It was after they moved, when Antonia was eight, a year after her mother left, that women entered her father’s life, and sometimes came to the apartment, usually late at night, after Judith left. Antonia could hear them laughing in his bedroom. He didn’t like Judith staying if he was there, and the women would go home after Antonia was asleep, but sometimes they didn’t, and she could hear him sneak them out in the morning. When he stayed out all night, which he did sometimes, Judith would stay with her. One of the things Antonia liked best about the new apartment was a closet where she could hide, under the stairs. It was her favorite hiding place and Judith left her alone there so as not to intrude on her.
Antonia only met a few of her father’s girlfriends. Most of the time, they arrived after she’d gone to bed, and she could hear them, talking and laughing downstairs in the living room, or in his bedroom a little later. She met one or two who talked to her. Some of the younger ones didn’t even try. They were too busy flirting with her father, the rare times she saw them. She could tell the younger ones weren’t happy to see her, even when they pretended to like her. They wanted her father to themselves, which was fine with him.
She heard her father say to one of them, “You don’t have to talk to her. She’s good about being on her own, and she’s very shy. She hides all over the apartment, and disappears for hours sometimes.” But the ones she liked always talked to her, for a few minutes anyway, until her father took them to the living room for a drink, and sent Antonia away. They went to his bedroom later, or they went out together.
There was never one woman who was a constant. He seemed to have no interest in marrying again and settling down. Judith said so too. Some of them vanished very quickly, usually the loud, boisterous ones. He seemed to like the quiet, pretty ones who were younger than her mother, and he had a distinct preference for women with dark hair, like Fabienne. But Antonia thought that none of them were as pretty as her mother.
She wondered if her mother had become a star yet, and how long it would take. It had been a year since she’d left, and she and her father were managing, with Judith’s help. She was young, in her late twenties, but very responsible, and she had plenty of experience babysitting. Antonia liked her because, as she got older, Judith left her to her own devices, and didn’t hound her to do homework or anything else. Antonia always did her homework and school projects, no one had to pressure her, badger her, or force her. She juggled it all well, got good grades, and did well in school. Not having friends eliminated distractions, and she was diligent about her homework, and an excellent student.
When Antonia was nine, Judith left to get married and moved to California with her husband. Brandon found someone else to take her place, an older German woman. Antonia missed Judith, but after her mother left, nothing shocked her anymore. She had learned at an early age that adults were unreliable, and couldn’t be counted on to stick around forever, and she didn’t attach to them. She liked the new babysitter, Mrs. Schmidt, though not as much as Judith. They were on a walk together one day, coming back from the drugstore, and walked past the movie theater, when Antonia had an idea. She liked going to the movies, and it occurred to her that if she went to the movies, she might see her mother on the screen. It had been two years since she’d left, and Antonia was curious about her. She couldn’t say anything to her father, although she knew he’d be upset at what she was about to do, if she could get away with it. She got a small allowance to buy candy, but not enough to pay for a movie ticket. And she’d have to figure out how to get rid of Mrs. Schmidt on a Saturday afternoon for long enough to go to a movie. Her father played golf on Saturdays and was never at home in the afternoon. He came home just in time to change for his evening plans, and then left again quickly, promising to see her the next day, after he had a date and spent the night somewhere else. He thought Antonia was getting to be too old for him to bring women home. And Mrs. Schmidt was a widow and willing to spend the night whenever he asked her to. He had never liked the intrusion of live-in help, even though he could afford it.
Antonia needed money to pay for the movie ticket, and she got it by grabbing a few bills from her father’s wallet while he was asleep. He never stirred and never heard her come into his room. He was always tired and had a drink before he went to bed, so he slept soundly. She accomplished her mission in record time, and she only took a few dollars. The next Saturday, she told Mrs. Schmidt that she was going to visit a friend from school in the neighborhood, and could walk there herself, and Mrs. Schmidt believed her. She was an honest child and never got up to mischief or gave her a hard time. It didn’t dawn on Mrs. Schmidt that she had never seen Antonia with a friend and she had none. Judith would have caught on immediately. Mrs. Schmidt didn’t and was more innocent, which Antonia knew.