Fairytales (32 page)

“Well, well. So now all you have to do is a simple little thing like getting married and taking on the future … that doesn’t seem too difficult now, does it?” she smiled that enchanting smile as her cheek bones rose and her eyes crinkled.

“No,” Dom smiled back, “not when I have someone like Tish to work for.”

“What a nice thing to say.”

“Mrs. Stevens?”

“Yes?”

“I can’t thank you enough for your having done what you did.”

“And what did I do?”

“Allowing us to be married by a priest.”

“Oh, dear boy, thank Tish for that. It was all her idea. But it meets with our approval. Ah, I see your family coming up the ramp, but before, make up your mind … think about it … either Mom or Leticia, one or the other.” Before he could answer, the Rossis were standing in front of Leticia. “Now, introduce me to your family.”

This is my mother and father …” Leticia held out her hand to Catherine, “I cannot tell you what a pleasure this is meeting Dom’s mother at long last … and you, Mr. Rossi, were the topic of conversation Tish and I had last evening.”

Dominic laughed, “That’s very flattering, but you, Mrs. Stevens, have quite a girl.”

“Why thank you … my name is Leticia … Andrew, this is Mr. …”

“Dominic …” he said, shaking Andrew’s hand, “my wife, Catherine, my mother, Mrs. Rossi and my mother-in-law, Mrs. Posata …”

“Delighted,” Leticia said, as Andrew stood by her side, smiling broadly. “Tish, don’t tell me … let’s see how good your descriptions were … you’re Tory … Am I right?”

“Right,” he responded smiling. “The twins, obviously. For heaven’s sake, don’t forget which one either of you are or we’ll all be in big trouble.”

“That’s no lie. I can’t keep them straight after all these years and in September, they’re off to Harvard,” Catherine laughed.

“I can see why,” Leticia shook her head. “And this is our artist… you’ve got a look about you …”

“So have you, Mrs. Stevens.”

The way Roberto looked at her momentarily made her feel undressed, but she answered, “Thank you … now this is Gina Maria and last, but not least, Vincente … are we all present and accounted for?”

“We are,” Tish said, holding Catherine around the waist.

… Isn’t that nice, Leticia thought, as they all walked to the exit. Andrew had Dominic give the baggage tags to James who had driven Tish’s car to the airport.

“You get all the baggage, James, then take a taxi back to the hotel. Have them taken to Mr. and Mrs. Rossi’s suite, then you come on home.”

“Right,” he said.

Dominic thanked Andrew for his kindness and the men walked out into the parking area with the ladies behind them as the family followed. Leticia drove her Ford station wagon with Catherine, and the grandmothers along with Vincente, Dominic, the twins, Tory and Roberto went in Andrew’s large black Cadillac. Gina Maria begged to go with Tish and Dom … in her small car with the top down. Dom said to Gina Maria, “Honey, why don’t you go with Mama?”

“No, Dom, I’d like to be with Tish and you … please?”

“Look, tell you what…” Dom started to say. “No, Gina Maria’s coming with us … get in the middle.” Dom shot a glance at Tish, but she looked at Gina Maria, remembering when she was that age … how painful it was when her favorite and youngest uncle had gotten married. She felt positively sunk … secretly, she was so in love with him. Gina Maria was having confused thoughts, Tish knew.

When they arrived at the hotel just ahead of the others, getting out of the car, Dom said, “Thanks a
lot
for the ride.”

“You’re welcome.”

Gina Maria said, “I loved it … this is such a beautiful city.”

“I’m glad. That’s why I wanted you along.”

“Thanks, Tish … you’re terrific.”

“So are you … in fact, you’re one of my favorite people.”

Gina Maria was about to say something, but instead Dom said, coming around to Tish’s side of the car, “We Rossis are like that… to know us is to love us …we grow on you.” He bent down and kissed her, then whispered in her ear, “And I’d love to.”

“To what? I’m afraid to ask.”

“To grow on you.”

She smiled, narrowing one eye. “See you later … sexpot!” Laughing, she drove off.

Turning into the circular driveway, Tish came to a halt in front of the sprawling southern Georgian mansion. Strange, she thought … you live in a house all your life and never think about how beautiful it is … or how much it means, or if you’ll miss it. Those times away at school didn’t count … I always knew I was coming home … but after next week, this will no longer be my home. Getting out of her car, she walked up the red brick path leading to the front veranda that ran the length of the house. Opening the front door, she stood in the enormous foyer and looked about her. How truly lovely this house was. That wide circular staircase. How many brides had walked down it since this house had been built in 1853? Andrew Stevens had inherited the house from his mother, who was a widow and failing in health when he carried Leticia over the threshold. For two years she almost willed herself to life to see her first grandchild born. With that accomplished, she died contentedly leaving Andrew and Leticia (whom she adored) a complete house filled with magnificent Victorian, Georgian and eighteenth-century antiques and paintings she had inherited from her parents. In the twenty-four years that Leticia had been mistress, the house remained much the same except for refurbishing. Tish walked into the enormous drawing room and looked out to the garden beyond the covered terrace. There was color everywhere bordering the expensive lawns. The pool sat cool and serenely blue among the profusion of bursting blooms, and down the wide brick path two tennis courts rested unoccupied. Like seeing it for the first time, today, everything looked especially enchanting. The oleanders, the hydrangeas and ferns that nestled among the huge oaks to shelter from the heat of a summer’s day were breathtaking. In the distance the sound of water sprinklers could be heard. What a lovely, sleepy, lazy sound, Tish thought. Although she had always known she’d be married in this house, suddenly, she was overcome by the reality.
Of course,
she’d miss it and only yesterday she’d glibly told Catherine …
I have no qualms …
and brushed off twenty-two years of her life, just like that. My goodness what was wrong with her? She did love Dom … didn’t she? Oh, come now, Tish, how can you ask anything so stupid. Suddenly for the first time in your life, you’re all grown up and maybe you’re having a few prenuptial jitters. Okay, as a psychology major, what’s so unusual about that? Getting married is a very serious business, or was it something Catherine had said that at the time Tish took lightly, but right now … standing here, she simply couldn’t sort out her feelings. Quickly, she went through the dining room to the kitchen where Jenny was finishing her pies. When she and James had come to work for Andrew’s mother, they were both young and newly married. After Mrs. Stevens died, they stayed on. Jenny was now fifty-five and James about the same age. She was as small and light complected as James was large and dark. Tish came up behind her, putting her arms around Jenny’s slim waist.

She turned around, “Good Lord, Tish, am I glad to see you.”

“Me, too,” Tish answered, kissing her on the cheek. “Oh, Jenny, it all smells so delicious.”

“Feel like a glass of cold milk or somethin’, Tish?”

“If I can have a piece of that pecan pie.”

“Well, you just sit right down here.” As Jenny walked across the large kitchen to the refrigerator to get out the milk, she noticed Tish looking rather pensive. Coming back with a filled glass in her hand, she sat down across from Tish. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Tish looked across and smiled wanly. “I don’t really know, Jenny.”

“Don’t wrinkle your brow like that.”

“Was I?”

“Yes, you have a habit of frownin’ when you’re a little unhappy or ponderin’ … now, what’s wrong?”

“I’m not unhappy … just frightened … and sort of suddenly.”

“What are you frightened of?”

“Making a good wife for Dom … being a good mother … cooking, taking care of a house … and I feel so … unequipped … it’s a little late for second-thoughts, but I can’t help it, Jenny.”

“Listen to me, baby … just do what comes natural and you’ll be fine.”

“I hope so … really I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.”

“I think you do, Tish.”

She paused for a long moment, sighed and answered, “Yes, I do … it’s knowing a part of my life that was so dear … is past … I didn’t know I’d feel this way, but coming home today was so strange.”

“Nothin’ strange about it. Every bride that wants to make a success of her marriage feels that way.”

“Were you, Jenny …?”

“Was I? I was so scared, I thought I’d die, but I didn’t. Only one regret I got …”

“What’s that?”

“No children … that’s kinda sad for James and me, but you have lots and lots of babies … Tish.”

“I’m going to try … I love you, Jenny.”

“I love you, too, baby. Now, go on upstairs and take a nice, cool bath and I’ll bring up somethin’ cold to drink in a little while.”

Tish was just getting into the tub when she heard her mother’s voice. With the towel draped around her, she called from the bannister above, “Mom, come on up. I want to talk to you.”

“Okay, be up in a minute.”

Going into the kitchen, Leticia dropped off a few last minute things Jenny needed, took out some cold lemonade, looked out of the open window and saw Andrew sitting under a shade tree. “Feel like a cold drink?”

“Little later … thanks,” he answered, with his eyes closed.

She smiled happily to see him so relaxed, a thing he knew little of. He could have gone into his father’s bank and there he would have known the quiet life instead of beating his rump off … but Leticia turned away, thinking maybe if he had, he wouldn’t be the man he was. She went upstairs to Tish’s room. Hearing the splash of water, she went into the bathroom, finding Tish lathering her arms with scented lemon soap. Taking a washcloth, she knelt down and washed Tish’s back.

“Oh, that feels so good … you haven’t done that for a long time.”

“Um … I know.”

“How do you like them?”

“The Rossis?”

“Yes.”

“They’re very nice … lovely family.”

“And Mrs. Rossi?”

“Well …”

“You didn’t… I take it?”

“I don’t know her. Of course …”

“You usually have an instinct about people … I don’t think you cared too much for her.”

“I’ll have to know her better, Tish.”

“She was friendly enough, wasn’t she?”

“Yes …”

“Then why the reserved judgment?”

“Because she’s going to be your mother-in-law and I think, in this case, I’ll wait.”

“What were the outward impressions?”

“The truth?”

“Yes …”

“Like a Christmas tree.”

Tish laughed, then reflectively said, “When I met her, I had the same impression … as though she were trying too hard … but something happened on the plane today … I found myself feeling terribly sorry for her … there’s something so pathetic about her needing to be accepted … I don’t know what it is, but I find myself liking her.”

“I’m happy to hear that … it’s important. You know, Tish, young people don’t believe it, but when they marry, contrary to some beliefs, they marry a family and if they like one another, the marriage is so much more simple … less complicated. In-law trouble can be very difficult.”

Tish’s thoughts were suddenly filled with even more frightening questions than the ones she had revealed to Jenny. As Tish left the tub, Leticia noticed the beautiful violet eyes of her daughter grow dim. Following Tish into the bedroom, Leticia sat on the edge of the bed as Tish stretched out with her hands behind her head and looked at her mother.

“What is it, dear?” Leticia asked, although she suspected she knew the uncertainties her child was feeling.

For a long moment Tish remained silent, then softly said, “You know how much I love Dom?”

“Yes.”

“You also know there’s no one in the world I want to live my whole life with except him?”

“Yes.”

“Then why am I questioning myself like this?”

“Because you know getting married is a very serious thing. If you were less in love, you wouldn’t be questioning yourself.”

“Maybe … but at this moment, marriage seems like such an awesome thing.”

Leticia laughed softly at the serious expression on her daughter’s face. Taking her hand, she said, smiling, “It’s not quite as awesome as all that… To be taken seriously … yes … but it can be the greatest joy and bring a woman the greatest fulfillment.”

“Yet just a few moments ago you used the words like ‘More simple … less complicated.’ Is being married
very
complicated?”

“It can be, but as in anything it depends.”

“For instance?”

“Well, to begin with, the first thing to consider are the people involved. Love is great and I’m all for it, but it takes two very mature, yielding, giving, intelligent people to learn how to keep it alive. It’s like my roses, they have to be nurtured or they won’t thrive.”

“It’s pretty late in the game to begin asking all these questions and pretty stupid, I know … but that’s just the point… am I all or any of those things?”

“Yes, you are … but one thing I feel every woman should know and understand and I don’t care what the feminist movement says … it takes a woman to make a marriage … of course, I’m not talking about world affairs or the role a woman should play in the labor market. I’m all for that kind of equality. What I’m saying is it’s up to a woman. That doesn’t mean she submerges her own self into her husband’s personality or that she becomes submissive and says yes to his slightest command. But if she learns to know
her
man … how to cope with
him …
not the one on page seventy-nine, chapter twenty-four, but
hers,
then she’s really a woman and being a woman is a very special thing … maybe that’s corny, but I believe if it’s marriage she wants, then it’s up to her to be smart enough to make it work.” She paused, then added, “And incidentally Tish, backing up on what we were saying about Mrs. Rossi a few minutes ago, I sense she’s a very lonely lady who needs a lot of love … love her, Tish, love her a whole lot and I have a feeling she’s got a lot to give back … just instinct I suppose but I have the feeling she feels left out somehow.”