Sedona's Heart

by Sasha Fino

  “Kimberly, get in the car,” Blanche said

  “So, you see when two people are in love with each other, they make love to each other to show how much they care. Well that’s what I’ve heard, anyway,” Blanche said pulling up to Kimberly’s school

  “Aunt Blanche, why do you stay with him?” Kimberly asked, “Oh, Kimberly, not this, again. I love Dean.” “Not from what I see,” Kimberly said quietly

  “Love isn’t always a storybook romance. Not all people love like they do in books and movies, Sweetheart.” But Blanche looked away as she said it.

  “Thanks for the talk. I should go now.”

  “Yeah, and I should get to work. I love you, Kimberly.” Blanche leaned over and gave Kimberly a big hug and kiss

  “Have a nice day, Aunt Blanche,” Kimberly said, opening the door “You too! Bye, Baby,” Blanche called to her

  Kimberly closed the door and looked at her school, thinking it was a weird talk that she just had with her aunt. Kimberly kind of knew what Aunt Blanche was talking about from movies and chat at school. But her father never told her all of it, like her aunt did. Her father was way “old school,” he finally let her watch her very first PG-13 movie, maybe a year ago, when she was 14.

  As Kimberly walked toward the doors of the high school, she saw kids getting off the bus, talking happily to one another. She passed by friends hugging each other or “high fiving” each other, “hello.” Just another Monday. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lexy sitting alone, reading a book on the half wall of the school’s entrance

  “Hello, Lexy Heller!” Kimberly said happily

  Lexy looked up from the book, gave Kimberly a big smile, and said, “Well, damn, my real identity is out of the bag. Yes, I’m the only daughter of Max Heller, the famous playboy billionaire. Please save me the ‘I never met a billionaire’s daughter before’ chatter. How was your weekend, by the way? You didn’t take any crap from that pig you call an uncle, did you, Kimberly?”

  “No, I didn’t take any crap from my uncle. How was your weekend?” “Well, at least one of us had a good weekend. My weekend was painful, to say the least,” Lexy commented, starting to read, again, “Why?” Kimberly asked

  “My father brought home a real girlfriend, a stupid woman who thinks Japan is part of China, and she doesn’t eat meat,” Lexy said

  “I guess that would be awful.”

  “It is, and I plan to get rid of her,” was Lexy’s reply

  “Can you do that?” Kimberly asked

  “Hah, you really don’t know me very well. You are looking at Lexy Heller, the gold-digger’s worst nightmare. I have run off many women that my Dad has brought home over the years, and I can do it again,” Lexy replied, making Kimberly laugh

  “Does your father get mad at you? Mine would be furious if I did that to him.”

  “Oh, please, my dad changes women like we change our shirts. It doesn’t take long for him to see a new woman that he simply has to have. But the worst part of this Brianna is that she’s staying with us until the end of summer.”

  “I’m sure Brianna isn’t as bad as you are making her out to be.” Lexy rolled her eyes. “Want to bet?”

  Before Kimberly could reply, she looked at the school’s clock and realized that they were late

  “Lexy, we’re late!” Kimberly exclaimed

  “Oops, we better head to class or Ms. Patella will have our heads,” Lexy said, unhappily

  “Yes, let’s,” Kimberly agreed as Lexy slid off of the wall

  Without a word more, Kimberly and Lexy ran to class. Once at the door, Lexy swung it open to find everyone in their seats as Ms. Patella stopped taking roll and looked up at them

  “Miss Aldridge and Heller, why are you guys late?” Ms. Patella yelled at them as they headed for their seats

  “I am so sorry we’re late, Ms. Patella. We forgot what time it was,” Kimberly apologized for being late

  “A likely story, Aldridge. Sit down this instant! What do you have to say for yourself, Heller?”

  “Nothing, and I’m not sorry for being late. Carry on with roll call, now that you know I am here,” Lexy taunted, as she slid behind her desk

  Kimberly moved quickly to the seat behind Lexy sitting down and putting her backpack on the floor

  “Now we’ll have a big pop quiz to make up for Mses. Aldridge and Heller’s tardiness.”

  This did not make them popular with their classmates

  “But we were five minutes late, Ms. Patella!” Kimberly exclaimed

  “Ms. Tenney, please tell Ms. Aldridge why tardiness is unacceptable in my class,” Ms. Patella asked

  Kimberly saw Kasey sitting like an angel at her desk. “Sure, Ms. Patella. It is obscene and disrespectful to her, and I agree.”

  “Very good, Kasey, you are excused from the quiz today,” Ms. Patella said with a sticky sweetness that made Kimberly sick to her stomach

  “This is uncalled for, and you are showing prejudice. Why is it that Kasey gets away with murder in this damn class?!” Lexy called out

  “Excuse me?” Ms. Patella said coldly

  “She’s right,” Kimberly agreed with Lexy, tired of seeing Kasey get out of her school work once again

  “So unfair,” a boy named Josh called out

  “Because Kasey is a super wonderful student of mine,” Ms. Patella said to the class

  When no one spoke up, Ms. Patella looked right at Kimberly

  “You both are lucky that I am not writing you up for your lateness and acting out in my class, Kimberly… and Heller!” Ms. Patella literally screamed. All 29 kids turned around to look at Kimberly and Lexy in the back of the classroom “I didn’t do anything wrong. I was only five minutes late!” Kimberly tried to

  explain before she was interrupted

  “Ms. Patella, I am sorry to speak without permission, but I think Kimberly and Lexy should learn to keep their mouths shut. Last Friday at recess, Kimberly came up to my friend and me and said some terrible things. I was just going to let it go, but after what just happened, I can’t.” Kasey said sounding as if everything was going to plan Before Ms. Patella could say anything, Ashley, Kasey’s righthand woman, spoke up

  “I was there, also. Kimberly was still mad that we kicked her out of our group. Just ask Megan, Allie, and Lilly, they were all there.”

  “I never wanted to be in their little group,” Kimberly stared to say but was cut off

  “Oh, save it, Kasey! Kimberly didn’t come near you all Friday,” Lexy protested. “Shut up! Before I kick you right out!” Ms. Patella said walking over to

  Kimberly and Lexy

  “Ms. Patella, what she said to Kasey scared me!” Megan said

  “Kimberly was very hurtful, to say the least,” Lilly said, looking at Kimberly “They are lying…” Kimberly tried to say before she was cut off, again

  “She told us that her uncle would beat up our fathers starting with Kasey’s,” Allie told Ms. Patella

  “I can’t believe this!” Kimberly cried

  “Oh please,” Lexy said rolling her eyes

  “I knew it. I was right about you, Kimberly. Fifty years ago, I could have beat you for this. But I can write you up three times, and you will be suspended by Principal Lamia,” Ms. Patella said

  “This is unbelievable. I never talked to them on Friday. It is a pack of lies. They made it all up!” Kimberly yelled. “They are just using you!”

  “Oh, really? I don’t believe you one bit. You will pay dearly for what you did,” Ms. Patella said as she got in Kimberly’s face

  “Hey, back off bitch,” Lexy said, giving her the eye. “Unless you want to have my father review your contract with the school board.”

  Ms. Patella just looked at Lexy and backed off

  “Turn to page 144 and read in your textbooks until the bell rings for next period,” Ms. Patella said, changing the mood in the classroom. Kimberly just looked at Lexy wondering what she had on Ms. Patella.

  Chapter 4
/>
  It’s was a beautiful Monday morning at Heller Plaza. Hardly anyone was here as Max opened his beloved art gallery. As he walked into the two-story gallery, he thought that there was no other place on earth where he would rather be. He sat at his desk, much preferring to work in the gallery than in a big, cold office. Here he could wait on a customer or gaze out the window at Sedona’s most stunning red rocks

  At first, he thought he could handle the gallery on his own. He liked to help his customers one-on-one. Over time, he was proven wrong. Ten years ago, he hired one of his closest friends, an older man named Bill, to help him out. Bill was a retired majority shareholder who’d been with Microsoft. He became bored sitting around his mansion but didn’t want to work too hard, so he asked Max if he could help around the gallery

  Today, Max’s mind was wandering. He kept wondering how Lexy was doing at school. Brianna, who was shopping in Sedona, was also on his mind. At noon Max sold one piece of art and was catching up on paperwork when Bill came in

  “Hello, Max,” Bill said walking toward him

  “Bill, what’s up? Have a good weekend?” Max asked standing up and shaking Bill’s hand “Yes, I did. I met a fine woman who kept me warm all weekend!” Bill told

  him

  “That’s good,” Max said as he returned to work

  “Let me guess. Lexy hates Brianna and pulled a wild prank on her. Hey, I don’t blame her—Brianna is brainless,” Bill told him

  “Geez, Bill, I like Brianna. Between you and Lexy, I swear none of my girlfriends have a chance!”

  “They don’t deserve any. Man, I got to admire Lexy’s attitude,” Bill said

  “I know. Lexy save my butt from women who are only after my billons.”

  “Hah, I knew it!”

  “Yes, that’s my Lexy. She’s not liked her mother at all, but she does have Cynthia’s spirit, which I love,” Max said smiling at the thought of his late wife, who he had loved dearly

  Max got up from his desk and looked out of the window

  “I miss Cynthia very much, but not in the same way that I loved my first and dearest, Renee. I believe that Lexy is still mad at me for not going after Renee when she left us

  “Ah, Renee, the one who got away,” Bill said in a voice full of sorrow

  “It has been five years, and I still miss everything about her how she wore her hair, how she smelled like roses, how was she was a great hostess at our parties. Lexy loved Renee as a mother. Every morning I looked forward to waking up with her. They were the best seven years of my life. After she left me, I thought I would become a playboy because no one could live up to her. Now, I just don’t know…

  “Max, something’s up. What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that one day I woke up and realized I’m 50 years old with a 25-year-old woman in my bed, and we have nothing in common but sex.”

  “I know it’s great, isn’t it?” Bill said with pleasure in his voice

  “I thought you of all people would understand. Perhaps I am just missing my wife.”

  “Yes, every year, we have this same conversation. It gets boring after a while. Max, it was Lexy’s birthday three weeks ago, and it always makes you blue. But this year, you ran to a matchmaker and brought Brianna home. I don’t know why you did it, but what’s done is done…”

  “I went to that matchmaker because James Patterson made me, and besides, I like Brianna.”

  “Don’t even think about telling me that you think Brianna is the one or I’ll have to kill you. You have me, and you have Lexy. That’s all you need. Trust me, you don’t need a woman on your ass all the time.”

  “Maybe you are right,” Max said with a sigh in his voice.

  “Damn right, I am!”

  “Well, there is no reason not to enjoy Brianna, and when it’s over, it’s over, and then it’s on to the next girl I see.”

  “Now that’s my Max! Did that order ever come in from California? The artist is driving me crazy! He wants his damn money.”

  “It is in the back room. Just came a few minutes before you got here, and I have already called Mrs. Kier. She’ll be in this afternoon to pick it up and will pay cash for it. We can mail his money by tonight,” Max said, getting back into his business mood.

  “Great. I will keep it in its box so no one can see it. Last time, we had to order another just like it, and I don’t want to deal with that artist again!” Bill said

  “Bill, he’s got some new ones I have my eye on for next season.” “Then you deal with his rude ass,” Bill replied, “All right, I will.”

  “Great!” Bill said happily as they carried on their conversation.

  “Hello, how may I help you?” Blanche said answering her telephone at work She sat in her office at the Sedona Geranium Hotel and Spa in the middle of

  Sedona. Blanche finished the call and looked at the newlyweds who were sitting across from her. It was just another day at work

  “I’m sorry that I had to take that call. Now, where were we?

  “We want to know where the most romantic spot is,” the woman told her, “Nobody has asked me that in a long time!” Blanche said falling back in her

  chair and putting her hand on her forehead to think

  “I usually tell people to go up to Airport Road to watch the sunset after a romantic dinner. But let’s see here. Well, I’ve always liked the idea of a drive-through Oak Creek with a stop to play in the water after a romantic and cozy dinner at Los Brigades. Then you can hike up to Bell rock, and as the sun sets, share a kiss with your loved one.” Blanche pictured it in her head

  Stunned by the originality and romance of the unusual suggestion, the newlyweds just looked at Blanche for a few seconds. Blanche was not sure what were they thinking

  “That’s fantastic, way better than the hotel brochure. What do you think, Baby?” said the woman happily

  “Oh yes, very romantic,” said the man as he looked at his wife

  “Great, I will set up everything we talked about and will send you a daily schedule. Welcome to Sedona,” Blanche said with a smile on her face

  “Thank you. By the way, what’s your name?” asked the woman,

  “It’s Blanche.”

  “Oh, I love that name,” the man said

  “Me too, let’s name our first girl that!” the woman exclaimed happily. The couple made for the door totally self-absorbed in their upcoming plans. Blanche keep quiet as the couple went on talking, leaving Blanche to herself

  “Goodbye,” she said to the empty office with a wistful sigh in her voice Blanche stared at her desk photo of her and Dean in their younger, happier

  days on Cathedral Rock. She then leaned back in her chair and turned around to gaze out of the window, her mind wandering. Her eyes teared up as she remembered last night

  She and Kimberly were enjoying a fulfilled pizza and movie night, then Dean came home drunk, as usual. Dean became angry when he discovered they were watching a movie he had been waiting to see. Blanche was able to calm him down, despite what Kimberly said to him

  Blanche didn’t blame Kimberly. Kimberly was usually quiet when Dean got drunk, but she was losing her patience with him. Since beginning her friendship with Lexy, Kimberly had become a lot more outspoken. It was a pleasant change for Kimberly, and Blanche wondered if Lexy had told her to stand up to Dean, as she did last night

  Kimberly paid dearly for what she said to Dean. He took all of her favorite books and burnt them in the fireplace, even though Blanche did her best to try to stop him. This morning Dean apologized for what Dean did last night. He also made breakfast for Kimberly and her. Kimberly refused to talk to him, and that made him mad, again. Then Blanche tried to talk to Kimberly, but it was of no use

  Although Dean was no longer the man she married, Blanche felt sorry for him. She had learned, over the years, to handle Dean when he was drunk. She also didn’t make Dean’s actions personally. All of her friends tried to get her to leave Dean. Yet she believed in her vows of for b
etter or for worse.

  They had a bond; she had learned to love the new him over time. Dean was a wonderful and fun man when he wasn’t drinking. Hope springs eternal, she always hoped that Dean would get well and once again become the man that she had married so long ago

  There was a loud knock on her office door that interrupted her thoughts “Hello, Blanche, can I talk to you for a moment?” June Blanche’s boss, asked as she stood in the doorway with a questioning look on her face. June had her brown hair swept up and was wearing a woman’s business suit

  “Hello, June, come in. How are you today?” Blanche asked. June had always been a fair boss and a good friend to Blanche

  June sighed and said, “It’s been a long day for me.” And she sank into the chair as if she had lost a fight. Blanche had never seen June like this. She was always happy and bubbly with a smile on her face

  “What’s wrong?” Blanche asked hesitantly

  “The Hotel is in deep trouble thanks to mismanagement by my partner and my accountant. I have been trying to figure out ways to cut back,” June told her

  “What can I do to help?” Blanche asked sitting up in her chair

  “Oh, Blanche, I wish there was a way for you to help me,” she said putting her hand over her eyes

  “All day I went over the books, again and again, making phone calls but it didn’t help. I know that your husband, Dean, has a low paying job, and your niece, Kimberly, just moved in with you. She stopped for a second with a sorrowful and sad look on her face that told Blanche the rest of it

  “No! There has must be another way, June.”

  “Blanche, I feel very terrible about this. You have been working for me your whole life. The truth is the tourism booking is not making enough to carry its own weight around here due to the poor economy,” June finished Blanche was speechless and hadn’t a clue what to do next

  “I am very sorry, Blanche. Positively look at this; you are only 42. You can do whatever you want in the career world,” June told her

  “I need a job. I can hardly pay my bills as it is. Dean drinks his paycheck away. Could you lay off a young girl and not me? I can go back to working at the front desk, or I can be a maid.”