Ruby (Landry 1)

He nodded. "But so do you. You know, you're

not totally innocent in all this?'

She looked up at him sharply.

"We have to find ways to forgive each other if

we're to go on," he said.

He pulled back his shoulders.

"I'd better go up to Gisselle," he said. "And then

afterward, I'd better go see my brother. I'll go to him

as many times as I have to until I've gotten him to

forgive me and to start his real recovery."

Daphne looked away. Daddy smiled at me and

then left to go up to my sister to confirm and confess

the truth.

For a long moment I just stood there looking at

my stepmother. Finally, she turned toward me slowly,

her eyes no longer clouded with tears, her lips no

longer trembling.

"You haven't destroyed me," she said firmly.

"Don't think you have."

"I don't want to destroy you, Daphne. I just

want you to stop trying to destroy me. I can't say I

forgive you for the dreadful thing you tried to do to

me, but I'm willing to start anew and try to get along

with you. If for no other reason than to make my

father happy," I said.

"And maybe someday," I added, although it

seemed impossible to me at the moment, "I'll call you

Mother and be able to mean it."

She turned back to me, her eyes narrow, her face taut. "You've charmed everyone you've met.

Would you try to charm me, even after today?" "That's really up to you, isn't it . . Mother?" I