‘One moment, Maia, I’ll pass you over to Electra.’
‘Hi there,’ came Electra’s voice. ‘I think we should go, even if Mary doesn’t get back to us. I mean, CeCe and Chrissie turned up unannounced, and look at the heap of information they managed to get. Besides, we know she’s staying in the hotel, so if she’s out, we’ll just ask the concierge to tell us when she returns, and we’ll sit in the lobby until she does. Remind me what she looks like?’
‘From the photograph CeCe saw, she’s a beautiful, petite blonde who looks around forty. Like the actress Grace Kelly apparently. Are you sure you’re okay to go?’
‘Hey, don’t sweat; it’s a day trip there and back. Normally I’m on a plane twice a week to who knows where. I’ll let you know how we get on. I think we owe it to Pa to at least try to identify the missing sister, don’t we?’
‘Yes, Electra, I think we do,’ said Maia.
The six-seater Cessna jet gained altitude as it flew due north away from New York. Electra gazed out of the window and thought how, in the ‘old days’, she’d be itching to access the well-stocked bar and grab a large vodka tonic. The urge – the habit – to do so was still strong inside her, but she accepted that it would probably never leave her and she’d simply have to fight every day not to give in to it.
‘Hey, can you grab me a Coke?’ she asked Mariam, who was sitting closer to the bar at the front than she was.
‘Of course.’ Mariam unstrapped herself and went to open the small refrigerator.
‘Get me some pretzels too, will you? Geez, have I had an appetite for junk food since I came off the booze,’ Electra sighed. ‘Good job I seem to have a new career ahead of me, ’cos I’m getting far too fat to shimmy down the runway.’
‘Really, Electra, you don’t look as though you’ve put on an ounce. I think you must have a very good metabolism. Unlike me.’ Mariam sat down, indicated her belly and shrugged.
‘Maybe it’s love that makes a person hungry,’ Electra said as she opened the Coke. ‘Are you and Tommy good?’
‘I think we are, yes. He is so happy to work for you in an official capacity and he looks so handsome in his new suits.’ A gentle blush appeared on Mariam’s cheeks as she sipped her water.
‘He’s a great guy and also perfectly qualified for the job, what with his military background. As he’s my bodyguard, I know I should have brought him with us today, but it’s just a short hop, and in my disguise, nobody will even recognise me. It’ll be just like that night we went out together for dinner in Paris. Without the booze and drugs on my part, of course,’ Electra chuckled. ‘Have you mentioned anything about Tommy to your family yet?’
‘No, we’re going to take it slowly. There’s no rush, is there? I am just happy to have the chance to be with him when I can.’
‘I for one can’t wait to dance at your wedding, and I know you’ll have such cute kids,’ said Electra. ‘Miles and I were talking baby names last night. He’s got some seriously bad taste – every one of his suggestions for a boy were the names of his favourite basketball players!’
‘He’s a good man, Electra, and so protective of you. Hold on to him, won’t you?’
‘I sure will, as long as he holds on to me too. The fact he’s a lawyer irritates me sometimes because he’s so logical, but he does talk sense. And he’s just so proud, y’know? He gets paid diddly-squat because so much of his work is pro bono. I mean, you should see his apartment in Harlem; it’s above a bodega and about half the size of my closet! I suggested it might be great if we bought a place together where we could spread out, but he won’t hear of it.’
‘I can understand why he doesn’t want to feel like a kept man,’ Mariam replied.
‘So why is it okay for women to be “kept”? Where’s the difference?’
‘It’s just the way some men are,’ Mariam shrugged. ‘To be honest, it is good that Miles refuses to take advantage of your wealth. So many would.’
‘Yeah, I know, butI’dlike to take advantage of my wealth and buy a real nice house or apartment in Manhattan that would feel like mine. I know I have the ranch in Arizona now, but it’ll be a while before it’s ready for me to move into and it’s too far away to be a permanent home. I need a base in the city. I’ve been thinking lately how important home is.’
‘Maybe because you are due to return to it soon. Are you looking forward to going back to Atlantis and seeing all your sisters?’
‘Good question.’ Electra paused. ‘The answer is, I’m not sure. They all find me difficult, and I know Ihavebeen, but that’s just who I am. Even if I’m off the booze and drugs, I’m not going to suddenly grow wings overnight and become an angel.’
‘If it helps, I think you have become a completely different person since you got sober.’
‘You haven’t seen me when I’m with my sisters.’ Electra raised an eyebrow. ‘Especially CeCe. She and I have always rubbed each other up the wrong way.’
‘Remember, I come from a big family too and I promise you, there is always one sibling that others struggle to get along with. I mean, I love Shez, my younger sister, but she is so patronising just because she did a law degree and I went straight into work.’
‘Yup, exactly,’ nodded Electra. ‘So how do you cope?’
‘I try to understand that she and I have always competed. I want to be better than her, and I cannot help that feeling. But if I accept why I feel that way, I can cope.’
‘Maybe CeCe’s competition for me too, though not in the same way as you and Shez. I mean, she can holler louder than I can, but I think I throw the best tantrums,’ Electra chuckled.
‘You never know, both of you could have changed in the past year. From what you’ve said about CeCe, it sounds as though she’s much happier now. I think so many of our struggles with our siblings come from feeling insecure that they’re more favoured by a parent than we are. Then we start to have lives apart from our families, we build careers of our own and we’re maybe with someone we care for who isours, who we don’t have to share with our siblings, which makes us feel stronger and more in control.’
