Private Property: Secrets and Beauty

Ms. Santorini’s announcement blared that morning,

“Teachers, please be reminded that the Start-of-Semester Luncheon is on this Saturday at 12 p.m. Attendance is mandatory, because I will be giving out sheets on the City University of New York..."

Teresa Arias, a dark-haired freshman, knocked on the door, interrupting the announcement. She entered the spacious, bustling office. File folders, cabinets, and bookcases were displayed in a neat array. Secretaries and people walking around in suits, answering phones and drinking coffees passed. A few students were among them.

“Yes Ms. Arias?” said Ms. Santorini, as she pulled away from the mike and fixed her tweed suit lapels. Henrietta Santorini was a stocky woman, with large arms, and great beefy hands, that looked as if she could make a dent in the side of a truck. She smoothed her bun and turned to Teresa.

“I wanted to know when the Co-op people were supposed to be getting back to me…Ms. Santorini.”

Santorini gave off a sarcastic grin, and walked around her mahogany desk. She organized some papers on the dolly, as if she were avoiding Teresa’s question.

Teresa stood with baited breath.

“Teresa, we’ve been through this before. Co-op is a big responsibility. This is the middle of November. You need to be focused on your studies. If you take the job, chances are you will not finish the Academic year…”

Teresa popped her gum in annoyance.

“Now, I’m not trying to discourage you, I’m only trying to give you some life principles…”

“Ms. Santorini, I don’t need life principles! I’ve been waiting to get this job since the beginning of the summer! It’s something; I always wanted to do…”

She flopped down in the guest chair, hands on her stomach.

“I understand Teresa, but this is what I stand for. You can come back next Monday, with your parents to discuss your apparent slipping grades…”

****

Stephanie West always knew something was missing. She had always known, that the father figure other kids had was absent from her life.

She opened the photo album, labeled “Early Years”, and gazed longingly at the photos of her and her mother.

Weddings, family reunions and Christenings filled the pages. So did all twelve of her birthdays. Stephanie’s thirteenth however was only two days away. She pushed back her dishwater blonde hair, and pulled her fingers out of her mouth, horrified. She had gnawed off a quarter of an inch of the black nail polish.

Anna West her mother, who had turned thirty four, three weeks ago, entered the house, with Wal-Mart bags, looking flushed.

“Hey honey,” she sighed, as she put the shopping bags down.

Stephanie hugged her mom, and sat back down on the couch.

“Dinner will be on in an hour hun…” she said from the kitchen.

“Mom…what ever happened to dad?”

Ms. West approached her daughter from the kitchen, with an apron on.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…did he die or whatever…”

“No! Why would you think that?

“Because…he’s just missing from my life…”

Ms. West stood up, and towered above Stephanie.

“He’s not missing!”

“Oh yeah—then why don’t I ever remember seeing him?”

Ms. West took a breath and answered throatily, “You were three when you saw him. After our divorce, things just haven’t been the same…”

“Tell me about it.”

“Why are you so worried about this all of a sudden?”

“Because I’m thirteen, and I don’t have a dad…”

“Hey Mrs. McMopey…you have a mom.”

Stephanie fell into her mother’s warm embrace, with her mind on one thing. A father figure. That’s all she wanted. If her mom couldn’t give him to her, Stephanie would find him on her own.

****

The freshman class sat in the Computer Lab, awaiting instructions from Mr. Sawicki, the Media Management teacher.

Teresa looked at the screen. She opened the e-mail from Chris…

“How do u think u did on the CAT?” it said.

“Okay i guess…u?” she typed back.

“i hope I get a good score…careers r important…”

“Okay everyone! This is our Social Experience instructor, Ms. Towns…” said Mr. Sawicki from the front of the classroom. “Here to talk with you all about your Career Aptitude Test scores...”

Ms. Towns, a middle-aged, wild-haired woman waved at the class bashfully.

“Alright class, I want you to login, and your scores should be up there. Now remember these are only guides to finding the career that you’re passionate about!”

“Yeah, like I’m passionate about Child Care…” Melanie scoffed snottily.

Teresa checked her list.

There was Fashion Designer, Musician and finally Model.

Chris sent her another instant message.

“whats ur choices?” it said.

“fashion, music and model! Do u know how excited i am?” she replied swiftly.

“sweet…but what about santorini’s problem?”

“who cares about her? Once i show her how wrong she is about not letting me take up the job, she’ll change her mind… ”

****

Alex walked into the Club for Christ’s meeting room, as many of its members began to file out. Stephanie sat by the window, zipping up her bag.

“ ‘Kay, so I was thinking Steph, we should have a party!”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Pass.”

She stood up to leave, but Alex blocked her path playfully.

“Come on Stephanie! You’re one of my oldest friends in the entire school!”

“Umm…we haven’t talked since sixth grade, Alex, and I really have to go…”

“Well we’ll fix all that tomorrow Steph. We’re gonna party ‘til the break of dawn, girlfriend!”

“Hmmm yes okay then…girl…friend. However, I don’t like social gatherings. I never fit in.”

“Trust me Steph, I’ll change all that.”

“Just forget it…”

Stephanie moved again, but Alex followed her out into the hallway.

“Steph, I really, really need this!”

“Fine! We’ll have this party…which I’m sure I’m not gonna like.”

Alex shrieked in happiness and walked away. Stephanie opened her locker, and saw Chelsea next to her.

“What was that all about?” she said.

“Oh just your best friend being very annoying…she wants me to have a birthday party, and for what I don’t know.”

“Alex can do that sometimes, I admit but you’re turning thirteen…you’ll be an official teenager!”

“Whoopee-doo…how exciting.”

“Who’s that? A family friend?”

Stephanie looked up at the picture of her father in High School with her mother on his arm.

“Richard West, he’s my dad. He and my mom got a divorce, and then he took off…for good.”

“I—I don’t know how to respond to that…” Chelsea stammered.

“You don’t have to, I’m going to. I’m gonna find him Chelsea…no matter what it takes.”

****

Stephanie began her search feverishly that afternoon looking for anything that would link her to her father.

“Richard West, West, West…Richard West…” she whispered to herself.

She saw a link pop up on the right side of the page.

“What’s Criminality?”

She clicked on it.

A bright red webpage with the words, “Criminality Watch of the 21st Century” appeared. She scrolled through the list of names, and clicked on Richard.

There was Richard Frosh, Richard Jones, Richard King, Richard Graham, and Richard Henry…not a Richard West in sight.

“Steph, what are you doing up there?” her mom called from below.

“Nothing! Coming—”

She tried to logout, but the webpage froze immediately. Stephanie slammed the laptop down, and slipped it under her pillow.

She would have to find her dad. She was going to. The question was whether or not it’d be to her liking.

Little did she know, that a certain snoopy Alex Arias was watching.

****

“So how did it go, with Santorini?” said Chris, with a fruit smoothie in hand.

“Not too good…She practically threw me out of her office, before I could explain the whole damn thing.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah she’s a bitch but what can I say, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em…”

“Teresa, you’re not giving up on your dream to Model…are you?”

“I guess I have to Chris!”

“Teresa…why?”

“I can’t beat the system!”

“So? Who cares about the system? Look, if this is what you wanna do, then you gotta do it…”

****

“Stephanie doesn’t like parties,” said Chelsea.

“Very funny Chelsea…she told me differently.”

“Same here Alex.”

Alex opened her locker, and started putting her books away.

“Look Chellie—I seriously just can’t cancel something this big!”

“How big do you expect it to be?”

Alex didn’t answer, and began to walk down the corridor.

“Alex!”

“Okay, okay, okay, I kind of told everyone about it…”

“Meaning what?”

“The entire—class?”

“Alex, have you lost all sanity?”

“Come on Chellie, Steph really needs this!” Alex pleaded, as she folded her hands and semi-squatted in front of her best friend.

“No, you need it, and I don’t know why!”

“It’ll be fun…it’ll…”

“Make Stephanie uncomfortable.”

“My decision’s final.”

“What was that about?” said Stephanie as Alex disappeared through the orange doors into the Cafeteria.

“She was only…that’s not…I don’t get it…I have to go!” Chelsea stuttered. She skipped off after Alex.

As soon as Chelsea went off, Stephanie knew what Alex had done. Stephanie walked briskly past rows and rows of rounded tables. A few senior girls giggled as she passed, calling her “Christian Crackhead…”

Stephanie couldn’t care less. She stopped her angry gale, a few feet from Alex, as she sat with Sean, Nathan and some curly-haired Sophomore boy.

“The party is off,” Stephanie said flatly.

“Steph…I can’t. People already know. Word’s out…the party is on,” said Alex. She dismissed Stephanie with her eyes and turned back around, talking with the boys.

“The party is off!” Stephanie shouted.

Alex stood up directly in her face. “And what are you gonna do about it, if I don’t wanna cancel it?”

“I’ll—I’ll stop you…”

“How? Gonna hit me with your Bible?”

“Blessed are the meek.”

“Yeah, blessed are the freaks…” Alex whispered. She leaned closer in Stephanie’s ear. “Have you ever wondered if, maybe your dad likes it in prison? I mean…the inmate attention he gets.”

Stephanie felt something so rageful burst through her chest, that she picked up the glass of Pepsi and splashed it all over Alex’s front. The Caf fell quiet.

“You just better mind your own business for once, Alex!”

Steph grabbed her books and swept out of the Cafeteria.

****

"Mom...are you home?" said Teresa, as she crept in that night.

The Arias household was quiet and quaint. Family heirlooms, symbolic of their Catholic faith hung all around the walls.

Instead of her mother, Patricia, Teresa was greeted by her father. She passed the statue of the Virgin Mary and sat on her dad's lap.

He looked down at her with warm eyes, and a gruff beard.

"Had a good day at school?" he said softly, brushing back her hair with his fingers.

"A very good one...dad, I'm going to be a Model..."

She didn't even know she had said it. It just...slipped out.

"What will your mother think?" he asked.

"Never..." someone sniffed from the doorway.

Teresa and her dad looked up to see Patricia Arias, by the bedroom doorway, holding a napkin to her face. She looked distraught.

"Mom I--"

"Teresa I said no! And that's my decision...no."