5 ANÁLISIS Y RESULTADOS
5.3 ANÁLISIS FACTORIAL EXPLORATORIO
The organ player's rendition of "Spanish Eyes," along with Mavis's soft humming, was more than enough entertainment as far as Laura was concerned. She took in the black-suited
waiters scribbling on pads and reciting the string of salad dressings available. She had put this off as long as she dared. Al believable excuses had been depleted.
"Why do you like this place?" Daisy grumbled. She picked up the plastic menu that doubled as a placemat and squinted to read the small print. "They even have fake ivy running along the
window."
"The Kmart of steak houses, darlin'," Mavis said proudly, "and we get to hear Alfredo play all those romantic tunes that I just love."
"By all means," Laura agreed dryly. She didn't begin to relax until the waiter came over to take their orders.
"So why haven't we heard from you in four months?" Daisy asked Laura. Her stringy blonde hair hung loosely on her shoulders, with the ends a tad bit lighter than the rest. She was one of those women who actually looked like her name — thin, feminine, blonde, wispy.
Always up and agreeable. She reminded Laura of someone who hadn't quite recovered from the sixties. Sandals and beads were the only items missing.
Laura unwrapped a cracker and carefully spread butter on it. "I've been busy." It was true.
Now that she was head of the marketing group, her workload had more than doubled. "I just got back from a seminar in St. Louis."
"A four-month-long seminar?" Mavis clucked. "I was born at night, darlin', but not last night."
Laura snatched up two pink packages of artificial sweetener and tapped them against the
side of the table. "It's easier staying away." They hadn't been together five minutes and Laura already regretted accepting the dinner invitation. "You both look thinner."
Mavis smiled and inspected her salad carefully. "We've been playin' soccer. Can you imagine, darlin'? Me playin' soccer? I lost ten pounds in three weeks."
"Soccer," Laura said. The word sounded foreign to her.
"And we're into our second week of a rugby clinic," Daisy added.
"Rugby?"
"Oh, yes. We really like it, too. Beats the hell out of jazzercize and all that other crapola.
You should come with us. Meet some new people. Old people, too."
"I don't think I'm the rugby type."
Daisy cleared her throat loudly at the insinuation that one had to be a certain "type" to appreciate sports. Laura smiled and gently tossed her salad with her fork. She had to
admit that she had missed these two. Mavis always made it a point to keep in touch with her no matter what turn their social lives had taken, but they had gradually drifted apart the last couple of years. Daisy was Mavis's third lover since the split with Susan two summers ago. Ironically, Laura had liked all of Mavis's lovers.
"Several old friends have been askin' about you. Jolly and Wanda in particular." Mavis fluffed up the back of her hair. "You've been skippin' out on everybody. They're playin' rugby, too, darlin'. It'll look like old times out there. You sure you're not interested in rugby school? It'll be fun!"
"I don't think it's for me. Thanks."
The awkwardness was back as each turned her attention to her salad. It crossed Laura's mind as she struggled with another pack of crackers why she had chosen to isolate herself from them in the first place. There's nothing worse than being around happy people when your own life is so screwed up, she
thought. At least work kept her busy. She smiled as Mavis put her fork down and batted those long lashes at her.
"You're not happy, darlin'. I know you. You ain't foolin' me for a minute."
The sound of crunching lettuce filled the air until the waiter took away their empty bowls and cellophane wrappers. Laura stirred her tea again for lack of anything better to do.
"How long has it been since you've..." Mavis groped for the right word. "... been out?"
"A long time. I like it that way."
"The next step is a convent," Daisy warned good-naturedly.
"I'm too old for a convent."
"Hell, darlin'. Convents take anybody."
Their orders arrived and they began talking about soccer and rugby again, the only topics that seemed safe enough at the moment. Laura felt restless, much the way she had before signing the papers on her house, or when she woke up on Sunday mornings knowing she would have to spend the day with her mother.
"Saturday a few of us are gettin' together at our place for dinner," Mavis said. "Susan's got a new lover and we're tryin' to ease her into the group. When was the last time you saw
Jolly and Wanda?"
"About six months ago at one of the malls."
"You should be ashamed of yourself! Friends ain't that easy to come by. Dinner on Saturday, darlin'. I won't take no for an answer."
Laura parked in the street behind Jolly's truck and tucked her sunglasses safely into her purse. The moment she stepped on the porch, she could hear muffled voices from inside and resisted the urge to turn around and go back home.
"Look who's here!" Mavis announced. "Late as usual."
Laura got a hug from Daisy and little more than a slight nod from Jolly. It's that remark I made months ago about Mavis getting custody of all our friends, she thought wearily.
"This is Trish," Mavis said, introducing a young woman sitting on the sofa next to Susan.
She wasn't anything like what Laura had expected. Twenty-three at the most, she had shoulder-length black hair neatly spiked on top and dark eyes that registered boredom.
Laura nodded politely.
"It's been ages since I've seen you," Susan said as she jumped up to give Laura a kiss on the cheek.
"How's Jo-Jo?"
"She's fine. What's this I hear about you two?"
"We moved in together about three weeks ago."
Mavis handed Laura a glass with margarita slush spilling over the edge. "I think you know everybody else 'cept maybe Robin. That's her talkin' to Wanda. Wanda! Laura's here."
Mavis turned to Laura. "She might be mad at you," Mavis whispered. "I can't remember for sure."
"Wel , well. You made it," Wanda said coolly. "I thought you'd crap out on us again like always."
Oh, yes, Laura though. They're both stewing over the "who got the friends" remark.
"Goodness, no," Laura said sweetly. "This bunch is always such a joy to be around."
Wanda laughed despite not wanting to. "Have you met Robin McKavat? Robin, this is Laura Davenport. One of Mavis's old lovers."
Laura smiled and nodded, taking immediate offense to being called an "old" anything. "She trades us in like used cars," she explained. Laura looked into the most arresting green eyes
she had ever seen, eyes the color of clover, friendly and amused eyes. "Once we get too many miles on us she's off searching for a new model."
"How many miles is too many miles?" Robin asked with a hint of a smile.
"I'm not sure," Laura said. "The warranty's a little different each time." To Wanda she said, "Here.
Drink this. Mavis makes the most ghastly margaritas." She handed over the
brimming glass and noticed Robin's cane for the first time. It was a dark, glossy mahogany, impressive and mysterious, and stayed tucked close to Robin's right side. "Tequila gives me a headache," Laura said casually. "It's Mavis's way of making sure I leave early."
During the course of the evening, as the laughter and the drinking increased, Laura finally began to loosen up a little, but still couldn't quite get in step with them. She glanced over at Trish, Susan's new lover, whose smile seemed forced the few times Laura had seen it.
Around Mavis and her friends Laura felt an alienation of her own but took little comfort in knowing she wasn't the only one having a hard time.
In the kitchen Laura offered to help with the relish tray and allowed Mavis to take out a
few remaining pent-up frustrations on her. There were the usual remarks about the absurdity of arts and crafts as a hobby, and references to the piles of
money Laura made. Mavis was especially good with small groups, always insisting on the spotlight and able to get the best of anyone willing to give her the chance.
"Will you be there Saturday?" Mavis asked her again for the third time. "We can pick you up on the way over."
Wanda and Robin were at the sink chipping ice for drinks. "The soccer field is at Olmos Basin," Wanda said. "It's in the park."
"I know how to get there," Laura said. "I'l go, okay?"
"How come I don't believe you?" Mavis said.
Laura made a pyramid with the black olives and shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I've made a habit of lying to you, is it?"
"Touche, darlin'. I know. I know. That's my department. Stop flauntin' your honesty. I ain't in the mood."
Laura laughed. "My honesty's one of the few things you've ever depended on me for. That and your laundry."
She arranged the pickle spears that separated the green and black olives on the platter, while Wanda and Robin took turns filling the ice bucket. "Our first argument was over laundry," Laura said as she gave Mavis a thump on the nose. "Remember that? I caught you washing the underwear with the dish towels. I nearly gagged."
Wanda snorted, and Mavis looked over at her menacingly. "It was like World War Three! I never heard so much yellin' in all my life!"
"You argued over underwear and dish towels?" Wanda asked.
"She made me throw them cute little dish towels out, too! They had these little penguins on 'em that I just loved."
"I was in charge of the laundry after that," Laura said. "She couldn't be trusted anymore."
"You threw them out?" Wanda bellowed. "Weren't they washed in detergent?"
"There was no reasoning with her," Mavis said with her palms in the air. '1 tried everything.
It was like talkin' to a wall. After that, the dish towels and the underwear stayed in different rooms when she sorted the clothes. It was the most amazin' thing I ever saw."
She picked up the relish tray and followed Wanda out with the ice bucket. "And I just loved them little penguin dish towels. I just loved 'em."
Laura screwed lids back on the empty jars and lined them up along the counter. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Robin near the sink leaning steadily on her cane.
"You nearly gagged?" Robin asked.
Laura chuckled away her embarrassment. They looked at each other for a moment. It was a brief, friendly exchange, and she was once again enchanted by those piercing green eyes.
"She's exaggerating a little." Laura shrugged. "I never actually kept the underwear and dish towels in different rooms."
"I see."
Laura watched her pour wine into a stemmed glass as the chatter reached them from the other room. Robin gripped the cane with her right hand and shook that wonderful red hair out of her eyes. She had on crisp blue jeans, with white Reeboks and a light green T-shirt that seemed to blend right in
with those exotic eyes. The cane gave her a stately, noble look, almost like a young Barbara Stanwick ready to take on the world. Laura found her very attractive.
"Who's Jo-Jo?" Robin asked.
The question caught Laura by surprise, but she came to life again quickly. She liked Robin's hair, the way it was layered and feathered back in a fashionable style. The color was hard to describe, but she thought of the way new pennies might look in the sun.
"I overheard you and Susan talking earlier," Robin explained. "She mentioned someone named Jo-Jo."
"Jo-Jo's my poodle. Susan always asks about her."
"Let's eat," someone called from outside and within seconds the kitchen swarmed with activity.
They moved the party out to the back yard and loaded the picnic table with heaping bowls of beans, potato salad and barbecue. Mavis tossed plates around like Frisbees, then patted the place next to her for Daisy to sit down. "Don't slide on the bench, darlin'. You'll get splinters in your ass."
Laura found a place at the end of the table and was glad that Robin chose to sit across from her. She wondered how long it had been since she'd appreciated anything that didn't bark and track in mud.
"Have you decided to play rugby with us yet?" Daisy asked her.
Laura gave her a skeptical "are you out of your mind" look and shook her head. "Mavis talked me into going to the game next week. That's all." She
imagined the heat, the bugs, and no place to sit, and almost immediately had second thoughts about the whole thing.
"I take it you're not a rugby player," Robin said.
Laura laughed. "No, I'm not."
"You don't like any sports?"
"Not really. If it makes me sweat, I don't do it."
It was Robin's turn to laugh. "That rules out a lot of things."
"Trust me, darlin'," Mavis said as she leaned around Daisy to look at Robin. "If it makes her sweat, she don't do it."
"Who asked you?" Laura said over the laughter. Robin's eyes were on her, and she liked that. Laura shrugged and lowered her voice. "I thought about trying Jell-0 wrestling once.
Does that count?"
"Jel -0 wrestling," Robin repeated. "What an interesting concept." There was always that half smile, as if she didn't trust anything she heard. Laura liked that, too. "You have some
very strange ideas." Robin smiled and nodded toward Mavis. "They made bets that you
wouldn't show up today."
"My friends are assholes. What can I say?"
They were a frisky group, if not rowdy. Everyone raved over the ribs and went back for more. There were discussions on what needed to be done to improve their rugby game, and where exactly it was that Trish worked. She was a hair stylist at a trendy salon at one of the malls on the north side. Laura recognized the name right away.
After they had finished eating, everyone spread out comfortably and wandered off around the yard, discussing everything from eggplant to rugby socks. Laura found an empty lawn chair she could call her
own and promised to stay until the mosquitoes moved in.
"Tell me more about this Jell-0 wrestling fantasy of yours," Robin said from somewhere behind her. She was collecting paper plates and throwing them in the trash can.
Laura sipped her beer, then pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"You're not by chance one of those roller derby fans, too, are you?" Robin asked.
"What gave me away?"
She shook her head and laughed. It was a real, unpretentious laugh. Laura like hearing it.
Daisy passed around huge pieces of chocolate cake and offered to get drinks for those in need. Laura watched Trish and Susan at the end of the table kissing and cuddling. She relaxed in the chair and enjoyed her beer, wondering what it would be like to be in love again. From what she remembered, it had been well worth the trouble. Laura got up and dragged her chair over next to them and proceeded to make herself comfortable again.
"This is a party, not the Newlywed Game."
"I've been telling her about you," Susan said.
"Jesus." Laura sighed. "Don't believe a word of it."
"Remember the Halloween party where you came as a pregnant angel? Wings and halo. The
works."
"A fallen angel," Laura said. "Remember the year we all went as a centipede? With the shoe boxes on our feet? No one could drive, so we had to take the bus."
Susan laughed. "It's good to see you again. You always stay away so long."
"I've stayed away? Have you forgotten where my house is?" Laura asked. "Have you lost my telephone number? Methinks not, since I'm in the book. Why is it when we don't see each
other for a year, it's my fault?"
"That's not what I meant." Susan obviously hadn't expected an outburst, but she managed an embarrassed smile.
"You two have an apartment?"
"We've got a house over by St. Mary's University."
"Are you busy tomorrow?" Laura asked. "I've decided to bake bread all day. We could play cards or something afterwards." Renew this friendship now, she thought, or you won't see
them again until someone's Christmas party in seven months.
"We've got rugby practice," Susan said.
"Rugby? You're playing rugby, too?"
"We both are. That's where we met."
"Wel I'll be damned."
Susan laughed. "It's really a lot of fun. Once the bruises turn yellow."
"We could go over after practice if we're not too wiped out," Trish offered. "I love the smell of fresh bread."
Laura heard that laugh again, the laugh that reminded her of wind chimes. She looked across the yard and saw Robin and Mavis talking. She wanted to be there with them.
"Who's this Robin person? I haven't seen her around before."
"One of Mavis's patients from a few years ago," Susan said. "She just moved back to town recently."
A patient, Laura thought. The limp. The cane. Physical therapy.
"She helped us move. She's very nice."
"What does she do?" Laura asked.
"She's a diving coach or something... swimming instructor. I don't know exactly."
"Water stuff?" Laura offered absentmindedly as she continued to stare across the yard.
"Yeah. Water stuff."