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seattle-rpg-blog1 · 8 years ago

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araceli milagros giménez ponce is a resident.

resident | columbia city | waitress at pizzuto’s | twenty-seven | female

trigger warnings (drug mention, cheating, abandonment, emotional abuse)

past

Araceli was always the sky of her father’s life — Not his sun, but his sky. Infinite, ever changing but always reminding him of home. His sky. His cielo. His everything. It is a shame, then, that Araceli’s mother never shared the same opinion or appreciation for their daughter. So much so, in fact, that after giving birth to the little girl, she decreeted she did not want her or any part of her to be involved in her life. You see, Catalina Ponce had her career all planned out — Television first, telenovelas after telenovelas of playing the antagonist until one day she would play the villain. And then movie deals would come. Organizations would want to work with her, she would have her own clothes line and design shoes for a famous creator, and in a bang launch her perfume when people would least expect it. And then more movies, more tv shows, more of the same. Her name would become a brand that people would want to buy. And an infant child had no part in her career — It would make her stuck in television shows for ever.

This was alright by Felipe. Though he had cared for Catalina, his childhood best friend and first love, he’d hoped fame would not be more important to her than family. Quickly proven wrong when she fell pregnant, he was happy living his own life with his daughter — One that Catalina would not have any part in. So he moved back to Mendoza, got a humble job in the family restaurant and taught his daughter the values of hard work from a young age. At ten, Araceli already made the cutest waitress in their little family restaurant. And yes, money was tight, but so long as his daughter had clothes on her back and friends at school, Felipe was doing his job alright. All was well.

***

“You can’t keep her from me! I am her mother!” Screams. And screams, and screams, and screams – A woman’s voice, foreign to Araceli’s ears and scaring her enough for her to take refuge on the other side of her small bedroom. And then a tall man in a suit swiftly entered, closed the door behind him softly — A swift contrast between the argument that went on two doors down, in the living room of the small apartment. She was thirteen. She should not have been scared and yet — And yet the man in the suit sensed her fears. “Araceli? I’m a friend of your mother’s.” His first words — the first words anyone had said to her ever since the strange woman (her mother?) had entered in the flat demanding Araceli be handed to her and threatening to go to court (and whatever this was about, Araceli knew her father could not afford court). “I don’t have a mother. What do you want?” “I know you’re angry. But your mother — Catalina — is here because she really needs your help. She wants the best for you too, of course, which is why you’d get paid for your work, and ——” “Paid?” A swallow, and Araceli suddenly tries standing up a little bit straighter, make herself appear more important and knowledgeable than her thirteen year old self actually was. Getting paid would be nice. It would help her dad keep the restaurant open.

***

Where life with Felipe had been humble, life with Catalina was filled with opulence, talk show interviews, and that big picture of her, her husband and two young children (and that life she’d led without Araceli) that was filling in the entrance of their house in Buenos Aires. She’d done it. Well — most of it, anyway. Thirteen years into her first child’s life and Araceli was an acclaimed actress who’d won awards for her performances both in the country and internationally (her latest movie, Lo que el tiempo nos dejó, had been critically praised by European and American media as ‘one of the best foreign films of the decade’). She’d started producing, too, putting her money to good use, and had released a make-up line which failed a couple of months afterwards (the demographic watching her shows was simply not that into buying make-up made by a celebrity). Some of her television shows had started exporting abroad, and she’d needed someone to play her daughter in the newest one, titled ‘Vecinos y enemigos’ and extremely loosely based on Romeo and Juliet.

It was just one telenovela after all, right? And then, Araceli would be back safe in Mendoza, where she belonged, using her money to help her father’s restaurant that would soon enough be hers, too. Except that the success of Vecinos y enemigos hit her hard — harder than she expected. Her mother’s friend (really, her manager, and now Araceli’s) had warned her about this, but nothing could truly prepare the teenager for this. She divided the medias (and, in turn, the country).

A lot of people loved her quirky character, praising Catalina for working with her family even on the small screen (they thought her cute, adorable, her relationship with her mother seemed ‘so genuine and trusting it showed in every scene’). There was nothing genuine or trusting in how Catalina saw and treated her daughter. But nobody needed to know that if Araceli wanted to get paid, so for the television interviews, she smiled and said ‘Well I missed my mother very much before this.’ It wasn’t technically a lie, but it was not true, either. She’d missed the idea of a mother, never Catalina.

The rest of the people thought her bland. She didn’t know how to act. And, obviously, what more could you expect from someone who’s mother got her the job? This kid wouldn’t go far. Had you seen how small she seemed, this couldn’t work great on camera. And ‘I don’t know. I really don’t like mean comments, but they’re not going to stop me from doing what I love.’ Everybody thought she meant acting. Araceli just wanted to go back home.

Yet telenovelas came and went. In the midst of it, her mother got full custody and decided it would be best to become her daughter’s agent — to keep it in the family. Araceli was a young, awkward teenager that other young, awkward teenagers easily related to — And with tv magic, she looked approachable enough that you wanted to be her friend but not enough that you thought you could actually be her friend. She was a hit, a success, a brand — Everything Catalina had hoped for herself. And then Catalina hit the motherload when Araceli was cast in ‘La Alma Frente Al Sol’.

@almafrentealsol: Quién de Alma o Rosario te va a robar el corazón en este nuevo capítulo ? Enterate hoy !

La Alma Frente Al Sol was the biggest hit of Araceli’s career. She played Alma, young teenager with a (terribly researched and completely inaccurately depicted) case of memory loss who tried to figure out her life and who she wanted to be, trying to decipher truth from lies and family from opportunists. Alma was a singer, so obviously a singing career was added to the contract.

La Alma Frente Al Sol ran for two seasons, with complimentary album and world tour for each season, and exported to twenty-six countries, with a Mexican and Chilean remake under way. And, since Catalina had been credited as producer and owned the rights to the show, when news came about of a potential adaptation by ABC for the United States, her one demand was that her daughter would also star in the American version, shot in Los Angeles. And queue the singing career in English.

And, don’t get her wrong — Araceli loved acting. She loved singing. She loved performing in front of an audience. She did not love what her mother made her do, and how little control she had on her career as an artist. Whenever she brought this up, Araceli was quickly dismissed. Mother knows best. And her father seemed so far away in pretty Mendoza. They barely even talked anymore. (Well. They talked. But it was nothing like before. He felt miles and miles and miles away, and she worried if she ever stopped her career and stopped being able to send him money, he would be entirely disappointed in her. Araceli did not want to disappoint her dad. Not ever.)

@TeenVogue: All the secrets behind ‘Sunshine Soul’, the new tv show that has us all rave! Plus, interview with its young protagonist Araceli Giménez.

Her salvation — Her little pieces of sunshine in this life — came in two.

First, her mother relented and allowed her to study drama at UCLA and take singing lessons. It would set a good example to young girls to see their role model studying and being a good person.

Second, she was dating the most amazing, kindest guy — Who had dropped everything to follow her from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles. Cruz had starred with her in the telenovela for kids that Araceli had done before ‘La Alma Frente Al Sol’, and in a case of life imitates art, Araceli had fallen head-over-heels for him. He proposes when they are twenty years-old, and she swiftly gets married to him despite her mother’s recommendations.

She loves him. She loves him. She loves him.

He does not.

The truth is that Cruz has not had any auditions ever since their last job together, and being now married to an international star gives him the credibility he needs to start his own entertainment business. He stars asking more and more favors of her. She gets scared. They divorce. Her name gets dragged around the mud by TMZ, but the heartache is worst. Perhaps mother really does know best.

@TMZ: Araceli Gimenez caught cheating with a married man?! More likely than you think!

She graduates, gets a small role in her first blockbuster film and a starring role in a romantic comedy casting her yet again as the ‘approachable but not too much’ character. Her music career is doing fine, too. She’s just changed labels, trusting a younger and more dynamic producer to take care of her first real solo album. It’s a hit.

Also a hit? Her relationship with the producer. Mark Cartwright is tall, good looking, seven years her elder and makes her feel like she is the most important person in the world. He tells her he is about to divorce (he lies). She tells him she’ll support him (she tells the truth). Their relationship seems sweet, candid — Filled with emotions and care and being with him (entirely with him, in any sense of the term) feels more right than it ever did with Cruz.

And then, they’re caught at a restaurant. Tabloids splatter her face on the front page and call her a homewrecker. And she wants to leave, she really does — except that she finds out she is pregnant, and he divorces his wife to propose. She doesn’t want to forgive him (she wants the child, but is not sure she wants Mark) but her mother and her label affirm not doing so could be disastrous for her future project.

@catalinaponce: It’s a boy! Les deseo muchas felicidades a mi hijita mia y su nueva familia. @enews: Welcome to the world, Nicolás Cartwright! Araceli and Mark are glowing in straight-out-of-the-hospital pictures.

They get married.

@broadwaycom: Araceli Giménez announced to join the cast of Chicago!

She wants to move to New York. She really does. New York would be fun, and she would get to experience singing and acting in a way that will finally feel right to her. People want her in New York — And her mother tells her that this is only true because she is a money-making machine, and that a musical will not look great on her resume (especially not Chicago. Couldn’t she get Wicked? Catalina could have worked with Wicked).

For the first time in all her life, Araceli tells her mother that no matter what she says, her daughter is going to New York. Catalina disagrees. Mark disagrees. The producers of the new movie she is about to shoot disagree. Her label disagrees — her second album is about to be released, one Araceli was able to get more involved in through song writing, and they need her for the tour. Araceli divorces Mark and tries to prepare the best for disappointing everyone else.

And then scandals leaks in the tabloids.

@broadwaycom: Giménez backs out of Chicago deal. Find out more in this exclusive statement by the show’s producers. @enews: Whatever happened to Cielo? Argentina’s child star and USA’s latest sweetheart set for rehab? Read on to find out!

None of this is true — The rehab, the addiction, the fact she is a terrible role model or that her divorce with Mark was due to her own chronic infidelity. Lies. Lies. Lies. And everyone believes them as far as the media are concerned. Araceli is ruined. The producers of Chicago kindly give her the option to back out (a more respectful way of being fired). Catalina wants to send her away abroad, somewhere people won’t know her as much and where she can spend her days quietly before making a strong comeback. Araceli does not want any of that.

She wants to go home.

She can’t go home again.

@cielogimenez: Les desfraude demasiado ya, y durante hace demasiado tiempo. @cielogimenez: A todos los que me apoyarón, el más fuerte de los agradecimiento. Lo siento. No puedo más. @cielogimenez: I’m sorry. I lied. I can’t do this. Thank you all for the love and support. You are all the brightest stars there is.

She leaves her mother with a copy of her second album, highlighting one of the songs on the leaflet and writing ‘if you think this song is about you, it is’.

She and Nicolás move to Seattle. And she knows her life will catch up to her eventually — She just hopes for later, rather than sooner.

present

Seattle isn’t that far from Los Angeles, in hindsight. And maybe this was a poor choice. Maybe her mother will barge in at some point, or someone will recognize her and a media storm will explode, and she is not ready for this (not now, not yet, perhaps not ever). For all of her sociable and supportive nature, she has never been encouraged to face her own problems head-on. So she gets here and she panics. She panics and she gets new identity cards for her and her son — new name, new backstory, new curriculum vitae. Nico keeps his first name, but he becomes Nicolás Salgado, and Araceli starts going by Malena. A fake name, a fake story, a fake life, and a job as a waitress at Pizzuto’s obtained through all of that. Araceli Giménez was always a good actress, after all.

personality

Araceli is not the person you’ve seen on your screens. Formerly lively and opinionated, her years in the entertainment industry have left her not quite sure of who she is or what her values are anymore. Confused would therefore be the first word coming to mind to anyone who truly knows Araceli. She finds it hard to think for herself — Finally in a way that would matter and have an impact on her life. She also finds it hard to be honest — So she puts on her bright smile and becomes the great neighbor, the perfect friend, the amazing role model, the girl that seems approachable but not approachable enough that you would ever feel like you could become her friend (no matter how much you might want to). It is a pattern hard for her to break, no matter how hard she tries.

But here is what Araceli does know about herself: She cares about her son (and potentially, this caring nature could extend to other people were she to learn how to trust them); her trust is not gained easily (even before, especially now); she finds humor is best when served sarcastic; she much prefer a smooth or acoustic song and lyrics that matter to a lot of what she used to sing (her last album is the exception to the rule); she is not afraid to work hard even though she is not quite sure what she wants to work in; she is avoidant at best when it comes to commitment; she is not Alma (no matter how much she wishes she could be); she is not the horrible person the tabloids paint her at either (maybe she is somewhere in the middle?); she is careful and dependable and responsible and really could use a good night out to let things go if she had any friends she trusted enough for that; she is a better mother than hers was; she hates cilantro.

a little more…

❝ the only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. ❞

#all #female #resident #columbia city #lali esposito fc #araceli gimenez #drug tw #cheating tw #abandonment tw #abuse tw

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