Mrs. Wong's Finishing School, Part 6

MRS. WONG'S FINISHING SCHOOL
by uciboy

BEGIN PART VI

Lilly awoke to a knock at the door.

"Miss, your presence is requested for breakfast in the dining room," a male
voice said.

Lilly looked around the room, unsure at first where she was.

"Miss?" the voice said again.

"Okay," she yelled with a wipe of her face.


She moved the soft down covers off of her in the colonial four-post bed and
sat up.  As she looked over at the nightstand to see what time it was, she
noticed a lighter and an opened silver cigarette case filled with Virginia
Slims.  She felt oddly attracted to the 120s and carefully picked one up out
of the case.  She examined it closely, brought it under her nose and was
surprised at the minty smell of the menthol.  She noticed a vanity mirror
across the room, got up out of bed and walked towards it, holding the
cigarette gently between her fingers.  She brought it up to the side of her
face and just stared at her reflection.  Suddenly she felt a rush through her
body as the trance-induced dream came back to her.

"What am I thinking," she said to herself, and walked over to a small trash
can to throw the cigarette away - but then she paused, reconsidering what she
was about to do.  Instead, she walked back to the nightstand and placed the
120 along side the silver case.

*****************************************************************

When Lilly walked into the dining room, Mrs. Wong was sitting at one end of
the long table, her head tilted downwards over some paperwork she was going
through, and a Virginia Slim resting between her fingers.  Lilly didn't know
how many cigarettes Mrs. Wong had that morning, but the smoke floating in the
sun-drenched room indicated quite a few.  

Aware that Mrs. Wong had not yet noticed her, Lilly decided to take a minute
to soak in the scene which stirred within her memories of when as a small
child she would watch her mother take these kinds of quiet moments to enjoy a
Virginia Slim.  She watched how the smoke from the tip of the cigarette
curled up towards the ceiling in a steady current that was only broken when
Mrs. Wong would gracefully bring the white 120 to her lips, gently take a
puff, and within a few seconds slowly discharge a perfect stream of smoke
that wafted onto the papers in her hand.  Dressed immaculately and wearing a
pair of reading glasses, Mrs. Wong appeared to Lilly to be an extremely
sophisticated and attractive woman.  This wasn't a sexual attraction she was
feeling, but rather an admiration for her.  "Funny," she thought to herself,
"a Virginia Slim is exactly what I would imagine she would smoke....What am I
saying?  I hate smoking!  Or do I?"  Lilly was suddenly unsure after having
those dreams last night.

After clearing her throat to announce her presence, Mrs. Wong looked up and
removed her glasses.  "Good morning, my dear," she said cheerfully as she
placed her cigarette in the ashtray near by.  "I hope your accommodations are
suitable."

More than suitable, Lilly thought to herself; they're gorgeous!  "They're
fine, thanks.  Did my mother bring my clothes when she left me here?"

"These ARE your clothes, Lilly" she replied.  "And you do look beautiful in
them.  I ask the parents to bring a new wardrobe with them when they drop off
the pupil.  Your mother has exquisite taste.  Do you like them?"

Lilly did find them very attractive actually, but was not about to admit
that.  "Their okay.  I usually go more informal."


Mrs. Wong picked up her cigarette and said, "That's why you're here, my
dear."  As she took a puff from her Virginia Slim, she rang a small bell that
was sitting on the table.  Immediately a butler walked into the dining room.

"Lilly, this is Jeffrey.  If you need anything at all over the next two
weeks, I don't want you to hesitate to ask him.  He is here to serve your
needs."

Jeffrey pulled a chair out for Lilly to take a seat next to Mrs. Wong.
"We're ready for breakfast, Jeffrey."

"I'll just have some toast," Lilly said while placing a napkin into her lap.

Mrs. Wong laughed.  "Your mother is not paying me $30,000 to serve you toast,
my dear."

When the butler came back with several silver platters filled with exquisite
breakfast dishes, Lilly gasped at the sight.  "You don't need to go to all
this trouble," she protested.

"This is part of the two week course," Mrs. Wong said with a smile.  "Eating
is not just about fulfilling your hunger.  It should also be a pleasurable
experience.  Over the next two weeks, you are going to be exposed to some of
the finest meals my chef can concoct."

Lilly took a bite of what the butler served onto her plate.  "This is
delicious," she said as she continued to feed her mouth.

"I'm glad you like it, my dear; but a lady doesn't talk with her mouth full."

Lilly looked at Mrs. Wong with a smirk, her defiance suddenly reasserting
itself.  "Is that what you told Jenny and Caroline before you brainwashed
them?"

"There's that word again," Mrs. Wong said sweetly.  "Honestly, Lilly, you
watch too many spy movies.  It is beyond my power to make anyone do something
they do not want to do.  Caroline and Jenny are different in their manner and
appearance because they have chosen to accept their place as members of their
social class.  All I did was show them how."  Lilly continued to look
skeptical.  "Understand, Lilly, that I know what you're feeling.  I
understand your fear."

Lilly was confused by this response.  "I'm not afraid," she said defiantly.

"Ah, but you are.  You're afraid to let the 'real' you show.  You are a
member of a very elite group in this country, my dear, the top 1%.  Your
pedigree flows through your blood.  And yet you're afraid that people will
hold this against you, think that you are a snob.  You've tried so hard to
prove them wrong that you have forgotten where you come from."


Lilly had stopped eating as she listened to Mrs. Wong who somehow seemed to
make sense.

"I'm not here to tell you, Lilly, that a woman's place is in the home.  But
you have an opportunity here that most people would grasp with both hands:
the opportunity to live a life of leisure.  Haven't you found that just a
little tempting?"

Lilly bit her lip and said slowly with her eyes down, "Of course I have.  Who
wouldn't?"  She looked into Mrs. Wong's eyes and said, "But I'm just not sure
that's what I want to do with my life."

Mrs. Wong smiled.  "And so the self-discovery begins.  You've taken the first
step, my dear, by at least keeping your mind open to the possibilities that
are before you.  Jenny and Caroline decided to grab hold of those
possibilities.  You will be given the same choice as them, my dear."

"And if I decide to stay the way I am?"

Mrs. Wong gently touched the side of Lilly's face and said with a grin, "I
get paid regardless.  But I hope you will choose wisely."

Lilly thought for a moment and said, "What the heck.  It's only two weeks.
And I'll certainly be fed well."

Mrs. Wong smiled.  "There's more to your training than an appreciation of
food, Lilly.  This will be an intensive two weeks of learning.  You'll learn
an appreciation for art, for music and literature, as well as for poise and
propriety."

Lilly took another bite of her delicious breakfast.  "Yeah, sure," she
responded after swallowing.  "Jeffrey, what's the next course?"

Mrs. Wong stared quietly at Lilly who eagerly ate everything on her plate.
"Yes," she thought to herself as she reached for a Virginia Slim, "this is
definitely going to be a challenge."

***************************************************************

Lilly discovered that Mrs. Wong wasn't joking when she said this would be an
intensive course.  She would be required to read at least a novel a day, all
of them dealing in some way with the luxurious life that the upper-class
lead.  Many of them were fantasy type stories that she used to read as a
little girl.    And she loved classical music - one of the few things she
found that she had in common with her Mom.  She thought that the "learning to
walk straight" lesson was rather silly, but she came to understand how
posture is important in projecting a certain confidence to others.


As the morning turned into afternoon and then evening, Lilly actually thought
that she might enjoy herself over the next two weeks.  She was even coming to
like Mrs. Wong who wasn't nearly as stuffy as she originally thought.  They
both laughed and cried that evening as they watched "Pretty Woman" in Mrs.
Wong's home theater.

With the end of the first full day, Lilly lay in the bed with a book in her
lap, hoping that it would bring sleep.  The problem was that she had so much
on her mind, she couldn't even concentrate on the novel.  She kept thinking
about what happened to Caroline and Jenny while they were here in the house.
Mrs. Wong seemed so nice.  There didn't appear to be anything strange going
on, no mind control or brainwashing that she could figure out.  So how did
Caroline and Jenny become so different?  Did they really choose to become
debutantes, as Mrs. Wong has been saying all along?  Lilly heard a knock at
the door.

"Come in."

"Hello my dear," Mrs. Wong said as she opened the door and walked in, a
freshly lit Virginia Slim between her fingers.  "Is there anything I can get
you?"  She sat on the side of the bed and looked down sweetly at Lilly.

"No, I'm okay," Lilly responded.  "I just can't sleep, that's all."  Lilly
looked down at the long cigarette resting between Mrs. Wong's fingers and
couldn't help but think it looked rather elegant.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm smoking in your room," Mrs. Wong said.

"No," Lilly responded as she removed her reading glasses.  "It actually
reminds me of when my mother used to tuck me in as a child."

Of course, Mrs. Wong knew this after speaking with May on the phone two weeks
earlier.  "I see dear," she replied and brought the cigarette up to her lips
for a gentle puff.  "Were you close with your mother when you were young?"

Lilly closed the book and put it to her side.  "Yeah, pretty close.  My Dad
was away on business a lot, so usually it was just us - and of course, Auntie
Yeh and Auntie Chiu.  They are my Mom's best friends."

"Yes," Mrs. Wong replied after an exhale towards the ceiling, "it is nice to
have close friends, isn't it?  You're close with Jenny and Caroline, aren't
you?"

Lilly felt a bit depressed by the question.  "We used to be," she said, her
voice trailing off as her eyes looked down at the covers.

"You've had a big day, my dear," Mrs. Wong said.  "Rest now."  Upon hearing
the trigger, Lilly fell into a trance.

"I want you to think back to your childhood again, Lilly.  Picture in your
mind a moment when your mother was tucking you into bed.  Do you see the long
cigarette in her hand?"

"Yes."

"I want you to place your fingers around the cigarette and bring it up to
your mouth.  Watch yourself take a puff and slowly blow the smoke out from
between your young lips, just like a dragon.  You and your mother both have
smiles on your faces.  She is so proud that you are smoking, and that makes
you happy."

Mrs. Wong paused to tap her cigarette into the ashtray on the nightstand when
she noticed the unlit cigarette Lilly had placed there that morning.  She
smiled.

"Lilly, I want you now to picture yourself standing in your bedroom room here
in my home.  Do you see the cigarette that you placed on the nightstand?"

"Yes."

"I want you to pick it up and hold it between your fingers.  Isn't long and
beautiful?  What are you feeling right now?"

"I'm...afraid...afraid I'll like it."

"Don't be afraid, my dear.  You WILL like it, but smoking is a wonderful
thing.  So sophisticated.  Truly, a confident and attractive woman like you
should smoke.  I want you to light it and walk over to the mirror.  Feel the
cool sensation of the white cloud as you breath it in.  You're doing what
you've always wanted to do - to smoke."

Lilly once again began to blow air through her lips.

"Doesn't it feel good to smoke, Lilly?"

"Mmmm," the sleeping girl replied.  "I like it."

"My dear, you are now walking down a long hallway, the cigarette still
between your fingers.  At the end of the hallway in front of you is a room
filled with light.  Caroline and Jenny are waiting for you there.  Do you see
them sitting at a table, talking...laughing...and smoking?"

"Yes," Lilly replied slowly.

"Sit with them, Lilly.  You're friends want you to join them.  They want you
to smoke with them.  Feel the excitement of smoking with friends."

A wide grin appeared on Lilly's face.

"That's very good, my dear.  When I count to three, you will fall into a deep
sleep, but you will continue to dream about smoking with Caroline and Jenny.
When you awake, these dreams will be fresh in your mind.  One...two...three."

Mrs. Wong gave her cigarette another tap into the ashtray and turned out the
light as she closed the bedroom door.

END PART VI

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