Sisters

by Patricia MacDonald

  Alex forced herself to get out of bed. She hurried to the closet, threw on several layers of her warmest clothes and headed for the stairs. When she got down to the kitchen, she saw Dory standing at the stove wearing a parka, boots and gloves, and wielding a spatula. Coffee was steeping in the glass push pot, and there was a pile of bacon and pancakes on a plate next to the oven. Dory was busy flipping eggs.

  ‘Wow,’ said Alex admiringly.

  ‘Snow day,’ said Dory amiably. ‘We need a good breakfast.’

  ‘So the range top works,’ said Alex.

  Dory pointed the spatula at the piles of food. ‘As you can see.’

  ‘That’s great. I am hungry.’ She went over to the china closet and took out some plates. She set them down on the kitchen table.

  ‘I thought we’d eat in the living room by the fireplace,’ said Dory.

  ‘Oh,’ said Alex, in the mood to be agreeable. ‘OK. That’s a good idea. I’ll go get a fire started.’

  ‘Already did it,’ said Dory.

  Alex’s eyes widened. ‘Really? Wow.’

  ‘What?’ Dory asked suspiciously.

  ‘Nothing, I’m just . . . lucky you’re here.’

  Dory smiled and flipped an egg.

  In truth, it was beyond the scope of the fireplace to heat up the room. If you stood five feet away from it, it was as cold as being outside. But Alex and Dory pulled their chairs near to the hearth and sat huddled with their plates on their laps, eating their breakfast. Alex ate twice what she normally had for breakfast.

  ‘I guess you liked it,’ said Dory.

  ‘It’s really good. Were you a girl scout or something?’

  Dory shrugged. ‘My dad’s from Colorado – in the mountains. We’d drive out there sometimes to see his family, and one year we camped along the way. My mother and Lauren hated it. Lauren was always worried about her hair and manicure. But I liked it. My dad taught me how to build a fire and all that.’ Alex watched as Dory calmly related a family anecdote and asked herself the question she had asked herself a million times these last few weeks.

  Did you kill her?

  It seemed unimaginable that this slender, fragile woman who had just cooked her breakfast could have stabbed her own sister to death. She didn’t dare ask the question.

  Dory frowned at her. ‘What?’

  ‘Oh. Just thinking that your camping experience came in handy today,’ said Alex.

  Dory nodded and finished her breakfast. Alex took their plates into the kitchen and stopped to pull some extra blankets from the downstairs linen closet on her way back. She handed one to Dory, who was shivering by the fire. Dory put it over herself gratefully. Alex resumed her seat and did the same.

  ‘Did you ever go camping?’ Dory asked at last.

  Alex shook her head. ‘My parents weren’t really . . . outdoorsy. They liked going to museums, restaurants. City stuff.’

  Dory nodded and looked thoughtfully at the photo on the mantelpiece. ‘What was my mother like?’ she asked offhandedly.

  Alex took a deep breath and thought about her mother. ‘She was . . . a wonderful person. She was very smart. She worked part time as an accountant. But I think what she liked most was just being home with us. She liked being a wife. And a mother. She had an easy laugh. You could tell her anything. She always made me feel . . . appreciated. Loved.’

  Dory nodded. ‘She sounds nice.’

  ‘I wish you’d have known her,’ said Alex, meaning it.

  Dory shrugged. ‘Just wasn’t meant to be.’

  They were silent for a minute.

  ‘Do you think you’ll have kids someday?’ Dory asked.

  ‘I hope so,’ said Alex. ‘I mean, I’d like to get my career going first. And ideally, find the right guy to have kids with. But, yeah. Eventually. What about you?’

  ‘I don’t really think so,’ Dory said, staring into the fire.

  ‘You don’t like kids?’ Alex asked.

  ‘I just don’t think so,’ Dory said in a tone of finality, as if she wanted to close the door on the subject.

  Alex nodded and then she shuddered. ‘Man, I hope the power comes back on. I don’t know how we’re going to keep warm all day.’

  Dory straightened up and spoke in a no-nonsense tone. ‘We’ll go out and shovel. That will warm us up.’

  Alex winced and looked at the icy windowpanes. ‘You want to go outside?’

  ‘Don’t be a wuss,’ said Dory, standing up. ‘It’ll be good for us.’

  They stumbled through the snow to the backyard shed where Alex was able to find two shovels. Then they went out into the driveway and began to dig out.

  Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they were warmed up, and even though she got a blister on her palm and her back began to ache, Alex kept on shoveling. It was preferable to going back into the freezing house, and there was something undeniably congenial about doing this task with Dory. It almost felt as if they really were sisters.

  Alex straightened up and leaned on her shovel. ‘This is kind of fun,’ she said to Dory.

  Dory looked up at her. ‘No slacking off,’ she said.

  ‘Aye, aye, captain,’ said Alex, smiling to herself and resuming her task. They were almost done with the front walk when Alex saw a large figure, bundled up and heading in their direction. Between the man’s knit watch cap and the scarf wound around his neck, Alex saw a pair of black glasses frames. She lifted her hand in greeting. Seth waved back.

  When he got closer Alex said, ‘We’re not doing your driveway. Don’t even ask us.’

  ‘Damn,’ said Seth. ‘How’d you know what I wanted?’

  Dory straightened up and smiled shyly at him. ‘Hi, Seth.’

  ‘Hi, Dory,’ he said. ‘You two did quite a job here.’

  ‘I had to force her,’ said Dory.

  ‘It’s true,’ said Alex. ‘It’s just that it was so cold in the house, it seemed like it might be warmer if we got moving. Do you guys have power?’

  ‘Just came back on ten minutes ago,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, great,’ said Alex, although she felt vaguely disappointed. It seemed as if the snowy morning without electricity had brought her and Dory closer together. She almost hated to see it end.

  ‘You better watch it!’ Dory cried. Both of them turned to look at her, and just then a snowball exploded on the shoulder of Seth’s parka.

  He gave Dory an exaggerated menacing glare. ‘Oh, you’re in trouble now, little lady,’ he said. Reaching quickly down, he packed a snowball and hurled it at her, grazing her jacket.

  Dory let out a whoop and lobbed another at Seth. They exchanged fire for a few moments, and then Seth turned and pelted Alex’s sleeve with a snowball. Alex bent down and quickly packed a snowball to lob back at him.

  ‘Hey, no fair,’ he cried as the snow turned to powder against his forearm. ‘Two against one.’

  ‘She’s not on my team,’ said Dory. She aimed at Alex, and the icy orb hit Alex right in the face.

  Alex turned on her. ‘Oh, is that the way you’re going to be?’ She threw one at Dory that fell short.

  ‘That’s right,’ said Dory, an edge in her voice. She hit Alex in the face with another snowball.

  ‘OK, cut that out,’ said Alex, wiping her face. ‘That hurt.’

  ‘Stay out of it, then,’ said Dory.

  Suddenly there was an uneasy feeling in the air, as if the passing storm had doubled back on the house.

  Seth clapped his hands together, knocking off the snow. ‘That’s probably enough for me, anyway,’ he said.

  Alex brushed off her coat. ‘Do you want to come in for a warm drink or something?’ she asked.

  ‘The game’s not over!’ Dory cried. This time the icy snowball hit Alex near her temple.

  ‘OK, stop, Dory!’ Alex shouted.

  ‘No!’ Dory cried, pelting her again.

  Seth held up his hands. ‘Halt. We surrender.’

  ‘Alex, you suck at this game,’ Dory said.


  ‘Girls, girls. I’m on my way down to the store,’ said Seth. ‘I told my dad I’d get him some soup. I’ll get enough for all of us. You two are welcome to come down for lunch.’

  Alex hesitated and looked in Dory’s direction. But Dory had jammed her shovel into a snow bank and was wading through the drifts back toward the house.

  ‘Maybe another time,’ said Alex.

  Seth frowned at Dory’s retreating figure. ‘You don’t think she took that seriously, do you?’

  Alex shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Honestly.’

  Seth hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. ‘Look, Alex, are you sure this is a good idea, having her living here with you? I know you want to think the best of her and give her the benefit of the doubt, but you don’t know what she’s really like,’ he said.

  ‘It might not be for much longer, if the DA decides not to refile the charges.’

  ‘And if he does? You could be looking at a year or more.’

  ‘If she doesn’t stay here, she goes back to prison,’ said Alex. ‘I’m not going to do that to her. Not over some stupid snowball fight.’

  ‘Just because something’s stupid doesn’t mean it can’t be dangerous,’ he said grimly.

  Alex looked back at the house, which looked beautiful and inviting, banked with snow. Dory had disappeared inside. ‘I’m trying to be patient,’ she said. ‘We just need to get . . . used to one another.’

  Seth kicked into a mound of snow with the toe of his boot. ‘Who are you trying to convince?’ he asked. ‘Me or yourself?’

  EIGHTEEN

  The next morning Alex hopped onto the train just as the whistle that signaled ‘departure’ began to blow. She pressed the rectangular plate in the door between the cars and the door slid open to admit her. Alex began to lurch down the aisle between the seats and then stopped short.

  ‘All right,’ she said, trying to suppress a smile. ‘Now I’m sure of it. You’re following me.’

  Seth looked up and smiled, seeming genuinely pleased to see her. ‘What are you doing on this train?’

  Alex took the seat beside him. Her arm brushed his, and she felt a current pass between them. ‘I might ask you the same question,’ she teased him.

  ‘I’m going to meet my old advisor from grad school,’ he said. ‘He invited me weeks ago, but I couldn’t get away because of my dad. But he’s doing better. And now that Janet is back . . .’

  ‘Your sister came home?’ Alex said.

  ‘Yeah. The kids have to start back at school. So she’s right around the corner if he needs her in an emergency. And it gives me a chance to finish up a few things I meant to do. Tonight we’re going to have a family dinner and I’ll give the monsters their Christmas presents and all. I finally got them wrapped. Better late than never.’

  Alex understood the implication of what he was saying. ‘You’re going back soon?’ she said. She tried to sound offhanded, but she could hear the disappointed note in her own voice.

  ‘End of the week,’ he said.

  ‘Really?’

  Seth nodded. ‘I’ve got a lot to do out there. I can’t put it off.’

  Alex nodded, avoiding his gaze. ‘Well, I’m sure your dad will really miss you,’ she said. She pulled her iPhone out of her purse and began to study the screen, languidly flipping it with her index finger.

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘I really don’t have time to miss anybody,’ she said. ‘I’ve got my hands full.’

  ‘No, I meant, why are you going into the city today?’

  Alex smiled brightly, pretending not to be embarrassed at having misunderstood him. More than anything, she wanted to get up and move to another seat so that, if her face betrayed her dismay, he wouldn’t be able to see it. ‘Actually, I have a second interview at the Orenstein Gallery today. It’s an outstanding gallery. I’m really hoping to get this job.’

  ‘I hope you do,’ he said, ‘if that’s what you want.’

  ‘It is,’ she said, studying the screen as if she were longing to give it all her attention. ‘It’s exactly what I want.’

  They rode the rest of the way in silence. Alex rose abruptly from her seat as the conductor called out ‘Back Bay’ and gave her seat mate a friendly smile. ‘Well, if I don’t see you, have a good trip back.’

  ‘Take care,’ he replied. He looked up and Alex thought that his eyes seemed a little bit sad. But then she told herself that she was imagining things. It wasn’t as if anything had actually happened between them, although she had certainly wished, more than once, that it might, and she had the completely unfair sense that he was abandoning her in a difficult situation.

  ‘You too,’ she said, giving him a brief wave as she made her way to the exit. He doesn’t owe you a thing, she reminded herself as she waited in the space between the cars for the train to stop. He was just being nice.

  It was clear to Alex, after about five minutes, that the second interview at Orenstein’s Gallery was a formality. Louis Orenstein outlined what her duties would be and suggested that the more extra work she took on the more likely she was to advance in the art world. Then he stood up and embraced Alex, kissing her, European style, on both cheeks. ‘Welcome to the gallery,’ he said.

  Alex thanked her new employer profusely and, after filling out more paperwork and agreeing to start the next day, she virtually floated out of the building and onto Newbury Street. I have the job, she thought. Her first thought was to call her mother and tell her. And then she realized, for the thousandth time since the fatal accident, that it wouldn’t be possible, and her heart grew heavy. She could still remember the happiness, the excitement in her mother’s voice, in her eyes, when Alex would arrive home with good news. I’ll have to settle for remembering it, she thought.

  Her very next thought surprised her. She wanted to tell Seth. Immediately she knew that she would not be doing that either. How stupid would that seem? A neighbor from down the street, calling him to crow about her new job when all he was thinking about was getting on a plane to go back to his real life. No. She would not be calling Seth.

  And Dory? she thought. She tried to imagine Dory being happy and excited for her. Wasn’t that what sisters were supposed to do? she wondered. But she could not picture it. She felt as if she had no one to share her news with, and it made her feel a little bit resentful. She had tried to do all she could for Dory. And yet, when she had exciting news, she suspected that Dory was not going to want to hear it.

  Walking back toward the Back Bay station, Alex crossed Boylston Street where the Justice Initiative had its offices. Hesitating, she decided to stop in and see if Marisol was there. Alex walked into the offices and was directed immediately to the law student’s tiny office.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Marisol asked warily.

  Alex nodded. ‘Fine. It’s going fine.’

  ‘You two getting along OK?’

  ‘As well as need be,’ said Alex.

  ‘Oh, I see,’ said Marisol. ‘So what brings you to town?’

  ‘Actually, I just a got a job at the Orenstein Gallery as Louis Orenstein’s assistant. I’ll be helping to choose the artists he’s going to feature. I start tomorrow.’

  ‘Oh, congratulations,’ said Marisol sincerely. ‘I know that gallery. It’s great. Way out of my league price-wise, but beautiful stuff. You should be very proud to be working there.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Alex, smiling. ‘I am.’

  ‘It was nice of you to share this news,’ said Marisol.

  Alex understood. Marisol was busy and wanted her to get to the point. ‘I was just wondering,’ she said, ‘if you knew how long it would be before the DA makes his decision. You know, whether to refile the charges or not.’

  Marisol shook her head. ‘I don’t know. But it should be soon. They usually don’t dawdle with these decisions.’

  ‘And what happens if they decide not to refile?’

  ‘Then Dory is free to live her life without restrictions, and you g
et your bond money back.’

  Alex nodded. ‘You’ll let us know.’

  ‘Right away,’ Marisol promised.

  Alex left, walked back to the station and rode the train to Chichester. It was already growing dark as she got into her car and drove the short distance to her house. As she got out, she looked down the street to the house where Seth’s father lived. She thought she saw several cars parked in front, and the house was cheerfully alight. But there was no coach light on outside her own house. It was as if nobody was expected. And the interior seemed to be lit dimly, if at all. Home sweet home, she thought.

  She sighed and walked up to the door. As she pulled open the storm door, wild, angry eyes leapt at her from the shadows of the hallway. Shattering, ear-piercing barks assailed her.

  Alex jumped back and cried out as the dog, his canine teeth dripping with saliva, his muscles straining, pressed forward, forcing her to stumble back toward the door.

  ‘Remus, stop,’ Dory said, materializing in the gloom of the hallway and trying ineffectually to grab the dog’s collar. ‘Stop it. She lives here.’

  ‘Dory, what the hell . . .’ Alex cried out.

  At this, the dog redoubled his efforts, his nails scratching the floor as Dory finally got a grip on him and held him back. His barking spiraled up the stairwell and reverberated through the house.

  ‘Remus, that’s enough,’ Dory insisted. ‘You be a good boy.’

  ‘Get that dog out of my face,’ said Alex.

  ‘OK, OK. Don’t get all bent out of shape.’ Dory pulled some kind of treat from her pocket and waved it in front of the dog.

  ‘You’re rewarding him?’ Alex cried. ‘For attacking me?’

  Dory’s eyes flashed. ‘I know how to handle dogs,’ she said. ‘Just back off, Alex.’

  ‘You want me to back off?’

  ‘Yes, just shut up for a minute. I’ve got this.’

  The dog, seeming to sense their dissension, began to growl.

  Dory bent over and looked the dog in the eye, waving the treat. ‘Here you go. Take it easy,’ she said.

  The dog became interested in the treat and simmered down, only letting out the occasional bark. Dory gave him the treat, brushed her hands together and straightened up. ‘See,’ she said. ‘Problem solved.’