A-List

First Meeting

12/31/14

For some reason today I woke up surprisingly early. It may have been because my sleep schedule had finally started to stop being irregular or the anxiety of meeting my 'father.' 

It didn't matter though I had more than enough time to mentally prepare myself.

Or so I thought.

Walking down the stairs I realize how oddly quiet it was. Usually the cooks would be shouting at each other or the housekeepers would be vacuuming but all I heard was the coffee machine making noise. 

Thinking it was Cleo starting the day off with the drink. I call out to her.

"Cleo drinking coffee this early in the morning can have many negative effects on your body such as dehydration, an upset stomach, and much mor-" I stop in my tracks as I round the stair corner the person who I've been talking isn't Cleo but a unfamiliar man instead.

"Um.... who are you?"

"Hello Christina, I'm Alejandro."

"Alejandro as in..."

"Your father." 

...........

"Are you hungry I made waffles."

"I thought you were coming back tomorrow." "I finished work early." He says taking the waffles out of the toaster. "I see."

At the table

We're sitting at opposite sides of the table in uncomfortable silence.

.......

"Where is everyone?" "I sent all the staff home for the rest of the week." "So it's just us." "Just us." He tells me taking a sip of his coffee.

.......

"How's your mother?" For the first time since our first interaction I look up at him. "Fine."

........

"Are you excited for school?" He tries to make some more small talk. "I guess."

........

"It's in the city right?" I ask. "Yes."

.......

"Do you mind elaborating." 

"You'll go to the city a day early to get a feel of everything and for that day you'll be staying in a hotel suite. As we are speaking your stuff is being moved into the dorm you'll be staying in a dorm with a roommate, you'll get a book listing the code of conducts, your uniform will be arriving soon along with a lit of topics that was covered at the beginning of the year, and on holidays you'll return home with Isabella....Anymore questions."

"No." I say getting up.

"Where are you going."

"To get dressed."

"You haven't even started eating."

"I lost my appetite." With that I head back upstairs.

01/04/15

I spent the entire week avoiding Alejandro until it was finally time for me to leave for New York City. 

I left the house about 30 minutes ago and I can't help but cringe at all of my interactions with Alejandro starting from me making a range of excuses starting on New Year's Eve when I told him I was too tired for the New Year's countdown to barely giving him a glance when I left.

It was awkward to say the least, but that's fine with me because I didn't come here to mend our 'relationship' or become all buddy buddy with his wife and daughter. I came here to fulfill a promise and it's my intention to see it through.

I glance over at my uniform swaying back and forth on the cars grab handle. It was a beige pleated skirt stopping above my knees, knee high white socks, white collared button down shirt, beige tie, and beige short blazer with the schools crest on it. This would be what I would wear for the first day. 

I had some more outfit choices in my suitcase including, a white shirt and beige shorts for gym, beige cardigan, beige head band, and 5 name tags. For some reason I felt like I was forgetting something but I didn't know what. It was probably nothing.

The uniform is actually kind of bearable.

The driver's voice interrupts my train of thoughts. "Um Miss this is the handbook of the code of conducts your father asked me to give you." I thank him and take it from him as he hands it to me.

There were a lot more pages than I expected. Flipping through the book some of these rules seem a bit stupid such as no backpacks allowed, no fist bumps, no working on homework in class, no decorating lockers, no physical contact with the opposite sex, no dyed hair, and only clear water bottles allowed.

So far my expectation of American schools were far from the reality.