Chapter 6 #2
We piled out of the car when it came to a stop.
The nighttime doorman eyed us for a second before he recognized the twins and glanced away, giving us the pretense of privacy.
Staff always amused me—they saw so much, probably always watching the occupants of the buildings.
They could probably write bestsellers if they ever divulged the truth.
“Thanks for the company,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “It was … different than I expected but also unforgettable. Thank you. Also, I would like to pay you back for dinner.” They hadn’t let me pay. In fact, I never saw the bill. I didn’t even know how they managed it.
Julian offered a warm smile. “Anytime, really. We’ll go out again tomorrow night. I don’t know where yet. I’m sure Jeremy won’t want to sit and read.”
His twin laughed, as if the very idea was ridiculous.
“I’ll come by Granny’s tomorrow, and we can be quieter than he likes to be.”
Jeremy chimed in, his tone light. “Good lord that sounds dull. Surely you don’t want her to think you sit around all day and do nothing other than read?
What if we meet in the middle? You read for a while with her, then I get to do something fun with her.
This is Manhattan. We’ll find some fun that has nothing to do with food or books. ”
I held up my hand. “I can’t think of a way to say this nicely, so I guess we go with awful.
I can’t go out with either of you again.
It’s a terrible idea. It’s pretty safe to say you’re bad for me.
You’re not part of my plan to survive right now, and you can’t help, so I’m better off steering clear. ”
“No.” Jeremy shook his head, the motion so adamant, it left no room for discussion. “I think you need us. Who knows, we might even need you, too. We’ll see. Regardless, by the time we start school in the fall, we’ll all be best friends.”
I sighed, frustrated with his stubbornness. “I’m not going to your school.”
He made eye contact with Julian for a second before he asked, “Why not?”
“I’m not smart enough for your school.” I didn’t feel like hashing out the details—probably not ever with them. “You don’t have to take me on like some kind of project, because it won’t matter anyway. By fall, you won’t ever see me again.”
He seemed to disregard most of my words, focusing only on that which he wanted to discuss. “Which school are you attending, then?”
Julian nudged his shoulder. “I think it’s Motifs.”
Jeremy winced. “She is so not going to Motifs.”
“Well, I’ll only be there for six months. After that, she intends to send me away to boarding school. Either way, don’t worry, Jeremy. Tops, I can only screw up your brother’s life for another eight months.”
He winced. “No. We’re friends now, so you’re not going to Motif s. I can’t see you there, and besides, you’re not screwing up his life for eight months. It’ll be for a lot longer than that.”
“You’re an odd one, aren’t you?” I stared at him, seeking even the smallest weakness. “Earlier, your vibe said you wanted to throw me out of the New York Public Library.”
Julian laughed, a joyful bubble of sound, then he tugged me to his side. “Once Jeremy is in, he sticks around. Same for me. You should get some sleep. If my brother says you’re not going to Motif s, you are absolutely not going.”
I snorted. They apparently thought they had more power than they actually did.
Instead of arguing further, though, I said, “Goodnight.”
When Julian kissed my cheek, I caught my breath.
I didn’t see it coming again, when he bent his head—then his breath touched my cheek a moment before the warmth of his lips.
Electricity seemed to sizzle from the point of contact outward.
Even my fingertips buzzed with sensation.
Wow. What was that? I still stood, shell-shocked from the kiss, when Jeremy pulled me into a hug.
“You’re skittish, and you just met me, so for tonight, I’ll settle for a hug.
Tomorrow, I intend to kiss your cheek. Just giving fair warning. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
My fingertips touched my cheek automatically.
I wasn’t sure if it was to hold on or to wipe away the sensation of his lips on my flesh.
I wondered if the cheek kissing was an Upper East Side thing, a trend that hadn’t caught on in Chicago.
Maybe no one wanted to kiss me before . That was fine.
I slowed my heart down, breathing slowly.
“Goodnight,” I repeated.
Turning toward the building, I braced myself for half a second.
I wasn’t looking forward to Aunt Tricia’s latest lecture on my lack of gratitude or how much of a problem I caused her.
If I timed it poorly enough, I could hear my cousin echo her litany over a speaker phone.
I preferred it when they all left me alone.
Boarding school would be a relief in that respect.
As I rode the elevator to our apartment, I wished I could just sleep on Julian and Jeremy’s grandmother’s couch.
The whole atmosphere there hit different.
I held my breath, hoping I could make it to my room without encountering anyone.
I’d learned fear from my mother’s older sister, since even the act of leaving or arriving became dangerous at her place. With my hand on the doorknob, I reminded myself that lectures might suck, but awful came in too many degrees. I could be stuck somewhere worse.
Dark silence greeted me inside the apartment, so I blew out a sigh of relief. My aunt was probably asleep. I slipped off my shoes and tiptoed to my room, my mind replaying the night’s events.
Of course, that meant my thoughts turned to the Lent twins. My experiences with them left me with more questions than answers, more confusion than certainty.
I changed into my pajamas, the soft fabric comforting against my skin.
As I brushed my teeth, my reflection in the mirror seemed to stare back with a mix of exhaustion and interest. Were my eyes brighter after tonight, even though I was tired?
When had I last talked so much? Maybe the day my Mom died, when I talked to the police?
After that, silence became my constant companion.
Staring at my reflection, I wondered who I was in the vast city, amidst so many other complex lives.
Would they change me? Was that possible?
Crawling into bed, I considered drawing on Poor Relation . I couldn’t remember the last time I fell asleep without sketching for at least a while, but my eyes drifted shut, ending art as an option.
I turned off the bedside lamp, and darkness enveloped the room. The sounds of the city, distant yet ever-present, lulled me into a restless sleep. New York provided a labyrinth of stories, and tonight, I wandered down one of the many enigmatic paths I never considered traveling down.
My last thoughts were even questions. Why am I so easily forgetting myself? Is it me or is it them?
The next morning, dressed in an outfit she picked out for me—yet still wearing my same holey shoes—I opened Dina’s book with fresh determination. I decided I would absolutely not slip any further down a hole than I already had, because it would only add more darkness to my days.
So instead, I read her words while she hummed in her bedroom.
She was picking out jewelry to donate to a local charity auction—apparently, she owned a large number of pieces that could be sold to feed the animals in a nearby shelter.
I wondered how she made her selections, and what she determined meant one piece should be kept over another.
I shook my head. I needed to concentrate. Reading, I let myself drift into her journal and the world she created.
June 12 th , 1966
Hello, book. I thought about not writing anymore after my first entry. What is the point? But today I want to write again. Otherwise, I feel like my brain might explode. That sounds dramatic of me, but my life has become all about glass.
Which is such a funny thing to write, but my uncle only thinks about glass.
It seems his only occupation, day in and day out.
He makes the glass that will go into all the huge, towering buildings, so I listen to his stories almost nonstop.
I’ve never been so disinterested in anything as I am about glass.
Maybe if I became an expert on the subject under different circumstances …
I’ll admit that I went very low today, and I even thought about throwing myself out the window of his Upper West Side apartment.
Of breaking the glass. Of making a mess for him.
He called me into his office today and spoke to me sternly. The gray in his hair has gotten more pronounced since I arrived, the lines on his face more drawn out. Then again, perhaps I’m only imagining that because I have no choice but to stare at him all the time.
“I saw you looking at that vase in the store yesterday.”
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Had I? We had gone into an expensive store to purchase a lamp for the wife of one of his partners for her birthday. I couldn’t remember the vase he meant.
But my six days in his home has taught me to just agree with him. “Yes, Uncle.”
He continued. “You will never have things like that from me. In fact, I have decided that you are already costing me too much money, what, with how much you eat.”
How much I ate? What had I been eating? I didn’t even know.
“You are going to earn your keep here when you’re not in school.
I’ve found you a position taking care of our neighbor’s two little girls.
Afterward, you’ll give me your wages at the end of every week.
We’ll keep a running tab of how much you take versus what you bring in.
Eventually, when you move out, you can pay me back over time with interest for the inconvenience of having you here. ”
So that, dear book, is how I’m doing.
I swallowed as I closed the book on my fingertip. I realized when she told me she understood me, she really did. His choice of words might be different, but the accounting? I understood that clearly. I couldn’t imagine most people had to justify their existence to their own families.
I wiped at my eyes, surprised when I noticed the tears. When did I start crying? Maybe thinking about that lovely woman actually contemplating throwing herself out of the window to escape her own uncle. Then again, maybe writing it down stopped her from thinking things like that again.
I typed quickly, wanting to get back to my reading. I didn’t expect to like the project as much as I did, but so far, I truly enjoyed the experience. Of course, if it became a list of what she wore or ate, I might not love it so much.
Still, even though I’d known her exactly two days, I would gladly help her with her project.
Anytime.
The door to her apartment swung open and I jumped, fully expecting the twins—a smile on Julian’s face and Jeremy’s eyes full of concern—as they watched everything around them.
But it wasn’t them.
A young man, maybe just a little older than the twins, strode into the apartment.
He wore a blue polo shirt and a pair of beige chinos.
My gaze dropped quickly to his shoes, bypassing his watch, which looked expensive, and his designer sunglasses that he was still wearing inside, to see what his loafers said about him.
Oh, they are a particularly expensive brand. Blue to match his shirt and white soled.
“Are you … Alatheia?” He approached me quickly, finally taking off his sunglasses.
Well, he had me at a disadvantage, but that was life most of the time.
“That’s me.” I swallowed. He was handsome, brown-haired with lovely brown eyes like Jeremy’s.
A hint of a dimple showed on his left cheek, which probably became more prominent if he smiled.
I recognized his eyes, though. The same color as his grandmother and Jeremy’s, they were familiar enough.
I wracked my brain for his name, happy when I came up with one. “Barrett?” The one starting at Columbia, and the oldest of the four Lent brothers. It could be Phoenix, but I doubted he would look quite so old.
“That’s me.” He set his sunglasses down on the table with a click of noise. “Where is Granny?”
I motioned toward the back of the apartment just as she entered the room.
“My Heart, you’re here!” She rushed to him and put her arms around him tightly.
He closed his eyes and hugged her back. I forced myself to look away from the private moment.
Besides, it was a selfish move on my part to stare, since I only wanted to imagine what it would feel like to know I was loved beyond words.
“Did you come to check on the twins? I hear Jeremy is in town. Alatheia told me, but I haven’t seen him yet. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.”
He smiled, releasing her gently. “They disappeared from the beach, leaving me to handle that all alone, so yes, I came to see what they are doing. Afterward, I plan to drag them back with me.”
She waved her hand. “None of you ever liked the beach, other than Phoenix. It was the strangest thing. Babies normally love the beach, but you all used to scream except for him.”
“Well, he screams about it now, too. When we see him, anyway, which isn’t much. Julian mentioned you took on an assistant. Is this she?”
She swatted his arm. “This is my companion. She’s working on a secret project for me. Don’t give her a hard time. She’ll keep my secret. I will give you all a gift when it’s done, so tamp down on your curiosity until it is finished. Alatheia, this is my oldest grandson, Barrett.”
I smiled. Another Lent brother. Maybe he would distract the other two and they would all disappear? That would be easiest, even if I hated the idea—another whole problem unto itself.