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.