The Prodigal Daughter (12 page)

When Florentyna
went back to Girls Latin the next day, her homeroom teacher called for her and
made it quite clear that the election was now over and that the time had come
to settle down and do some serious studying. Miss Tredgold agreed, and
Florentyna worked with thesame enthusiasm for her school exams as she had for
President Truman.

During the year,
she made the junior varsity hockey team, 79 on which she played right wing
without distinction, and even managed to squeeze onto the third-string tennis
team on one occasion. When the summer term
was drawing to a
close, all the pupils
received a note reminding them that if they wished
to run for the Student Council their names must be sent to the headmaster of
Boys Latin by the first Monday of the new school year. There were six
representatives on the Council elected from both schools, and no one could
remember a year when they had not all come from the twelfth grade.
Nevertheless, many of Florentyna’s classmates suggested that she allow her name
to be put forward. Edward Winchester, who had years before giveti up trying to
beat Florentyna at anything except arm wrestling, volunteered to help her.

“But anyone who
helps me would have to be talented, goodlooking, popular and charismatic,” she
teased.

“For once, I
agree with you,” said Edward. “Any fool taking up such a cause will need every
advantage possible to overcome the problems that come with a candidate who is
stupid, ugly, unapproachable and dull.”

“
in
which case it might be wise for me to wait another year.”

“Never,” said Edward.
“I can see no hope of improvement in such a short time. In any case, I want you
on the Council this year.”

“Why?”

“Because
if you’re the only eleventh-grade student elected, you’ll be a near certain for
president next year.”

“Really thought
the whole thing through, haven’t you, Edward?”

“And I would be
willing to bet everything in my piggy bank that you have, too.”

“Perhaps,” said
Florentyna.

“Perhaps?”

“Perhaps I’ll
consider running for Student Council a year early.”

During the
summer vacation, which Florentyna spent with her father at the New York Baron,
she noticed that many of the big department stores now had millinery
departments and wondered why there were not more shops specializing only in
clothes. She spent hours at Best’s, Saks and Bonwit Tellerat the last of which
she bought herself a strapless evening dress-observing the different customers
and comparing their individual preferences with those of shoppers who
frequented Bloomingdale’s, Altman’s and Macy’s. In the evening over dinner she would
regale her father with the knowledge she had acquired that day. Abel was so
impressed by the speed with which Florentyna assimilated new facts that he
began to explain to her in some detail how the Baron Group worked. By the end
of her vacation, hc was delighted with how much she had picked up about stock
control, cash flow, advance reservations, the Employment Act of 1940, and even
the cost of eight thousand fresh rolls. He warned George that his job as
managing director of the Group might be in jeopardy in the not-too-distant
future.

“I don’t think
it’s my job she’s after, Abel.”

“No?” said Abel.

“No,” said
George. “It’s yours.”

Abel took
Florentyna to the airport on the final day of her vacation and presented her
with a black-and-white Polaroid camera.

“Papa,
what a fantastic present.
Won’t I be the neatest thing at
school?”

“It’s a bribe,”
said Abel.

“A
bribe?”

“Yes. George
tells me you want to be Chairman of the Baron Group.”

“I think I’ll
start with president of the Student Council,” said Florentyna.

Abel laughed.
“Make sure you win a place on the Council first,” he said, then kissed his
daughter on the cheek and waved goodbye as she disappeared up the steps to the
waiting plane. As Abel traveled back in the car, he thought of his own
ambitions for Warsaw and then recalled the understanding he had had with his
daughter.

“I’ve decided to
run.”

“Good,” said
Edward. “I’ve already compiled a list of every student in both schools. You
must put a check mark by all those who you feel are certain to support you and
a cross by those who won’t, so that I can work on the don’t-knows and reinforce
the backing ofyour supporters.”

“Very
professional.
How many people are running?”

“So
far fifteen candidates for six places.
There are four candidates you
can’t hope to beat, but it will be a close contest after that. I thought you’d
be interested to know that Pete Welling is running.”

“That creep,”
said Florentyna.

“Oh, I was led
to believe that you were hopelessly in love with him.”

“Don’t be
ridiculous, Edward, he’s a sap. Let’s go through the school lists.”

The election was
due to take place at the end of the second week of the new school year, so the
candidates had only ten days to gather votes.

Many of
Florentyna’s friends dropped in at Rigg Street to assure her of their support.
Florentyna was surprised to find some support where she least expected it,
while other classmates who she had imagined were friends told Edward they would
never back her. Florentyna discussed this problem with Miss Tredgold, who
warned her that if you ever run for any office that might bring you privilege
or profit, it will always be your contemporaries who do not want to see you
succeed in your ambitions. You need have no fear of those who are older or
younger than yourself; they know you will never be their rival.

All the
candidates had to write a mini-electiotf address setting out the reasons they
wanted to be on the Student Council. Florentyna’i was checked over by Abel, who
refused to add or subtract anything, and by Miss Tredgold, who only commented
on the grammar.

Voting was all
day Friday at the end of the second week and the result was always announced by
the headmaster after assembly the following Monday morning. It was a terrible
weekend for Florentyna, and Miss Tredgold spent the entire time saying, “Settle
down, child.” Even Edward, who played tennis with her on Sunday afternoon,
hardly raised a sweat, winning 6-0,
6
-0.

“It wouldn’t
take Jack Kramer to tell you that you’re not concentrating-’child. “‘

“Oh, do be
quiet, Edward. I don’t care whether I’m elected to the Student Council or not.”

Florent
)na
woke up at five o’clock on Monday morning and was
dressed and ready for breakfast by six. She read the paper through three times
and Miss Tredgold did not utter a word to her until it was time to leave for
school.

“Remember, my
dear, that Lincoln lost more elections than he won but still became President.”

“Yes, but I’d
like to start out with a win,” said Florentyna.

The assembly
hall was packed by nine o’clock. Morning prayers and the headmaster’s
announcements seemed to take forever; Florentyna’s eyes stared down at the
floor.

“And no” I shall
read the results of the Student Council election,” said the headmaster. “There
were fifteen candidates and six have been elected to the Council.

1st Jason Morton 109; President

2nd Cathy Long 87

3rd Roger Dingle 85

4th Al Reuben 81

5th Michael
Pratt 79

The headmaster
coughed and the room remained silent. “Sixth, Florentyna Rosnovski with seventy-six
votes. The runner-up was Pete Welling with seventy-five votes. The first
Council meeting will be in my office at ten-thirty this nominal Assembly
dismissed.”

Florentyna was
overwhelmed and threw her arms around Edward.

At
the first Council meeting that morning, Florentyna.
as
junior member, was appointed secretary.

“That will teach
vou to come in last,” laughed the new president, Jason Morton.

Back to writing
notes that nobody else reads, thought Florentyna. But at least this time I can
type them and perhaps next year I will be president.

She looked up at
the boy whose thin, sensitive face and seemingly shy manner had won him so many
votes.

“Now,
privileges,” said Jason briskly, unaware of her gaze. “The president is allowed
to drive a car to school, while on one day a week the girls can wear
pastel-colored shirts and the boys can wear loafers instead of oxfords. Council
members are allowed to sign out of study hall when involved in school
responsibilities and they can award demerits to any pupil who breaks a school
rule.”

So that’s what I
foug ght so hard for, thought Florentyna, the chance to wear a pastel-colored
shirt and award demerits.

When she
returned home that night, Florentyna told Miss Tredgold every detail of what
had happened and she glowed with pride as she repeated the full result along
with her new responsibilities.

“Who is poor
Pete Welling,” inquired Miss Tredgold, “who failed to be elected by only one
vote?”

“Serves him
right,” said Florentyna. “Do you know what I said to that creep when I passed
him in the corridor?”

“No, I’m sure I
don’t,” said Miss Tredgold apprehensively. “‘Now you’ll have to get in line,
but your time will come,”
‘ she
said, and burst out
laughing.

“That was
unworthy of you, Florentyna.
and
indeed of me. Be sure
you never in your life express such an opinion again. The hour of t6umph is not
a time to belittle your rivals. Rather, it is a time to be magnanimous.”

Miss Tredgold
rose from her seat and retired to her room.

When Florentyna
went to lunch the next day, Jason Morton took the seat next to her. “We’re
going to see a lot of each other now tnat you’re on the Council,” he said, and
smiled.
Florentyna.
didn’t smile back, because Jason
had the same reputation among the pupils of Girls Latin as Pete Welling and she
was determined not to make a fool of herself a second time.

Over lunch, they
discussed the problem of the school orchestra’s trip to Boston and what to do
about the number of boys who had been caught smoking.

Student
councillors were limited in the punishments they were allowed to impose, and
study hall detention on Saturday morning was about the most extreme terror they
could evoke. Jason told Florentyna that if they went so far as to report the
smokers to the headmaster, it would undoubtedly mean expulsion for the students
involved. A dilemma had arisen among the councillors because no one feared the
Saturday detention, and equally, no one believed anyone ever would be reported
to the headmaster.

“If we allow the
smoking to go on,” said Jason, “very soon we’ll have no authority at all unless
we’re determined to make a positive stand in full Council right from the
beginning.”

Florentyna
agreed with him and was surprised by his next question.

“Would you be up
for a game of tennis on Saturday afternoon?”

Florentyna
remained silent for a moment. “Yes,” she said, trying to sound casual as she
remembered that he was captain of the tennis team and her backhand was awful.

“Good, I’ll pick
you up at three o’clock. Will that be okay?”

“Fine,” said
Florentyna, hoping she still sounded offhand.

“That tennis
dress is far too short,” said Miss Tredgold.

“I know,’ said
Florentyna, “but
it’s
last year’s, and I’ve grown
since then.”

“With whom are
you playing?”

“Jason Morton.”

“You really cannot
play tennis in a dress like that with a young man.”

“It’s either
this or the nude,” said Florentyna.

“Don’t be cheeky
with me, child. I shall allow you to wear the garment oil this occasion, but be
assured I shall have acquired a new dress for you by Monday afternoon.”

The front
doorbell rang. “He seems to have arrived,” said Miss Tred-old.

Florentyna
picked up her racket and ran toward the door.

“Don’t
run, child.
Let the young man wait a little. We can’t have him knowing how you feet about
him, can we?”

Florentyna
blushed, tied back her long dark hair with a ribbon and ~Nalked slowly to the
1ront door.

“Hi, Jason,” she
said, her voice casual again. “Won’t you come in?”

Jason, who was
dressed in a smart tennis outfit that looked as if it had been bought that
morning, couldn’t take his eyes off Florentyna. “What a dress,” he ventured,
and was about to say more when he saw Miss Tredgold leaving the room. He hadn’t
realized until that moment what a good figure Florentyna had. The mornent he
set eyes on Nfiss Tredgold he knew why he had never been allowed to find out.