Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 24
Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 24
Shopping with my mother was more than going to a store with the object of choosing a thing or two; shopping to my mother was an event like almost everything in her life. To my mother shopping, specially fall shopping was an outing for the whole family in which not only were clothes purchased but food as well as drinks were consumed and long conversations were held; not only about the items which were purchased but what was and had been occurring in the world of opera. Who was on his way up and who due to age or weakness of voice was due to take his or her final curtain call.
Macy's was specially crowded the first time Gosia joined us on our yearly shopping spree, on which my mother intended to buy Gosia a new dress for the upcoming "inauguration of opera season party". I think the reason for my mother's wanting to get Gosia a dress was not all generosity motivated but gratitude for having been relieved of the duty of having to find a teacher for Mrs. Conti's pupils and perhaps though my mother never complained out loud (or at least not within audible distance of myself); she had not taken a fancy to Gosia's clothes.
The participants of our shopping spree included my mother, my father, my sister, Gosia and myself. My father being the only one in our group who didn't like shopping but did like dressing a certain way and therefore was willing to put up with the ordeal of shopping in order to dress the way he considered to be acceptable. The time was about 10 in the antemeridian when we entered the department store which claimed and probably still does to be the world's largest and as soon as we did; mother's decision was for us to divide company. My father and I forming the group that would separate from the remaining members of our troop to go do our clothes searching in the men's department, while the ladies went to do the same in their department.
There was something about my father that made him the ideal shopping partner and that was that he had been and still was my mentor when it came to certain things; one of them being how to dress. I don't really know if he had learnt the art of dressing from his family or his wife of many a long year but he had the taste in clothes that I trusted.
My father and I believed the best way of shopping was systematical; so we followed the same method fall after fall, which was to buy the same items. Every fall we would buy ourselves twenty shirts in assorted colors, a dozen pairs of underwear and socks, two sweaters, four pairs of pants, two pairs of shoes and several other miscellaneous items. Of course there were those things which we did not buy as often as every year but we did from time to time, when ever we felt the ones we had; needed to be substituted or that we needed to add to our collection. These items included things such as winter jackets, coats, scarves, suits, tuxedos, etc. On that particular year I had made up my mind, after taking close inventory of my wardrobe that the only thing I was in need of was two pairs of tuxedos and nothing else.
Naturally Macy's being as large as it was had many stands, displaying a variety of designers from Giorgio Armani to Valentino to Hugo Boss; so my father and I decided to pay each one of them a visit to see which suits my father would be wearing.
"Today, I am buying two suits, so let's just see what's in store. I want a suit for work and one to wear out in Long Island, for this year's New Year's eve party and any other Long Island social gatherings which my company or your mother may want me to host. What about you son, what have you come to buy today?" was what my father said to me as we took the escalator up to the men's department. It wasn't so much what he said but the way in which he did that let me know that he was in what my mother referred to as "the right mood for shopping". The right mood, naturally according to my mother was the one that made one want to patiently see as many items as possible before making up ones mind on what to take home.
"You know dad, this year I want to get a couple of tuxedos. I think well, that I have enough suits, specially since I don't need to wear one everyday like you do." was my reply to my father, who I could see was as anxious to talk to me about what had been happening in both our lives; in an attempt to make up for lost time. "Well son, I have an idea. Why don't we go get my suits first and then your tuxedos. I think my suits will be more difficult to fit than yours given the extra weight my age has put on me and as for you? I see that your weight has not gone up much, so I guess it will be easier for the tailor to make the markings on your tuxedo than it will on mine." was what my father said with a certain laughter on him which tended to be there when ever poking fun at himself for what he called his "getting on in years". "Sure dad, let's go anywhere you like, besides we have plenty of time as I think mom and the girls are probably going to be at it for quit a while.".
It felt good to be doing something with my father, perhaps we did not do many things together like most fathers and sons but it was nice to enjoy a moment with him. In many ways I guess that my father and I had had a different sort relationship than most; we for instance had never been fishing or camping, not that these were the sort of things either of us had ever wanted to do but in our own way we were close when doing things like shopping.
My father and I went over to the stand that sold Hugo Boss suits where he ordered two dark suits, which he had marked for alteration and left to be collected at a later date. Sometimes, I think that going shopping was only an excuse for our family to spend what my mother called "real time together" as it was the only time we could be together and not in the presence of guests or listening to music which tended to distract our attention from one another.
My father and I enjoyed our time together talking not only of what items of clothing each one of us should get but our lives; my father always discussing office politics and new products his company was coming up with and even though this subject in and of itself did not interest me. I liked hearing about it as I could see that it was something which was of importance to him. I gathered the same feelings were shared by my father when it came my turn to tell him about what was going on in the opera world, not that there was all that much I could tell about it that he could not get from my mother. That is if he really wanted to get what is known as the "inside scoop", however I did tell him what was going on not only in opera but in my personal career which would be safe to say was going in the right direction.
After my father and I had done all the shopping we set out to do we sent my mother an SMS telling her that we had finished and that we would be waiting for them at the restaurant, to which my mother replied that they would be joining us in no more than fifteen minutes.
Once my father and I got to the restaurant, we took a table for five and ordered for ourselves. I getting some club sandwiches and a coke as my hunger was not as strong as my father's who ordered a steak and french-fries luncheon with a salad on the side and a pitcher of sangria for all of us; except myself who had been volunteered as the designated driver.
The time must have been about noon when the ladies in our group joined us at the restaurant; all of whom came loaded with both packages, as well as shopping bags. My father and I were also traveling slightly packed though not as much as either one of the ladies who was in our society that day. As it was easy to see that they had really done the store in the time they had gone about it. It was also noticeable that Gosia was the one who had benefited the most from the time they had spent in the store. This given how hers were the bags which were not only larger in number but in size.
"So, Gosia I hope my wife did not wear you out too much by today's shopping, as I can see you have been buying up the store?" was my father's question and friendly comment to Gosia, whom it was hard to say if he had taken a liking to but one could see that he did want her to feel welcome; maybe because he could imagine what she meant to me. "Yes sir, I have done a lot of shopping, your wife has shown me what I should wear and I like the clothes she has recommended to me." was Gosia's joyous way of telling not only my father but the rest of us that she did not regret having come on our annual shopping spree.
"You know Mr. Albert, in my country families don't usually go shopping like this. We go shopping but not together as a family but separately. I think this is another thing I like about America. "Well, you know Gosia in America such shopping trips are not as common as they used to be, nowadays though our fashion disapproving mother has not become aware of that most young people, even young men prefer going shopping on their own instead of with their mother; who is looking for a pretext to not allow her older daughter to shame herself in her own so called bad taste." was the comment my sister said which drew certain laughs from all of us except my mother, who though she did not take such facetious comments as seriously as she used to, said more for the record than as defense "Now, I have never said or insinuated that you had bad taste or much less that you shamed yourself by the clothes you wore! After all is it too much (now my mother starting to laugh, more at what my sister had made her get started with) for a caring mother to want to see, not so much to judge but to know what kind of clothes her daughter is wearing, so she might learn a little about the fashion being worn by the younger members of society.".
Now speaking among the slight roar of the laughter that had been arisen by what my mother had said, my sister replied "Mother; let's not get into that one, you know I am just kidding when I say that and perhaps it's just me but I can't get over as much as I like shopping with you the fact that at my age I am still shopping with my mother for my dresses and I won't mention in front of my father what other intimate items of clothing we are both trying to choose for me as well as you.". This last comment making my mother blush as she gathered about her wit in order to produce her comeback which was "You can say it if you like. I am not the prude you and Bill make me out to be. I also even at what you might consider to be my very advanced age do not consider myself too old and neither does your father to have my secrets or Victoria's.".
"Oh, Getty; I see you have bought something for me as well," was my father's way of telling my mother, that he still appreciated her for the same reason that I imagined had drown him to her in the first place. Now the conversation was getting livelier as my mother replied to make the subject take a change of direction from the one she, herself had set it on "Why is it that every time a woman buys a sexy undergarment, every man gets the impression that she did it only to impress her mate or perhaps to get one? Why can't a woman buy a nice looking piece of lingerie just so she can feel nicer about herself? Do you think of me every time you buy those nice looking pairs of Calvin Klein underwear?"
Now, my father started following my mother's line which he continued by saying "Don't be so defensive all the time, can't I ask a question without you thinking it's the third degree?" which was said in such a laughing manner that one could not pick up anything from it but a couple who were pleased with one another. "Let's not fight here and in front of Gosia and the kids." was her reply which made my father say "You're right. We can do that in our bedroom and in privacy while you show me that new underwear you bought.".
At that point the conversation had reached one of those points where my mother was talking full steam and with ideas bursting out of her like a cork out of bottle of Champagne, making her state "Again with my underwear, well to talk about another topic and to not bore all those present with one, Bill let me tell you that your Gosia has really got a nice shape on her and you should see that dress I bought her as well as the one she bought for herself, however we're going to have to take them to Dora. You know Fred, that Spanish speaking lady from some country in South America who does all my alterations and made that lovely wedding dress for your sister's daughter on the day she final decided to get hitched."
"Oh, I remember her. She even went over to my sister's house so Brenda could try it on." was what my father said in what had now become a dialog between my parents with the three of us left as entertained audience. "Yes, Fred that is the same one, now like I was saying wait till you see Gosia in those dresses. I think (I could see at that point Gosia becoming a little self conscious that she was being talked about) you will fall in love with her all over again like you did the first time you saw her.". "I actually think Gosia would look good in almost anything but I am curious to see what dress the two of you or was it Gosia who decided what dress to make shine for that party that brings out our dear opera society." was my reply to my mother's comment.
Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 25 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 26 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 27 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 28 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 29 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 30 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 31 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 32 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 33 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 34 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 35 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Chapter 36 Gianni Truvianni's "New York's Opera Society" Conclusion