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“Thanks for putting up with me today,” she said as we started back to the Heaven-stone mansion. “I’m sure you would have had more fun doing other things.”
“Oh, no. It was fun, Lucille.”
“Was it? I was so afraid you would be bored. Good.” She smiled and then giggled as if she were my age before squeezing my hand. “Won’t your father be surprised at all the decisions we made today?”
We? I thought. She was really including me.
As soon as we arrived, I ran up to my room and found an ideal place for my graduation gift. It would sit on the table beside my bed so I could see it as soon as I woke up every morning. I sat on my bed and stared at it. I was ashamed at how little I had thought about Mother these past months. Memories about her frightened me because I feared they would make me too sad to go on, but that was selfish of me, I now thought. My mother didn’t deserve to be forgotten. I was sure she had loved me as much as any mother could love a daughter. It was a sin to push her away just to keep myself from being upset. Face our demons here, I chanted to myself. Don’t let them win. Wasn’t that what Daddy told me? The most difficult battle would be with Cassie. Even in her grave, she was stronger than I was, and I feared she always would be.
There was a knock at my door.
“Yes?”
Mrs. Dobson came in with a look of surprise on her face.
“You ran into the house and upstair
s to your room so fast I couldn’t even call to you,” she said. “Is everything all right? Did you enjoy your day with Mrs. Bennet?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I frightened you. What is it, Mrs. Dobson?”
“This came for you,” she said, and handed me a small, gift-wrapped box. A card was taped to it. She started to turn away.
“Oh, no, stay. Let’s see what it is,” I said. I opened the card. It was a graduation card with Good luck, Guess who? written in it. Ordinarily, I would have let my thoughts flow quickly to Ethan, but I knew this was the way Uncle Perry always signed his birthday and holiday cards to us. Cassie used to smirk and say he was ashamed of his own name or something.
I opened the gift and took out a woman’s Rolex watch.
“Oh, how beautiful,” Mrs. Dobson said.
“Look,” I said, showing her. “It’s inscribed with the date of my high school graduation.”
Here, Uncle Perry had written his name. Despite what she had thought of him, I was sure Cassie would be green with envy. He had never given her anything half as beautiful or half as expensive.
“It’s a real gem of a watch, Miss Semantha.” Mrs. Dobson’s eyes drifted. “That’s your mother with you there, isn’t it?” she asked, nodding at my graduation present from Lucille.
“Yes.”
“What a beautiful frame.” She read the inscription. “Very nice, Miss Semantha. Your father get you this?”
“No, Lucille bought it for me. She gave it to me today.”
“Really? Lucille,” she muttered.
She looked at the frame and photograph more closely, as if she was more surprised than I had been. Maybe she had misjudged her, too, I thought.
Now that I was in my room, I had been waiting to hear Cassie complain, but there was only silence. In fact, I was struck by how little of Cassie’s voice I had heard in my mind the whole day. Maybe that wasn’t simply my keeping her still. Perhaps Lucille had overwhelmed her as much as she had overwhelmed me.
Mrs. Dobson nodded. “Well, it’s very pretty, Miss Semantha. And that’s a lovely watch. Both meaningful gifts.” She smiled and left.
I went to shower and dress for dinner, feeling far happier than I had yesterday.
Daddy and Lucille were already at the dining-room table when I arrived. I had taken my time with my hair and makeup, admittedly because of Lucille’s influence and comments during the day.
“Well, who’s this beautiful woman?” Daddy asked. “I don’t recognize her.”
“You look lovely, Semantha,” Lucille said. As soon as I sat, she began to describe our day. He kept looking at me to see if I agreed and was just as enthusiastic as she was. I saw how much pleasure it brought to him. He didn’t mind any of the costs and seemed to approve of every decision.
“My two girls,” he declared, looking from me to Lucille. “You’re getting me more excited about a wedding than I ever thought possible.”
