AUGUST• NINETEEN SEVENTY-FIVE
A Week & A Half Later...
Stella had turned eighteen today, officially
a woman according to society standards, but
lacked the maturity of womanhood completely.
Still, she harvested the sentiments of a little girl, confused and needing someone to lead her to the
next destination, needing someone's praise and even their condemnation. Viola did the best she could with raising Stella; she taught her right from wrong, how
to be a lady and apply her lipstick and be graceful, how to excel in her domestic duties such as cleaning and cooking. Stella memorized every single recipe her grandmother taught as if there was a personalized cookbook instilled in her mind.
She knew how to style herself like she belonged in
an editorial magazine, applied cosmetics like magic when she mixed foundations to have the perfect shade and knew which eyeshadow was best with certain lipsticks and blushes. The issue with this all was that Viola unconsciously taught Stella how to be a mother and a wife. Not a self-sufficient young lady who could see those elements of womanhood as just optional.
Stella didn't feel prepared for the real world,
which was approaching with no remorse as graduation neared. She had no clue on how to save money for a rainy day or how to pay bills; Stella never even had a job. What Stella did know how to do was be beautiful, but she realized that wasn't enough to survive in the world unless she wanted to sell herself, but even then, looks fade, and what man wants to allocate funds to someone his age when he could buy a broad half his own. Stella remembered hearing one of her uncles saying that during a drunken ramble.
Softly knocking on Mr. Sweeny, Parker's High guidance counselor's door, she heard him shout
come in before cracking the block of wood open
and peering her head inside.
Sheepishly she smiled. "Hello, Mr. Sweeny." Waving her to come in, he greeted her, "Hello There, Ms. Richie." Entering the medium-sized office, Stella closed the door behind her and sauntered to a black chair that rested at the forefront of Mr. Sweeny's mahogany brown Ashland Executive desk.
Extending his hand towards the chair, he spoke, "Please, take a seat." Pulling the straps of her satchel from around her shoulder, Stella gracefully eased her weight down in the chair before resting her tote on
the center of her lap. Relaxing his hand underneath his chin, Mr. Sweeny kindly smiled, "What brings you here today?" He inquired. Shifting her eyes down, Stella began to speak; she was embarrassed for some reason.
"Well..I turned eighteen today, and-"
Mr. Sweeny partially interrupted, "Happy Birthday."
Easing her head up, Stella muttered a quick
thanks and continued. "As I was saying, um, I
turned eighteen today, and I uh, I feel lost and
thought coming to you for guidance makes sense
as you are a guidance counselor..." Folding his
arms across his chest, Mr. Sweeny nodded.
"Hmmm, let's, talk about it, Ms. Richie. First,
let's get to the root of why you're feeling lost." Grabbing his lukewarm coffee from the desk,
he took a few sips and awaited a response.
"Well, To start, I haven't applied to any colleges yet and feel like I'm a bit behind as opposed to my fellow peers." She expressed, twiddling at her thumbs.
"And why haven't you begun the process of
applying?" He remarked. Heaving a somber breath, her shoulders slumped downward. "Well, I don't like school and have been putting the process of applying off, but at the same time, I feel like that's the next step. I don't know any other alternatives."
