The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond (17 page)

W
e stayed in Los Angeles until the day Bibi got out of the hospital. She'd had a pacemaker and defibrillator put in to fix her heart, and the twins had moved into Bibi's house for a while to be her nurses. I still didn't want to leave, and I begged my mom, but she had to get back to work and said the twins had enough to do, watching over Bibi.

Mom and Daisy were saying their good-byes to Bibi, but I stood alone in the hallway outside her bedroom, my back against the wall, trying hard not to cry, wondering how long it would be until I saw her again.

Mom called my name. “Violet?”

“Yep,” I answered.

“Bibi wants to see you,” Mom said.

I stepped into the doorway. Mom and Daisy were standing at Bibi's bedside and one of the twins was sitting in a chair, reading what looked like a Bible. Bibi was propped up in bed with pillows. All eyes were on me.

“Can Bibi and I be alone?” I asked.

“Of course,” my mom replied.

“Yes,” the twin said.

When we were alone, I went in and sat beside her. After a couple of washings, my braids had come out and my curls were back. Vases filled with flowers were everywhere and the room smelled like perfume. “How are you feeling, Bibi?”

Bibi caressed my hair. “Better and better,” she replied, then rested her hand on mine. “I've been waiting for us to have this time alone to thank you.”

“Thank me for what?”

“If you hadn't been here and called 911, I probably would have died that day. You saved my life, Violet.”

So much had happened, I hadn't even thought about that. And instead of crying my eyes out the way I thought I would, instead, I grinned. “I did, huh?”

“You did. And because you did, you and I will have lots more fun times together,” she said softly.

“When?”

“Your mother said you can come visit for a week at Christmas.”

I frowned. “Christmas? That's a long time from now.”

“And if the doctors say it's okay, she has invited me to go to the mountain cabin with your family this August.”

Our week in the mountains—I'd forgotten all about that. Knowing I was going to see her soon made me smile again. “Wow! That'll be absolutely awesome.”

“Yes, absolutely awesome,” Bibi agreed as she pulled me to her, hugged me gently, and kissed my forehead. “I love you, Violet.”

I kissed her cheek and took a deep breath, trying to memorize her sweet smell. “Love you, too, Bibi. And as soon as I get home, I'll call you.”

“You promise?” she asked.

“I promise.”

Before long, Daisy, Mom, and I were at the airport, thanking Harris, who had driven us there, and saying good-bye to Ahmed, who'd come along.

“Later, V,” he said.

I couldn't believe it, but I actually felt a little sad. “Later, Ahmed.”

“So, cuzzin . . . you ever gonna get to come back to LA?” he asked.

“For a week at Christmas,” I replied. “Is that great?”

“Cooltastic!” he said, and we laughed and waved good-bye.

A
fter Poppy and Gam had picked us up from the Seattle airport, we'd all gone to have dinner. From the way they were treating me, you would have thought I'd been gone a whole year.

Being missed feels amazing.

As usual, the drive from Seattle to Moon Lake put me to sleep.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good to be home, in my own bed, cuddling Hazel. The past weeks had been like being in a washing machine, whirled around and tumbled. So much had transpired. I like the word
transpired.

Gam cracked my bedroom door open. “You asleep?” she asked.

“Not,” I replied as I sat up in bed and turned on my lava lamp.

Gam sat in the chair by my bed, and it felt good to have her there. My gam.

“Seems to me you had quite an adventure, Violet Diamond,” she said with a smile.

I laughed. “Boy, did I.”

Gam patted my head. “But you're okay?”

“Better than okay,” I told her.

“Not so many missing pieces, huh?”

I thought about the question for a while and replied, “Hardly any.”

“For that and for having you home, I am happy.” Gam kissed the top of my head. “Good night, V. I'll see you in the morning. Love you.”

“Good night, Gam. Love you, too.”

Right then, for the first time ever, Gam felt like she was all mine.

Before I could turn off the light, Daisy peeked in. She was wearing a dress and tall platform shoes. “Where're you going?” I asked.

“Out with Wyatt.”

Of course.

Her hair was pinned up in the back in a way that made her look older than seventeen.

“What do you call that hairstyle?” I asked.

“A French twist. You like,
ma petite mademoiselle
?”

“It makes you look older.” I climbed out of bed and touched the pearly thing that was stuck in her hair. “What's this thing?”

“A French comb. I could do yours. It would look cute, V.”

“With my big ears? I don't think so.”

“Your ears aren't big, Violet. I've told you that a million times.”

“They're bigger than yours and Mom's.”

Daisy laughed. “Everyone's ears are bigger than mine and Mom's. Mine are so small, I'm surprised I can hear out of them.”

“Did you know big ears are prized in some cultures?” I informed her.

“No,” she replied.

“They are,” I said, and I fingered the lobe of my ear. I'd forgotten to take out my earrings, the emerald studs Bibi had given me. “I can't believe she gave me real emeralds. If you ever want to wear them, you can, okay?”

Daisy smiled. “Thank you, li'l sis.” Daisy's face turned serious and she stared into my eyes. “You seem happier. Are you?”

“Yep.”

“Cool. Very cool.
Je t'aime,
V.”

I'd heard that enough times to know that meant “I love you.”
“Je t'aime,”
I replied.

Daisy patted my head and left.

Nothing about us being different mattered right then, nothing.

We're like any other sisters.

T
he next morning, Poppy was in the kitchen as usual. Bacon was frying on the stove. “Eggs and bacon coming right up,” he said.

“I was wishing for eggs and bacon just a few minutes ago,” I told him.

“Still wishing, huh?” Poppy asked.

“Wishes are okay, but they're for stuff that's not serious. For serious things, prayers are better.”

“You learned that in your travels, I presume?” Poppy asked as he whisked the eggs.

“And other things,” I told him.

“Like?”

I glanced over at his cookbooks. “Like how to make grits pie, and short ribs, and Bibi's special-ingredient mashed potatoes. I can even teach you.”

“I'd like that,” Poppy said, and he broke out into a huge smile. “Nice to have you home, V.”

After breakfast, because I was a little tired, I lounged around the house in my pajamas. Mom and Daisy had gone to work and Poppy was practicing on his putting green. “Want to go to the golf course with me?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Maybe tomorrow.”

From upstairs, I heard Gam on the phone, working.
Nothing has really changed,
I thought,
except me.

Lots of stuff was whirling around in my brain. Maybe, like Bibi said, I would be a writer someday. I pictured myself in a room filled with books, all written by me, Violet Diamond. And I'd travel all over the world and become a bohemian and have an exciting life. Thinking about that made me smile.

I headed to my room with Hazel, who refused to leave my side and mewed loudly every time I put her down. “Spoiled kitty,” I said.

After I plopped into bed, I stared at the ceiling, picturing the candles glowing on the birthday cake Bibi had bought me. I remembered placing sunflowers on my daddy's grave, dancing the Mashed Potatoes, and listening to Nina Simone. I thought about the trip to Hollywood, the orchestra of wind chimes, sitting around the table enjoying the noisy Diamond Family Feast, Ahmed reaching out and saving me from falling into the water, and the twins, Lorna and Laura, talking like an echo. I hoped being with them was going to become a
usually always
thing. And though I was glad to be back in Moon Lake, I missed Bibi. I looked forward to seeing her soon and promised myself to call her tonight.

And as I nodded off into a nap, the sound of the doorbell and loud knocking startled me, and the next thing I knew, Athena was standing in my doorway. Early this morning, she'd called and said she'd be over around two because she had to go with her mom and grandma to Dio's doctor's appointment. I glanced at my clock. It was eleven thirty, still morning.

She held out her arms like a superstar. “I'm here,” she proclaimed. “His appointment got canceled until tomorrow.”

I bolted up out of bed and we hugged.

“Thank you for being back!” Athena said, and plopped down. “The summer was only getting worse and worse without you. My grandma's still making me cook all day and Dio is still getting every ounce of attention from my parents. It's like I disappeared. I'm still here, I kept telling them, but they didn't hear me—or at least they pretended not to. I've gone from being the one and only family star to being nobody. Dio, Dio, Dio. That's all I hear, morning, noon, and night.” Athena finally took a deep breath and asked two questions. “What was it like? Did you have a good time?”

Ponder,
that's a word I like, and it's what I needed to do before I could answer her. I didn't know where to start. There was so much to tell her.

Athena didn't wait for an answer. “You look the same . . . Do you feel the same? I mean, now that you met your other family.”

“I still feel like me . . . only more,” I told her.

“More?” she asked.

“More me.” There was really no other way to explain it.

When I think about it, it's an odd name, Violet Diamond—almost antonyms—a tiny, delicate flower versus the hardest mineral on Earth. Mostly I've been like a violet, small and shy, but lately I'd begun to feel like a diamond. It was as if the sparkly part of me was growing inside. I liked the way it felt and hoped it would stay there forever.

Finally, my name, Violet Diamond, was beginning to fit me.

“Are you glad to be home?”

“Yep, but my wanderlust is worse than ever now,” I replied.

“What's that?”

“A desire to travel around and see every part of the world.”

“When we grow up, that's exactly what we'll do, promise?”

“Promise,” I said.

“Did you meet any famous people in Hollywood?” she asked.

“Not,” I replied.

“For real?” Athena frowned.

“Hey, want to go ice skating?” I asked her.

“Are you kidding? Anything is better than what I've been doing the past couple of weeks.”

I went to my door and yelled out, “Poppy! Can you take us to the rink?”