Chapter 4

By (Cece)

(scroll down for previous chapters)

 

Below, Vincent, preparing to leave for the music chamber, paused at a chest beside the bed in his chamber. A sudden sensation touched him from Jacob like a gentle nudge at the edge of his mind. Not fear or worry. A combination of concern mingled with a good helping of uncertainty reached out to him. Vincent cocked his head as though listening to a faint sound, familiar but distant. He sighed. Jacob, his son, could be, what was Diana’s expression? Oh yes, a firecracker. But he was also thoughtful. That sensation dominated his perception of Jacob. He sent sensations of confidence and support, knowing Jacob would perceive it. Breathing a soft sigh of understanding, Vincent waited. Then a sensation of calm acceptance reached him. He smiled before heading to the music chamber and an overdue conversation with Rolly.

****

Diana emerged from the bathroom, toweling her hair after a quick shower, and noticed Jacob seated on the edge of his bed, hands turning his camera over and over. Lost in thought.

“What’s up, kiddo? Something wrong with the camera?” She drew the towel down around her shoulders, cocking her head to examine her son more closely.

Jacob shrugged, looking into her eyes, the contemplative expression fading. A smile blossomed slowly, covering the uncertain expression. “No. I mean, not with the camera. What do you think about Alan?”

Diana shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. We spoke a little. Seemed interested in the wedding photo. Why?”

Jacob lifted his camera, wiped its lens, and sighed. “He asked a lot of questions about my photography.” Jacob paused, uncertain. “I don’t know why his questions made me… I don’t know… uneasy.”

Diana froze for an instant. In some ways, Jacob was as sensitive as his father. She lowered herself carefully to the bed, scooted his hips over sitting as close as possible. “What did he ask?” she inquired softly.

Jacob shook his head again, feeling silly. “Nothing really: Did I like photography, and where did I like to go to take pictures. Oh, and then Alex was going through an envelope of photos Al had given her when she found some of mine.” It was then that Jacob flushed, appearing sheepish. “I don’t know how they got there, Mom, really.”

She drew him into a comforting embrace. “Yeah, I believe you. We forgot about the wedding photos.” She paused. “I saw them and had to come up with the fairy tale wedding thing.” Diana sighed, struggling with the desire to roll her eyes. Romantic, she was up to a point. She loved her husband’s exotic features, but she was no ren-faire groupie! “Vincent’s tunnel garb fit the look so well,” Diana added. It hadn’t been intentional, and yet a beautiful wedding.

She continued, “We’ll put our heads together. This wasn’t your fault exactly. Depending on Jessica, who was using someone else to develop your negatives, maybe it wasn’t our best idea. Things happen in spite of our best intentions.”

“Dinner!” Diana’s sister Susan’s voice penetrated the room from the floor below.

 

Both sisters were seated on the sofa in the family room after dinner, when Susan confessed, “Sometimes the clan can be a bit much. In the words of our neighbor, ‘Oi vey!’ They give me such a headache!”

Jacob laughed. He blinked in surprise and guffawed, gasping for air and guffawing for nearly a minute, tears running from his eyes. Diana and Susan stared in equal quantities of merriment and genuine surprise.

“Aunt Susan, that did not sound like you at all. It was perfect.” Jacob declared.

Alex glanced up from her comic book for an instant, chortling, “That’s my mom.”

Susan gave a mock bow and dusted imaginary dust from her shoulders with a smug smile on her face. She winked at her sister before continuing, “I love the clan, but sometimes… we just need a little peace.” She concluded.

“By the way,” Susan added a few minutes later.  “Dan called and left a message on the machine. His plane is stuck in D.C. Something about a weather delay. He will officially see us tomorrow.”

“I think he’ll want to crash once his plane lands,” Alex added.

Diana blinked, unruffled. Her brother-in-law, an easy-going guy, liked his coffee and had a low threshold for drama. She smiled.

The sisters slouched quietly, half watching a movie, and the kids were by turns sharing Alex’s comic book. Jacob reading with interest. He didn’t have access to comic books, Below. The youngsters chuckled at something, and Alex nudged Jacob, who nodded in what had to be agreement.

Diana turned to her sister and said quietly, “I hadn’t met Alan before.”

Susan nodded, distracted. Half of her attention focused on the drama on the screen. “Yeah, hasn’t come around that much.” She turned back to the program again, murmuring, “Dan said he was too busy being ‘artsy-fartsy,’ his words, to come to our middle-class shindigs.” Susan shrugged then. “I don’t know. Maybe Dan’s not being fair. They were kind of at odds growing up. You know how annoying younger siblings can be?”

Diana laughed. She loved Susan, but when they were younger, they drove one another nuts. Fortunately, they grew up. Susan married. Diana joined the department. She couldn’t blame anyone for not keeping up with a relative who didn’t come around a lot.

Diana’s attention returned to the movie. In the back of her mind, she considered what to do about Jacob. Well, not about Jacob but for him. ‘Think Bennett, you’ve got to come up with something cause this guy…’ something about this Alan hinted at a kind of persistence. Persistence, as in stubborn or something else. Pleasantly relaxed in a way that didn’t happen too often away from Vincent, she decided to wait until morning.

 

What a relief it would be to lie in bed the next morning, both Diana and Jacob sighed. No relatives to worry about saying the wrong thing to. No questions that turned into traps. Jacob didn’t have to think so hard before answering his questions. Diana could relax within the less cluttered atmosphere of Susan’s home.

 

The murmur of distant voices penetrated the fog of sleep. Diana had a good night’s sleep, stretched, and gazed around the room, remembering she was in her sister’s home. Then Diana sat erect like a band of steel in her spine snapped vertically. The voices murmured low, accompanied by the smell of coffee brewing. The sofa was empty of any other companions.

Entering the kitchen, she said, “Good morning.” Smiled at her brother-in-law before adding, “Hi, welcome home.”

Dan raised his steaming cup. “Morning. Were we talking too loudly?”

Diana stretched. “No. Really. I think the smell of coffee got to me.” Stocking feet moved across the floor to the cupboard where the cups were kept, then turned her toward the coffee maker. She poured a cup then sighed.

“Thanks. Um, this is good! Alex, did you make this?”

Her niece shook her head. “Uh, uh. Mom made it last night and set the timer.” She smiled.

“Someone mention me?” Susan swept into the room, spotted her spouse, and beamed. “The airlines actually left on time!” Susan and Dan hugged and kissed.

Alex reproved, “Yuk! Mom, Dad, in front of the kids!”

Jacob entered the kitchen in the next instant, watching the couple share a moment of reunion and joy, and thought about his mom and dad. They sent out the sensations whenever they came together after time apart. 

“Okay, you two. The rest of us are going to lose consciousness if you suck all of the air from the room. Good to see you, Dan,” Diana added, taking a sip of coffee.

Susan and Dan parted. Dan resumed drinking his coffee, and Susan turned to the cupboard to snag a bowl and cereal. Pouring a bowlful, snagging escaped kernels, popping them into her mouth, crunching happily.

“Hey, guess who came to Great Aunt Helen’s yesterday?”

Dan looked over his cup, a thoughtful expression on his face, brows raised. “No, who? Not Alyssa’s weird roommate?”

Susan and Alex winced. “Uh, no! They split a long time ago,” Alex said, lip curling in disgust.

Susan shook her head. “I forgot about him. No, your brother, Al. He came and stayed most of the evening.”

Dan lowered his cup. “Huh, well,” Dan muttered at a loss. “Good. Hope he shows up tonight. It will be good to see him and catch up. It’s been a while.”

Jacob studied his uncle’s expression with curiosity. Neutral. No joy, no disappointment, just neutral. Unlike the reunions between Jacob’s father and his Uncle Devin, all smiles and embraces, the release anticipation like fireworks around them. Uncle Dan and Al probably will not meet that way.

Diana studied her usually jovial, genial brother-in-law, knowing that something between the brothers had been festering within the family. Outsiders were better served by not interfering. However, she had a son and husband to protect; if protection was required, Diana would bear a lion in its den to protect her family.

 

Diana dressed for dinner, walked downstairs wearing an off-the-shoulder sweater that sparkled from tiny spangles woven into the threads. Smoothed her slacks, brushed her shoes on the back of her legs. Alex and Jacob were already dressed and ready, sitting in the kitchen.

“You kids, wow. You both look nice.”

Alex glanced at Jacob, who grinned.

“We raced,” Jacob admitted. “Alex bet me she could get ready before me.”

“Really?” Diaa asked.

“Yes, but I let her have the bath first,” Jacob admitted, looking toward the room entrance.

Susan and Dan entered the kitchen, arguing over tie or no tie, and sputtered to a halt.

“Wow, you two. Ready already.” Susan quipped.

Her nephew Jacob and daughter Alex grinned proudly. Dan gave them a wink and put the tie aside. Diana smiled as Susan threw up her hands.

“I knew you had it in you,” Diana whispered as they headed for the garage and Susan’s car. “Now, tell me why you don’t trust your brother.”

Dan stopped walking so abruptly that Diana almost stumbled into his back.