A Little Favor
A Little Favor
Stevie looks forward to Sundays. It’s the one day of the week when she rarely goes into the office. It’s the one day she doesn’t set her alarm. The one day when she and Simon can linger in bed for as long as they please. Still beneath the covers, they’ll have coffee in bed and exchange newspaper sections while making plans for the day, which usually include dinner with her parents. Her folks never liked Russell, thinking he was too old for Stevie. The same was true of Jack, whom they briefly met one day at her apartment. But her parents have taken a liking to Simon. Especially her father.
Stanley Klein makes sure there’s extra beer in the icebox so the two of them can watch football and basketball games together. They talk about the stock market, Nixon’s reelection, and Bobby Fischer—manly subjects he would never think of discussing with his daughter. Her father even unearths a chessboard for them. Does he not know that Stevie plays chess? Her father laughs, he makes conversation, he even gives Stevie a hug when she comes through the door. This is all so illuminating to her. It took bringing Simon home, bringing another man into the picture, to understand that her father, right or wrong, has felt like the odd man out, his world surrounded by women. All this time he’s been starved for male companionship.
On one particular Sunday, their morning routine is disrupted by two back-to-back telephone calls. The first is Stevie’s father, calling for Simon, asking if he’ll come by early to help him build a new bookcase for his encyclopedias. The other is Stevie’s former classmate Marta Krass, sounding a little desperate when she asks if they can meet for lunch that day.
Two hours later, Stevie is sitting beneath an umbrellaed table on a patio in Venice Beach. Hippies, dressed in their signature sandals, tie-dyed shirts and love beads, linger on the boardwalk, handing out flowers, saying “Make love, not war.” The beach is crowded with sunbathers, and the water is peppered with surfers.
“Thanks for meeting me on such short notice,” says Marta, unfolding her napkin, smoothing it onto her lap.
“Well, you said it was important. Is everything okay?”
Marta sighs, chews on her lower lip. “So, I guess, yeah.” She nods. “Sally Jax, well”—another sigh, another scrape of her teeth across her lip—“Sally let me go. She fired me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well, apparently they’re taking Jax in a new direction and Sally doesn’t see me as”—her fingers blink—“ part of the equation . Sally said they don’t think I’m”—more finger blinking—“ cut out for a future with Jax .”
“Ouch. That’s rough. Well,” says Stevie, “it’s a tough business but I’m sure something will turn up. There’s lots of other designers, other houses you can go to.”
“But that’s just the thing. I’ve been looking. For a while now. I’ve been everywhere. I even interviewed to be Bob’s assistant. If your own friend won’t hire you, you know you’re in trouble.” She sighs again, tries to laugh. “You remember when you were looking for work—you know how hard it is in this business.”
Stevie nods. “But don’t forget, I had zero experience and no degree.”
“Yeah, but look where you are now.” Marta’s eyes widen. “My niece plays with Barbies. All. The. Time.” She rolls her eyes disapprovingly. “But the clothes for that doll are just amazing.”
“They really are, aren’t they?” says Stevie. Marta doesn’t say anything in response. Stevie can tell she has another agenda.
“It’s just that I’m—I’m starting to panic a little. My rent’s due and I’m almost broke.”
“Well, I’ll get lunch, so don’t worry about that.” She can tell by the way Marta is looking at her that picking up the bill isn’t exactly what she had in mind. Stevie considers them friends, but not the type of friends you’d hit up for money. And yet, she’s in a position to help, so she shrugs and says, “I mean, I can help you with a small loan?”
“Actually”—Marta glances out at the beach, then back at Stevie—“I was hoping you could do me a little favor. I was kinda hoping you could get me a job there.”
“Where?”
“You know, at Mattel.”
“ You want to work on Barbie?”
The last time she ran into Marta, Stevie had been embarrassed to say she was designing for Barbie. Well, she definitely doesn’t feel that way anymore. There’s something to be said for knowing your worth, and Stevie has come to appreciate that she’s landed in a coveted spot in the design world. Mattel has been good to her. Stevie’s been promoted to senior designer and has gotten steady raises and some handsome bonuses along the way. She’s making more money than she ever imagined. The fact that Marta just asked her for a job only proves that she’s now recognized among her peers as a bona fide fashion designer.
Marta might be the first, but she won’t be the last who’ll come to Stevie hoping to work on Barbie. And it won’t just be students and aspiring designers who want in. Soon, the biggest names in design, like Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior and even her former classmate Bob Mackie will want to dress Barbie.