Page 4 (1/2)
STARBUCKS BOY
It was my aunt who pimped me out
We had this arrangeet to live with her for a feeeks over the sue course at Columbia beforebesides stay out of the way It sounded like a good plan to ot to Columbia on the first day of summer classes, I found that my course had been dropped Apparently, there’d been a notice that nobody in my family had bothered to notice
I thought Aunt Celia would be mad Or at least concerned But instead she said, “Well, this could actually solve Elise’s problem”
Elise was a friend of Aunt Celia’s who lived in the sahter
“I’m sure you’re wonderful with children,” Aunt Celia told me
This was an especially strange state from Aunt Celia, who (as far as I could tell) considered the continued existence of children to be soue We have a picture we love to look at in ht after my brother, Jonathan, was born It’s Aunt Celia’s turn to hold hi of her body, you’d think that so personal against Jonathan—I’rew up, Aunt Celia always gave us presents to “save for later” For my seventh birthday I received a pair of Tiffany candlesticks For er bowl I freaked out, thinking a finger boas ers (Aunt Celia left the room so my parents could explain) When I turned thirteen, Aunt Celia actually see any pretense of treatingme like a lesser form of adult instead
“Aren’t you?” she now prompted “Wonderful? With children?”
I didn’t knohere ere going with this, but I was sure that if I had no reason to stay in New York, Aunt Celia would ship me back to suburbia faster than she could dial out for dinner Even if I found a way to avoid being underfoot, she would be unnerved by the concept ofunderfoot
“I’m wonderful with children,” I assured her Various instances of h my head—we hadn’t been allowed to have pets, so I’d often encouraged hiht it best not toexperience, which, at its most extreme, stopped just short of accidental lobotomy
“Perfect,” she said Then she picked up her cell phone off the front table, speed-dialed, and told the person on the other end, “Elise, it’s Celia I have a solution for the whole Astrid affair My nephew…yes, Gabriel The one I was telling you about…escaping my sister, yes Well, it seems that his course has been canceled And I happen to know he’s wonderful with children A complete charmer… Yes, he’s entirely free… I’hted…You’ll see him then…Yes, it’s quite a loaded potato… Absolutely my pleasure!”
She hung up and looked at me like I’d just been checked off a list
“It’s all set,” she said “Although you’ll have to dress nicer than that”
“What’s all set?” I asked If I couldn’t do it in a T-shirt, I orried
“Why, your job For the next three weeks”
“Which is…?” I coaxed
She sighed “To take care of Elise’s daughter, Arabella You’ll love her She’s wonderful”
No follow-up questions were possible With an air kiss and a trail of perfume, Aunt Celia was off
I started the next ht My class was supposed to have started at ten, and I’d looked forward to the extra hours of sleep Instead, Aunt Celia cahts, released a low-octaved “Be ready by eight,” and left before I could see her without the compensations of makeup
Even after I cureddayblindness with two cups of coffee and a shower prolonged by ten , I still wasn’t fully ahen I rang the doorbell of aparth in my button-down shirt and khakis, but my mind felt buttoned-down and khaki as well I was already starting to resent my new job
Aunt Celia’s friend Elise was three-quarters out the door when she opened it for me
“You must be Gabriel,” she said “I’ve heard so much about you Come in”
Elise was one of those wo to look like a piece of exercise equipment herself She walked around the apart ency numbers and people to call and when to expect her back
“I really appreciate you doing this,” she said, putting on her jacket and leading me down a hallway “Arabella’s back here”
Arabella’s door was decorated with a framed copy of the unicorn tapestry from The Cloisters Elise knocked three quick raps into the door, then opened it for me I was astounded, but not particularly surprised, by the rooht expect froirl naue version of Disney, with a four-poster bed and no-poster walls Pink was the do roles My attention was caught by a nuisterial display shelf, as if they were about to take a class picture and had dressed for the occasion This was the room I had never dreamed about as a little boy, and still feared now
Even though the light in the roo by flashlight I could see the beaes turn even as her rew ed She was not, as I’d expected, sleek and steely like her y and flushed, her hair onlyHer expression was sour, her clothing dour, and her anger at being interrupted was palpable She held up her Berenstain Bears book and said, “I’ to read!”