"

"What do you mean?" Frankie furrowed her brow.

"Life coach. Motivational speaker."

Frankie laughed. "Just got down to the heart of the matter."

"Care to share?" Nina prodded.

"I'll fill you in later. Suffice it to say, we are going to turn the clock back on these two. New dresses, hair, and makeup."

"And shoes, I hope," Nina added.

"Absolutely. This is going to be so much fun."

"You sound even more enthusiastic than usual, and that's saying something."

Frankie got up, kissed Giovanni on the head, and motioned that she was going back to her room. She didn't want anyone to hear the rest of the conversation. Once she shut the door behind her, she said, "Lucia has been carrying around guilt and grief for too long. She spilled her guts."

"Geez. What happened?"

"Her marriage wasn't the best. He was a cheat. She couldn't get divorced. One morning they had a fight. He slapped her, and she said she wished he would drop dead."

"Don't tell me he did?"

"Yep. And she's been blaming herself for all these years."

"Did you explain karma to her?"

"I did, indeed. I told her she suffered long enough."

"Wow. And she went for it?"

"Honestly, I think she was waiting for someone to give her permission."

"What about Rosevita?"

"She said when she saw Giovanni in his father's suit, it made her realize it was time to move on."

"Very impressive, my friend."

"Well, I hope it doesn't backfire."

"What do you mean?"

"I hope they don't hate the makeover. I hope people don't shun them for discarding the mourning clothes."

"Sweetcakes, I seriously doubt this would be a total failure. And I don't think Rosevita would care what other people think."

"But she's been wearing widow clothes for a while."

"Maybe she did it to make Lucia feel she had someone who was sympatico."

"Good point. I have to tell you, when Giovanni saw his mother when we first arrived, he was shocked. So was I. I am so glad we're doing this makeover, for his sake as well as hers. He was very worried about her."

"I would never have recognized her, so I can understand how he felt. And now we have a Frankie project in the works. You are quite the negotiator."

"Now if I could negotiate Randy and Rachael not renting a Vespa."

"Ah, they'll be fine. You have to stop being the camp counselor."

Frankie laughed. "I know. You are correct. Just part of my Bossy Pants persona."

"So, what time does the grand transformation begin?"

"Let's plan on heading out around eleven. Giovanni will be using his mother's car and is going to pick up Rachael and Randy around ten and bring them to the rental agency. Maybe he can drop you off here and we can take an Uber or taxi or something. They have Ubers here, right?"

"Or something. What are we going to do with Richard, Peter, and Amy?"

"Did Richard indicate what he wanted to do?"

"No, but what if we assign them to Giovanni? He can probably come up with something to keep them occupied."

"Good idea. I'll go talk to him as soon as I get off the phone."

"Roger that. See you in a bit." Nina ended the call.

Frankie got dressed and went downstairs to talk to Giovanni. "When you go to get Randy and Rachael, can you drop Nina off here?"

"Of course. What about the others?"

"That's what I was going to ask you. Could you be their tour guide today?"

"After yesterday, do you think they trust me?" Giovanni was slicking his hair back.

"Of course. They had a great time."

"But I make them tired," Giovanni worried. "Maybe I drive them to some sights. No walking. Then lunch."

"Sounds perfect. When you get to the house, you can ask them what they would like to do."

"Amy not going with you?"

"I didn't ask her yet. I'll call her now so you guys can have a ‘boys' day' while we have our ‘girls' day'."

"Perfetto." Giovanni gave her a kiss on the top of the head; then he finished buttoning his new shirt.

Frankie pulled out her phone and called Amy. "Hey, honey bunch. We have a mission we need to complete before the parties start tonight."

"Oh? What kind of mission?" Amy was already intrigued.

"A makeover."

"What? I already did that!"

"Not you, silly. Rosevita and Lucia."

"Huh?" Amy pulled the phone from her ear and gave it a curious glance. "Rosevita and Lucia?"

"Yes. It's time for them to move on, and we're going to help."

"That sounds like fun. What about the guys?"

"Giovanni will take care of that. This way, they can have a guy day and we'll have a gal day." She winked at Giovanni. "Shopping and lunch. We'll figure out hair and makeup. I don't know if we can get appointments this late in the game, but I know Nina is good with makeup, even though she rarely wears it."

"Thank goodness for her television experience," Amy added. "What about hair?"

"I think I can handle a box or two of color. Between the three of us, I think we can work a little magic." Frankie's thoughts went back to Strega Nona. She grinned.

"Goody!" Amy exclaimed.

Frankie pictured Amy bouncing up and down.

"Giovanni is driving over at ten to pick up Rachael and Randy, and he's dropping Nina off here so you can ride with them. Once he gets Rachael and Randy sorted, then he'll go back to Baronissi and fetch the guys."

"I like this idea. Tell me the rest of the itinerary."

"Mr. Parisi invited all of us to go to his house at eight. He's going to uncork some of his wine. We'll stay there for an hour or so and then head back here for our party. Giovanni wants to start around ten."

"Whew. Will we have time for a pennichella ?"

Frankie laughed. "Probably. I suspect we'll be done with our transformations by five. A little nap and then off to Mr. Parisi's."

"Sounds great!" Amy bounced on her heels.

"Okay, honey pie. I shall see you in a bit."

" Ciao !" Amy replied and ended the call.

Frankie looked at Giovanni. "Okay. I'm all set. How about you?"

"I know it's cold outside, but do you think they might want to go fishing?"

"Fishing? Interesting suggestion. What are you going to do about clothes?"

"When I drop off Rachael and Randy, I will buy some boots."

"And a new pair of jeans, please?"

"Frankie, these are clean every day."

"I know, but . . . and what about a pair of dress pants?"

"Maybe my suitcase will arrive today?"

"Do you really think so?"

"I am calling them again."

He phoned the airline and was put on hold. He had been waiting over ten minutes and no agent. True, it was New Year's Eve. Still, he wondered why people didn't prepare better if they are going to serve the public? The holidays come the same time every year. He huffed and looked up at the ceiling; then he hung up.

"It's no use. I will have to do a little more shopping."

"Excellent. You'll have a half hour between your taxi jobs." Frankie grinned. "I'm going to put myself together. We have a big day ahead."

" Sì . We should expect to be back here around five or six. Go to Mr. Parisi's at eight. Come back by ten."

"Did you invite anyone else besides our crew?"

"Yes. I invite a relative of the people who swapped the houses."

"Oh?"

" Sì . He is a professore at the college, too. Music. Salvatore Barone."

"You never spoke of him before."

"Because I don't know him. His cousins asked if we could include him in our plans, because this is his first time here for the New Year, and they did not want him to be alone."

"What did he do for Christmas?"

"I dunno. But my job is New Year's." Giovanni grinned.

"How old is he?" Frankie was curious.

"Something around our age."

"Music, eh?"

" Sì ."

"That could prove to be very interesting. Do you know what he looks like?"

"No. Why?"

"Rachael," Frankie blurted out.

"Ah. Sì . It's not my responsibility. I just make the party." He gave her a hug and a kiss. "I'm gonna go get everyone now. Ciao, bella ."

" Ciao . Good luck!"

Frankie went back to her room and slipped on her boots, pulled out a scarf and a pair of fingerless gloves, and stuffed them in her tote. She went upstairs to see how Rosevita and Lucia were coming along.

Rosevita was ready and said Lucia was still pondering which black dress to wear. Frankie knocked on her door. "Lucia? Ready?"

Lucia opened the door. "What should I wear?" She held up two black frocks that looked almost identical.

"Whichever one you can get on and off the easiest." Lucia nodded and tapped her finger to her forehead. " Sì ." She went behind the armoire door to change.

"Do you have good undergarments?" Frankie hoped she wasn't pushing it, but a good bra can change everything, as could a bad one.

"I think we need to buy," Lucia called out.

"And red underwear!" Frankie reminded her. She swore she heard Lucia giggle.

Lucia came around the open door, and Frankie asked, "All set?"

" Sì ."

Frankie stopped. "Maybe no kerchief?"

Lucia felt the top of her head. "My hair. It's so ugly." She pulled the babushka back a little, revealing a lot of gray hair.

"It's going to come off when you try on the clothes. Come here." Frankie was taking charge. "Take it off, please."

Lucia removed the scarf that was hiding her locks. Her hair was wavy and just below the chin.

"Do you have a brush?"

" Sì ." Lucia went to her vanity and handed Frankie the brush.

"Wait right here." Frankie bounded down the stairs, pulled out one of her headbands, and took the steps two at a time back up.

Frankie proceeded to brush Lucia's hair and then placed the headband on her head, pulling the hair away from Lucia's face. Frankie noticed Lucia was rather pretty, but you would never notice with all that black material surrounding her features. She was curious to see what kind of body type Lucia had. The frocks she wore did not reveal any physical characteristics.

"Giovanni is going to bring Amy and Nina here on the way to the Vespa rental agency."

"Who is going to drive it?" Rosevita asked.

"I would imagine Randy." Frankie hadn't given it much thought except how terrifying it could be. But that was Rachael. She loved going over the top. Bad choice of words, Frankie. Reword that. She didn't want to put any bad juju into the ethers.

The three women made their way down the stairs as Nina and Amy entered. Rachael and Randy stopped in to say hello.

" Buongiorno , Mrs. and Mrs. Lombardi." Randy tipped his new hat.

" Buongiorno . Beautiful hat. You buy in Positano?"

" Sì . It makes me feel very Italian."

"You maybe should not wear if you are on a Vespa," Lucia remarked. "It-a will blow off!"

"Good point. Maybe I'll just stick to my Gucci sunglasses. Giovanni, would you be so kind to return my chapeau to the house?"

"No, but I will return your cappello ."

"Frankie is a hat?" Randy said in mocked astonishment. "I had no idea."

" Cappella. Sì . I am a hat," Frankie mugged.

"Okay, kids. Andiamo !" Giovanni steered the group toward the door.

"Wait. I have a question. If you are from Salerno, why is your name Lombardi?" Randy asked. "Don't the names coincide with the area you're from? Or what kind of labor or craftsmanship your ancestors did?"

" Sì , but people travel. People move. Our relatives were originally from the Lombardi region. There was a revolution, and the Austrians came into power, and they moved south in eighteen-forty-eight. Then in eighteen-sixty-one, the peninsula was unified into a single nation. By that time, the family had established themselves in the South." Giovanni looked at his mother. "Sì?"

" Sì ," she said, and nodded. "And now that you know what Francesca's name means, I will tell you what Lombardi means."

All eyes were on Rosevita. "Long beard!" she hooted.

"Get out!" Randy blurted. "Well, I am certainly glad that didn't become a family tradition."

"You and me both," Frankie added.

Giovanni ran the back of his hand along his chin and joked, "This face? Never. Come. We have much to do."

Rachael and Randy said their goodbyes, and Giovanni gave Frankie a kiss on the cheek.

Rosevita turned to the group of women. "We ready?"

"You bet!"

"Absolutely!"

"Andiamo!" Amy said. She was beginning to enjoy using the few words she learned on her trip.

Frankie suggested an Uber, but Rosevita insisted that she would drive. They piled into the car, and Rosevita turned to the group. "Where do we start?"

"Dress shop," Frankie answered. "We also have to stop at a drugstore."

"Perché?" Lucia asked.

"Because we want to make the gray go away."

"Color my hair?" Lucia asked, wide-eyed.

" Sì . This is a total makeover!" Nina said.

"Oh, Dio Mio." Lucia was a little nervous, but also very excited.

Rosevita drove to the Cilento Outlet, where there were dozens of designer shops. They were bound to find almost everything they needed there.

"Let's look around before we go into any of the shops. This way, we'll have a good idea what might work," Frankie suggested.

"Listen to Miss Bossy Pants. She knows how to coordinate pretty much everything," Nina told the two older women.

The first store was Goldenpoint, a lingerie shop. Frankie knew neither of the women would want to go in, so she took charge.

"What size are you?" she asked Lucia.

"Large?" she said hesitantly.

"And you?" She turned to Rosevita.

"I guess large."

"Okay, you wait here. Amy, stay with them. Nina, come with me."

They strolled into the store, and Frankie asked one of the women if she spoke English. The answer was yes, and she spoke it well. Frankie explained they were looking for red underwear for the two women outside. Frankie waved at them. Lucia and Rosevita looked like deer in the headlights and gave feeble waves in return.

The sales associate knew exactly what was needed. "New Year's, eh?"

" Sì ."

"I show you a few things." She went to the back of the store and returned with three different styles. All in red. One was a bikini. Definitely not. The other was a brief. Possibly. The third was a boy-short, like men's boxers. Frankie held up the brief to show Lucia and Rosevita. The two women looked over their shoulders to see if anyone was watching. You would have thought they were on some wild heist. Rosevita gave a covert thumbs-up. Lucia wasn't as sure. Then Frankie held up the boxers, and Lucia nodded.

"We'll take one of each in a large, please."

The woman nodded, retreated to the back of the store again, and returned with two boxes, and Frankie handed her a credit card. The boxes were placed in a beautiful shopping bag.

"I'll carry it," Nina offered. She figured neither of the women would want to be seen handling something from a lingerie shop.

"Okey-dokey. That's one thing off the list," Frankie announced as she got back in the car.

"I am so relieved," Rosevita admited. "I was not sure about these." She nodded toward the shopping bag Nina was toting.

Next was Sandro Ferrone. Lucia made a beeline to a lilac dress with blouson sleeves, a pleated skirt, and cinched waist. Frankie was intrigued. Maybe Lucia had a figure under her frock.

Lucia took the dress off the rack and held it up to her. "Sì?"

"It's beautiful," Nina said. "Pick a few so you don't have to take your clothes off too many times."

Lucia nodded and moved from rack to rack in search of something flattering. She looked giddy. It had been years since she shopped for anything pretty. She picked an apple-green wrap dress with a ruffle hem and a gray, long-sleeved button-down midi dress. All three were completely different. The sales associate escorted Lucia to a dressing room. She was so nervous, she could barely get the zipper open.

"You alright in there?" Frankie asked.

"Fine. Fine." Lucia tried on the lilac dress and stared at herself in the mirror. "Che sei?" She asked herself. Who is that person in the mirror? She turned and went out to show everyone.

Rosevita gasped, "Lucia! You look bellissimo !"

"You think so?" Lucia turned sideways in front of the three-way mirror.

Amy was the first to agree. "Lucia, the color is perfect."

"It's beautiful," Frankie chimed in.

"Ditto," said Nina.

"Go try on the other dresses," Frankie urged. Frankie's plan was to convince Lucia to find a few dresses, not just one. Giovanni made Frankie promise not to let the women pay for their new clothes. It was going to be his gift to them for their hospitality.

Next was the green wrap dress. Another winner. But everyone agreed the button-down wasn't doing it.

Frankie slipped her credit card to the sales associate and told her to wrap the two dresses Lucia admired. Naturally, when the shopping bag was handed over to Lucia, a slight spat ensued as to who should pay for it.

"I shall not hear one word. From either of you," Frankie instructed. She looked at Lucia and then at Rosevita . "Capisce?"

"Capisce." Lucia smiled and then gave Frankie a hug.

"You're next," Frankie declared, as she looped her arm through Rosevita's.

They moved on to Phard. A fuchsia pantsuit caught Rosevita's eye immediately. It was tailored, but the color exuded femininity.

While she was in the dressing room, Lucia spotted a cobalt midi-dress with an empire waist and blouson sleeves. "I wish I found this first," she sighed.

Nina overheard her. "Try it on," she urged.

"No. No," Lucia protested.

"Frankie, Lucia likes this, but won't try it on."

Frankie walked over to where they were standing, took Lucia by the shoulders, turned her around, and marched her into a dressing room. Nina and the dress followed.

As they were waiting for Lucia to emerge with the blue dress on, Rosevita came out of the dressing room, and everyone stopped.

"You look like a movie star," Amy gushed.

She wasn't far from wrong. It surely added a lot of glamour. Frankie motioned to the saleswoman. "Wrap this up, please."

"But I should look for something else, no?" Rosevita questioned.

"Yes, but you are definitely getting this. You look stunning," Frankie declared. "Come on. Follow me."

Frankie remembered some of the outfits Rosevita used to wear and steered her to a mannequin wearing a long, navy asymmetrical tiered skirt, a silk turquoise blouse, and an animal-print belt. She gestured to the sales associate. "Can you find this outfit in her size, please?"

Rosevita saw it and gasped, "I like this."

"And it will make your eyes pop."

"I donna wanna my eyes to pop!" Rosevita wasn't quite sure what Frankie meant.

"The color of your eyes will stand out."

"Ah. Sì ."

The salesperson returned with the three pieces for Rosevita to try on.

Lucia exited the dressing room she occupied. More gasps of delight came from the onlookers.

"That's a keeper," Nina said.

Frankie turned to the salesperson again, who was already anticipating what Frankie was going to say. She waited outside the dressing room for Lucia to hand her the dress.

Soon after, Rosevita reappeared, wearing the mannequin's outfit.

"That, too," Bossy Pants announced. Again, the clerk waited, then brought all three pieces to the counter where the other items were waiting to be wrapped.

After Rosevita put her own clothes back on, Frankie noticed that she was looking at a cream-colored tunic sweater. She nodded at Amy, who knew what Frankie had in mind. Amy edged over to Rosevita, snatched the sweater out of her hand and pushed her towards the dressing room.

It occurred to Frankie that the women would need a few more items. The dresses were beautiful, but some casual items would be necessary for day to day. She gathered her cohorts. "Grab a long black pencil skirt and a pair of black slacks for Rosevita, and a red cardigan."

She thought for a moment about what Lucia might be comfortable wearing on a normal day. "For Lucia?" she asked the group.

"I saw a pretty black-and-white floral pattern dress. Simple styling," Amy offered.

"Great. Go grab it."

"Do you think she'd wear pants?" Nina asked.

"We'll find out. Grab a pair of trousers and two blouses," Frankie answered.

Before the women came out of their dressing rooms, the salesclerk handed them the next batch of clothes.

Frankie could hear Lucia's voice from inside.

"Pantaloons? Maybe. Okay, I try." A few minutes later, she walked out, wearing the pants and the white blouse with the bow collar. She looked casual yet elegant.

Amy clapped. "Oh, you look terrific."

"I never wear pantaloons." Lucia did a twirl in front of the mirror. "I think I like."

"Bravo!" Frankie cheered.

Rosevita was busy trying on the slacks and the skirt. She walked out of the room, all smiles. "Beautiful. My figure, it's not so bad!"

Everyone cackled at the comment, while Frankie settled the tab.

Once all their purchases were wrapped, Amy announced, "Good thing there are three of us!" as she fumbled with the shopping bags.

"Now, shoes!" Frankie proclaimed, pointing to a large store a few doors down.

Rosevita hadn't been wearing the same kind of clunky shoes as Lucia but was certainly in need of something more stylish than the plain black flats she wore. She chose a square-toed black patent leather shoe with a brass buckle, and a two-inch block heel. Dressy, yet practical. She could wear it for a number of occasions. Frankie also spotted a short bootie that could also have multiple uses. They were tan with black goring and a one-inch heel. They would look good with the skirt outfit, and any pair of pants she would wear with the sweater. She asked the salesperson if they had it in Rosevita's size.

Lucia was a bit more complicated. She hadn't worn anything else for years. Nina found a pair of pointed-toe loafers that would work well dressed up or dressed down. She handed them to Lucia to try on.

Lucia looked at them suspiciously. "I'm not so sure." She pointed to the toe.

"Just try them on, please," Nina encouraged.

Much to Lucia's surprise, the shoes fit well and were extremely comfortable. "Soft leather," she commented.

Frankie put her index finger in the air and swirled it around. "Wrap 'em up."

Lucia still needed a pair of normal shoes for everyday wear. Those clunkers were going to disappear when they got back to the house. Amy and Nina perused the section where they had moccasin-type driving shoes with a metallic accent buckle. Amy looked in Frankie's direction and held it up. Frankie gave the wrap it up signal.

She pulled out one of her lists. Three outfits for each. Check. Two pairs of shoes for each. Check. Red underpants. Check. Their work here was done.

" Andiamo . Time for some lunch," she announced.