Tea with Darla Rose

Rolling around in her soft new bedding, Latrice never wanted to leave this spot. After constantly seeing the ad in the side column, on her internet page, she finally gave in and ordered the comforter set. It was a peach colored, floral print with a king sized comforter. Eyes closed, she smiled, snuggling, deeper down into her bedding. This was pure bliss, she thought. With both hands tightly, clutching the comforter, she pulled it up to her chin...with wild mischievous eyes looking around the room, she began mimicking Rachel's deranged sister in Stephen King's Pet Sematary, yelling hysterically, Never get out of bed again! Never get out of bed again! 

Stepping out of the shower, she heard the notification bell to her cell phone. Who in the world was trying to reach her this time of the morning, on her day off? Saturday was normally her sleep-in day. But, today she had to rise early for a special occasion. She'd met a gentleman two weeks ago and they'd planned to go biking today. Horrible timing it was though. The fact that her bedding order arrived early was fantastic, but she really wanted to take advantage of her first morning and get acquainted with the new addition to her spring makeover. So unfair, she thought. This felt like a one night stand. 

Stepping out of the shower, as she entered her bedroom, she winked at her crumpled bed and said aloud, "This is just the beginning. We have so much slumber ahead of us. Oh the sleep I'm going to do with you." 

Heading back to the shower a couple of hours later, Latrice couldn't stop smiling, thinking about her biking adventure with her handsome friend. Then her smile suddenly vanished, recalling the dreaded engagement she'd be attending. Her cousin Naomi, had roped her into accompanying her to the annual Tea Party this evening. It was being hosted by Darla Rose Bettingford. 

Now, there's a devilish character....more slippery than an eel in an oil slick. She was granddaughter to the late Jonathan Devon Bettingford, II. Darla lost her parents in a tragic sailing expedition, at the tender age of four. She was raised by her grandparents, Emily Peyton and Jonathan D. Bettingford, II. The family was insanely rich and quite well off. Their incredible wealth was primarily old money. Spanning back four generations, after arriving and settling down in Chadwick Heights, they created and established the town's first and only Cotton Mill Factory. The rest is history. After many years of hard work, they made their mark and earned their A-list status, in the renamed and well populated town of Wellington Heights. After high school, Darla attended and graduated from the prestigious Wellington Institute for Women of Grandeur Status. Her grandfather passed away 2 years after her graduation. Her grandmother Emily, would die 3 years later at the Archwood Nursing home. Darla had taken her to Archwood, immediately following the death of her grandfather. It was said that Emily died peacefully in her sleep. However, there were awful rumors that she'd gone mad 3 years prior, cursing Darla for removing her from the only home she had ever known. Darla, being the sole heir to their historic fortune, inherited the massive estate and everything that was included in the Will. It was estimated to be around 2.2 billion. A distant cousin had crept out of the woodworks, and attempted to contest the Will, but soon took her leave, and ran off licking her wounds. The legendary curse says Darla would only find true love and happiness once she leaves Bettingford Estates for good.....penniless, taking nothing with her. We all knew that was never likely to ever happen. Anyone that's ever known Darla, knows she can be ruthless and callous. It seems, the great losses she's suffered, has left her cold, bitter and empty inside. Latrice thought her to be a sad and pitiful case. All that wealth, absent of joy, and coupled with a ton of depression. Darla is a tyrant....an absolute horror of a person. She purposefully flaunts her money and wealthy lifestyle by rubbing it in the faces of those less fortunate. She is an extremely angry and distant person....hard to connect with. Her shallow friendships are created based on false promises of money and only tolerated by mere threats. Many have fallen prey to Darla the Deceiver. She is very cunning and clever. Had it not been for the favor that Latrice owed her cousin Naomi, she wouldn't be attending this event at all. "Lord give me strength", she whispered. 

Her Tea parties were always the talk of Wellington Heights. They surpassed any and all other events in town, whether they were upper class weddings or Debutante Balls or even the Governor's son's Bar Mitzvah. All paled in comparison to the Darla Rose Tea Parties. Those without an invite were relieved. Those with invites, were immediately elevated to the infamous in-crowd list. If they weren't already a so-called friend of hers, they're probably baffled and terrified, wondering what old money bags wants with them. This was going to be a clown show, Latrice thought. The unknown that awaited her made it almost worth its while. Leaving her bedroom she looked longingly at her perfect bed again...."Just a few more hours" she whispered. 

She had just put the last few finishing touches on her Pineapple Shortcake, when she heard the knock on her door. It was Naomi, standing there holding her mouth watering Frosted Banana Bars. They looked scrumptious. She began ranting, "I need a pretty dish for my dessert. Why are you not dressed yet? Tell me, do I look poor and needy in this outfit?" Naomi was wearing a long, flared 50s style navy blue polka dot dress, that reached her mid calf. "No, you look divine darling...very retro and glamorous. All that's missing is Grace Kelly's white gloves and Betty Beaver's pearl necklace." "Aww come on Laddy, you're never serious. Do I look homely or not?" "Hun, you look wonderful....honestly you do."

As both women entered the large, overly decorated sitting room at Bettingford Estates, Latrice was surprisingly impressed. There were fabulous Teapot sets of all sorts....from porcelain to enamel crystals and clear glass to ceramic, and many, many more styles. Her favorite was a beautiful white tea set decorated with orange Tiger Lilies. The room was scented with various aromas of flavored teas and baked goods. It was a swell turnout.... but why wouldn't it be. As she and Naomi made their way over to the tables with their desserts, she was unaware of the intensified stare from Darla, across the room. Latrice wore a soft pink colored retro teacup dress that flared out in full layers. She wore her pink Betty Boop pumps to complete the look. She had her hair swept up in a bun, with loose curls and tendrils dangling down, framing her beautiful face. Naomi declared, "Hey cuz, I meant to tell you, that you are absolutely stunning. I love that dress. I'm definitely borrowing that one." "Why thank you darling", Latrice replied.

What a beautiful array of delectable delights Latrice thought as she viewed, what seemed like a neverending table of desserts. Oh how lovely she thought, as she placed her Pineapple Shortcakes alongside the other sugary delights. There were Raspberry Scones, Cherry and Apple Tarts, Blueberry Muffins, Peach Cobbler, an assortment of shortbreads, Chocolate Eclairs, Lemon Ginger Snaps, Butterscotch brownies, Caramel fudge squares, Cream Cheese Danishes, Coconut Balls, Cinnamon Butter sticks, and oh she could've gone on forever as she surveyed the mile long table of yum yums. Then she saw the show stopper, in the center of the table. It was a four tier, circular fountain of exquisite French Crepes layered upon one another. Each tier drizzling various syrups; pure maple, strawberry, apple-cinnamon and raspberry....just remarkable. 

A round of applause filled the air. Latrice turned to see what all the commotion was about. She saw in the distance, that it was Darla. As she walked towards the center of the room, the applause grew in crescendo. As Darla danced and twirled around, bowing and curtsying, Latrice thought how ridiculous she looked. Her attire was absolutely extreme. She wore a rich burgundy colored, saloon style dress, made of velvet, with an exaggerated taste of the wild west. Although Darla looked sensational, it was just simply over the top for a tea party. Latrice watched in disbelief as Darla worked the crowd making her rounds. The moment was surreal and quite annoying. It seemed to Latrice, that Darla lived in a fantasy or make-believe world of some sort. She was a real piece of work. Nothing about Darla Rose was genuine. She was only honest when it came to business dealings. Her emotional state was a complete fraud. Why couldn't anyone see that? Perhaps they did, but chose not to acknowledge it, because of her wealth, status and clout. Her influence didn't matter to Latrice. Darla's entire life was tainted and spoiled. She lived a soured existence, whether the curse her grandmother casted upon her held any water or not, the fact still remained, she did a rotten service to the late Emily Peyton Bettingford. And her battled conscience and joyless life is a testimony to that. Funny how Latrice could see through all the layers. Her facade wasn't as thick as she thought it was. And she knew without a doubt, that this was thee defining factor, that excluded her from Darla's list of favorite people. She knew that Latrice saw right through her. Cut to the chase and burn up all that unnecessary trash surrounding her weak fortress. Slice through the mental veneer and Voila! You have the scandalous Darla Rose. Caught up in her personal diagnosis of Darla Rose, she didn't notice her standing right in front of her.

"Well hello my dear. Might I say, your dress is downright exquisite, and so are you." "Why thank you Darla, and your dress is....well interesting." "Now kindly remind me hun....what is your name? Latex, Ladell...oh you'll just simply have to forgive me darling, but I'm horrible when it comes to remembering one's name." Choking back a giggle, Latrice turned quickly to pick up one of her Pineapple Shortcake bars and bit off a generous amount. She gulped down the cake while Darla stood there waiting and staring at her curiously. Her inner voice was screaming...are you kidding me? we went to both, Middle and High school together. This woman was completely delusional....living in a portrait of a life she painted for herself. Oh yeah, her cheese has definitely slid off her cracker. Okay, so she wants to play crazy. Well, Latrice thought, I can play along too. Just then she turned around and looked directly at Darla. Smiling, she said, "My name is Virginia...Virginia Woolf. Have you tried the Pineapple Shortcake? It is absolutely delicious.....I mean why deny yourself. Girl please, you can have the rest of mine." She declared, as she shoved the rest of her Pineapple Shortcake into the palm of Darla's hand. "I am not one for being stingy. Go ahead babygirl, knock yourself out..take a bite, cause looks like the rest are going to be gone quicker than you can get out of that dress." On that note, Latrice quickly turned around and made a hasty retreat into the large crowd.

Where the heck is Naomi when you need her, she thought to herself. Looking through the thick crowd, she could see Darla standing across the room, still holding the Shortcake in her hand, looking lost and dumbfounded. It looked as if she was completely at a lost for words. This was definitely worth her sacrificing a few hours from her blissful bed. Latrice started laughing, as she sipped her tea. Wow, this is delicious she thought. It had a peachy flavor but with hints of orange....umm, something with citrus. With no luck in finding Naomi, she ducked out to go to the lady's room. Making her way back to the sitting room, she saw Naomi approaching her, almost running. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. Darla Rose was asking about you and she gave me this to give to you." Naomi handed her a card. Looking down, Latrice saw that it was Darla Rose's business card. "Apparently she tried some of your Pineapple Shortcake and was mesmerized. She was so impressed, she asked if she could possibly interest you in doing some baking for her social events and affairs." "Okay Naomi....Spill. Just how did she know that I baked? Better still, how did she know the Shortcake was mine?" Waving her tea napkin in the air, as a sorry admission of guilty surrendering, Naomi replied, "Oops, that would be me." Seeing Latrice glaring back at her, Naomi took her by the shoulders and said, "Okay calm down. I didn't tell her yes or no or confirm anything for you. There, you've got her card now. So just simply give her a call. What do you have to lose? I know you don't like her much, but this is business. All jokes aside, she seemed sincere and honest, and very serious about discussing this with you. You can work out the details later, but don't say no just yet. Please, tell me you'll think about it?" "Alllriiiiight! You've twisted my arm in all the right places. I'll give her a call." "Great! This could be promising Laddy." "Okay let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's just take this one day at a time." "Now cuz, you got to admit this was really, really nice tonight. Aren't you glad you came? I mean I know she can be extremely nauseating. Trust me, it's so annoying. But this was really thee best Tea Party, ever." "Like you have a lot to compare this one to. Honestly, how many tea parties have you attended?" Latrice asked. "Duh, okay...yeah well. I know you better not miss this great opportunity cuz." "Say, tell me how did she know to give you the card, to give to me?" "Oh, she saw us come in together and she kept going on and on about how beautiful your dress was. She was convinced that you had already left, so she gave me the card. Funny thing though, I can't understand why she constantly kept calling you Virginia. Maybe Darla Rose had a little something, something extra in her cup of tea tonight." "Ugh, perhaps she did." Latrice said guiltily.

Her smile widened on her ride home, as she thought of her lovely bedding. She couldn't wait to slide into bed. 

As she threw the covers back, mimicking Pinhead in the movie Hellraiser, she declared.....I have such sights to show you. Laughing out loud, she dived into bed.