[File 004: Gloria's Big News]
It was 12:05 PM in the afternoon.
Sunlight slipped. Curtains half-closed. One side of the bed warmed.
Gloria was curled up on her bed.
All around her, black-and-white panda faces. Cute. Watching from the blanket folds.
Panda eyes peeked from the carpet under her hanging feet. From the side of her study desk. From the back of her chair, far across the room.
Samsung E250 pressed to her ear.
Plastic warm. Skin warmer.
"Hey Dad!"
Gloria smiled into the phone. A shift on the bed. Knee pulled up. Fingers twisted the blanket. Words rushed out.
"How's Daddy's little princess doing?"
Father asked. A tiny delay. Soft hum of an airplane in the background.
"Dad, you have no idea how happy I am right now. Words can't even explain it."
Father snickered. Soft. Warm.
"I think I might know why. Your mom just called to tell me the good news."
Gloria's smile spread. Cheeks hot. Nose red.
"Uh-huh! So what'd she say?"
She bounced her knee on the bed. Couldn't keep still.
"What else would she say?"
Big, warm laugh. Old phone speaker. Crackle.
"It's about you getting accepted into Rysianthe Academy."
"I'm pretty sure she told you more than that. "
"What else could she possibly have told me, princess?"
"Well, I don't know, Dad..."
Gloria replied. Twisting a strand of hair around her finger.
"Like maybe how I absolutely crushed my RSEs!"
Father laughed once more.
"You just couldn't wait to hear me brag about you, could you?"
"After all, the praise is totally deserved, Dad," Gloria answered. "Getting seven A-pluses and a B-plus isn't easy. I worked way too hard not to hear that I'm amazing."
"You know Daddy's always gonna be proud of you, princess," her father said. "I always knew you could do it!"
"I'm finally going to a private school," Gloria said, kicking her feet gently against the neat bed. "I was so sick of those messy, noisy public schools."
A light smell of lemon cleaner. Rising from the clean carpet as her feet moved.
"Well, princess, you worked your way up there and got exactly what you wanted," her father replied. "I didn't just want to send you to any private school. I needed to know it wasn't just for show. Rysianthe is insanely expensive, but I picked it because they don't let just anybody in. You have to pass their entrance exams first. I told myself if my daughter could pass those tough exams, then yeah, she's definitely worth going to a private school."
Gloria smiled. Hugged a panda pillow to her chest.
"Thanks, Dad!"
"Which brings me to my main point, daughter..." her father continued. "That school costs a fortune. Your mom and I are both chipping in for your fees, but fifty thousand dollars per term is no joke. So if we're paying for you to go there, princess, you better make sure we're not wasting our money. This is an investment. Don't make us regret it or feel like we should've spent the money on something else. Keep that fire and focus you've got right now, my girl. You hear me?"
Gloria held the phone tighter. Shoulders stiffened as she listened.
"I promise, Dad," Gloria said, sitting up nice and straight on the clean bed. "I won't let you down!"
"That's all I needed to hear," her father replied. "Where's your sister Michelle at?"
"She's around somewhere. Michelle's just being Michelle. "
She answered. Door cracked open. Music drifted from the hall. Faraway pop beat. Mixed with the phone's quiet hum.
"What about her?" her father asked. "Doesn't she want to take those exams so we can pay for her to go to private school too?"
"Dad, you know exactly how Michelle is," Gloria said. "She doesn't have time for any of that."
"So simple-minded, that girl of mine."
"Anyway, when are you coming home, Dad?"
Gloria's voice came, finger tracing a panda ear on the blanket.
"You've been gone forever."
"Princess, being a pilot isn't easy," her father said. "If I hadn't married a doctor, your mom and I would've been divorced ages ago. I'd love to spend all the time in the world with you girls, but I won't be home for a while. I still gotta feed you and put clothes on your backs."
Airport voices. Soft. Through the line. Gloria let out a huff.
"Okay, Dad."
"Princess, I've already taken up too much time..." her father said. "I gotta get back to work. I'm flying out to Australia in five minutes. We'll stay in touch, baby."
"Okay Dad... Be safe... I love you!"
Her eyes felt a little wet when she said it.
"I love you too, Princess... Tell your sister I said hi. Bye!"
"Bye!"
Call ended. Small click. Gloria left the phone on the bed. Got up.
She stepped carefully around the neat line of sneakers, flip-flops, high heels on the turning shoe rail.
Lemon and fresh laundry followed her out.