ROCHELLE MEETS THE KENDRICKS - written by Kinja with input from Alan Smith

Charles drove down to the Atlanta airport with Trisha to pick up Rochelle upon her arrival and transport her luggage to their home. Lisa stayed back to prepare a typical Georgia dinner favorite - fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, lima beans and cornbread. 

They finally found a reasonable parking space not too far from the traveler departure area and walked into the lobby. Charles held a sign that said "Rochelle H" so she would be able to easily spot them. Trisha held a homemade sign that had a US flag and an Edenglassie flag with the words in broad colorful letters:

"WELCOME TO AMERICA, ROCHELLE!
HAVE A COKE AND A SMILE."

Rochelle wanted to be gracious to her hosts but really all she wanted to do was have a nice meal, take a relaxing shower and go to sleep in a comfortable bed.   Charles and Trisha instinctively knew this, but their curiosity about this lady from "down under" led them to ask quite a few questions on the 30 mile trip from Hartsfield Airport in the southwest corner of Atlanta up to the quaint little Cobb County suburb off of Canton Hwy that Trisha and her parents called home.

Charles, trying not to notice her short skirt and nice legs, broke the ice with, "So Miss Heath, how was your flight?"

"Very Long! It takes all day to get here from Edenglassie, replied a weary Rochelle who had been through quite an adventure the last 24 hours, much of which she wanted to forget and not replay over in her mind and certainly not reveal to her hosts.

Trisha chimed in, "We're looking forward to you staying with us, Miss Heath."

"Hey, I don't care if you want to call me Rochelle.  Miss Heath makes me sound old."

Charles added, "And you can call me Charles and my wife Lisa if you'd like."

"And, of course, you can call me Trisha."  Trisha took notice of Rochelle's sophisticated clothes, although she did not care for pumps personally, Rochelle's were very pretty and elegant. 'I wonder if you can get that color and design in a mule.' she thought while feeling a little plain in her simple shorts and leather sandals.

As Charles' blue Buick LeSabre motored around the Interstate 285 bypass, Rochelle was amazed at what she saw.  First of all, she had never driven or ridden on the right side of the road - and this road had 7 lanes on each side - larger than any road she had ever seen on the continent of Australia, much less the nation of Edenglassie.   The oppressive heat also took her back - it was 90 degrees F and it was very humid.  Edenglassie gets hot as well, but back home it was the middle of winter.

With the formalities out of the way, Charles and Trisha peppered a few more questions to Rochelle during the 45 minute trip and she tried to answer all of them, even though she would have preferred a nap. Finally, the LeSabre pulled into the Kendrick's driveway.   Charles grabbed the two largest suitcases, Rochelle carried her garment bag and Trisha grabbed the remaining smaller suitcase, which was deceptively heavy.

"What's in this one it's heavy?"

Charles made a face to Trisha indicating her question was nosy therefore inappropriate, but Rochelle did not mind giving an answer, "That's where I have all my shoes and other accessories."

Trisha's face lit up at the prospect at admiring her shoe collection. 'Someone from Edenglassie probably has some really cool-looking shoes,' Trisha pondered.  She also hoped to show off her own shoe collection that had just recently crossed the 5 dozen mark.

Soon Rochelle was welcomed into Trisha's home and shown where to put her things.  Trisha played hostess and got Rochelle acquainted with her bedroom and bathroom and told her supper would be in 15 minutes.

"This will be your room for the next two weeks, feel free to use the closet to hang up whatever you need.  We even cleared out some of the drawers in the dresser for you. Over there is your own private bathroom." Trisha wanted to ask to see her shoe collection but figured that question should wait to a better time.

Lisa served dinner and they all enjoyed getting to know Rochelle a little better.  She told them about her trip over, her work at Coca Cola, where she grew up, stuff like that.   Lisa made a mental note to chat with Charles later, in private, about Rochelle's short skirt, but otherwise, Rochelle seemed to be a decent young lady and houseguest.

Lisa got her first chance to talk to Rochelle, "I'm so glad you're here safely.  I bet you've had lousy airplane food.  I'm serving my signature Georgia meal tonight - do you have Fried Chicken in Edenglassie?"

“Oh yes, but it's rare I get to eat the home-cooked version. KFC is popular in Edenglassie."

We always serve our distant guests fried chicken the first night they arrive. I suppose you're the most distant guest we've ever had. Everyone laughed at this unexpected humorous comment.

Rochelle secured a leg and a thigh from the plate of chicken pieces and scooped some potatoes and lima beans onto her plate.  The Kendricks did the same and then the conversation continued as them made their way though the meal.

"Tell us a little about your homeland, Rochelle?" Charles promised Lisa this visit would be a cultural experience for Trisha so he wanted to make sure to get that part over with early.

Rochelle was no member of the tourism bureau, but she did the best she could. "Edenglassie, as you know, is an independent country on the northeastern part of the Australian continent. We speak the King's English like they do in the UK with some Aussie slang added. Sometimes, neighboring Australia calls us 'backwards' because we still adhere to some older customs that have been passed by on the rest of the continent.  But I grew up in a nice home in the country, in the community of Stonehampton and attended school there up until I went off to University in Edenglassie City…”

Trisha interrupted, “Stonehampton! A friend of mine said that the tennis player, Rod Laver is from there.”

“That’s right Trisha.  Do you play tennis?”

“Yes, sometimes.  I’ve even considered going out for the school tennis team, maybe we can play while you’re here.”

“Alright, we’ll see about that,” Rochelle said while thinking her tennis skills were nowhere near where she’d like them to be, but maybe it would be fun.

Continuing with her story, “…The weather is very nice, year around.   It's never all that cold in the wintertime - which we're in the middle of right now back home. And our summers are tempered by ocean breezes."

Trisha added, "Where do you go for fun?"

"Southeast of the city, we have a large beach that is very popular.   A lot of tourists go there, as do many of the locals.  It's called the Sun Coast, for obvious reasons, I suppose.  It’s a pretty beach and there are a lot of hotels and shops there."

While playfully dipping and dangling her sandals, Trisha patiently listened to Rochelle's description of Edenglassie and she tried to show interest.   However, she kept thinking about that heavy shoe-filled suitcase.  She glanced under the table and took a second good look at Rochelle's elegant black pumps sitting square on the floor.  She thought, 'I can't wait for us to do some shopping!'

Lisa asked, "What sort of work do you do for Coke?"

"I've only been with the company a year.  I mostly help our staff deal with clients who want to distribute our products.  I help the contracts folks with the accounting work.  Really I do a little of everything it seems.  Being so new, I often get some of the more tedious tasks.   That's why I was so thrilled to get this tremendous reward - a trip to America to represent my country and my company at the Olympics."

Everyone was impressed with her response. The conversation continued until all were finished with their meals and dessert was served. After dinner, a very tired Rochelle feared being rude, but she decided to retire for a long night's sleep.  Trisha and her parents understood completely and did not mind this at all.

After everyone else was in bed, Lisa nudged Charles and asked, "Did you see Rochelle's skirt?  It was kind of short, wasn't it?"

"I don't know.  I didn't really notice."  Of course Charles knew better than to admit he notice.  He was not worried Lisa would be jealous and she was not actually worried about Charles doing anything improper either, but to comment on an attractive young lady with a high hemline from a foreign land seemed like an invitation for trouble.

Lisa continued, "I really don't care how she dresses, she is an adult.   Though I do worry that our Trisha will see that and want to dress like her."

"Honestly honey, I don't think we have anything to worry about. She's not all that trendy - not as much as her friend Amber, anyway.  If this were her I'd be more worried.  Trisha's more interested in shoes than fancy clothes anyway, now that might be something to look out for.  Those were some very expensive-looking shoes she was wearing."

With this, Lisa seemed more at ease and soon the whole house was sound asleep.

Rochelle's first day's assignment was to monitor the AUS/NZ Hospitality table at the Centennial Olympic Park for 4 hours. She dressed very professionally.

Charles offered to drive her down on the way to work.  They chatted a bit and Rochelle was amazed at the traffic that was even more than the usual bottleneck - especially bear the intersection of Interstate 75 and the 285 Perimeter.

The 4-hour assignment looked to be pretty straightforward.   There were tourists from all over the world and there were athletes from the Australia/New Zealand area mingling around and there were Coke product giveaways all over the place. Rochelle had to be friendly, greet everyone, and offer him or her a coke and some coke souvenirs. 

Charles came by to pick her up and they had another nice family dinner and more learning about each other and each other's culture.

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ROCHELLE AND TRISHA SPEND A DAY IN THE CITY

After a tasty dinner of Lisa’s famous meaty cheesy lasagna and a lovely dinner salad, featuring Lisa’s homemade lite Italian dressing, Rochelle announced, “I have a couple of complimentary tickets for the 3PM Women’s Gymnastics competition tomorrow.   Trisha, would you like to go?”

Trisha abruptly stopped swinging her dangling white mule, which was tired from a long day at the restaurant seating customers and taking their money. "That’s great!   I don't have to go into work tomorrow night so I'm free all day.   Would you like to do some shopping and maybe lunch beforehand?"

"Sounds like fun.   Let's do that."

While Charles engrossed himself into the latest news and sports in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, trying to get by without having to comment, Lisa added her opinion on the matter, “I’ve got to go in early and help prepare for a luncheon tomorrow over at the church, will you be okay driving downtown in your Honda?”

“I’ll be fine, Amber and I go down to Buckhead to shop every month or so   - it’s no big deal.”

Rochelle added, “It probably would be less safe if I drove.   I’ve never driven on the right side nor have I been on a road with so many lanes.   Atlanta seems to have some heavy traffic.”

Trisha, being an only child, was looking forward to this time with someone who was like an older sister - mature and sophisticated.  She looked forward to shopping and trying on clothes and especially shoes from some of the high-end stores in the Buckhead area - knowing that Rochelle’s taste seemed to be inclined to be expensive. Trisha knew she could not afford to actually but those types of clothes, but this would be a time she’d at least feel comfortable being in that type of store.

Chuck happened to call Trisha later that evening from the Dominique Wilkins Basketball Camp in Helen, a quaint little Swiss German community nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Appalachian Mountains where tourists flocked to get a small taste of European culture and in the summer a few degrees of relief from the sweltering summer heat and humidity.   He talked about basketball camp thus far and Trisha was excited to talk about how things had been going so far with Rochelle.  

A little into the conversation, Chuck excitedly explained, “The staff here at Unicoi State park actually set up a portable basketball court floor in their conference center for us to use.”

“That sounds great, Chuck, now what sort of fun things are there to do there?”

“We work out a lot, and there’s even some course work.   Of course there’s the obligatory talk about staying away from drugs and alcohol.”

“I meant things that were actually fun.” Replied Trisha halfway laughing, as she had to re-ask this seemingly easy question.

“Oh there’s horseback riding, hiking, swimming, stuff like that.” There was a pause then Chuck changed the subject, “Hey how’s things working out with that lady from Edenglassie?”

Trisha had been laying on her back, but before giving her reply, she did a quick roll on her bed onto her stomach, bent her knees and raised her feet high above her and performed some above the back foot twirling and dangling of her white mules. “Well, her name’s Rochelle, as you already knew. She is a very sophisticated lady and very proper.   She’s been busy with work, but tomorrow, we’re going to see a gymnastics event and go shopping.”

“You going to take her to The Gap?   Towne Center Mall?”

“Not this time, we’re going to Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza?”

“Wow, Trisha, that’s the big time!”

“Well, you ought to see her clothes and her expensive shoes.”

The conversation went back to more trivial chatter before Chuck said he had to go for a late-night workout with some of his teammates.

“So, you’ll be back on Saturday night, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be at youth group Sunday morning and I guess I’ll see you then.

“Sounds great, Chuck!   Oh one more thing, Dad said something about us going out for a picnic after church and treating Rochelle to KFC and the nice Georgia weather, Trisha added before both got off the phone for the night.”

Soon, it was bedtime for Rochelle and the Kendricks and they all retired for the evening.

The next morning, Charles left for work and Lisa left to go prepare and help set up for her luncheon.   Rochelle and Trisha had the house to themselves as they readied themselves for their trip downtown.   Trisha wandered into Rochelle’s room and knocked before entering.  “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

“I thought that before we leave I could look at some of your clothes and your shoes you brought - so I’ll know which stores best match your style.” Trisha was not an honor student for nothing.   This was her clever way of getting a peek at her shoe collection without admitting her ‘vice.’

“Okay, they’re all in the closet letting the wrinkles come out.” Without any hesitation or suspicion, Rochelle opened her closet door, revealing designer name dresses and suits and a few pairs of nice slacks. On the closet floor was an army of various colors and styles of pumps, flats, slingbacks and strappy sandals all nicely organized in rows and columns - about 15 pairs total. Trisha looked quickly through her clothes and commented on how nice they were.   Then she knelt down to analyze the real treat - some of the nicest shoes she’d ever seen one person have. Her collection was even nicer than her mother’s.   As she picked up one shoe after another she noticed something strange, not a single pair was a mule, slide, clog or any other type of easy-on and easy-off backless style.   A pair of alligator pumps was Trisha’s favorite.   While carefully analyzing one of them from every conceivable angle, while Rochelle was busy looking elsewhere, she imagined removing the heel and trimming a little on each side of the upper and thought, ‘How nice these would look in a dress mule!’   Trisha decided to say nothing at the moment about her lack of her favorite shoe style, instead making a big fuss over how nice they all were.

Shortly after the “grand tour” of Rochelle’s closet, Trisha drove Rochelle down to Buckhead where they first stopped for lunch at the nearby Houston's Restaurant.   There, they become well acquainted. Trisha talked about the pressures of High School - friends, grades, boys, clothes, etc.   Rochelle talked more about trying to date in the working world and the pressures of having a successful career.   She also had some things to say about clothes.

Trisha questioned Rochelle, "I noticed that you always dress very nice - dresses, skirts, hose, heels - even today when we are relaxing and having fun and going to a sporting event.  

Did you not bring any comfortable clothes?"

"Actually, this is what I like to wear.   The most casual clothes I brought were slacks and flats. I was raised in a home where a lady was always seen in public dressed nicely.   Please don't take that the wrong way, though.   This is just what is right for me - it's not necessarily for everyone."

"Rochelle, what do you think of my outfit today, just curious?"

"Oh you look cute.   That's a very pretty pastel blouse and the khaki knee-length shorts match very nicely. Those little slip on backless loafers are a nice touch, but I just don't know how you keep them on sometimes."

"Thanks. these shoes aren't too bad. Wearing them barefoot in this humidity, they seem to stay on pretty well.   Don't you ever wear backless shoes? I noticed you did not bring any on your trip."

"No I don’t normally wear backless shoes - except for house slippers, or maybe by the pool or at the beach I'll wear thong sandals, but not out like this. I prefer regular pumps and strappy sandals or strappy pumps.”

“Do other women from Edenglassie feel the same way you do?”

“No, many of them wear backless shoes, what do you call them - mules? But, I never really liked wearing them. They come off too easily.”

“You just have to get used to them, I guess.   they’re my favorite style. I love being able to take them off whenever I want without having to mess with a strap or a buckle.”

“ I also very rarely go without some type of hose - pantyhose when I'm more casual, but often hose with garter belts.   I just feel more feminine that way.   Do you wear hose much, Trisha?

"Only when it's cold and I'm going to church or a formal event of something.   I don't like anything constricting my legs.   That's why I prefer backless shoes and dislike strappy sandals or pumps.   I have problems with regular pumps coming off my heels and rubbing blisters since they are so narrow on me.   I like mules of any heel height, clogs, these slip-on loafers, shoes like that."

Rochelle mentioned the upcoming formal reception at the Coca Cola Museum for the AUS/NZ area of the world.   She had an idea for Trisha, "Why don't you try hose and garters and for the formal reception on Thursday?   Maybe you'll learn to like them. We can shop for some today."

Trisha replied, "Well, maybe. Hey how 'bout I do that if you wear a pair of mules?   We can both get a new pair of mules this afternoon at this nice department store in Lenox Mall."

Rochelle hesitated but she decided to call her bluff - it was only fair for both to overcome their clothing dislikes together.   The two of them finished their lunch at Houston's and first did some window-shopping at the expensive Phipps Plaza.   Then they walked over to Lenox Square Mall to look around some more and eventually to purchase their "experimental" clothing.  

First, Rochelle took Trisha to the Rich's Department store and picked out a nice pair of black nylons and accompanying garter belts.   Trisha thought the combination was a bit dated and old fashioned, but she wanted to at least give them a try.   The twosome then walked over to the shoe department and Trisha helped Rochelle pick out a pair of mules.   After a lot of looking and Rochelle's dislike of the available styles and colors, she finally agreed to a pair of cream-colored, suede 2-inch heel mules with a nice embroidered stitching design on the upper. Trisha had not intended on buying any shoes herself, but she just could not turn down a pair of black 1-½ inch spiked heel mules with soft suede upper.   They matched her new nylons very nicely.

Rochelle and Trisha returned to the car and left their new clothing in the trunk and they rushed to the MARTA train that would take them to the gymnastics event.   The extra time they had spent shopping meant they would have to wait until afterwards to walk around the Centennial Olympic Park at all the nice exhibits Rochelle had already seen that she wanted Trisha to enjoy.

They raced down the escalator to get on the southbound train that would get them to the site of the Olympics in a mere 15 minutes.   The train was standing-room-only so Trisha and Rochelle grabbed a pole and hung on for the duration of the trip. they followed the crowd off the train and headed for the escalator that would take them back above ground in the center of Atlanta. They found the escalator was out of order so they began to traverse up it as if they were stairs. Since these steps were not designed for walking up while stationary - the step height was a few inches more than the normal step - making it difficult for Rochelle in her heels and Trisha in her mules to navigate.   About half-way up, Trisha's right shoe caught briefly on the rippled escalator step and when she put more force into her foot to get it free, she slung it backwards and it began to topple down the escalator steps, just missing Rochelle’s kneecap. People behind her, instead of stopping the flying shoe, simply moved out of the way and offered no help.   Had the escalator been moving, she could have simply waited at the top for it to come home to her. However in this case that would not work.   She turned to walk down the steps but the crowd of people ascending the escalator was too thick and she knew she could not get through them on the narrow escalator.

Trisha had an idea, "Rochelle, would you mind going down the other escalator and seeing if you can retrieve my shoe?   I'll stay here and see if someone happens to bring the shoe up to me.  I there’s a break in the crowd, I’ll go down and retrieve it myself."

Rochelle replied, "Sure, I don't mind helping at all."

Rochelle then went over to the other side hurriedly to retrieve Trisha's shoe.

About the time Rochelle reached the bottom and began to come up the escalator again, a young college-aged man came walking quickly up the steps carrying Trisha's shoe delicately in his left hand, hoping to meet the fair maiden to whom it belonged.   He saw Trisha standing at the top of the escalator with one foot bare and the other wearing the matching mate to the shoe in his hand.   He stopped next to her and said the obvious, "Excuse me miss, I think this might be yours.   I saw it sitting on the steps and I hoped its owner might be up here."

Trisha showed her appreciation, "Thank you so much. The escalator was so crowded that I could not make my way down to get it."

The nice young man made note of how cute Trisha looked perched at the top of the escalator missing one shoe.   He was a little too old, and she was a little too young, to ask for her phone number, but he was glad to be of assistance to her. He handed the shoe off to Trisha making note of how cute her legs and bare foot were.   The single bare foot in want of the shoe he’d just found had a nice shape to it and was accented with a fresh coat of red nail polish.   He paused to admire them before they exchanged smiles he continued on his way.  

Rochelle eventually completed the second trip up the long stopped escalator and saw that the shoe had been found.   Rochelle was happy, but she again raised her concerns about wearing mules, "This is exactly why I don't wear those type of shoes.  I bet this is not the first time that's happened is it?"

Trisha answered, "No, it's not.   But if you're careful it doesn't happen very often and usually it falls only a few feet out of easy reach and replacement.   Relax, you'll be fine - besides, I've met some cute guys that way."

Rochelle and Trisha eventually made it over to the place for the 3:00 PM Women’s Gymnastics competition and enjoyed it very much. Trisha had no more problems with her mules, however she did sit with her legs crossed and dangled one then the other throughout the competition. She also dipped them on and off at times.   All of this shoeplay made Rochelle nervous but she did not want to say anything. She just thought it was Trisha's youth that made her not sophisticated enough to keep her shoes still on her feet. She made a mental note not to engage in such childish shoeplay while wearing mules to the reception later that week.  

Trisha and Rochelle eventually left and headed over to the Olympic Park. A thunderstorm had come while they were inside the venue and the grounds were wet and muddy in places. Rochelle had a little trouble navigating through some of the muddy places without her foot coming out of her heels on a few occasions as they walked around. One time she had to stop and retrieve her shoe, being careful not to place her nyloned foot on the wet, muddy ground.   Trisha jokingly commented, "Anyone can have a shoe come off, huh?"

After a while longer they returned to the MARTA Station to get back in the car and go home. The next day, Trisha had to be hostess/cashier at Frankie's and Rochelle had a lot of PR meetings downtown so she came and returned with Charles.

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