Firefly Cove
Page 25
When they were all done, and Consuela beamed her acceptance of the gratitude and the compliments, Asha and Dino shooed the others away and cleaned up. They insisted Lucius stay where he was, which was good, because his eyesight kept filming over. As Consuela prepared to leave, she approached Lucius, murmured something in Spanish, and kissed his forehead. The warmth of her concern lingered long after the kitchen was rendered spotless and the two of them had resumed their places at the table.
Lucius waited until Dino had refilled their glasses, then said, “When Jessica and I first met, she declared I was the loneliest man that had ever drawn breath. And the neediest.” He looked at the two of them seated there beside him, then quietly declared, “No longer.
“This evening, I am truly a man of sorrow and gratitude both. You have taught me. And counseled me. And come to my aid. Even when I told you I did not wish your assistance, still you came. Even when it meant risking all. I have almost no answers to the dilemmas, now and those still to come. In many cases I don’t even know what questions to ask. But I have confidence that with your help I will find both.”
He lifted his glass. “To friends.”
CHAPTER 68
When Lucius pointed out that it was late for Asha and Dino to start back, Ruth took genuine pleasure in showing off the multitude of empty bedrooms. Once they were settled, Lucius walked back to the pool house. His bone-deep weariness served as the balm he needed. He slept until Consuela woke him at eight with a mug of coffee. After breakfast burritos and more conversation that he scarcely heard, Lucius escorted Asha and Dino down to their cars. He accepted embraces from them both, promised to phone regularly, and stood there long after the dust of their departure had settled.
Jessica slept through the next day. Lucius worked in his office, struggling to keep his mind and hands occupied. Sol Feinnes called midafternoon to announce that the university had quietly dropped their suit against him. Lucius did his best to sound sincere in his thanks.
Finally in the late afternoon Sarah came down and said Jessica was asking for him.
When he entered the bedroom, he found Jessica dressed and seated in her chair. The night Ruth hovered just behind her. Jessica smiled a welcome and said, “That will be all, Sarah.” When the door clicked shut, Jessica said, “I would like you to do something for me.”
There was a wispy edge to her voice, a reedy quality that had not been present before. Or perhaps Lucius had simply not allowed himself to hear it until now. “Anything.”
* * *
Of course they took his old car.
The night Ruth settled Jessica in the chair and accompanied them down in the elevator and along the side corridor and into the garage. She stood watching as they drove down the long graveled drive. Lucius disliked intensely how he had remained intentionally blind. But the moment had come to face the truth. That she needed him for something other than what he wanted, which was to live many long and happy years together. Instead, he would watch her die, as she had watched him. For a single solitary moment, as they passed through the tall stone gates, Lucius indulged in a bitter rage. The same futile pain that had engulfed him as he walked the beach and mourned a paltry life. Then it was gone. There was no room for such wasted breaths.
“My darling,” she said softly. “There’s something I want you to do for me.”
“Anything.”
“Careful. Agreeing to a contract before the terms are spelled out can be highly perilous.”
“Now you sound like me.”
“I should. I’ve been following in your footsteps now for almost fifty years.” She angled herself so as to lean upon the side door and studied him. “You seem to be changing into your old self. Or is it just my fading eyesight?”
He drove the winding road through a gathering dusk. “Tell me what you want.”
She shifted slightly.
“All of my holdings are being moved into a trust. One that you will head up.”
Lucius nodded slowly. “I see why Douglas’s presence was important.”
“Vital,” she agreed. “I wanted an outside specialist to confirm my lucidity. And be willing to address the matter of your own sanity, if those dolts at the university care to take things further.”
“Did Douglas have any doubt of either?”
“He did not. None whatsoever. Though he confessed to being utterly flummoxed by much of what he’d heard. I told him there was nothing wrong with a bit of confusion. It aids one’s digestion.” Jessica gave that a moment, then asked, “Do you agree to my request?”
“I told you I would do whatever you asked.”
She smiled approval. “Sol Feinnes will serve as the trust’s public face. A place will be made for him on the university board. No doubt they’ll object, since he’s sued them twice in the past. But they’ll either accept or not see another cent of my money.”
Lucius disliked the topic, but he merely said, “I understand.”
“You will be required to supervise all decisions regarding future investments and donations. And sign all checks. And serve as the company’s chief overseer,” Jessica went on.
“Jessica . . .”
“This is important, Lucius.”
“And I said I will do it.”
“I know you will. And that you will be excellent at it.” She eased herself over to where she could rest a hand upon his shoulder. “I need to speak with you about my daughter. Carity was actually the product of one of my ex-husband’s earlier dalliances. He claims the mother used Carity as a means of gaining funds. However that may be, the mother never showed any interest in raising her. Carity was not an easy child, and grew into an extremely difficult teenager. She was in and out of treatment centers for years. At least now she appears to be staying clean. Her official residence is in a trust-fund commune on Maui. She flitters about the planet, seeing the world through the lens of five-star luxury.”
Lucius turned onto the main highway leading into Miramar. “I will see to her needs.”
“Of course you will.”
“I hate how this conversation is all about business.”
She looked at him askance. “What on earth should it have been about?”
“Us.”
“You silly young man. That has been the topic most precisely.”
“You know perfectly well what I mean.”
“Yes, Lucius. I know. You want to sit there and stare at me with those moony eyes.”
“I do not have . . .” He saw her smile then. “You’re laughing at me.”
“Only a little,” she replied. “And only because you deserve it.”
“Jessica . . .”
She squeezed his arm with what strength she could manage. “I want you to set aside your sorrow for this one brief moment.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Nonetheless, that is my request. Your ability to be matter-of-fact about life’s calamities was a trait I always admired. I want us to share this sunset without histrionics.”
“My heart is breaking,” he whispered.
“And mine as well. But sorrow will not grant us a single extra hour. And giving into it will rob us of every possible joy.”
He managed, “I’ll try.”
She settled her head upon his shoulder. “Thank you, dear one.”
* * *
Jessica’s breath seemed to catch in her throat as they pulled into the lot. Lucius turned off the car and watched helplessly as she struggled against some internal tempest. “What can I do?”
She held up one hand, the fingers gnarled as the pines lining the shore. Wait.
He was about to say they should go back, or perhaps straight to the hospital, anything except sit here and watch her suffer. Then it all eased, and she breathed once, twice, and said, “Help me down to the shore.”
“I’m not sure . . .”
“Please, Lucius.”
He could not deny her. His logical mind held no sway. He rose from the car, then opened the rear door
to bring out her chair.
She said softly, “Be a dear and carry me.”
Drawing her from the car was not easy, for she seemed incapable of helping in any way. But once she was in his arms, she felt not just light, but settled into the position he had waited a lifetime to experience. She nestled her head into the crook of his neck and said nothing as they approached the shore.
The sea was utterly calm, the beach empty save for a few gulls. The wind was silent, the air crystal clear. Dusk painted a rose-tinted froth across the western sky.
Then the fireflies joined them. A cloud of blinking lights swirled around his face. “Jessica, look.”
She lifted her gaze and whispered, “Falling stars. Hurry, Lucius. Make a wish.”
And she was gone.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
FIREFLY COVE
Davis Bunn
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Davis Bunn’s Firefly Cove!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What do you think of the fact that Lucius was given a second chance? Was fate cruel or kind to Lucius, or both? How so?
2. Do you believe that true love transcends time and age? What do you think of the love between Lucius and Jessica?
3. Solitude was something that Lucius intensely disliked, and yet he also sought it out. He had grown up with it, he knew it, and when things became more difficult than they already were, Lucius retreated there. Can you identify with the struggle Lucius has over this issue?
4. Why does Lucius break up with Jessica? If you were in his shoes, would you have done the same?
5. What impact does Lucius have on Jessica throughout her life? How is her life changed by him—beginning, middle, and end?
6. Have you ever known someone who came close to death and returned, or read accounts of people who have experienced this? What do you think of this phenomenon?
7. There is a wide-ranging debate these days about NDE, as near-death experiences are known inside the medical profession. Some doctors and biochemists think that NDE does not occur at all. Instead, a new theory suggests that as the brain shuts down it emits strong electronic and chemical impulses that the conscious mind interprets as a new reality. What do you think of this more scientific explanation?
8. Who is Luke and who is Lucius? How are they different? If they had met, what would they have thought of each other? They were each dealt a completely different hand by fate. Ultimately, who is the more fortunate?
9. In the Miramar Bay novels, the place itself is treated almost as a character in its own right. What do you think this says about the town? Do you believe such a place actually exists? If it does, would you want to go there?
10. Over time Lucius discovers the power of friendship, and does so with an eclectic assortment of people. At the end of the story, who do you think are Lucius’s best friends? Have you ever faced such a situation where you found friends in the most unexpected of places?
11. Early in the story, Jessica describes Lucius as “the loneliest man on God’s green earth.” What makes her say this? Does Lucius change over the course of the story, and if so, how? Is he still the loneliest man on God’s green earth at the end of the book?
12. What is the significance of the fireflies in this story, or do they have any significance? Do you believe in fireflies?