The Visitor - Colorado 1869 - 1871

by Barbara Svetlick

  Mirisa was sitting at the piano playing when Dominic came in and closed the door. She stopped and turned on the bench to face him. He was always so serious even when he shouldn’t be so she couldn’t read anything from his face.

  “Mirisa.”

  “Do you know why I always loved the way you say my name?” He waited for her to continue. “Because the first time you held me you whispered it with such desire then you said I was too innocent to be in your arms. You always say it as a question as though you are reaching for something precious.”

  “You do that on purpose just to throw me off.” He pulled her up and sat her on the couch across from him but didn’t let go of her hand. She was biting her bottom lip and he reached up and touched it. “I never realized how young you were but you really do spend too much time fearing life. I probably have a thousand things I need to say and more to apologize for but the one thing we both know is that I don’t handle emotional issues with grace. Any apology would be hollow and repetitive because I can never change and I can never take back the things you have suffered out of love for me. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand you but in my own way I will always love you.”

  She just sat and listened as he went over things that they had talked about so many times before and that she thought were resolved. Her mind went back over time and she decided that he made her so happy for so long that it was really sad that she didn’t realize she was living for those moments of happiness which were so wonderful and forgetting the pain and the long times when he wasn’t there either physically or emotionally.

  “Mirisa.”

  “Yes Dominic.”

  “I’m getting married.” Her look softened but she said nothing. “It would mean a lot to me if you would be there with the children.”

  She bit her lip. “I do hope that she can do a better job of being part of your life then I have been able to do.”

  “Mirisa, I don’t love her and I’m not looking for happiness. If this was about love I would never have let you go. I will always love only you and I will always be here for you.”

  “I can’t attend. Of all the things you would expect of me, why you would want to hurt me once again.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Dominic, I cannot watch you do this with another woman any more then I could handle what happened in the card room.”

  “And don’t you think you are being a hypocrite after what you did?”

  She looked up at him as the tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  Dominic reached over and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. He took off his ring and read it before he put it in her hand and closed her fingers around it. She stood up and left the room. He got up, poured a shot and sat down at the piano.

  Mirisa came down the stairs slowly and when she turned on the landing Meeks was standing at the bottom of the staircase waiting for her. She took in her breath because at the bottom of the stairs was the one man who would never hurt her. Mirisa opened her hand and put the ring in his. He slipped it in his pocket to melt down later and knew that Dominic still had the ability to break her heart.

  “I think I need to set the table for the birthday. Do you want to help me?”

  “I would love to help you.”

  Mirisa went into the dining room fixed a cup of tea and sat down at the table trying to calm her nerves. Garnett looked up at her from the papers he was reviewing and told her he loved her. Dominic came into the room with Matthew as James brought out the bakery shop birthday cake. Jonathan was so excited about the cake that they had to give him a piece in the living room so Matthew could open his presents. Meeks never asked Mirisa what happened upstairs and she didn’t seem to want to talk about it.

  Maggie sat in Matthew’s lap as he opened his gifts and Mirisa curled up withdrawing from the festivities except when one of her children asked her something. Matthew talked to her without making eye contact and she assured him that the problems were not for him to spend any time thinking about. Jonathan put down his fork and climbed up onto the couch and kissed his mother then patted her cheek before returning to his cake. James watched with interest because Jonathan never showed affection with anyone except Maggie where Matthew always comforted his mother when she withdrew but neither child said anything.

  Mirisa finally gathered up the children and took them to the nursery to get ready for bed. Garnett followed her and put more logs on the nursery fire stoking it until it was large enough to last a few hours. He moved the screen back in front of the hearth as Maggie came out wrapped in a big fluffy towel. Maggie slipped her hand in his shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of hard candy then kissed him. Her voice was so much like Mirisa’s when she said thank you. Maggie ran back into the bathroom trying hard not to trip over the towel. Garnett made sure all the windows were closed tight as he listened to Maggie laugh about something. He came out of the nursery as James was heading up to the piano room.

  “Are we playing tonight?”

  “Might as well. I don’t think I want to go out in the snow. How’s Mirisa?”

  “I didn’t talk to her.”

  James nodded then took out the cards and a bottle of the expensive whisky. Dominic and Meeks came in and sat down at the table. They played for about an hour with virtually no conversation except as it dealt with the game. James folded and poured another shot.

  “How did she take the news?”

  “The way she takes everything with tears and a refusal to attend.” James handed him the bottle.

  “You actually asked her to come to the wedding?”

  “I didn’t see a problem but obviously I know very little about women or love.”

  Meeks dealt the cards. “Why would you want her at your wedding?’

  “Why did you invite me to yours? I thought she cared about me even if she didn’t want to stay married.”

  “Dominic, it broke her heart when you divorced her without even telling her you were going to do it.”

  “I assumed Garnett would explain it to her.”

  “Seriously, you wonder why she struggles with your rejection.”

  “Meeks, Mirisa and I have settled our issues even if you and I have not.”

  “Actually, you and I have. You wanted to continue sleeping with other women and I wanted your wife. I don’t think Mirisa will ever be able to accept what you did because she was in love and she believed deeply in that love. Despite what you think there is nothing she does that is done with malicious intent and even in the heat of anger she collapses with the inability to deliberately hurt someone.”

  “Then you will not be attending the wedding?”

  “I’ll leave that decision up to Mirisa but I think it is better if she doesn’t.”

  Dominic nodded and asked if anyone was in the mood for the Gentleman’s Club. James bowed out and Garnett went downstairs to strap on his gun. James shuffled the cards and started to play solitaire.

  “I think he gets off on hurting her. I’ve been thinking about how the older he gets the more he is like his father. I don’t understand this marriage any more than his marriage to Mirisa. He hasn’t said anything about settling down here where a wife would be an asset, he doesn’t plan on giving up on his vices, she brings little to the table and he’s only been seeing her a few weeks.”

  “He married Mirisa to stop anyone else from courting her. I have no idea what he is thinking this time but at least it will move him out of the house and out of Mirisa’s sight.”

  “Well, with two children it is hard to put a lot of space between them and I know she won’t give up the boys easily to live with an unscrupulous woman.” James reshuffled the cards and began a new game.

  Mirisa put her hand on the banister to head upstairs to get ready for the concert when Garnett called her from the library. She turned but didn’t change directions.

  “Can you wear the silver and black dress tonight?”

  “Is this a personal request?”

  “Yes.”
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  Mirisa walked over to him and put her hands on his chest as she kissed him. Garnett wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer. “Garnett, it’s so seldom that I kiss you that I forget how wonderful and passionate you truly are.”

  “It’s not the man who is passionate Mirisa; it’s the woman who touches him that releases his feelings. There are women who marry over and over and never touch any emotions and there are women who touch every person she meets. Are you alright?”

  “I am.” She ran her fingers through his hair.

  “You never asked him any questions. I would think since you have children you would want to know a lot.”

  “I don’t need to know anything because my sons will always come first in Dominic’s life. I know there isn’t a single thing that happens that all of you don’t immediately know about so if you think there’s something I should know I am sure one of you will tell me.” She kissed him lightly and told him she really needed to get ready.

  They were sitting in the library talking when she walked in and put her cape over the back of the chair. Meeks stood and put on his jacket before picking up her cape and talking to her quietly. The carriage was sitting in front of the brownstone and the footman opened the door helping her in. The streets were crowded with carriages as they approached the theatre but rather then talking they were observing Mirisa since she had still not opened up to anyone and Dominic stayed away from the house as much as possible. Mirisa asked Meeks who was playing and he said he didn’t know because it wasn’t on the schedule. He turned to Garnett because he didn’t see any playbills in the lobby.

  “I’ll see if I can find someone with programs and will meet you up in the box.”

  They went up the stairs to their box and sat down. Mirisa didn’t realize that Meeks actually owned the box until he had it renovated taking out the old seats and putting in a love seat in the back with four seats in front of it. Meeks took off her cape and handed it to the attendant then ordered a bottle of wine. On stage were two pianos. The lights started to lower and one of the ushers came into their box and handed them the programs and left. Meeks was talking to James as Mirisa looked at it. She put her hand on his knee and he looked at her. “What’s the matter?”

  “Sweetheart, look at the program.”

  They didn’t get past the title and musicians names before they looked at the stage. The lights were down except for candelabra set between the pianos. Dominic came out from one side of the stage and Garnett from the other. They both bowed as the audience stood and applauded for five minutes before they could sit. Mirisa knew that her husband had not read the inside to know that it was his mother’s compositions but when Dominic started Meeks reached over and pulled her closer.

  They played for an hour before intermission. The second half of the program was so moving and the audience was spellbound not only by the music but the talent on the stage. Dominic finally stood up and bowed and the audience stood. Garnett sat back down at the piano causing the audience to hush when they realized he was going to play a solo and they sat back down. As soon as he started Mirisa smiled. Garnett played the song he wrote after watching her Christmas Eve with her husband. At the end he stood up, faced her and bowed. There was an immediate standing ovation that was thunderous.

  They walked across the street and got their usual table. It was at least a half hour before Garnett and Dominic made it to the front door of the restaurant and another half hour before Garnett made it to the table where he handed her a dozen white roses. Dominic stopped at Betsy’s table and spoke to them briefly before he came over and talked to Meeks. He ignored Mirisa then walked back over taking a seat next to Betsy. Mirisa thanked Garnett and then turned her attention to her husband. They closed down the restaurant and as they were leaving Dominic was helping Betsy into her carriage then he climbed in after her. He turned briefly and his anger was so palpable that Mirisa turned away but refused to give him the satisfaction of how much it hurt. None of them missed the reaction of either of them but it was futile to expect either of them to be able to cope with the dynamics of their current relationship. Garnett changed clothes and headed out. James and Meeks sat up talking for a while but Mirisa fell asleep on her husband’s lap. He reached behind her neck and removed the necklace and put it on the table then picked her up and carried her to bed.

  GARNETT WAS sitting in the library cleaning his gun when Meeks came in with the newspaper and a cup of coffee. He sat down putting his feet up on the table and turned to the financial section. There was a long article on the problems with the wharfs and thugs but what it didn’t say was that the shipping companies were behind the problems trying to stop the workers from organizing.

  “You’re not going tonight?”

  Meeks looked over the paper at him. “No. We’re going to the theater to see the opening of A Christmas Carol. I think it will be a good way to get Mirisa in the holiday mood.”

  James walked in and put his briefcase on the table taking out some ledgers. “When are you going?”

  “Tonight.”

  “What time does it start?”

  “They have two shows. We’re going out to dinner first then going to the later showing.”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  Garnett reloaded his gun and spun the barrel listening for any signs of dirt or grit. “Aren’t you going to the engagement party?”

  “I would much rather see Dickens then socialize with her circle.”

  “Do you want to join us for dinner?”

  “No, I think Mirisa needs more time being romanced by her husband then putting up with so many men under her feet. Has she said anything?”

  “Neither of them have and neither of them seems to want to be around the other one. I think living under one roof keeps them locked in this constant battle of love and hate. He’ll basically be living with Betsy after the marriage but I do not believe this decision of his is sound or will last if in fact he goes through with it.”

  “You think he’s doing it out of spite?”

  “Well, that would mean he has feelings but you know how he gets when he has no control over an assignment. I think he should get his commission back and go back to killing people.”

  “I think I should.”

  Garnett laughed and told James that the government would love to have either of them back in the ranks but he had plans to move to Washington and get back into politics. They discussed the fact that after spending the last decade together, it was obvious that they had put a lot of things on hold that would send them in different directions. James asked Meeks what he was planning and he said they would eventually live in Colorado but he enjoyed spending time in New York with Mirisa and the children especially during the winter.

  “Where’s Mirisa?”

  “She took the children on a picnic with my sister and all of her children.”

  “She’s spending a lot of time with your sister.”

  “It’s good for her to expand her life beyond this house and us. She also enrolled in a business course.”

  “Does she plan on working?”

  “No, she plans on living a full and interesting life.”

  Dominic and Betsy were entertaining a small engagement party of about forty people as Meeks helped Mirisa out of the carriage in front of the Greek restaurant. The smell of the food and the music was so enchanting. Meeks had taken her out to so many restaurants and outings that time seemed to fly.

  Garnett picked up his whisky and leaned up against the mantel. When Garnett had joined Dominic and Betsy for lunch to discuss the documents she would need to sign, her reaction could have been scripted. He thought about the initial response before she put on her best game face and asked Dominic why he thought it was necessary to anticipate that their marriage would not be long and fruitful for she so hoped to give him more sons.

  Dominic considered her argument for a moment and you could see his mind wrapping around how to voice his feelings without causing an issue in the mid
dle of the restaurant. Garnett always believed delivering bad news was best done in a restaurant despite that odd chance that the bearer of the bad news would be the victim of some hysterical reaction. The papers he had drawn up were not only unbreakable but would be costly to contest.

  Dominic explained to Betsy that his oldest son would inherit his estate and all that he owned whether he remarried or had remained married to their mother. He told her that he had no expectations of fathering more children which surprised Garnett. Betsy told them both that she would have to have her barrister go over the papers before she considered whether or not they were equitable to both of them for she had as much to lose as he did which they both found laughable since she was probably going to lose everything from her husband’s estate. Garnett encouraged her to get her own counsel before signing but that the papers protected her property from Dominic and that the papers were non-negotiable. If she did not sign them, the marriage would not take place. He wondered why Dominic would want to marry this woman when even a blind man could see the deception in her body language.

  He knew the food would be impeccable and the guests would expect no less. He kept the socializing on a superficial level until Betsy’s sister approached him batting her eyes and asking him questions about his friendship with Dominic. He answered her in non-answers always being polite and engaging despite her attempts to entice him in what he thought must be her most seductive look. She was pleasant looking like her sister but neither were his preference nor was he in the mood to become entangled in this frenzy to find husbands with money.

  “If you will excuse me, I need to speak to the Dominic.” She stuck her lip out pouting and he thought the poor little thing needed to find a bank teller or clerk who would appreciate her lack of talents.

  Garnett told Dominic he was heading out for something a little less influenced by wedding bells and Dominic laughed. They discussed the fact that Betsy had been putting off talking about the documents. Garnett stepped out lighting a cigar then looked up and down the street. He tied his horse in front of the theater and sat down on the bench enjoying the crispness of the night air. James walked up and took out a cigar as Garnett handed him his to light it.