I sighed, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the big house. At least it wasn't as packed as it was before. All of Brando's brothers had either settled into a house of their own or gone back to New York to take care of businesses.
Still, I needed…something, an out. Brando had gone for a run. I'd settle for a walk. Already in an oversized Henley and comfortable black leggings, I slipped on a pair of Italian-made tennis shoes and tied a scarf around my head, enjoying the freedom that comes with short hair. I snatched my Ray-Bans from the dresser and started for the stairs.
My sister caught me on the way out. We had come to a complete cease-fire as of late. Or, she had. I had come to terms with our relationship long ago, but I decided to take this sudden new politeness one minute at a time. I wasn't unwilling, but I never forgot whom I was dealing with either.
"Going for a walk?" Charlotte asked, handing Rachel a piece of seedless watermelon.
"Yes," I said, making a funny face at Rachel. She showed me a mouth of mostly gum, except for two teeth up top and one at the bottom.
"Us, too."
Neither asked the other for company, but we seemed to fall into step together in unspoken agreement.
Sampson and Delilah almost knocked me over to come along. As trained as they were, they didn’t even need leashes. Sampson had a leather collar around his powerful neck. Delilah had jewels that glistened in the soft golden sun against her velvety black coat, touches of rust here and there.
Nino followed behind, trying to blend.Ha.
“Where's Charles?” I asked.
“Daddy has him.”
Only one thing would keep Charles inside, and that was spending time with my father. Charles had become enamored with Gramps. I thought Charles did Gramps a lot of good too.
We walked in silence along the cement trail that led to the Cane River, glittering in the heat. Small bugs hovered around, especially in damper areas, where a sodden pile of leaves or a puddle of water lay. Every once in a while, we’d have to wave our hands to stop them from invading our faces.
Charlotte pulled down a net in front of Rachel’s stroller. The baby sang to herself,ah ah ah ah ahhhh, chewing on her sticky piece of fruit, oblivious to the flies and other biting instincts plotting to get to her.
Delilah gave awoof!of acknowledgment, and even with the glasses, I had to strain my eyes against the glare to see. A fine figure emerged from the shadows the evening made.
Brando.
He tore through a dark patch, shirtless and sweating. I could faintly make out the glistening beads of perspiration rolling down his smooth chest.
“How do you even survive that?” my sister asked—it sounded more like a private thought that had somehow slipped out.
I shrugged. Most of the timeIcouldn’t figure out how I managed him. Even when he was not rough, there was still something about him that was able to possess, totally consume, without force.
A few times I had tried to convince myself that I was just overly sensitive to him, but the truth was the truth—it was something he was born with. He had enough virility to make a flower bloom.
Unconsciously, I had stopped to stare at him. She stopped next to me and we stood underneath an oak tree, the first touches of the new season hiding under its branches.
The air felt cooler, and the sweet smell of firewood, along with the tang of bitter ash, circulated underneath, making me inhale and hold in the newness of it. I hoped that soon it would be pumpkins and gourds, spices and sweets, scarves and boots.
“Do you remember?”
It took me a moment to realize that my sister had spoken to me. “What?”
“‘Do You Remember’—the song you were just humming?”
“No, I don’t remember it.” I didn’t even realize that I was humming.
“No, idiot,” she said, laughing. “That’s the song you were humming—‘Do You Remember.’ I’m almost positive.”
I smiled. “Yes, it was.” Why I had hummed that particular tune, I had no idea. I hadn’t heard the song since… “Daddy promised to take us to that concert, but we had to stop fighting.”
“A cease fire,” she said, nodding. She smiled. “We had no idea who we were going to see at first, but the idea that we’d get to see a concert, no matterwhoit was, had us both on our best behavior.”
If memory served me right, she didn’t want to go, not until I wanted to go, which meant that she had the upper hand. Charlotte got to experience all that she wanted to. She had no restrictions.
