Beauty and the Basement

Beauty and the Basement — page 7 — Santino comes through the swinging door wiping his hands on a dish towel Sir the stranger says moving to shake Santino’s hand I’m so sorry for bursting in If I could just use your phone I’m happy to wait outside He thinks Santino is my dad It reminds me of what I’ve tried to forget My dad is dead I’ll show you the way to the phone I say stepping between them Mr Forgive me I’m Jack Beaumont he says He stands up straight for the first time since he burst in He has a graying blond mustache He pulls off his hat to reveal a head of thinning hair the same shade as his mustache I’m Carlo I say This is my house And this I thumb at Santino is our chef I pause thinking for a minute Don’t you have a cell phone I ask Ah he says looking away from me The battery died Darn thing He forces a smile and a shrug For some reason I think he’s lying

Beauty and the Basement — page 8 — Follow me I say I lead Mr Beaumont through the kitchen through the back door to the courtyard and out to my mother’s greenhouse We have other phones but the greenhouse is the only room enclosed in windows That means I can keep an eye on him from the kitchen Right here I say gesturing to Mom’s wicker patio set with a phone on the side table I’ll let you have some privacy He thanks me and sits down I pull up my hood and dart across the courtyard to the kitchen I sit on the stool by the window to watch Mr Beaumont He has the phone cradled under his ear and he’s wandering through Mom’s prize winning indoor garden Now and then he stops to read a label or take a leaf between his thumb and forefinger like he’s testing the quality of a piece of fabric I shouldn’t have let him in I say to Santino He sighs Maybe he says But this is some storm

Beauty and the Basement — page 9 — 2 Told by Belle I can’t imagine what’s keeping Dad I think as I sit in my bedroom Well sort of my bedroom It was Dad’s office until my room upstairs sprung a leak in the ceiling Now I sleep in Dad’s office Not that he needs it His business went belly-up two years ago when one of his planes crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean It was carrying most of the company’s merchandise When it was lost Dad was responsible He went bankrupt Since then we’ve lived modestly This once magnificent brownstone on one of the most beautiful blocks in the city is crumbling But tonight I feel hopeful Dad had an important meeting out by the ocean near the big homes and the cute villages with fudge shops The phone rings and I dive to grab it Dad

Beauty and the Basement — page 10 — Hello Belle he says I can hear the disappointment in his voice What happened I say I hate the sound of my own voice full of disapproval I imagine that I sound like a scolding mother But my mom died when I was young I don’t even remember the sound of her voice Just a little mishap with the car he says Belle the ocean here under the moonlight is positively breathtaking Where are you I ask Just waiting for the tow truck Dad says He takes a loud long breath through his nose like he’s smelling something Where are you waiting I ask The most amazing house Dad says It’s the sort of house you’d love on a hill overlooking the ocean I can hear the waves crashing from here Whose house is it I ask I didn’t get the last name Dad says He seems distracted He sniffs again and sighs

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