"Look at yourself." she said. turning me so I could gaze into the vanity mirror. "Look at the way your eyes are shaped and your chin. How could you be anyone else but Nolan Simons's daughter?"
She scowled, "A father trying to turn his daughter against her awn mother, trying to convmee her that her mother slept in another man's bed after she was married and use that as a reason why he and she weren't doing what he wanted whenever he wanted. Disgusting, just disgusting.
"You're old enough to know that he wanted me to do animal things. He was a sick man. Rosemary, sick, sick, sick. Imagine, a grown man wanting to play doctor.
"Oh, but I shouldn't be telling you all these sordid, ugly things. It's gone, It's all gone and we're together and happy again.
"And just imagine how happy Grandma is going to be. She cried almost as much as I did when you left. Rosemary."
Her face changed again, filling with anger.
She warned me about Nolan from the start, but a young woman doesn't want to listen to older people, doesn't want to have anyone make those kinds of decisions for her, does she? You won't. I know. It's just natural, but we feel so helpless, watching our youngsters make mistakes they could have avoided. That's why I was so hard on you, why I didn't want you wearing those clothes or piercing your ears. why I thought it was too soon far you to go out on dates and stay up so late, and why I tried to keep you from seeing those pornographic movies. I was just trying to protect you, honey. You know that now, don't you? Don't you?" she asked again, needing me to respond.
"Yes," I said.
"Oh, good, good. That's good. Your body changed so fast. You grew up too fast. It's like putting someone on a fast horse when she is just learning how to ride. It wasn't fair. Nature wasn't playing fair with you. I had to take charge. I had to lock you up sometimes and keep you safe. I had to keep those boys away from you. too. Rosemary. They were after only one thing. I told you
and told you." she said, her face back to being hard and cold again. "That wasn't being crazy. Your father was just trying to turn you against me because I wasn't giving him what he wanted every time he wanted it. You understand that now, don't you? Sure you do. You wouldn't be back if you didn't. right? He finally admitted it. I bet."
She sighed and looked around. "This was my room when I was a little girl, you know. I had a canopy bed like that. My mother was so proud of it and so happy for me. Grandma used to chastise her for becoming so excited over things like this. 'You're spoilin' the child,' she would say, 'You're spoilin' the child."
She laughed and leaned toward me.
"Meanwhile, she was always giving me things on the side. Grandma. Grandma." she said, her voice drifting. "Oh. I'm suddenly so tired. Aren't you tired. Rosemary?"
"Yes," I said.
"Right. We should both get some sleep. In the morning.., in the morning..." Her voice dropped as if she had forgotten what she was going to say.
She stood up. "I'm going to get some rest now. You wash up and get ready for bed and don't forget to brush your teeth well. Up and down, up and down," she chanted. Then she stared at me so hard and long I was sure she was going to say, "You're not Rosemary. Who are you?"
But instead, she turned and walked slowly to the door. When she reached it, she dipped her hand into her pocket and produced a key. She held it up.
"I have the key, but I won't lock your room. I won't lock it ever again. Rosemary. I promise."
She dropped the key into her pocket and then smiled and walked out
I heard her go down the hallway to another door, open and close it, and then all was still.
I stood up, looked about the room for a moment. Something wasn't right: something was missing. I thought, and then realized there were no photographs. What about a picture of Rosemary? Weren't there any photographs of her and her parents?
I started out and down the stairs. Mrs. Stanton was in the sitting room with Uncle Linden. I could see they had been talking, and I wondered what sort of things he had told her. She looked very troubled. Her eyes lifted quickly to me when I appeared.
"How is she doing?" she asked quickly. "She went to sleep."
"I'm so sorry I put you through all that, darlin', but it's a very heavy burden, very heavy."
"I'm all right," I assured her.
"Good." She looked at Uncle Linden and smiled, "I was just talking to your father, telling him about our tragedy.. He's a very patient and
compassionate man."
"We'll do whatever we can for you while we're here. Lilliann," he said. He said it with such
confidence and assurance. I felt my eyebrows rise. Suddenly he was a tower of strength.
"What happened. Mrs, Stanton?" I asked. "And why are there no pictures of her? Nothing in her room. I noticed."