Nothing in Arcineh’s life could have prepared her for Jalaina Ciofani’s house. She did not have an apartment but still lived with her family on Chicago’s northwest side. Her family included her older brother, younger brother, and a grandmother, who at the moment was visiting her sister in Rockford.
All the way up the stairs to her room, Jalaina told Arcineh what to expect, and especially not to let Nicky bully her.
“Who’s Nicky?”
“My older brother. He owns my uncle’s business and thinks it makes him king of the universe. Whatever you do, stand up to him. He’s never even met anyone as classy as you, and you’ll intimidate the life out of him. I can hardly wait.”
Arcineh wasn’t sure what any of that meant, or even if she heard it all. She was too busy looking around her. Jalaina had taken her to a bedroom that would have fit into Arcineh’s closet at home. It had two beds, but Arcineh had no idea how she was going to fit herself or any of her things.
“Are you really sure it’s all right that I stay here, Jalaina? I mean, did you ask someone?”
“I didn’t need to,” Jalaina said with utter confidence. “You can stay as long as you like. Throw your stuff anywhere. We’ll get organized later. Come on.” Jalaina was already back at the door. “It’s my turn to make dinner.”
Arcineh found out in a hurry what Violet had been doing in the kitchen for years. Jalaina gave orders to both her and Marco, her younger brother, but since Arcineh had done little more than boil water, it was not as easy as it sounded.
“So tell me something, Princess,” Jalaina teased after Arcineh bent too far over the pot and got a face full of steam. “What was your cook’s name?”
“She wasn’t my cook,” Arcineh retorted, taking the teasing in stride. “She was my grandfather’s housekeeper, and her name is Violet.”
“But you didn’t go near the kitchen, I can see.”
“Not to cook,” Arcineh said quietly, and Jalaina watched her face.
“Not even gone a day and you already miss them.”
“Not them. Just Violet,” Arcineh said in a tone that closed the door. Jalaina, still watching her, realized she’d never had such a gentle putdown. She could have crowed with laughter thinking about Arcineh going head-to-head with Nicky.
“Who is that?” Nicky demanded of his sister the moment he got in the door. He’d come inside through the kitchen door and spotted Arcineh setting the table in the compact dining room.
“A friend of mine.” Jalaina worked to keep the pleasure from her voice. “She’ll be living here for a while.”
“Just what we need,” Nicky muttered. “Another deadbeat.”
“You can say that with some of the lowlifes you bring home?” his sister threw at him.
“I also bring home the money,” Nicky said, giving his standard line as he went to wash for dinner.
“Did you get kicked outta your place?” Nicky asked near the end of the meal. Marco had done little but stare at Arcineh all evening, but he was done eating now and in the living room watching television.
“Not exactly,” Arcineh said quietly, trying to recall Jalaina’s advice. “Your sister offered me a change of scenery, and I took it.”
Jalaina, her eyes swinging between the two, had all she could do not to laugh. Nicky’s brows had risen on this dignified reply of so few words. There wasn’t anyone in their world who could have pulled that off.
“So where you from?” Nicky asked next.
“Chicago,” Arcineh answered as she had to Jalaina.
“What side?”
“Near the lake.”
“Let me guess.” Nicky’s slight Italian accent became more pronounced, his tone knowing but also a bit skeptical. “You got a Mercedes for your sixteenth birthday.”
“Actually it was a BMW, and it was for my fifteenth birthday,” Arcineh stated simply. “Nine days in Hawaii covered my sixteenth, and for my seventeenth birthday, sapphires and diamonds.”
“You expect me to believe that you have sapphires and diamonds?”
Arcineh reached for the gold chain on her neck and pulled it free until it revealed a pendant of unmistakable wealth and beauty. Sapphires clustered around a half-carat diamond, all set in an 18-carat gold circle.
“The matching ring, bracelet, and earrings are in my bag upstairs.”
Nicky’s eyes went from the pendant and back to Arcineh’s face several times before he turned to his sister.
“Where did you find her?”
“At Barlow’s Café, and I’m keeping her.”
Nicky laughed, and the mood instantly lightened. The three ended up talking for hours before Arcineh helped do dishes for the first time in her life. Not until she climbed into bed many hours later did Arcineh miss Sam and Violet. Seeing their faces in her mind, she felt as though her heart would burst. It probably would have done a world of good to cry herself to sleep, but Jalaina was in the next bed and she didn’t want her to see how weak she truly was.
“You’re in a good mood,” Arcineh said to Jalaina a few days later. That young woman was whistling in front of the mirror, the mascara brush moving fast.
“We’re going out. Didn’t I tell you?”
“With whom?”
“Just ourselves, but we’ll probably meet some guys.”
“Where is Marco?” Arcineh asked, not sure why she wasn’t excited about this.
“At the neighbor’s. He just about lives there, even when Grandma’s home.”
“And Nicky.”
“Out with his girlfriend, Libby. You’ll meet her one of these days.”
Arcineh didn’t answer, but neither did she start getting ready. Jalaina had nearly finished her makeup and just had to get dressed.
“What’s the matter?” the older girl asked, finally turning from the mirror. Arcineh looked into her beautiful face and had just one question.
“Why am I really here?”
Jalaina looked at her, her heart sinking a little.
“You have this full wonderful life,” Arcineh continued, “surrounded by people who love you. Why did you want me around?”
Jalaina sat down on the bed across from Arcineh, knowing that she would have to be honest. She could do nothing else.
“You’re the kind of girl that gets places. I’m not. I’m from a middle-class, working family, and nice places don’t hire my kind of girl.”
“Where do I come in?” Arcineh asked.
“I don’t want anything, I just want to watch you do what you do.”
Arcineh thought about this and realized Jalaina could do the same for her. In this world she was such a child, ignorant of nearly everything.
“Are you mad?” Jalaina asked.
“No, but it comes with a condition. I get to learn from you as well.”
“Deal,” the older girl said.
The two sat and stared at each other for a moment.
“Do you want to go out?” Jalaina finally asked.
“Yes, but not to look for guys.”
“Okay,” Jalaina said—such a thing would not have occurred to her. “A movie?”
“I was thinking it would be a nice evening to go to the Art Institute of Chicago.”
“I’ve never been.”
Arcineh smiled, and a moment later Jalaina smiled too. They were out the door 30 minutes later.
Arcineh had been at the Ciofanis’ for a week when Grandma came home. She was kind to Arcineh but watched her with a touch of suspicion. Grandma didn’t say too much, but her old eyes didn’t miss a thing. After observing Jalaina and Arcineh staying up late, sleeping late, and playing their days away, she made an announcement at the dinner table Sunday night.
“Nicky, the girls have lain around this house long enough. I want them to go to work with you in the morning. Find something for them to do.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nicky replied, methodically eating his dinner. Jalaina didn’t look too happy about this, but neither did she comment. Arcineh, on the other hand, nearly choked. Nicky laid tile for a living! Arcineh looked around the table to see if anyone would object, but everyone continued with their meal as though nothing was wrong.
By bedtime Arcineh had convinced herself that Grandma Ciofani didn’t mean it. She thought differently when Jalaina’s alarm went off at 5:15 Monday morning and she found herself in Nicky’s truck, headed for a work site.
“Chummel,” Nicky said, speaking to a big man with curly, fair hair after he had walked Arcineh into a large, newly constructed office building. “This is Arcie. Have her shadow you, and keep track of her at all times.
“Arcie,” Nicky continued. “You’ll be safe with Chummel. He’ll keep track of you and bring you to me at lunch.”
Arcineh, still thinking she was dreaming the whole thing, nodded. Not until Nicky walked away without a backward glance did Arcineh look at the man standing next to her. He was a good deal larger than Nicky, but she didn’t think Nicky would leave her with anyone who wasn’t safe.
“So you needed a job, huh?” Chummel asked.
“I guess so,” Arcineh answered, following Chummel as he began to clear the foyer area they were standing in. There was a Dumpster by the door, and Arcineh followed suit as Chummel cleared the floor and countertop and threw everything into it.
“What’s your name again?” he asked after a few minutes.
“Arcie.”
“I’m Chummel.”
“That’s a little different.”
“It’s a nickname for Chad Hummel.”
Arcineh broke a nail at the moment, so all she did was nod. Chummel watched her jump and study her hand. He worked not to smile before saying, “You won’t have any of those by the end of the day.”
“I can see that,” Arcineh said quietly, her mind registering the pain and having to face the fact that she wasn’t in a dream.
Jalaina followed Arcineh up the stairs, but Arcie was still not speaking to her. Jalaina knew she was going to leave and right now she could have killed her grandmother for having done this.
“I know you’re upset,” Jalaina tried again, “but if you could just let me explain.”
“Come and stay as long as you like.” Arcineh mocked Jalaina’s voice as she dragged her cases out and began throwing things into them. “My family won’t mind at all. We can just hang out and do nothing.”
More things were thrown into the case, and Jalaina could see that Arcineh was not going to listen. Her grandmother came to the door just then, but Arcineh didn’t see her. Not until Grandma said a soft word in Italian did Arcineh turn to her.
“Look at my hands!” Arcineh spat in furious Italian. “They’re bleeding! What kind of hospitality is this? You didn’t ask me if I wanted to work. You didn’t tell me that my being here was a bother to you. You just sent me to this job.” With that, Arcineh turned back and continued to throw things into her case.
When Arcineh had begun her furious tirade in Italian, both Nicky and Marco had run up the stairs. The four Ciofanis stared at each other in shock. Grandma was the first to recover. She moved into the room, sat down on the bed, and reached for Arcineh’s hand. Out of respect for this older woman, Arcineh let her take it.
“You’re a good girl,” she started, still in Italian. “I didn’t mean for you to be hurt, but you cannot live your life in idleness. The job is good for you. Maybe Nicky can find something that won’t make you bleed, but work is good.” Grandma made sure Arcineh was listening. “And Jalaina wants you to stay.”
Arcineh looked down at the old woman and saw unguarded kindness for the first time. Grandma saw the acquiescence in Arcineh’s eyes and called for Nicky.
“What have you got for Arcie that will not break her hands?”
Nicky smiled, not sure Arcineh would thank him but knowing just the thing.
“How does it look?” Arcineh asked, as she had been asking all day. She’d been working with Chummel for three weeks, learning how to grout and lay tile.
“What’s this right here?” Chummel asked as he pointed.
“I didn’t see that,” Arcineh muttered, and attacked with a gentle hand a bit of grout that was not just perfect. She sat back when she was done and looked at him. Chummel smiled his infectious smile and told her to keep going. He walked back to where he was working, shaking his head all the while.
He didn’t know where the Ciofani family unearthed this girl, but she certainly fascinated him. She’d even told him she wanted to lay tile for the rest of her life. Chummel had not argued with her, but he looked at her hands and those slim shoulders and secretly wondered if she would last two months.
“Hi, Violet,” Arcineh spoke into that lady’s answering machine about three weeks after New Year’s 1999. “I’m sorry you’re not there to get this. I’m all right. I’m sorry I didn’t call for all these months, but I’ve been working and staying busy.” She paused right then, not wanting to cry but not sure she could help it. She’d never missed a single holiday with her family, and now she’d missed them all.
“I miss you,” she whispered at last. “And I love you.” Not able to say anything more, Arcineh hung up and stepped out of the phone booth and went back to her lunch break.
Arcineh eyed her paycheck, her mind centering on the date and not the amount. Not in her wildest dreams would she have believed that she would stay away from home for more than two years. She had called home twice in the first year, and once more last year, but Quinn had answered each time. Arcineh had not tried again.
Sam Bryant was 69 years old today. Arcineh wanted to talk to him so much that she ached. Slow tears trickled down her face, though she was barely aware of the fact. Part of her didn’t care who answered—Arcineh wanted to call. The other part of her felt she’d been replaced. Even the fact that Quinn was answering the phone made her seem like a beloved only child.
Tears came in a torrent then. Arcineh tried to muffle her sobs against her pillow, but Jalaina heard her from the hall. The older girl came in, sat on her bed, and looked over at her friend. She waited until Arcineh was a little more under control before she spoke.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s my grandpa’s birthday.”
“How old is he?”
“Sixty-nine.”
“You miss him?”
Arcineh could only nod, more tears coming.
“So call him,” Jalaina said in her matter-of-fact way. “Just pick up the phone and dial.”
“I don’t want to risk someone else answering.”
Jalaina felt swamped with guilt. She had brought Arcineh home because she seemed lonely and because she liked her—but also so she could learn from her, and she had. Jalaina had landed a plum job at a nice clothing store, something she had wanted for years. It wasn’t Michigan Avenue, but Jalaina was thrilled.
Arcineh, who had stuck around far longer than anyone imagined, had never even hinted at going back to her world. Most weeks she worked six days. She actually gave Grandma rent money, and never, even working on construction sites, did she lose her charm and class. But deep inside Jalaina knew she was the same person, just living out of her world.
“When’s the last time you danced?”
Arcineh only groaned and rolled her eyes.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know, Jalaina. I’m so far out of shape I wouldn’t last five minutes.”
“This Saturday you’re going.”
“Where?”
Jalaina thought quickly. “It’s a little ways from here, but there’s a dance studio. It’s very nice. I’ll get you there and you’ll dance.”
“I don’t know if it’s that easy, Jalaina. Not all studios take walk-ins.”
“We’ll go and find out.” Jalaina would not be swayed. “Wear some of those tight things so you look the part.”
Arcineh had to laugh. It was just like Jalaina to think that way, and she appreciated her friend’s desire to help. And she was good at her word. On Saturday morning, Jalaina drove her to Blankenship Dance and Aerobics and left her at the door.
“Okay, ladies,” the instructor at the front of the room called as the class assembled. “Let’s start our warm-up, nice and easy now.”
Arcineh had been almost an hour early, but Jalaina had been right. She was able to join a large aerobics class, and just feeling the pull of her muscles and hearing the beat of the music worked wonders on Arcineh’s heart. She was out of shape, but all worries and heartaches fell away in the next hour. The time flew. Before she was ready, Arcineh found herself going up to thank the teacher, something she’d practiced from the time she was little. However, not all was lost. Arcineh learned that they met again on Monday night.
“So it’s like this,” Jalaina said the next week—the girls were working on dinner. “I think what you need on Friday night is a date.”
Arcineh looked at her roommate and wondered what had come over her. They had lived in peaceful cohabitation for two and a half years, and suddenly Jalaina seemed more aware of her.
“What is going on?”
“Nothing, I just want you to do more than work, read, and practice your Italian.”
“I do,” Arcineh argued.
“What?” Jalaina demanded.
Arcineh grated cheese and didn’t answer. She hadn’t really thought about it. Her life was full. Grandma Ciofani treasured her, and Arcineh loved her in return. Marco was the little brother she’d never had, and Jalaina was an amazing friend.
Arcineh worked hard and was good at her job, and Nicky made sure she was treated well by the men. If the truth were to be told, she would rather be in an office somewhere, but she was content and proud of her ability.
“I don’t like blind dates,” Arcineh finally said.
“But if I find someone, maybe someone Will knows,” Jalaina replied, referring to her new boyfriend, “you could at least meet him.”
“And you would stay and not leave me alone with some stranger?”
“I swear.”
“And if I didn’t want to go out after I meet him, you’re not upset with me and he’s not pouting?”
“No being left alone, no pouting,” Jalaina repeated with a hand in the air, looking like a large Girl Scout. “But will you at least try?” she added.
“Yes,” Arcineh heard herself agreeing, hoping she would not regret that word.
“You’ve danced before,” Pam, the aerobics instructor, said as she caught Arcineh when she went to thank her on Thursday.
Arcineh nodded, not sure what to say.
“Listen,” Pam continued, lowering her voice and taking in the wary look in Arcineh’s eyes, “you can take this or leave it, but you really should be in the class Tina teaches.”
“What class is that?” Arcineh asked, wondering vaguely if she sounded as guarded as she felt. It had felt good to be invisible in the back row. She obviously hadn’t pulled it off.
“They do aerobics, but at an advanced level. It’s more about dance than getting in shape. You won’t have any problems.”
“When do they meet?”
“Some Sunday afternoons, but mostly Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.”
Arcineh studied the other woman before asking, “Would I have to call someone?”
“No, I’ll just let Tina know that someone new might be by.”
“Thanks,” Arcineh said and turned to go, honestly not sure what she would do.
She would have bolted and never returned if she’d known that Pam had already told Tina all about her.