The Visitor_The Final Ride 1875_1928

by Barbara Svetlick

  Her father was on the side talking to someone but she couldn’t see who it was. James and Meeks got down and sat in the front row. Garnett turned and walked back out to his daughter carrying the violin case. He unfastened it opening the top. Lizzie looked at it and started crying. He put it down and took her in his arms letting her cry. Of all things she could have gotten from her mother, crying was the one he could have lived without. Garnett handed her a handkerchief to dry her eyes and talked to her softly but every time he though she was under control she would start again.

  He finally looked at Mirisa who just shrugged like he had to handle it much the way they always had to deal with Mirisa when she was young. After a few minutes, Lizzie stopped crying and he dried her cheeks telling her he loved her better when she wasn’t crying. She smiled then got the hiccups.

  “Mirisa.”

  “Garnett she will get herself under control just give her a moment.” Lizzie looked at her mother and Mirisa knew that she was way beyond emotional. Mirisa stood up and walked over to the stage as Lizzie sat down on the edge and put her arms around her. She finally stopped and talked to her mother for a moment. Lizzie stood up and walked back to her father, put her arms around his neck and thanked him from the bottom of her heart for the violin. He held her so tight and wondered if there would ever be a day when he would be able to let go of her.

  Lizzie bent down and took it out of its case. She put it under her chin as she took in her breath and closed her eyes. She was the only one of the children who played with her eyes closed almost like the notes were on the back of her eyelids. She picked up the bow and began to play a very haunting melody. It started slow and lulled you into the notes as it started to climb and soon was talking to the stars. She played for about fifteen minutes. Before they could respond, there was the sound of clapping behind them.

  They turned to see the young violinist who had been in the orchestra walking toward the stage. He handed his violin to Garnett and climbed up on the stage. He walked over to Lizzie and said something to her. She handed him her violin and he played a few strings before fine tuning it. He handed it back to her, stepped behind her and put his hand on the small of her back while talking to her.

  Lizzie put the violin under her chin and raised her bow. He put his hand on her wrist and kept talking to her. He stepped away as she began to play. He listened before he stepped back up to her and she stopped. They did this several times before he walked over and took his violin from Garnett. He was in his early twenties and extremely attractive though they couldn’t tell what his nationality was but he obvious spoke English well enough to talk to Lizzie until they heard her respond in French. He faced her and took his bow putting it under her chin raising it so she was looking in his eyes. Every time she started to look down he raised her chin again until she kept eye contact with him.

  He started playing and nodded to her. She joined in and within a few notes they were playing together perfectly. When he got to a difficult part she stopped and just listened to him then would pick up the easy part almost in time to his playing. They played for over an hour before he stopped, bowed to her and took her hand in his kissing it. Mirisa looked at her daughter and knew at that moment that her future had been sealed. He turned to Garnett and handed him a business card.

  “I believe your daughter has a natural gift and if she is trained under the right master will become a world renowned violinist.” Garnett could see the look on his daughters face but as much as he wanted to lock her away how could Garnett deny her what was obviously her calling. “This is the name of my teacher. He lives in Paris and has between four and six students living with him at all times. You must make an effort to take her to see him. Just give him this card and he’ll see you.”

  He turned again and bowed to Lizzie took her hand kissing her fingers and telling her in French that they would meet again. He walked over to the steps and walked up to where he had left his cape and case, put his violin away and left.

  All three girls were watching as he disappeared into the night. Lizzie put her violin in the case and hugged her father again. James reached up for her and set her on the ground. They walked back up to the street where the carriage was waiting and as the girls got in they looked for the violinist.

  “Daddy what is his name?” Garnett took the card out of his pocket. “Francoise” He turned the card over and looked at the name of the teacher, Joachim. No wonder the young man was so good. When they got back to the suite they had birthday cake and Lizzie opened the rest of her presents. After a while she climbed up next to her father and put her head down curling her legs up under her. He reached down and looked at her new toe ring. She fell asleep within seconds of closing her eyes.

  They left for the boat the next morning and fortunately the weather was calm because the crossing between England and France was rough even on a quiet day. The boat was a lot smaller since it was just a half day voyage. They got off in a small town that looked like it had been created just for the crossings. They traveled a few hours before stopping in a small hotel to spend the night. They found everything about the countryside to be wonderful. Mirisa’s French was probably the best of the parents but all three girls spoke it fluently. They ate in a little sidewalk café where they were served the best blush French wine and hot bread. They walked along the town square window shopping before settling down for the evening. They girls were having so much fun that by the end of the day they went to bed without argument and slept soundly.

  Matthew threw himself on the bed after spending all day in surgery. He was always tugged between his holistic healing beliefs and modern medicine. He thought doctors took too many risks and operated too frequently. They didn’t really care about the mortality of their patients as much as the ability to learn while exploring. He picked up the little pink envelope and looked at it. He loved the way the girls wrote little letters.

  Matthew opened it and read it slowly. Lizzie told him about the voyage, about London, about the concert and dinner and the new violin that was very old. Then she told him about Francoise and his violin. She went on for two pages about him and Matthew smiled. Matthew wondered if it was his musical talent, the romance of the night under the stars, or that she considered him more handsome than all of the fathers. That was a statement that said more than anything else in her letters because if nothing else was obvious with all four girls it was their absolute idolization they always had for their fathers and brothers. He wished he could have gone with them.

  He went through the rest of his mail and the last envelope was from the Board of Regents at the hospital. He opened it and slowly unfolded it. He read it slowly then read it again. He smiled to himself and put it back into the envelope laying it on his stomach. He was now a doctor and they wanted him to continue to work at the hospital in the woman’s wing delivering babies until there was an opening in surgery.

  Matthew finally got up off the bed and put the two pieces of mail in the drawer of his desk and took a long hot bath. As he wrapped the towel around his waist and got out his shaving kit there was a knock at the door. He walked over and opened it.

  “I thought you might want company tonight?”

  Matthew pulled her into the apartment and took the bag out of her hand putting it on the table. She was tall, beautiful red hair that she wore up while in uniform and long, long legs. They had been working together for about five months but he hadn’t told anyone in the family because they had spent so little time together and what time they did have was usually in his bed. She took off her hat putting it on the table and took the hair pin out of her bun letting her hair fall down around her shoulders. Matthew kissed her as she ran her hands around him and undid the towel letting it fall to the floor. He had the most exquisite body and right now it had that slight wet feeling. He turned her around and unbuttoned her dress letting it fall down over his towel. The one thing that being in the medical profession did was take away any inhibition one might ever have about the human body. The
y wasted no time and they spent the next hour unwinding.

  “Mary, I need to ask you something.”

  “What baby?”

  “How do you feel about us?”

  “I think the sex is the best in the world.”

  “Good enough to spend the rest of your life with me?”

  She pulled herself up and looked at him. “What are you asking?”

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you willing to wait until December?”

  “I thought you wanted to wait until you were a doctor to settle down?”

  He reached over to the drawer and pulled out the letter from the hospital. She read it then read it again. She looked at him, dropped the letter on the floor and ran her hand down his waist to find him more than willing to prove that the sex would always be good.

  “Why do you want to get married in December?” She was an orphan and had been raised in a religious school where she learned to be a nurse. Not having ever met his family she didn't know anything about how he was raised or whether he had anything other than the apartment.

  “It is the only time my entire family will be together.”

  “What if they don’t like me or don’t think I am good enough for you now that you are a doctor.”

  He laughed lightly. “I only have to make sure they don’t try to steal you away when I’m not looking.”

  “I don’t understand that.”

  “You will. Trust me you will.” Matthew kissed her and pulled her close. Mary put her hand on his chest and he picked it up slipping his mother’s first diamond ring on her finger. Mirisa had given him the ring telling him that it should stay in the family mostly because his father had given it to her and that it signified how much they had loved each other and how much they loved him. She knew it would be a long time before he found someone to love but he should have it when it did happen. Mary cried when he pulled his hand back and he kissed her again.

  “Also, before you commit. I am resigning from the hospital and will be moving back to Mississippi to practice.”

  “I have no ties to Washington.”

  “Good. I hope you want to have a dozen children.”

  Matthew knocked on his father’s office door. Dominic looked up and waived him in.

  “This is unusual. What do I owe to a daytime visit when I’m not sick?”

  He handed his father the letter and watched him smile as he read it. “Congratulations but no one is surprised not only that you passed but that you passed with a perfect score.”

  “Also, I asked someone to marry me.”

  Dominic looked at him, lit a cigar and took the top off the whisky. “I would be the first to congratulate you and offer a toast but I’ve never heard you even talk about seeing anyone.”

  “I know. It’s been hard with the long hours and work. Mary is a nurse at the hospital and has been working closely with me the last few months.”

  “How close?”

  “How long did you know my mother before you married her?”

  Dominic rolled his eyes. “I married her within a few weeks from the moment I met her.”

  “How did you know?”

  “You just do, you just feel it and it just consumes you like nothing else you have ever felt.”

  “I asked her last night to marry me and she accepted. I gave her the diamond that you gave to mother.”

  Dominic visibly bristled. “Does your mother know this?”

  “Yes. I mean she doesn’t know that I want to get married but she gave all the jewelry to me a few years ago and asked me to keep it in the family because it meant the world to her.”

  “I never meant to hurt her that badly.” Dominic leaned back in his chair and thought about her sitting on his lap in the library and the passion in which they loved each other. He would give anything in the world to have her back in his arms with the love that she always had in her eyes. He loved her beyond anything in life.

  Matthew was taken aback by the intense feelings his father had and saddened because it was obvious they both still loved each other a lot. He sat and waited for his father to compose himself.

  “Can you join us for dinner tonight so that we can meet her?”

  “I thought you might allow me to take you out to dinner at the Capitol House. Can you meet us there at 8:00?”

  “I’d be delighted.” He poured two shots and handed one to his son. “I never thought when you were born that the years would go so fast. Congratulations on achieving your dream and may you have a long, loving marriage.”

  “Father.”

  Dominic looked at him wondering what else he was going to drop on him. Matthew smiled remembering that his father always forgot that he could hear his thoughts. “I am resigning from the hospital and moving back to the Plantation if you don’t mind.”

  Dominic nodded. “It’s where you belong.”

  They were all sitting in the outside café drinking coffee and eating croissants.

  “It’s going to be a beautiful evening. How about we take in a cabaret.” Mirisa looked up at Meeks. “I understand the Moulin Rouge has some very interesting entertainers right now.”

  “What is a cabaret?”

  James smiled. “Isn’t that right at the edge of the red light district?”

  “You’re taking us to a brothel?”

  “No, it’s a café with entertainment. How willing are you to play in public?”

  “When I’m drunk I am more than willing to do anything in private but if it’s what I think it is than I’m not going to like other women touching you.”

  Meeks kissed her and told her that he would make sure that they only touched James. She was totally unsure about this but decided the worst thing that could happen is she would get arrested for fighting and she always had Charisse to back her up.

  The woman at the door wore a lot of makeup and her dress was long and fitting with a slit up one side to almost her hip. She had on black fishnet stockings and red high heels. Her hair was many shades none of which was natural and her fingernails were long and had little decorations on them. She was smoking a cigarette in a long thin black holder. Mirisa looked at her closely and she smiled.

  “Would you like to try a drag?”

  “No thank you.” Her laugh was deep and her smile was broad. She picked up Mirisa’s hand and turned it over looking at the palm. Mirisa looked at her wondering what she was doing when she slid her hand down the front of her dress and Mirisa’s eyes got as big as saucers when she realized it wasn’t a woman. They all laughed as they were shown to their table. She leaned over to her husband. “That’s a man.”

  “Yes darling.” He kissed her and James just shook his head.

  They were brought a bottle of fine wine and some finger food as the music started. The room was packed with people sitting and standing along the railing that was a few steps above the floor. The stage was small but well lit. The first act was so funny that Mirisa thought she was going to wet her pants and got the hiccups which she tried to stop but would just start laughing again. The second act was a short type of play that included singing which she enjoyed. This was so much fun that she was glad she came. They all watched her closely because she was drinking a little too much. Then a couple of women came on stage and the music started in a slow tempo as the lights turned red. The women slowly moved toward one another and soon were running their hands over each other. Mirisa leaned forward biting her lip and she turned to James. “Are they men?”

  “No they are both women. Watch.”

  They slowly undressed each other and did the most outrageous things she had ever seen. They were both definitely women and they were extremely erotic. They had tattoos going around their shoulders and down their backs and around their waists to their stomach and coming down their shoulders around their breasts. They looked like serpents or snakes. She moved over onto her husband’s lap and he chuckled because she had just decided she needed to protect her husband in th
is place.

  As they stepped down off of the stage three more women came on stage and performed a dance that was very suggestive as they slowly stripped. The first two women were approaching men and Mirisa watched as they took money before they would climb either on the table or on their laps. She turned back to the stage because she had never seen a woman strip and found it completely fascinating. Meeks put his arm around her and pulled her back saying something to her.

  Mirisa leaned back and James watched as her eyes became dark green within seconds. Meeks kissed her neck and she put her hand back behind his neck and closed her eyes. When she opened them the other three girls were down on the floor going between the tables enticing the men out of their money. Two more women got up on stage to sing but Mirisa saw they had Adam’s apples as they did even though they were extremely beautiful women.

  One of the strippers came up to their table wearing a silk robe in purples and gold being held around her only by a sash. She sat on the table and swung her legs around putting them on James’ chair. Charisse was watching her carefully wondering how much control James had. She leaned forward as she talked to him. The serpent on her body up close was so detailed.

  Charisse and Mirisa never realized how little modesty men really had. There wasn’t one shred of modesty in the room except for the two of them. Mirisa wanted to turn away but didn’t and she wondered if it bothered him at all that she was sitting there. Mirisa took in her breath and Meeks just pulled her further back against him. She could feel him respond to watching them. Mirisa looked up at him and he smiled telling her that he didn’t need anyone when she was in his lap.

  Mirisa got up on her knees and reached across the table touching the serpent because she didn’t know whether or not it was painted on her. Garnett watched her as he smoked his cigar. The girl bent back when she felt the touch and smiled. She rolled around so she was facing Mirisa and she leaned forward and kissed her. Mirisa came back against her husband so fast that James almost fell out of his chair laughing. The look on her face was priceless. The girl smiled at her and Mirisa just shook her head no but the girl reached out anyway and touched her. Meeks held her tight to keep her from fleeing because she was ready to spring.