“Excellent,” Daddy said. He reached for our hands. “My girls. No one anywhere, no other family, no father and daughter, will ever be, could ever be, as close as we are. Feel your pulses. Your hearts beat together as one heart with my heart. Others talk about the invisible um
bilical cord that binds a child to his or her mother, but we are bound by the rhythm of life itself. When one of you is in pain, I am in pain, and more important, perhaps, when I’m in pain, you will be. That’s what makes our unity, our devotion to each other, so special, so unique, and so different from anything you will see out there. Be sisters. Always be sisters,” he said, “and you will always be good daughters.”
Mrs. Fennel brought in our food. I looked to see if her face was still full of suspicion and anger toward me, but she didn’t look any different from the way she usually looked. I wondered if she was going to take me aside after dinner finally to talk about the changes I had felt in my body and what they meant, but she said nothing.
Daddy wanted to spend a few hours after dinner as we often did. We gathered in the living room to listen to music. Despite what had happened earlier, he continued to be joyful. The prospect of a new home and a new daughter did appear to energize him. He lived what he preached. He was always being reborn. He did treat each day as if it were the first day of a new life.
He danced with all three of us, but this night, he chose to dance more with Ava. When they danced, they looked like lovers. He held her closer, kissed her on her cheeks and even her neck. She laughed and threw her head back. He spun her around, the two of them at times looking as if they were completely alone. I saw Marla had the same look of astonishment but also of envy on her face. I felt that, but I was also more intrigued with Daddy and how he held the three of us differently now from how he had at previous times. There were moments now when I would swear he looked twenty years younger. It was as if instead of drinking from some magic fountain, he could will himself back in time.
Tonight Mrs. Fennel did something unusual, too. She rarely showed her face in the living room after dinner when we were dancing with Daddy. She watched from the doorway this time, but she watched as if she wanted to be sure everything was going as it should. I tried not to stare at her, but I was curious about her reactions and searched her face for worry or concern, especially when she looked my way. There was nothing like that in her expression. She nodded to herself and eventually left.
Afterward, we all sat around Daddy, as usual, while he described something wonderful from his past, some memory stirred by our laughter and joy together. This time, he described his travels through China with a beautiful Chinese princess whose ancestors went back to the Middle Ages. Just as always, his descriptions of the countryside, the palaces, and the celebrations captured our imagination. He recited ancient Chinese poetry and showed us a little of a ritual dance. If anyone wondered how it was possible for three teenage girls to be so amused and entertained at home, they had only to participate in one of Daddy’s special evenings.
When it was over, it left me feeling very sad. I was unhappy with myself, with my act of betrayal. How could I ever risk losing Daddy’s love? What was I thinking? I think he saw the sadness in my face and made a point to kiss me and hold me longer than he did Marla and Ava.
“You don’t worry about anything, Lorelei,” he whispered in my ear. “I’ll fix it all tomorrow, and we’ll finish off wonderfully here. You’ll do wonderfully. Sleep well.”
It took all of my self-control not to begin crying. I held back the tears and retreated to my bedroom, but Ava was right behind me.
“How can you not see how much he still loves you, needs you?” she asked angrily. “How could you even think of risking that and hurting him?”
“Please, leave me alone, Ava.”
“You fool.”
“All right!” I cried. “I’m not going to see him again. We’ll be gone, and that will be that.”
“Oh, no, Lorelei. That won’t be that. You will see him again. You owe me this, and you will do as I say. I know you’ll never stop pining over him. Whether you care or not, he’ll follow you everywhere you go, and you will be useless to Daddy and to yourself. Daddy will blame me.”
I said nothing.
“If you don’t do it yourself, I’ll do it for you,” she said. “And that you can take not as a threat but as a promise.”
She left me to agonize over her words and my own feelings. I cried myself to sleep, but in the morning, I tried to look as fresh and as happy as possible. Daddy was taking Marla and me to school. He rarely came to any school we attended. He appeared only when it was absolutely necessary. But when he did come with me, I could see how quickly everyone was drawn to him. His elegant manner, heart-stopping good looks, and aristocratic self-confidence captured the attention of teachers and students alike. On those few occasions when any of the other girls in my classes had seen him, they told me things like, “Your father looks like a senator or a president. Is he a movie star? I think I’ve seen him in a magazine. Does he own a big company?”
“He’s all of that,” I would say, and laugh at their dumbfounded looks.
Dr. Phelps was no different. I could see how impressed he was when we entered his office. He looked and sounded almost apologetic. “This meeting is a mandatory formality,” he began. “I have to do what the board requires.”
“Of course you do,” Daddy said, sounding generous.
“It was quite surprising having Lorelei sent to my office for anything improper. Until now, she has been an ideal student. Her grades are excellent, and her teachers only say laudatory things about her.”
“Yes, it was surprising to me as well. She’s been nothing less than an utter delight as a daughter. I know she’s as upset about her behavior as you are, Dr. Phelps.”
“I hope we won’t see anything remotely like this again.”
“Oh, I think we can safely say you won’t,” Daddy told him.
“Well, we don’t want her to miss any more class time,” Dr. Phelps said, rising. “I appreciate your coming in promptly.”
“Not at all,” Daddy said, standing up and offering his hand.
“What a beautiful ring,” Dr. Phelps remarked.
“Yes. It was given to me a long, long time ago by someone I literally idolized. It’s brought me lots of good luck ever since.” He laughed. “Whether these things are true or not, it’s comforting to believe in them, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely,” Dr. Phelps said. He sounded as if he were replying to an official military order. I half expected him to salute.