Full Speed Ahead: My Journey with Kit

The three of us go back to Kit’s house, where Mrs. Kittredge and Mrs. Howard fold laundry in the kitchen. Buddy wags his tail at his crush, Mrs. Howard, and wins a small smile from her.

The women say hello. Mrs. Kittredge hands Kit a pile of folded clothes to put away, and we follow her up to her room. I tell Kit her room is cool; she says it feels hot to her, since she only knows cool as a synonym for chilly, not wonderful. The attic is roasting with no air-conditioning.

I explain that by cool, I mean it looks great. Kit spins in her desk chair, laughing, then says this alcove is her favorite spot, where she dreams of becoming a reporter someday, even though not many women have jobs like that. I tell her plenty of women I know have jobs, so she should stick to her ambition and keep writing.

Kit rests her hands on her typewriter keys. She used to write a family newsletter for her dad, back when he had a job, with Stirling drawing illustrations and Ruthie helping, too. I ask where Ruthie is. Kit says she’s visiting her grandmother and will be home in a few days. I suggest we write a newsletter for Ruthie about what’s new around here. Kit laughs: me!

I strike a glamorous pose, joking it makes me feel like a movie star, while Kit bangs away at the typewriter and I sort through the clean clothes, pairing a shirt with a skirt, then with silky pajama pants.

After a few minutes, Kit looks up and says here’s what she has so far:

She's funny, smart, friendly, and fun to be with. Who is she? Lulu! Today, our family welcomes Lulu to our home. We welcome Buddy, too, a lively golden retriever puppy that arrived at the same time as Lulu and follows her everywhere. Buddy has decided that he belongs to Lulu, or maybe that Lulu belongs to him.

I tell Kit that’s really good. She asks to interview me. Do I like sports? Tennis and baseball, I say, and she mentions that she and Stirling love baseball, too, especially Ernie Lombardi, the Cincinnati Reds catcher. Do I like to read? Yes, and when she asks about Robin Hood, I explain he robbed from the rich to give to the poor. Kit says someday she, Ruthie, and Stirling will have a treehouse to camp out in.

Then Kit asks what I want to be when I grow up. I don’t know, I tell her; I don’t have any special talent. I wish writing came as easily to me as it does to her, but I’m a bad speller and it discourages me. Kit says spelling isn’t writing, and that she works hard to get better. She already knows what I love. I ask if she means Buddy and scoop him up for a hug.

Kit laughs that we all love Buddy, but she means something else. I’m sitting right in the middle of what I love, surrounded by the dresses, skirts, and blouses I’ve paired into outfits. I call it a hobby, but Kit tells me not to brush it off, reminding me how good I was at the soup kitchen, finding the perfect thing to fit each girl. I’ve got a talent for clothes, something I’ve never thought to be proud of.

Kit turns back to her typewriter and writes something else:

When Lulu grows up, she will be a fashion designer. She will design new dresses, but she will be most famous for the magical way she can turn tired old clothes into new and beautiful outfits.

I blush. Does Kit really think I could be a dress designer when I grow up? The idea gives me goosebumps. Kit says absolutely.

Funny that I had to travel back to 1933 to find out what my future could hold. When I return to the twenty-first century, I’ll take my interest in clothes seriously, unpack my project suitcase, organize my scissors and pins and sewing supplies, and finish what I started. I’ll work at it the way Kit works at her writing. I’ll bring more than memories back from 1933. I’ll bring ambition, too.