Obscure

Chapter 3

"RSVP"

Three weeks and five long lunch dates later, it was confirmed that I would be attending Balcones Prep my junior and senior year. Papi and I were ecstatic. Planning the trip there since April even though our plane ride wouldn't be until the late week of August. The amount of months away didn't stop us from daydreaming about our lives in Alexandria. Well, my life. Mom couldn't leave her job in Missouri and they were no spots available in her company allowing her to transfer at their Virginia location. I also knew Papi would never leave his la vie for me. He made a promise to never leave her after my dad died. That meant he would stay by her side no matter what, even if I was migrating to the East Coast.
     The last months of school dragged on. I'd watch the clock closely waiting for each painful school day to end so I could mark myself a day closer to the day I would move into my dorm at Balcones. Now the summer was at an end and after a two hour plane ride, I'm standing at the pickup section of Ronald Reagan International Airport.
    Papi is beside me, checking our weather itinerary for the number of our cab and it's arrival time. I checked it a million times on the plane and committed the three digit number to memory. I wait for the digits on my clock to turn to three o'clock and immediately begin to scan the rows of rental vehicles and cabs for our designated taxi. It's hard to see over the crowds of family blocking the cars as they stream through the road to the parking garage across the street. It also doesn't help that my vision isn't exactly a perfect twenty out of twenty but in the end it doesn't matter.
     A black car holds up a sign. "Laclaire family," is printing in thick black lettering. Papi sees it first and I subsequently after. We waste no time picking up our luggage and rolling it to the car.
     A boy steps out of the front seat.
     "Amy Laclaire?"
     I nod.
     The boy in the blazer then introduces himself. "Hi, I'm Jonah Hicks. I was sent from Balcones' Welcoming Committee to escort you to the campus and give you a tour of the school."
We placed our luggage in the trunk of the car and joined Jonah in the backseat. Like a robot, he began to cite the history of Balcones and the most memorable achievements. I acted like I was interested, nodded my head when I heard something 'remarkable.' In reality, I read this speech on their website under the 'About Us' sections.
When Jonah was done, we sat in silence. Waiting for the car to arrive at the front gates of Balcones.
Five minutes away from Balcones, the silence was broken by Papi.
"Do you know Francesca Prince?"
The question was innocent. As much research as the both of us had done, I was the only one knew about her terrible fate. I hid it from Mom and him. Scared that they would change their mind if they found out what happened the Francesca when she came here.
Both Jonah and I were uncomfortable. Papi raised an eyebrow at our sudden change in moods. "Did I say something wrong?" Read the room, I groaned in my head. Papi never knew how to read signals or address them properly.
"Um, no sir, I'm sorry." Jonah cleared just throat, "Francesca use to go to Balcones but not anymore."
"Oh, really? That's a shame. She use to go to school with Amy. They were close friends. Did you know she left, Amy?" Jonah and Papi now focused on me, both men seemed surprised at the new information mentioned.
I don't say anything. I just shake my head. I don't want to say it out loud or it'll become too real. So far, I've been able to keep it as a surreal fact of life by shoving it under a rug. I'm scared that once we arrive at Balcones, reality will set in and I'll have no choice but to address the true state of Francesca; A missing minor of the state of Virginia. I planned to do so in private not in the backseat of a car with an audience, especially when Papi is right next to me and can change his mind at any second.
      The car ride resumes to it's previous silence. I'm the distance, I can see a tall stone wall. I presume it's Balcones and as we get closer, I find that I'm right.
     The pictures online don't do the property justice. Huge iron gates open wide to reveal a courtyard laced with flowering dogwood and five feet tall bushes. Cobblestone lines the cul-de-sac street. A large brick building sits opposite of the gates. Grand pillars dress the front of the building. Shadowing over the huge windows in the front.
     I unbuckle my seat belt, ready to unload at the front. Jonah notices and beams at me. I don't understand why until we drive past the entrance and turn left. We're now traveling down a road that goes deeper into the campus. More brick buildings appear with statues of past alumni and more gardening landscape. Jonah is still looking at me, causing me to shift uncomfortably under his gaze.
      We stop in front of one of the smaller buildings. Jonah steps out and opens the door for Papi and I on the other side.
      "This is the Adams Building, one of the girls' residence halls here at Balcones."
      Now Papi and I pay attention. He goes into further detail about the structure of the campus. How they sort the classes and their locations. How more advanced courses are at the back of the school in the newer buildings, how non-athletic electives are on the west side and athletic facilities are on the east side, and more information that make the idea of navigating the campus less scary.
     He helps with our bags and guides us down the narrow halls of Adams. The inside is dark. The windows are small and thick curtains block out any possible light. Dim lamps brighten the path to my room but the darkness hurts my eyes.
     We climb two sets of stairs before stopping in front of a door. Hanging around the knob is a lanyard with my name on it and a key. Jonah hands the lanyard to me and invites me to, "Do the honors."
     I give him a weird look before accepting the key and using it to turn the lock. We open the door and I'm met with a small space. There's only three pieces of furniture; a bed, a desk, and a nightstand. There's a single window in the far corner but like the other windows in the building, it has a heavy curtain shielding the room from any sunlight.
     Jonah walks in first to drop my bags in the closet. A small space in the wall that reveals another piece of furniture but it's just a simple dresser. This room lacks the splendor the rest of the campus has, but I don't mind. I established months ago that I would be spending most of my time in their library.
      "I'll leave you guys to get settled and then come back around dinner time to show you the dining hall and the rest of the campus. If you have any questions, your RA is on the first door on the left from the stairs. She can help you with anything you need." Then Jonah is gone and it's just Papi and I.
     "Your mom would hate this room," is the first thing Papi says. I laugh because it's true. It makes me thankful that she's not here to criticize it and ruin this experience for me. I hate that she's not here, stuck in Missouri because of her job, but it makes the transition from Independence to here somewhat easier. I've already finished one of the hardest parts of moving to Virginia; saying goodbye to my Mom. I'm already dreading having to do the same to Papi.
     Papi inspects the room. He flips over the mattress and pats it down, swipes along the wooden furniture to check for dust, opens the curtain to see the view, and anything else he deems important to check out. Once he approves, he gets to work. Like a machine, he directs himself around the room. Placing the sheets on the bed and taping my posters on the wall while I unpack my clothes in the closet. It's a long process. We don't realize how much time unpacking really takes until Jonah's back, knocking on my door.
     The days almost over which means soon I'll have to say goodbye to Papi. I try not to think about it as we walk to the dining hall or as we eat our dinner but it's all I can think about.
     And then the moment comes. We stand outside the Adams building, the stars already out. It's just us. All the other students are in their dorms following curfew.
    "Ma poupette," Papi starts. His tone warns me of the long and painful talk about to take place. I never do well in these situations. Before he can say what he wants to say, I'm already breaking out in a flood of tears. He holds me close in a bear hug, allowing me to tear stain his sweater.
     He tries to make me laugh by making one of his horrible jokes. "You're ruining my favorite shirt, poupette!" It makes me cry even harder but Papi doesn't cry. He just chuckles at my upheaval until he isn't. He too begins to cry. He picks my head up and in my ear, he gives me advice. No doubt during our moments of silence in the plane and car he's been planning what he'd say. Maybe he's been planning it since April. I wouldn't be surprised.
     When he finishes, he backs away and tries to smile at me. I can see his cheeks pick up but they fall back down into a frown. "Never forget your Mom and I love you." As if I'd forget, I think.
     Our sniffles fill the night air for only a moment. Papi has never been one to waste time even in times like these. He nods at me and slides into the cab. I wince when I hear the car door shut.
     I cried many tears in the arms of Papi but as I see his car disappear down the long driveway, a tsunami hits and I'm a disheveled mess once again.

yay she's at balcones!

time for the fun to begin ;)

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-roseliane