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CHAPTER SEVEN

THE GOFFMANS

Alice lays her new blue blouse on the bed, admiring it. The garment cost $112, the most she’s ever spent on an item of clothing. She’s been saving since Felix told her about the Parents Weekend dinner for his capstone group. She shouldn’t be so nervous about tonight, but she can’t help it.

In her years working in the dean’s office, she’s encountered many SCU parents, and $112 is nothing to them. They shop in fancy boutiques instead of the outlets where Alice found the blouse. Still, the girl at the store said it brought out Alice’s eyes—dark blue, like Felix’s—and not to worry, she’d fit right in at the dinner.

Despite her nerves, she’s excited. After everything she and her little man have had to deal with—the tiny apartment, the tight budget, the aftermath of Felix’s abusive father—they made it. Felix is in college. She raised him well; she feels proud of herself for this. Also, it’s been so long since she’s been out to dinner. Out anywhere, really. She saved up not just for the blouse but to make sure she could pay her share of the check. Felix told her that SCU covers the dinner itself, but not drinks. He was so sweet and said he’d use his summer job money to buy his mom a cocktail, but she’ll have none of that. She already feels guilty that he doesn’t have a meal plan and doesn’t get to eat with his friends at the dining hall. But her job only covers tuition, not room and board, and just paying for his space in Campisi Hall has stretched her thin. Felix deserves the real college experience—not living with his mom. Let’s just hope she won’t need a meal plan herself soon—one funded by the welfare department.

Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness is probably right, but Alice bets they had money. It might not buy happiness, but it must take the edge off.

She shouldn’t think this way. She should be grateful. Her mind jumps to Natasha Belov’s parents. They have money but they’d spend every penny to bring their daughter back.

Alice feels a chill skitter down her spine. An hour after Natasha’s parents burst in to see the dean, their daughter’s body was found. The chief of police brought the news himself. The search team located Natasha in one of the sea caves at Panther Beach. It appears to be an accidental drowning. The caves are dangerous—misjudge when the tide will rise and you’re a goner. Last year, the Santa Cruz fire department rescued four tourists from the caves. A father also drowned trying to save his son, who’d been hit by an errant wave walking the path to the caves and dragged into the ocean. It’s not a place to be after midnight, after partying.

The dean spent the rest of the afternoon in his office with the door closed, presumably dealing with the fallout.

Alice knows the news will put a damper on Parents Weekend. She hopes it will make the parents look past the small things— messy dorm rooms, grades that aren’t up to expectations, grooming deficits—and hug their kids tighter.

She takes a shower, trying to wash the afternoon’s gloom away. In the steamy air, she practices what she will say at the dinner: What a pleasure to meet you. Felix has said so many great things about your son. To prepare for tonight, she read a book about how to be a better communicator. The bottom line is she just needs to ask a lot of questions, steer the conversation away from herself. That’s easy enough. She’s a quiet person, a trait she passed down to her son. She loves to avoid talking about herself. How to diplomatically explain she’s a mere secretary. Also, if they find out she works for the dean, they might want dirt. Yes, she’ll ask a lot of questions. Listen intently to the answers and ask follow-ups.

After drying her hair, she carefully removes the tag to her new blouse and slips it on. Examines herself in the mirror. You’re good enough. You’re going to do great. The book said self-affirmations help, but Alice can’t help but think of the old skit from Saturday Night Live .

She passes Felix’s room and notices something that wasn’t there before: his stuffed laundry bag. He must’ve come by the apartment.

She smiles, remembering his gift of a KitKat. She didn’t dare eat it today. The new blouse is already dangerously close to being too snug.

Alice walks to her dresser and hesitates, her hand on the top drawer. Then she pulls it open and extracts the manila folder she snuck out of the office. Dean Pratt has mentioned the missing file twice. There’s no way Alice can turn it over now.