Roberta's POV Part 4


I let Dad fuss over me a bit.
When I got over my tears, he nagged me about my lack of sweater.
‘That friend of yours was on television talking about how chic and sensible it is to dress in layers.’ I informed him. ‘I’m wearing three shirts.’
‘You saw that?’ Dad seemed delighted, before getting that stern Dad look again.
‘Well, your missing one more layer. It’s only sixty degrees and there’s a bit of a breeze.’
‘Dad, I’m seventeen not six. I love this kind of weather. It’s neither hot nor cold to me. It’s just perfect.’
I couldn’t help teasing him a little.
‘If I get cold, I’ll steal your sweater.’
It made me feel good that Dad still had the sweater I gave him.
Mom and I had bought it for him at Phelps Department store.
I was still in Kindergarten and was really proud when Dad declared it the finest sweater ever.
It turned out to be a little long in the sleeves, but he refused to take it back. He wore it all the time around the house.
I was just glad Remington didn’t make him throw it away.
Dad let it slip once that Remington didn’t like it.


‘All right,’ Dad grinned at me. ‘I’ll stop my nagging. I’ve been told I’m over doing it lately. I won’t mention those tight dungarees you're wearing.’
‘The word is jeans, Dad!’
I knew he was just needling me.
‘They are not too tight. If I can get them up and buttoned without having to lie down and use a pair of pliers, they are just right.’
Karen and I really enjoyed watching her older sister wrestle into a pair of skin tight jeans.
Dad used to drive Mom and I crazy. He always found some fault with our wardrobes.
Dad could be a real Puritan when it came to hemlines and showing cleavage.


We decided to just hang out at the park and enjoy the mild weather.
I didn’t want to go anywhere I had to smell food or move around too much.
My head still had a dull throbbing ache.
‘So you saw Remington on TV the other day?’
I rolled my eyes. You couldn’t avoid it these days.
Remington was even a guest on the Late Show.
‘Yeah, I was flipping channels. He was taking about his Day to Evening Wear.’
I couldn’t turn the channel if I wanted too. Karen and her sister loved knowing what was hot in the world of fashion.
Dad looked really proud.
‘Remington’s creations have always been desired by the jet set, but Phelps has made his clothing lines available to everyone. It’s been crazy. Sometimes I feel like I’m joined to a rock legend or something. Young people have been coming up to us lately for his autograph.’
‘Does it bother you?’
I realised this was the first conversation we ever had about Remington where I didn’t cut him off.
The question just slipped out.