This is not how Fedora planned to spend her first college Spring break.
Here she was sitting in Sacia’s surprisingly less cluttered apartment with Sacia, and Bentley. Even though Sacia promised her that she would not let Bentley anywhere near her, he was here.
“God, can’t you just leave,” Fedora said after about five minutes of awkward silence.
Bentley frowned, “Sacia invited me over, I didn’t know you’d be here. I promise.”
“But she did,” Fedora said, glaring at Sacia.
Sacia shrugged, “He had nothing to do, I couldn’t let him be bored in NYC. That’s just impossible.”
Fedora sighed, “Then I’m leaving.”
“Do you really hate him that much?” Sacia asked.
“Yep,” Fedora said, getting up from her seat and grabbing her jacket. “I’m gonna go visit my dad, you guys can do whatever by yourselves. Call me when he’s gone.”
And with that Fedora grumpily left Sacia’s apartment and stomped her way outside. It was cold. Too cold for Spring Break. Fedora couldn’t believe Sacia invited Bentley, though she knew how much Fedora disliked him.
But she wouldn’t let Bentley ruin her Spring break, so she did what she said she would do, visit her dad.
Walking towards his apartment Fedora already started to feel better. New York city was her place. She couldn’t wait to graduate law school. Then she could finally move back to New York after eleven years of being gone.
Fedora was bummed to find her dad was not home at the moment, leaving her with nothing to do.
She walked randomly until she arrived at a small pizza place, there were about only two customers. Fedora figured their pizza must suck, but she went inside anyway.
She ordered two slices of the meat lovers pizza and then took a seat by the window. The anticipation of food made her feel a little better, but mostly she was depressed about how terrible her spring break was starting out to be.
After two slices of incredibly greasy pizza and a root beer shake Fedora called her dad and asked when he’d be home.
“Actually I’m on my way now,” he said. “You can let yourself in, the key’s in the light.”
“Thanks,” Fedora said, leaving the pizza shop and heading back to her dad’s house still on the phone with him.
“Do you want to order in, or eat out?” he asked.
“Order in,” Fedora said, “I just want to chill.”
“Got in, I’ll pick up some chinese food on the way there,” he said, “See you then.”
“Ditto,” Fedora said hanging up. At her dad’s apartment she fetched the key from the light outside the door and let herself in. Once in she felt immediately better. Her dad’s place, and her old place, was her favorite place in the world. Nothing compared to the beat up couch that had never been replaced since they bought it, the small kitchen that was directly connecting to the livingroom and of course her room that her dad still hadn’t changed into an office like some parents do.
Fedora collapsed on the couch and turned on the TV. She channel surfed for a while until she stopped on the Food channel, her favorite, and watched two chefs fighting the time to make something extraordinary out of some salmon. Fedora hated salmon.
She turned off the TV.
She got up and dug through her dad’s fridge. Fedora didn’t expect to find much, her dad worked all day everyday so he never ate at home.
After failing to find anything edible in the house Fedora went down the hall to her old bedroom. Throughout the years she stayed in this room over summer breaks, spring breaks, winter breaks, any breaks she could get. She had always favored her dad over her mom, which is why it ripped her apart when she learned her dad wouldn’t be moving with them, and then again when she learned they were getting divorced.
When she first heard of the divorce she immediately asked if she could move back to NYC with her dad. It hadn’t mattered to her that she had made friends in California, they were nothing compared to her dad.
But when it seemed as if she would actually move to NYC to live with her dad everything changed. And that isn’t being dramatic, everything did change. First she made the mistake that ruined her life, helping Harriette become popular, only to find out that she wasn’t moving after all, because apparently her dad wasn’t so fit to be a father as she thought.
But anyway, back to the present. Fedora sat on her bed, which she never replaced even though she had grown quite a lot since she was seven. She liked her room staying exactly the same. Only minor changes, like the TV that her dad had bought her for Christmas the year after the divorce. Her first Christmas as a shared child.
Fedora laughed, that Christmas was great. Her mom was trying so hard to make her like her better, she even bought her the electric scooter that she had been asking for all summer.
Fedora heard the familiar sound of keys in the lock and jumped up from her bed. She didn’t know if she was more excited for the food or her dad.
“Hey!” she said running into the living room.
“Hey, Pumpkin,” he said. Fedora grinned, her dad had called her Pumpkin ever since she was only five when she asked if she could get her hair orange. This happened after meeting her aunt for the first time, who had orange hair.
Her mom had said, “Oh god no, you’d look like a pumpkin.”
Yet another jab at her growing weight.
But her dad, of course, switched it around to be a good thing and never stopped calling her that. and at five she didn't quite know yet that her mom was being mean.
“I got your favorite, sesame chicken,” he said setting the take out bag on the counter.
“Thanks,” she said, taking the boxes out of the bag, checking each one for the chicken.
“You look hungry,” he said.
“I am,” she said, not mentioning that she had just previously had two slices of pizza and a root beer float. Finally finding the chicken, she got herself a fork and dug in.
“Not gonna wait for me?” her dad asked.
Fedora shrugged.
Her dad laughed, getting himself a plate to put his food on, instead of eating out of the box like Fedora was doing.
“So what brings you to my place on the first day of your crazy Spring break,” her dad asked, piling some Lo Mein onto his plate.
Fedora groaned, she had almost forgotten about Bentley invading her spring break plans. “Bentley showed up.”
“Ohh,” her dad said, giving her a sympathetic look.
“He left college to come here,” Fedora said. “I don’t know why though. Couldn’t he find himself in California, all the way across the country from me?”
“Well, you don’t really have to see him, do you?” her dad asked.
“Well, Sacia invited him into our plans,” Fedora said.
“Why would she do that?” he asked.
“Because she’s evil,” Fedora sighed. “But she’s also my best friend, who I was hoping I could spend my break with. And it is so cold.”
She was complaining now but she didn’t really care.
Just then her phone rang. For a moment Fedora forgot where it was, but remembered it was in her coat pocket. She got up and checked the caller ID. Sacia.
“She better be calling to say that Bentley’s gone,” she said before answering.
“He’s gone,” Sacia said as soon as she answered. “And I’m terribly sorry about that. When I offered I didn’t think he would say yes, because I thought he hated you too.”
“Yeah and what better way to annoy someone you hate than showing up when they don’t expect you to,” Fedora said.
“I’m sorry,” Sacia apologized, again. “You want to come back and go out to eat? I know an awesome place just down the street from me.”
Fedora glanced down at the now empty box of sesame chicken, “Okay I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you” Sacia said.
“Be there in like fifteen minutes,” Fedora said before hanging up.
She turned to her dad, “I’m going back to Sacia’s, Bentley’s gone. But thanks for the food and the talk. I’ll see you later.”
She gave her dad a hug and then grabbed her jacket and left. It was even colder than before so she half ran half walked to Sacia’s house. Resulting in a very exhausted Fedora.
“God, did you run here?” Sacia said after letting her in.
Fedora collapsed onto the couch, “kind of. It was more like limping. It’s cold out there.”
Sacia frowned, “Spring break is supposed to be warm.”
“Not in New York,” Fedora laughed.
Sacia laughed, “Come on, let’s go. I’m starving.”
“And I’m tired,” Fedora said, but she got up anyway. She wanted more food.
“So what kind of food does this place serve?” she asked when they were out on the cold street.
“A little bit of everything,’ sacia said, “It’s kind of Italian, but you can get some asian inspired dishes. Plus they have this weird pasta dish that kind of reminds me of when Bryan tried to make dinner for me once. He thought I would like pasta, because I’m Italian, but he put this weird sauce on it. Like he tried to make his own tomato sauce.”
Fedora laughed, “sounds like Bryan.”
“Speaking of Bryan,” Sacia said, “where is he?”
“He told me he was going to Florida for Spring break.” Fedora said. “Camping on the beach or something like that.”
“He’s crazy.” Sacia said.
Finally Sacia stopped in front of a small restaurant called “Niente.”
“That means Anything,” Sacia said. “Which kind of describes this place.”
Fedora shrugged, following Sacia into the small restaurant. The atmosphere was cozy, with loud conversations ringing through the place.
Someone led them to a tiny table right next to the window, reminding Fedora of the pizza shop from earlier.
Fedora looked over the menu, they had an amazing selection of burgers. Including some thing call a “Hawaiian Burger” with pineapple and ham on it. Fedora was definitely not getting that.
“I’m getting an caesar salad, how about you?” Sacia asked after looking at the menu for only, like, two minutes.
Fedora laughed, “a salad?”
“Hey, if I’m gonna be a model I’m gonna need to watch my weight,” Sacia said.
“Well, I’m getting a burger,” Fedora said “I don’t know which one yet.”
That’s when she spied an Nacho burger, with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, beans, nacho cheese, salsa, and of course a burger seasoned with taco seasoning.
“The nacho burger,” Fedora said.
“I should have guessed,” Sacia said
The waitress came and took their orders and their menus and ask if they would like any appetizers.
“Actually yes,” Fedora said, “Onion rings?”
“Which kind?’ the waitress asked.
“The marinara one,” Fedora said.
“Okay, that’ll be coming right up,” the waitress said.
And they meant it when they said “right up” because within minutes the onion rings were at their table.
Sacia watched as Fedora quickly ate about half of them.
“You can have some too,” Fedora said. “A little won’t hurt.”
Sacia shrugged, “I guess.”
Fedora shrugged and finished them off. Sacia had only ate one and didn’t seem too upset about that.
You would think that by then Fedora would finally be full, but no when her burger came she had no trouble eating it and the fries that came with it.
Sacia ate her food slowly, “savoring” each bite.
While Sacia ate Fedora was looking at the dessert menu. When the waitress came again she asked if they would like any desserts. Sacia watched, shocked, when Fedora nodded and asked for the “Death By Chocolate cake.”
“You must have an infinite stomach,” Sacia said.
Fedora shrugged, “I just like food,”
“That can’t be healthy,” Sacia said.
Fedora winced, “Now you sound like my mom.”
Sacia shrugged, “fine. I won’t try to control your life, or eating habits.”
“Thank you,” Fedora said as they waitress came back with her cake. It was gone pretty quickly. They split the bill and then left for Sacia’s house again.
“You know,” Fedora said as they approached Sacia’s apartment. “Even though this day didn’t start out that great, I think it was a pretty okay start to my first College spring break.”
Sacia grinned, “good. and tomorrow will be better. I promise.”
“It better be,” Fedora said, following Saica into her apartment.
“I guarantee it,” Sacia said. “Now let’s watch some movies!”
“Sounds like a party,” Fedora said, collapsing onto the couch. All that food made her tired, and after only five minutes of Twilight, Sacia’s choice not hers, she was fast asleep.
