The Marriage of Opposites
Page 33
We let the men speak and went to have tea with my mother.
“Don’t worry, they’ll come to terms,” my mother assured Elise. “Men like to argue.”
Elise’s skin had burned during our excursion to the beach; she was flushed and overheated and soon excused herself, saying she had never been as tired in her life. As soon as Elise went to lie down, my mother grabbed my arm and whispered, “She’s been here. Uninvited.”
It took a while before I understood who she was talking about.
Jestine.
I WENT THROUGH THE courtyard to Mr. Enrique’s house. He was sitting outside, still dressed in the black suit he wore at the store.
“Is she here?”
“I don’t get involved in these things.” He looked away; therefore I knew the answer was yes.
I went inside, and there were Jestine and Lyddie sitting the dark. The shutters were closed and only the last of the day’s yellow light came through in bands. Jestine was in her best dress. She wore laced boots, and her hair was braided and pinned up. Lyddie was beside her, quiet, her hands folded on her lap. When she looked at me, I could tell she was alarmed. Jestine, on the other hand, was furious.
“You didn’t think you should take it upon yourself to tell me that he had a wife?”
“I was going to,” I said. But I hadn’t wanted to face her.
“I suppose you were too busy. Well, don’t worry, I found out. Don’t you think Lyddie should meet him? A daughter should see her father at least once in her lifetime.”
I asked Lyddie to wait outside with Mr. Enrique while we spoke.
“You came to see his wife,” I said when the little girl had gone. “It won’t lead to your happiness.”
“What do I care about her?” Jestine made a face. “Lyddie is his daughter. He should know her.”
“You cared enough to spy on us.”
“Because you didn’t even tell me he was back. You seem to care more for her than you do for me!” Jestine’s voice broke. “Is she your sister now?”
“She’s nothing to me,” I said. It was the truth. Elise had been an amusement, nothing more. I suspected the same was true for Aaron. “And she should be nothing to you.”
“I saw her fall on the road when she got off the ship, and you assisted her.”
“She needed a cold bath, with her own soap from Paris.”
“It didn’t help her from being ugly.”
We laughed at that. Elise wasn’t ugly, but she certainly wasn’t beautiful, like Jestine.
“I came to show him his daughter, and that is what I still intend to do. He says he wants to see her.”
“You’ve spoken to Aaron?”
Jestine glared at me. “What do you think?”
I begged her to reconsider, but she wouldn’t listen. Perhaps I should have warned her that Elise was not as weak as she might appear to be.
Jestine led Lyddie into our courtyard. All of the yellow birds that loved the sweet fruit in our garden so much some people called them sugarbirds hushed when she appeared. There was a shadow at the upstairs window.
I followed Jestine so I might stand beside her. I’d been wrong and thoughtless to befriend Elise. My cousin had been gone for nearly six years. “He won’t come,” I warned.
“He will.” Jestine held tightly to her daughter’s hand. Lyddie looked over at her mother, confused.
The last of the sunlight was in our eyes, but Jestine refused to move into the shade.
“How long do you intend to stand here?” I asked. “Don’t you see him for who he is by now?”
“Do you want Lyddie to have to look into every man’s face, searching for herself? I have to see to this now, before he’s an ocean away and she never has the chance.”
My mother was the one at the window. She gazed down when she heard Jestine, then promptly closed the shutters.
“You’re locking me out?” Jestine shouted.
I put a hand on her arm to hush her. “This won’t work out the way you want it to.”
“He’ll see me.” Jestine turned back to shout at the house, to my mother, I assumed, and to Aaron as well. “I’m waiting for you to show yourself. You know she’s your daughter.”
Surely Aaron heard her raised voice, but instead of coming to face her, my cousin played the coward and sent his wife. I suspect he feared meeting up with Jestine, and perhaps was most afraid of his own emotions. Elise came out in her rose silk dress. Jestine was too dazed to say anything as she approached.
“Don’t worry, they’ll come to terms,” my mother assured Elise. “Men like to argue.”
Elise’s skin had burned during our excursion to the beach; she was flushed and overheated and soon excused herself, saying she had never been as tired in her life. As soon as Elise went to lie down, my mother grabbed my arm and whispered, “She’s been here. Uninvited.”
It took a while before I understood who she was talking about.
Jestine.
I WENT THROUGH THE courtyard to Mr. Enrique’s house. He was sitting outside, still dressed in the black suit he wore at the store.
“Is she here?”
“I don’t get involved in these things.” He looked away; therefore I knew the answer was yes.
I went inside, and there were Jestine and Lyddie sitting the dark. The shutters were closed and only the last of the day’s yellow light came through in bands. Jestine was in her best dress. She wore laced boots, and her hair was braided and pinned up. Lyddie was beside her, quiet, her hands folded on her lap. When she looked at me, I could tell she was alarmed. Jestine, on the other hand, was furious.
“You didn’t think you should take it upon yourself to tell me that he had a wife?”
“I was going to,” I said. But I hadn’t wanted to face her.
“I suppose you were too busy. Well, don’t worry, I found out. Don’t you think Lyddie should meet him? A daughter should see her father at least once in her lifetime.”
I asked Lyddie to wait outside with Mr. Enrique while we spoke.
“You came to see his wife,” I said when the little girl had gone. “It won’t lead to your happiness.”
“What do I care about her?” Jestine made a face. “Lyddie is his daughter. He should know her.”
“You cared enough to spy on us.”
“Because you didn’t even tell me he was back. You seem to care more for her than you do for me!” Jestine’s voice broke. “Is she your sister now?”
“She’s nothing to me,” I said. It was the truth. Elise had been an amusement, nothing more. I suspected the same was true for Aaron. “And she should be nothing to you.”
“I saw her fall on the road when she got off the ship, and you assisted her.”
“She needed a cold bath, with her own soap from Paris.”
“It didn’t help her from being ugly.”
We laughed at that. Elise wasn’t ugly, but she certainly wasn’t beautiful, like Jestine.
“I came to show him his daughter, and that is what I still intend to do. He says he wants to see her.”
“You’ve spoken to Aaron?”
Jestine glared at me. “What do you think?”
I begged her to reconsider, but she wouldn’t listen. Perhaps I should have warned her that Elise was not as weak as she might appear to be.
Jestine led Lyddie into our courtyard. All of the yellow birds that loved the sweet fruit in our garden so much some people called them sugarbirds hushed when she appeared. There was a shadow at the upstairs window.
I followed Jestine so I might stand beside her. I’d been wrong and thoughtless to befriend Elise. My cousin had been gone for nearly six years. “He won’t come,” I warned.
“He will.” Jestine held tightly to her daughter’s hand. Lyddie looked over at her mother, confused.
The last of the sunlight was in our eyes, but Jestine refused to move into the shade.
“How long do you intend to stand here?” I asked. “Don’t you see him for who he is by now?”
“Do you want Lyddie to have to look into every man’s face, searching for herself? I have to see to this now, before he’s an ocean away and she never has the chance.”
My mother was the one at the window. She gazed down when she heard Jestine, then promptly closed the shutters.
“You’re locking me out?” Jestine shouted.
I put a hand on her arm to hush her. “This won’t work out the way you want it to.”
“He’ll see me.” Jestine turned back to shout at the house, to my mother, I assumed, and to Aaron as well. “I’m waiting for you to show yourself. You know she’s your daughter.”
Surely Aaron heard her raised voice, but instead of coming to face her, my cousin played the coward and sent his wife. I suspect he feared meeting up with Jestine, and perhaps was most afraid of his own emotions. Elise came out in her rose silk dress. Jestine was too dazed to say anything as she approached.
