Ruby (Landry 1)

harsh--". . . my sister's coming to live with you.

Grandmere Catherine was not happy about the

arrangements. She and Grandpere Jack stopped living

together soon afterward."

My father shifted his eyes to Daphne, who

closed and opened hers. Then he fixed his gaze on me

again.

"Go on," he said.

"Grandmere Catherine kept the fact that my

mother was pregnant with twins a secret, even from

Grandpere Jack. She decided I was to live with her

and my mother, but. . ." Even now, even though I had never set eyes on my mother or heard her voice, just mentioning her death brought tears to my eyes and

choked back the words.

"But what?" my father begged.

"But my mother died soon after Gisselle and I

were born," I revealed. My father's cheeks turned

crimson. 1 saw his breath catch and his own eyes tear

over, but he quickly regained his composure, glanced

at Daphne again, and then turned back to me. "I'm sorry to hear that," he uttered, his voice

nearly cracking.

"Not long ago, my Grandmere Catherine died.

She made me promise that if something bad happened

to her, 1 would go to New Orleans and present myself

to you rather than live with Grandpere Jack," I said.

My father nodded.

"1 knew him slightly, but I can understand why

your grandmother didn't want you to live with him,"

he said.

"Don't you have any other relatives . . aunts,

uncles?" Daphne asked quickly.