The Light in the Wound (43 page)

We finally break the silence and exchange pleasantries. “How was the flight? Did you hit traffic coming from the airport? Are you hungry? Rose left some food for you. Oh, by the way, Rose will be Eddie’s nanny while he’s here. She’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you,” I say.

So much has happened in the last few years. Bernard passed away and Mellie left to take care of her ailing mother.

I don’t know how long we sit like that, but someone from the chapel comes in and starts turning off the lights. That must have been their hint for us to leave. By now it’s midnight, and although I’m wide awake, my sisters are ready to call it a night.

We arrive at my mother’s house and walk through the front entrance. I know the drill when I’m here. We are waited on hand and foot. I don’t even give my luggage or bags a thought — I know they’ll be carried in for me. Sure enough, there is quite a bit of rustling around as the maids help bring the luggage in and take it up to our bedroom.

“Eddie, ask Nanny Rose to help you get ready for bed, please.”

Eddie has this uncomfortable look on his face as she starts to take his hand and lead him to the bathroom to get washed up.

“Mom, I don’t need any help.” He’s not used to being pampered or cared for by anyone other than Alex or me. Only his mom does those things for him. He has a nanny for a few hours before and after school, but otherwise, he spends all his time with us.

“Okay, honey, go get dressed then. Nanny Rose will just help unpack your suitcase.”

“Alicia, I’m hungry. Can you ask the cook to make me something?” I smile while taking a seat at the table.

“I think she did make dinner. Let me ask her to lay it out on the table.”

That blessed intercom. We don’t have the luxury of calling for help in the States.

In a few minutes, the dinner table is laid out to the max with chicken and steak and salads. We sit down to eat dinner at midnight.

“Isabel, Mom wanted so much to see you.”

“I know. Please tell me what happened.” I delay taking a bite of my food to focus intently on my sisters’ words.

“Ugh, I feel so guilty,” starts Evie. “She looked so well the night before, she was in great spirits and we were talking about who was going to pick you up at the airport. After she had dinner, I convinced Grace to go out dancing with me and my friends. I swear, Isabel, she looked great, if she didn’t I wouldn’t have gone out.”

I smile at my older sister. I know her. I know she loves coming home to see her old friends. She married at eighteen and that marriage didn’t work out. Ever since then, she’s been enjoying the so-called single life. She did nothing wrong.

“Anyway, Alicia, Grace and I were on the way to the hospital to visit Mom at about 9:00 that morning and that’s when we got the call. The nurse on duty said that she went to give Mom her medication and found her breathing heavily, murmuring, “Oh God, Oh God.” The nurse started checking her vitals and increased the morphine for her pain. Mom started to smile and speak as if there was someone else in the room with her. Even as the nurse was adjusting the medication, she took a deep breath and passed away. By the time we got there, Mom was still in her bed, but she was gone. Her liver had swollen up and her stomach was as big as a balloon. I think her liver couldn’t take the experimental drugs that she took,” Evie’s voice is shaking.

Alicia continues. “About a week ago, Mom had already picked out her dress for the burial. She insisted on wearing her pearls, you know, the ones with the diamonds. She was beautiful. We dressed her in the beautiful beige dress that she chose, with the shoes and the pearls, and we placed the rosary you gave her from Italy in her hands. The crematorium had us remove the pearls right before they passed her through the incendiary oven.” I nod my head in affirmation. “Isabel,” continues Alicia, “we are so sorry you didn’t get to see her. She wouldn’t have wanted to remain looking like that, she said she wanted us all to remember her the way she was before she got sick.”

We all begin to eat our dinner in silence. Just then, the doorbell rings and in walks Evie and Alicia’s new significant others. They stayed at the funeral home to help clean up and prepare for the morning. Rafael and Winston. Great guys, good for my sisters. I stand up and give them both hugs and move over to the couch to continue our conversation.

“Rose, please ask Sir Alex to come downstairs if he would like to join us,” I request. She comes back down a few seconds later to tell me that he’s going to shower and wants to check email upstairs.

Evie and Ali move over to the couch to sit with me.
The couch of secrets. Make out sessions. The same couch we sat on years ago when Jesse’s letter arrived — funny how that thought just popped up in my head.

“How’s everything, Isa?” Evie asks. “Congratulations by the way — another promotion. It seems like you get one every year.”

I smile. “Just lucky, I guess?”

“Eddie is so cute, Isa. He’s so well behaved. Does he still have the same nanny he’s had since he was born?” Ali joined in.

“Yup, she’s still with us. She loves him so much and is such an important part of our family of four,” I chuckled.

“Alex hasn’t changed since he left either. He looks really good. And still so crazy about you.” Evie winked.

The ten years abroad seemed to be good for him. Still beautiful, handsome. Youthful and fit.

“I’m crazy about him too. It’s never been better. We’ve really weathered a lot together.” My body felt warm at the thought. I miss him even when he’s in the same house with me. I must remember to remind him just how much I love him.

“Those Facebook pictures you posted a few years ago, the ones with the two of you in Paris? You both looked so peaceful.” Evie leans back and places her chin on her knees.

“That was sweet, wasn’t it? He asked the nanny to stay with Eddie for three nights so he could whisk me away to Paris on the eve of our seventh anniversary. He has always had the number seven in mind, you know … his obsession with the Jesse seven.” I laugh. When we reached that milestone in our marriage, he celebrated having more years in my life than Jesse. “Seven years and one day. Score!” he said that night. And score he did. Over and over again.

“So what now, sissies? Where do we go from here?”

“Funny you should ask,” said the leader of our pack. “We have quite a few meetings set up with the lawyers. Mom left us everything in her will with the provision that we help her husband and support him permanently during his lifetime. We also have to consolidate the properties we now own under Grandpa’s estate. Isabel, I’m counting on you to make sense out of the numbers for us.”

“Well, I’d like to take a look at the financials so we can start reinvesting and expanding the business. We can take some cash out to settle our obligations. I know Alex and I have some in the States.” I’m now in business mode. At two in the morning. Typical. I keep going. “Have you heard of that chain of restaurants that’s the rave now in the States? I think we should open one here. Can we look at a list of contacts to see who I can meet with while I’m in town? We planned this trip for three weeks, so I can get the ball rolling on everything.”

This is me in my element. I’m just getting started when I notice Ali and Evie and their stolen glances. Their eyes are moving sideways and they’re looking but not
really
looking at each other. Evie changes the subject.

“Isa, do you think you and Alex and Eddie can settle back here now? You are, after all, our only business-minded sister.”

Blink Blink. Glance Glance. My sisters aren’t cross-eyed so I know that their crazy eyes are trying to talk to each other.

“Alex’s dad has asked to speak with us after the funeral, and Alex knows he wants him to take over the business. So yes, we’ll be home permanently in a few months. But let’s go back to this business. Can you get me a contact?”

Ali’s words are inaudible. I have to scoot over closer to hear her.

“Jesse owns the entire business. They’re franchising, but he deals with all applicants. Over the past few years, he has bought out several of the larger companies affected by the recession. He basically owns most of the successful entities here now.”

“Oh,” I mutter. Why am I not surprised? “Well, then we’ll just have to find something else to invest in.”

Evie lets out a deep breath, as if she’s relieved that we can now get to the heart of this matter. “Isa, he’s been at the funeral parlor every single day during Mom’s wake. He’ll be there tomorrow. He also organized the prayer group that’s doing the nine-day Novena the day after. He’s had everything catered; he’s hosting the dinner after the prayers. We never really agreed to it, he just did it all.”

“Guys! Why? Alex is here. We’re good now. We have to think of Alex!” I roar. A little mutedly of course, I don’t want Alex to hear me.

“I know, Isa. Evie and I will talk to him tomorrow. He feels like he knew Mom all those years, he deserves to be there. After that, we’ll cut it off with him out of respect for Alex.” Ali puts her arm around me as she’s saying this.

“Thank you. As I said earlier, let’s find another investment. Thanks so much for dinner, Rose. I think we should all get our rest. We have to be up early tomorrow. Are we set on what we’re wearing? You told me Mom wanted white, so I brought a whole bunch of white tops with me. Do you need to borrow some?”

My “upset with my sisters” time frame has always been limited to a minute or two.

“Oooh,” cooed Evie, “yes, can we look?”

“You can love someone so much ... but you can never

love people as much as you can miss them.”

—John Green

By the time I get to the guest bedroom, Alex and Eddie are in bed. Alex is shutting down his computer, while Eddie is playing with his Legos under the covers. I climb into bed next to Alex and lie in the dark, exhausted but wide awake. I don’t think I fall asleep all night. But somehow, I don’t remember how the hours passed and daylight crept in so quickly. We rush about the next morning, trying to get ready so we can be at the funeral home before the guests arrive. The humidity is not being kind to my hair, so I finally sweep it up into a ponytail. My sisters did find tops that they wanted to wear, and the four of us are in white blouses and black pants. I look a little different from them in that I have chosen to wear a more understated Chanel ensemble, complete with accessories in black and white. My sisters laugh because they know that my clothing budget surpasses theirs. We joke about how they should probably insure the tops they just borrowed from me.

We walk into the kiosk where the interment will take place, and it looks amazing. We have chosen to bury my mother out in the open air, surrounded by flowers and cherry blossom trees. The florist has done a wonderful job of lining the aisle and pews with calla lilies and roses. There are photographs of my mother off to the side and the first thing we do is stand by it and take more pictures. Her loyal servants are in full attendance. Even her hairdresser and personal shopper have been waiting here since the crack of dawn. Little by little, people start to file into the outdoor gazebo to take their seats. My mother would be so happy to see how many people loved her. She was adamant about not posting an obituary in the paper but through word of mouth, all of the people whose lives she touched are here. It’s heartwarming. So many people loved her. Eddie is off somewhere playing with his cousins. I’m not comfortable with leaving him to wander around, so I ask Nanny Rose to follow him. Alex and I make our rounds, greeting people, shaking hands.