3. Carina

CHAPTER 3

Carina

I arrive at the hospital at exactly 8 AM, when visiting hours begin. I didn't sleep last night. My mind was too busy spinning from Alex's offer.

What's the catch?

He's going to pay me $20,000 to attend some fancy party, and all I have to do is dance with one person. I have to be missing something. Is the man in the mask grotesque? Does he smell? What is wrong with him that Alex would pay me so much just to dance with him?

Grandma is sitting up in bed as I enter her hospital room. She's struggling to get her wispy bottle-red hair under the turban she always wears on days when she gives up on fixing her hair. A bright red tuft sticks out by her ear, curling near her high cheekbone.

"Oh perfect timing, sweetheart," she says with her arms outstretched to me.

I go in for the hug, and squeeze her tight, happy to see her feeling so well.

"Be careful with that, Grandma. You don't want to add any pressure to your wound. Did the doctor say it's okay to wear this?" I gently shift her turban as I tuck in the rest of her hair.

"Of course it's okay, I'm fine. You worry too much, Carina. That's not good for you. Now hurry up and get me my makeup bag." She points to the corner towards a chair underneath several lights.

"Makeup? Whatever earth are you doing? Maybe that aneurysm caused more damage than I thought." I grin at her as she rolls her eyes.

"You haven't met my new doctor yet," she says with a wink. "He's single. I know because he's not wearing a wedding ring."

"Now Grandma, can you please control yourself? I don't want to get a call that you've sexually harassed your doctor." I say, holding back laughter. "It's so good to see you back to normal."

Grandma's brown eyes suddenly narrow as she looks at me. I can see the wheels turning in her brain. She stops her primping and looks directly at me. It's the look she gives me whenever she knows I'm hiding something from her.

"What happened? You're not telling me something," she says.

I briefly meet her gaze then quickly look away. I don't want her to worry. The only thing she needs to worry about is getting better.

Grandma's warm hand closes over mine before she gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Just seeing you like that is enough to make me worry. You know the deal, it's you and me, kid. It's always been just you and me. We don't keep things from each other, especially not the things that make you worry like I see you are."

I sit on the edge of her hospital bed, my head hanging down.

"Okay, you're right." I sigh, not wanting to worry her, but knowing I need to tell her the truth. "I lost my job yesterday. I was hoping I could get something else quickly and then I would tell you everything. I just don't want you worrying about me or anything at home. You need to focus on getting better."

"Aww, well that's too bad. I know you liked working there. But things happen for a reason. You never know what might pop up now. Bigger and better things! You just need to keep yourself open to it."

"There is something. But I'm afraid it's too good to be true."

Before I can finish telling her about Alex's offer, footsteps in the hallway stop near her door.

The sound of a patient's medical folder being pulled out of the box enters the room. Grandma pushes the makeup bag into my hands, and waves for me to put it away. She quickly pinches her cheeks and settles herself against the pillow. I hold back giggles as I watch her in action.

A tall doctor with a medium build and gray hair sweeps into the room. In one hand he holds a medical chart, while the other hand is outstretched towards me.

"Why, hello there," he says as we shake hands. "You must be Carina. Your grandmother has told me a lot about you. I'm Dr. Frederick. I took over yesterday from Dr. Rittenhouse."

He walks over to my grandmother and briefly looks at her blood pressure and heart rate on the machine beside her. He nods, then writes some notes in her file.

"Lydia, you are progressing beautifully. I'm really glad to see so much progress just days after surgery. As we discussed on my rounds last night, you should be able to go home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I say. "But that's too soon."

"Nonsense, dear, I'll be fine," she says.

"Her insurance won't cover any more days, so unless you're able to pay out of pocket there's not much I can do," Dr. Frederick says. He thinks for a few minutes before continuing. "She still needs a lot of help getting around though, and we are considering physical therapy, but her insurance said it won't pay for it, even though it's a side effect of the aneurysm." He shakes his head and then lets out a long breath. "We have this issue often. Especially when it comes to caring for the elderly."

"Elderly? I thought we had a good thing going here, Dr. Frederick," Grandma says as she reaches for his sleeve. "And now you're calling me elderly?"

Dr. Frederick laughs as he pats my grandmother's hand on his sleeve.

"You and I both know that age is just a number," he says.

"Can I speak to you in the hall, Dr. Frederick?" I ask.

I step into the hallway while Dr. Frederick goes over meal options for the day with my grandmother. Once he's done, he steps out and joins me.

"I understand your concerns," he says. "If it were up to me I would keep her here for at least another couple of days, but I know how expensive hospital stays are. I'll have someone reach out to her insurance company and see if they'll cover inpatient care at a rehab facility so that she can get that physical therapy. Her legs atrophied some from her stay here. Your grandmother tells me that you're supporting her. I know you work a lot of hours to make ends meet, so I'll see what I can do."

"Yeah, Grandma can be chatty."

"But that's good. Means that she's healing. But right now she is a fall risk. If I can get her into the rehab facility, is there any way that you would be able to pay something towards it? I'm asking in case insurance will cover it at all. My understanding is that her insurance might pay 80%."

Alex's offer for $20,000 pops into my head again. I need the money. Now more than ever. That money will help Grandma get the help that she needs.

"I might be able to get the money," I say. "Just please do what you can to help her.

Three Days Later

It's the day of the Carnival Masquerade Ball, and I'm nervous as hell. Grandma has been placed in a rehab facility that isn't as convenient to get to as the hospital, but they seem very nice, and the place is clean. In just the couple of days that she's been there she's been making good progress.

I stop in front of the hotel Alex and I are meeting at. This is it. If I have any reservations, it's too late. No matter what happens, I'm doing this for my grandmother.

As I approach the room I hear music and the laughter of several people. I knock on the door and a beautiful dark-skinned woman with long braids yanks the door open, surprising me.

"Ahhh, there she is," she says, her voice thick with an accent I don't recognize. "Come in, come in, let me see you." She takes my hand and spins me around. "Jerry! Get over here. Look at what we have to work with today."

I feel self-conscious so I pull my hand away and fold my arms over my chest.

"Oh, no no, Carina, you misunderstand. You're a beauty! Mr. Alex didn't tell us anything about you."

"Oh girl, you have no idea how worried I was coming here. I'm Jerry, and this is Nakia." Jerry has a thick southern accent and short blonde hair "I'll be doing your makeup, and Nakia has so many dresses with her you'll feel like Barbie."

"Yes! That's who she reminds me of. But not this PC modern Barbie," Nakia says. "The Barbie that you and I grew up with. The one with the tits and ass."

"Oh good lord, I miss my old Barbies. Did you ever play with Barbies when you were a kid, Carina?"

"Of course. I always wanted the Dream House though, never got it."

"Are you two talking about Barbies again?" An older man steps out from an adjoining room. He's short, with tanned skin, and platinum hair. He has bright pink lipstick on his lips. As soon as Jerry and Nakia see him they begin to laugh. "Oh what did you two do now?" He lets out an annoyed sigh as he enters the bathroom. "You bitches need to stop." He swipes at the lipstick and grunts as it smears. "Just remember, you trust me to color your hair."

"Just ignore him," Nakia says. "Sometimes Tom gets a little grumpy."

Nakia pulls me into the adjoining room, where several dresses are hanging. She swats at a couple of them until she reaches an ivory gown with embroidered flowers along the hem, and rhinestones stitched into the fabric.

"This," she says as she fluffs the skirt out, "was made for you. No one else can wear it. I can guarantee it'll be a perfect fit." She snaps her fingers before she starts grabbing the other dresses and hanging them in a box. "They don't even deserve to be in your presence."

Jerry comes up behind me and whispers, "She's talking to the dresses. Don't worry, she'll get back to you soon. Come with me."

I follow Jerry into the bathroom where Tom has set up several bowls and hair color bottles. "We're going to give your hair a little boost. A little ka-pow!" he says.

For the next three hours, Nakia, Jerry, and Tom work their magic. When they're done I almost don't recognize myself in the mirror.

Tom styles my hair into long waves, holding the front pieces back with a diamond hair clip. Jerry's makeup gives me high cheekbones, and luscious long lashes, with pouty lips. And the dress that Nakia picks out is the icing on the cake. She wasn't kidding when she said Barbie.

The dress is white silk, strapless, with pearls and sparkling crystals sewn into the skirt and bodice. The shoes look as if they are made of delicate blown glass, just as I imagined Cinderella wearing when Grandma read fairy tales to me as a child.

Admiring myself in the mirror I feel like a combination of Barbie, and a princess.

"I wish my grandmother could see me like this."

"Give me your phone," Jerry says. "You can show her tomorrow."

As Jerry takes my picture, the main room door opens. Alex walks in, takes a look at me, and nods his approval.

"Reggie is waiting downstairs for you," he says. "He'll be driving you there, and picking you up. Remember, do not give anyone your name. Also, you have until midnight. I would tell you good luck, but I don't think you need it." He turns to go, then stops himself. "I almost forgot." He reaches into his jacket pocket, pulls out an ornate diamond-encrusted mask, and hands it to me. "You'll need this."

Music plays in the car as Reggie takes me to the ball. He's quiet and doesn't say anything during the hour-long drive until we're off the main highway.

"We will be there in about ten minutes," he says. "If you need me I'll be outside waiting for you. You remember the rules?"

"Yes, no names, and I have until midnight."

"Correct, miss. But one more thing."

"What?"

"Do enjoy yourself," he says. "I suspect this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Don't worry so much about why you're there, savor the moment. Enjoy the time. You look lovely, my dear. Your grandmother would be proud."

"Thank you, Reggie."

"It's my pleasure."

Reggie drops me off at the entrance, and I'm immediately taken by the lights and music that's pouring from the building. I enter, feeling unsure of myself, but think that Reggie is right. I should enjoy this.

I decide that the first thing I'll do is find the masked man and get the dance out of the way. Then I'll have until midnight to do whatever I want.

The ballroom pulsates with a laser light show that matches the beats from the band in a corner playing music. Stilt walkers make their way through the crowd, and I search my memory for their correct name. Moko Jumbie. The ball is a mix of a carnival plus royal fantasy, and I love it.

Slowly I make my way to the edge of the dance floor, my arms wrapped around me for comfort. I'm surprised at how nervous I am, and showing so much cleavage doesn't help.

I take a deep breath as I look around hoping to see the green mask with gold accents. I close my eyes as I try to summon up the courage to move further into the crowd of people dancing and having fun.

"You can do this," I say. "They're no different than you." I open my eyes and enter the crowded dance floor.

"Looking for someone?"

The man's voice startles me, and I laugh as I turn towards him. It's the man in the green mask Alex showed me. How did I get so lucky?

He's tall, with broad shoulders, and muscular underneath his suit. His thick light brown hair is brushed back, and the mask seems to focus my attention on his eyes. The mask makes it difficult to tell how old he is, but he has a quiet confidence that men my age don't have. Even without being able to see his entire face, I can tell he's the hottest man I've ever seen.

His smile puts me at ease, as I forget why I'm there. Alex, the money, all of it vanishes as I let myself fall into this fantasy world where I get to play a princess to this gorgeous prince.