Me, Natalie

I guess the first time anybody came right out and said it was when I was six years old.

- Who is it? - Me, Natalie!

Natalie, darling, what's wrong?

What happened?

It was Kenny Schroder, Mama!

He called me a name!

A name? What kind of a name?

It wasn't my fault! I warned Kenny what would happen if he said it again!

Mama, don't let them in! It wasn't my fault!

Look. Look what she did, your gangster daughter.

You know, there's only one place for a girl like that, Mrs. Miller.

That's Sing Sing. Sing Sing with the rest of the gangsters.

Mrs. Schroder, calm yourself.

- Tell me what happened. - Can't you see?

- What are they? - What do they look like?

Teeth! Beautiful teeth like you never saw before.

Seven years old and he's gonna have to have a bridge and all on account of your daughter, the gangster.

Sorry, Mrs. Schroder, but your son, he called her names.

"Clown face" he called her, that's all, just clown face.

A terrible thing to call a girl.

Mrs. Miller, I raised Kenneth never to lie.

He said what he saw.

To pick up a shovel and knock out teeth when someone tells the truth...

I don't have to take that kind of talk in my house.

Now please leave, I've got nothing more to say to you.

To me you don't have to talk, to my lawyer you'll talk plenty!

Natalie, darling, come on out.

No, I want to stay here in the dark!

- For how long? - For my whole life

because I'm funny-looking and I'm homely just like Kenny Schroder said.

Natalie, you're not homely.

You have a very sweet face.

Sweet is for a grape, Mama.

I'm a girl. I want to be pretty.

Look, when you grow up, you'll be pretty.

That's when it's important.

Now you shouldn't think about it.

How do you know I'll be pretty when I grow up?

Please, come on out.

No. First, tell me how you know I'll be pretty.

Well, little girls with sweet faces like yours,

they always grow up to be pretty.

It's the girls who are pretty when they're little

that grow up not to be pretty when they're big.

- Are you sure, Mama? - Ah, believe me, darling.

That's how God evens things out.

Come on, baby, come on out.

Mama lied.

I guess I put Papa on the spot, too, when he asked me what I wanted for my seventh birthday.

A mirror? What do you need a mirror for for your birthday?

So I can watch myself grow pretty.

Like Mama said.

Ugh! Oh, Natalie.

Natalie, darling, there are mirrors all over the house.

You don't need your own mirror.

And, anyway, I told you not to worry about it.

It'll--it'll happen.

You just have to wait and not think about it.

Of course it'll happen.

It's happening now.

- You think so, Papa? - Mm-hm.

But a mirror you don't need.

I'll be your mirror.

To me, you're already beautiful.

I guess I don't have to tell you this wasn't me.

This was Betty Simon, my best friend.

I hated her.

I was the girl next to her.

The boy was Stanley Dexter.

I feel like I spent practically all my school years

passing notes back and forth between these two sex perverts.

I felt sorry for Betty.

I mean, still believing what Mama said about pretty girls growing up to be ugly.

when I thought of how ugly she was gonna get, I wanted to cry.

Some ugly she turned out.

That's me in the tiger outfit.

I wanted to be a cheerleader, but I guess they felt it would be better for team morale

if girls like Betty Simon were cheering for them.

Maybe if I really was a tiger, somebody would've asked me if I was hurt.

I had three sprained vertebrae in my lower lumbar region.

It meant the end of my career as a tiger.

That hurt. I wasn’t just Natalie Miller.

I was Natalie, the team tiger.

It gave me identity.

I finally got my own mirror.

My Uncle Harold, who was in the Navy, sent it to me from Japan for my seventh birthday

after Papa mentioned in a letter I'd asked for one.

I remember thinking it was the greatest mirror in the world when I got it.

Isn't it terrible how one day you can think something is the greatest and the next day you hate it?

Not that it happened that fast with me, but by the time I was 17, I had to admit,

that mirror and me were on the outs.

Still, even the things you hate you sometimes can't help loving

because of what they've been through with you.

Natalie, are you almost dressed?

A minute, Mama.

Natalie, darling, hurry, you'll miss the bus.

Natalie, darling, you ready?

Oh! Oh, darling.

You look lovely.

Let me try my fur stole just for a little something extra.

Mama, I'm gonna call Betty and tell her I can't go.

Why can't you go?

Well, you're all dressed, it's a Saturday night.

Go enjoy yourself.

I thought about it, and just because Betty Simon calls me at the last minute to tell me that she's gotten me a date,

if I could be ready in two hours, is no reason to change our plans.

I mean, after all, Mama, Papa was bringing home a pizza and we were gonna watch television.

Oh, Natalie, so for once you miss Saturday Night at the Movies at home.

But why disappoint your date?

You know, he might be a very nice boy.

Will you try the stole just for me, huh?

Oh, come on, it's not that hard.

Sit up, let me just put it on your shoulders.

There, now we'll get your hair out.

Oh, that's not so bad.

Put your--put your arm through here 'cause it'll slip otherwise.

Here now, just let me look at you.

Oh. Oh, you look lovely.

Go on, hurry. Hurry, you'll miss the bus.

Mama, you really think I should wear this stole?

I mean, I just don't think that girls are wearing these anymore.

Well, I think it looks very nice on you.

But if it makes you uncomfortable...

Look, you wear what you think the boy will like.

- I'll wear the stole, Mama. - Good.

I mean, it might get cold, and why should I be cold just for a blind date?

- I'm gonna get my bag. - What do you mean "just for a blind date"?

You know, your father was a blind date.

Just don't let him get too over-enthusiastic the first night.

- Don't worry. - Aw, who's worried?

Don't forget to take car fare home just in case...

Okay, so maybe I cared what my date would think.

You want an apology?

I mean, you never know.

Maybe he'd be different.

Like Mama said, Papa was a blind date.

Oh, Natalie, we were almost going to leave without you.

Come on, guys, she's here.

So you made it, eh, Nat?

Hey, Harvey, come meet Natalie.

There he is. The enemy.

Anyone who gives me that look is the enemy.

- Thanks, Stanley. - What do you want from me?

Well, don't you think we better go?

All right? Let's go.

Come on.

- Well, are you coming? - Why not?

Wait a second, it's getting cold.

Geez, what's that?

A dead cat. I wear it to keep away evil spirits.

Wish I'd have worn one.

Want to dance?

My name is...

Are you dancing or taking a tour?

I'm dancing, what do you think? Come on.

You have a nice body, you know that?

- You think so? - Yeah.

- Look, my name... - Listen, do you put out?

- You mean at least? - What do you mean?

Do you put out or don't you?

No.

I don't know what I'm doing talking to you.

Somebody like you ought to be asking me.

- Would you like to dance, miss? - Get lost.

I can't stand losers.

Now why'd I say that?

I mean, that was a terrible thing to say to a boy like that.

He probably has a mirror at home that he looks in every day just like me.

Hey, Nat! Nat, would you like to go with us?

Stanley can drop you off after he drops me off.

It's on his way home.

Maybe she wants to wait for Harvey, they can take a taxi or something.

I don't need Harvey, I can take the bus.

Oh, why should you have to take a bus?

Come on, Stanley can drop you on his way home.

He doesn't mind, do you, Stanley?

- If you don't, I don't. - Good.

Nat, would you mind sitting in front for a while?

Oh, Stanley. Stanley.

Oh!

My Uncle Harold was coming home.

I was very excited about it because I've always been crazy about my Uncle Harold

even though I hadn't seen him since I was a little girl.

He joined the Navy as a pharmacist mate during the war and then stayed in it.

But he picked up some type of tropical crud like malaria, beriberi,

or whatever it is you pick up in the Navy,

and they were retiring him with some medals and half pay.

The thing that I remembered especially was that he always used to call me "princess."

The "little princess."

I guess he really made me feel like that's what I was to him.

- Natalie, they're here! - Okay, Mama!

- Edna! - Harold, you're here!

Oh!

Oh, I'm glad to see you!

You know, you're losing your hair.

What do you want, I'm losing my hair.

What do you mean? That's all right, he makes me feel younger.

You'd never believe I was your older brother.

I believe you're my older brother. Take my hat, older brother.

You look--where's my little princess?