Part 42 (1/2)
”I didn't mean that,” I said quickly ”You're beautiful; you don't have to be alone”
Her voice was bitter ”I' boys on the Sunshi+ne State Parkway”
”Hey, cool it,” I said ”You're going off on the wrong track I called you, reined it all and you went along with it”
”Princess”
Anger seeped into her voice ”Don't call me that! My name is-”
I leaned toward her With one hand I took the chocolate stick fro the back of her head, I covered her mouth with mine At first her lips were hard, then they were soft, then they ar There were liquid blue shadows in her eyes
”You have your mother's eyes, Christina,” I said
I could hear the catch in her voice ”If you knew , why did you call me Princess?”
I said the words, but hter, that's what I would have called you”
Her fingers clutched at my hands in fear ''Jonathan, what's all this about? Either I' ether and held thehtened,” I said ”We're just playing catch-up”
”Catch up?” She was puzzled
”We're finishi+ng soot to my feet and drew her up after me ”Are your mother's scrapbooks still in the library?”
She nodded ”On the top shelf in the coe, leather-bound, one on top of another I took them all down and placed theht to the page I sought ”Here we are,” I said, pointing to the photograph
She stared at the picture of the young wo at each other in quarter-profile Wonder crept into her voice ”It could be you and me”
”It could be But it's not,” I said ”It's your es ”There are ry ”I don't want to see anythe door behind her
I closed the book carefully and followed her I found her sobbing on the bed in her room I stood there for a o”
She turned, sitting up on the bed ”No”
”I didn't come here to upset you,” I said
”I know that I'm upset with myself I'm ten years older than you are I should be able to handle the way I feel”
I didn't speak
Daniel,'' she said And when I looked into the familiar depths of her eyes, I kneasn't she as speaking It was her mother ”I still love you And I still want you”
I had all I could do to keepsucked into the vortex of her eyes I leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead gently 'Try to get some sleep”
''I don't want to sleep,” she said ''I have so much to tell you” Her hands drew er I never knew a er That's why I left you”
I pressed her slowly back against the pillow ''You didn't leave me,” I said quietly ”You never left htly Her voice was a whisper ”Yes, in a way that's true I never left you” Then she was asleep
I waited for a long moment, then quietly, so that I would not awaken her, went back intowithwith your head I need you”
”It's over for you, Father You don't need anything or anybody now”
7 love her, Jonathan”
''You're mixed up, Father She's not her mother”
'She is as much her mother as you are me”
7 can't help you, Father Go away and let h hter Father?”
”No” There was a sighing sibilance in his voice ”If she were, I wouldn't need you to tell her how I feel”
”Her mother is dead, Father Why don't you tell her yourself?”
'The dead cannot talk to the dead,can talk to each other,'
”Were you talking to so in the open doorway connecting our rooht I heard voices''
”There's no one,” I said
She looked down at the half-packed backpack on the bed ”You're not going?”
I picked up the backpack and spilled ”
There was a curiosity in her voice ”What happened between my mother and your father?”
”I don't know I just feel things But so led me here because it's important that I do know”
”I feel that too,” she said A sudden comprehension came into her eyes ”My mother kept a diary Maybe-”