The Sisters

by Kate Forster

  Birdie sat on the step and looked at Leon. ‘So you want me to come home or you will ruin my family’s life?’ she asked. ‘What about your mistress, your baby?’ She spat out the words. ‘You have to provide for them.’

  ‘I will,’ he said, shrugging his shoulders.

  ‘Why have you not already? It’s a baby, for God’s sake, Leon.’ Her sense of justice was running deep.

  ‘I didn’t know the child was mine. I needed to prove it first,’ said Leon, as though Birdie would understand.

  Birdie sat still, knowing her legs would not hold her up.

  ‘If you don’t come home then I will hand over the photographs I have to the newspapers and ruin your precious reputation and your family’s name. You understand?’

  Birdie felt her eyes well with tears, and she nodded and crawled over to the phone. Dialling Spencer’s office, her hand was shaking.

  ‘Spencer, it’s me. I have to go home. I’m sorry,’ she said and hung up.

  Leon pulled her to her feet. ‘Now, we start again, yes Birdie?’ he asked, as though nothing significant had been said between them.

  Birdie nodded as tears fell down her face. Start again. She heard the words in her head as they drove away. She wanted to start again but she was with the wrong man and it was too late. She had made her choice and now she had to live with it.

  14

  Spencer sat with Carlotta and Chris in Chris’s office.

  ‘The bank meeting is next Monday,’ he said. ‘I tried to put it off as long as I could but they are nervous. The police have been asking them questions about Leon.’

  ‘Where are we on that?’ asked Chris.

  ‘He’s in Morocco. With Melanie, as thought,’ he added dryly.

  Carlotta rolled her eyes. ‘Christ, she’s a bitch,’ she said. ‘Why can’t they just fly over and arrest him?’

  ‘The US doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Morocco,’ said Spencer.

  ‘Well, what can you find out?’ asked Carlotta impatiently.

  ‘We can get an investigator, if you like,’ Spencer said. ‘It will be expensive though.’

  ‘Do it. I will pay out of my trust fund.’

  Chris glanced at her and then looked away. ‘Does it matter now to Pajaro?’ he asked.

  ‘This isn’t about the company, this is about my mother who still hasn’t woken up,’ she snapped.

  ‘Of course,’ said Chris.

  Spencer interrupted them.

  ‘You need to ensure that Grace and Violetta have all their ducks lined up for the bank. We need to impress them.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Carlotta replied. The sisters were planning to meet later in the week to go through their presentation together.

  Spencer got up. ‘I’m off to see your mom,’ he said, packing up his papers.

  ‘Violetta’s in later today,’ said Carlotta. ‘Give her a kiss from me.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Spencer, and he kissed Carlotta on the cheek.

  After he left Carlotta sat awkwardly in Chris’s office. ‘I need to apologise to you and to Alexia,’ she said.

  ‘There’s no need,’ said Chris brusquely.

  ‘There is a need. I was rude and insensitive and I feel terrible.’

  ‘We haven’t thought about you at all,’ said Chris, and he turned from her and went to his desk.

  The truth was he had thought about Carlotta a lot. He thought about her constantly and this only made him angry. She was a piece of work, he told Alexia, when she asked about her equestrian heroine. But occasionally he saw glimpses of the person she could be, if only she would let her guard down.

  ‘I would like to help Alexia with her riding if she would let me,’ she offered.

  ‘Don’t do her any favours. It’s hard enough trying to get the horse set to embrace her and her riding. They don’t seem to believe that a person with no feeling in their legs could control a horse,’ he said bitterly.

  Carlotta watched as he sat at his desk. He seemed tired and stressed and she felt even worse for adding to it. His commitment to Pajaro was commendable and she regretted her attitude to both him and his daughter.

  ‘How old is she?’ she asked lightly.

  ‘Fifteen,’ he answered shortly.

  ‘Is she your only one?’

  Yes.’

  ‘And your wife?’ she ventured.

  ‘Dead. She was killed in the car accident that left Alexia the way she is now. It happened when she was ten.’

  Carlotta nodded, not knowing what to say. She stood up and walked over to him.

  ‘I am so sorry, Chris, for your loss of your wife, and for what has happened to Alexia. I am most of all sorry I have been such a royal bitch to you. Everything you have done for this company and every time you tried to show me something, I threw it back at you. I hope you can forgive me. I would dearly love to help Alexia, even just for a session.’

  She turned and walked out of his office.

  Chris put his head on his desk and felt tears prick his eyes. It had been a long time since he had cried about his daughter and his wife but Carlotta’s genuine apology moved him and he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Getting up from his desk, he walked out into the hallway to see Carlotta waiting for the elevator.

  ‘This afternoon,’ he said.

  ‘What?’ She turned, surprised to see him.

  ‘This afternoon. She has riding. Come with me and meet her and see how she goes,’ he said wearily.

  Carlotta smiled. ‘I would love to. I will meet you here at… what time?’

  ‘Three o’clock.’

  ‘Done.’

  And on impulse she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before she jumped into the elevator. As the doors closed Carlotta saw him touch his cheek where she had kissed him and their eyes met. She leaned against the elevator wall. Things were never as they seemed, she thought.

  *

  ‘Calypso Gable? Really?’ Grace asked disbelievingly.

  ‘Really,’ laughed Calypso.

  ‘Frankie told me you needed me to help you save your job or something dramatic.’

  Grace stood shaking. ‘I can’t believe it. How do you know Frank?’ she asked carefully.

  ‘He’s friends with my husband, Tim. They lived together in New York. And he was best man at our wedding.’

  ‘OK,’ said Grace slowly. It sounded like Calypso Gable, her sweet melodious voice that people loved. She could hear a baby bawling in the background.

  ‘So, you are Frank’s new girlfriend, I hear.’

  Grace was taken aback. ‘Well, we have just had a few dates, it’s nothing serious.’

  ‘Oh really, I think Frank’s quite taken with you.’

  Grace could hardly believe she was discussing her dating life with Calypso.

  ‘That’s nice,’ said Grace, unsure of what to say.

  ‘So, do you want to talk this over the phone or do you want to come out here to LA and meet with me? Might be easier. My baby might interrupt us, he’s due for a feed soon,’ laughed Calypso.

  Grace thought quickly. ‘I guess I can come out tomorrow. Is that too soon?’ she asked.

  ‘No, fine, I’ll look forward to meeting you and seeing Frank again. Stay for a few days. I’ll organise a dinner for a few friends.’

  ‘That sounds great,’ said Grace, stunned at the turn of events.

  ‘OK, you work it out with Frank and we’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Grace.’

  ‘Bye, Calypso,’ said Grace, feeling strange saying her name.

  She hung up and stood surrounded by mops and buckets and then screamed in her office.

  A staff member opened the door. ‘You all right?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m great! I’m going to LA,’ she shouted and hugged him and then ran outside to call Frank.

  Dialling his number, her hands were shaking. ‘You’re a shit,’ she laughed down the phone. ‘Tell me that was really her and not some friend of yours playing an elaborate joke,’ she begged.

>   Frank laughed on the other end of the line. ‘That was her, I told you that you have to go direct to the source.’

  Grace shrieked down the phone. ‘So you coming to LA with me or what?’

  ‘Leave it with me, OK. I will call you tonight with all the details.’

  ‘OK,’ said Grace. Just as she was about to hang up, she stopped. ‘Frank?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Don’t mention it,’ he said.

  And Grace danced down the hallway, ready to share her news with her sisters.

  15

  Carlotta arrived at Chris’s office at three o’clock on the dot. Chris was waiting for her.

  ‘I’m going to pick her up from school and take her out there,’ he said, not looking at Carlotta.

  ‘Great,’ said Carlotta, wondering why she always felt nervous around Chris.

  Walking downstairs into the car park, she settled into his Mercedes and they sat in silence till they reached Alexia’s school. The bell had rung and Carlotta saw girls milling about the street, in blue blazers and red berets.

  ‘God, school uniforms are so ugly,’ she said, thinking of her own school days.

  Chris laughed. ‘No wonder they spend so much on fashion when they have to dress like this.’

  Carlotta felt relieved at his change in mood. She looked around for Alexia and saw her sitting in her chair surrounded by girls, all laughing. Carlotta felt herself smile. Whatever Alexia had had served up to her in her short life, certainly didn’t seem to stop her from smiling.

  Alexia waved at her father who was out of the car and gesturing to her. She wheeled herself across the crossing towards the car. Seeing Carlotta in the front seat, her face lit up. ‘No way!’ she said.

  ‘Hi,’ said Carlotta shyly.

  ‘Oh wow! Are you coming to see me ride?’ she asked excitedly.

  ‘Yes, if you don’t mind,’ said Carlotta, getting out of the car.

  ‘Not at all,’ said Alexia as her father unhooked her backpack from the chair and put it in the large trunk of the car.

  Carlotta went to sit in the back seat.

  ‘You can sit in the front,’ said Alexia quickly.

  ‘No, it’s probably easier for you in the front,’ said Carlotta, embarrassed.

  ‘No, really I want to sit in the back. It’ll give me a new perspective,’ said Alexia, as she wheeled her chair over and expertly lifted herself onto the back seat with her hands.

  Chris shrugged. ‘You will never win with her, so don’t even try.’

  ‘You sure?’ asked Carlotta.

  ‘It’s done now. They only way you can move me is to lift me,’ dared Alexia, settling in her seat.

  Carlotta laughed and got into the front of the car while Chris packed away Alexia’s chair. When he got back in he started the engine and turned to his daughter. ‘Feels funny having you way back there, kiddo.’

  Alexia smiled. ‘I like it, she said.

  At the riding centre, Alexia took her riding gear from her father and wheeled herself towards the change rooms. Chris went to follow her in.

  Alexia stopped. ‘Maybe Carlotta can help me,’ she said.

  Chris looked to Carlotta who nodded. ‘Sure, you will have to tell me what you need though.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, she will,’ countered Chris.

  Carlotta watched as Alexia undid her school uniform and slipped on a jumper over the T-shirt she was wearing under her tunic.

  ‘I just need my pants and my boots,’ she said, pulling them out of her bag.

  Carlotta watched as she pulled off her own school shoes.

  ‘So you ready?’ asked Alexia.

  ‘I guess,’ said Carlotta.

  ‘Stand here and lean down. I will hang onto your waist while you lift me and then pull the dress down. Then put the pants on and then we will do the lift again and you just pull them up.’

  Carlotta did as she was asked and soon they were out of the changing room where an anxious Chris was waiting. ‘All fine?’ he asked carefully.

  ‘She’s an expert, Dad. Chill.’

  Carlotta felt proud of herself and of Alexia as she wheeled herself towards the stable. Carlotta watched as she was lifted onto her horse by a hoist – a beautiful bay with the gentlest nature Carlotta had ever come across.

  ‘What’s his name?’ she asked.

  ‘Cookie,’ said Alexia, sitting up straight. ‘He knows everything I want him to do. It’s like he reads my mind.’

  ‘That’s because he loves you,’ said Carlotta, rubbing the horse’s face with her forehead.

  ‘You think?’ asked Alexia, touching the horse’s neck with her hand.

  ‘Yep, absolutely,’ said Carlotta, happy that such a lovely beast was carrying Alexia.

  Alexia walked her horse out into the area. There was no one else on the course and she started to take Cookie through her paces. Carlotta stood next to Chris as Alexia’s coach talked her through her ride.

  ‘She sits beautifully,’ said Carlotta.

  ‘You think?’ asked Chris proudly.

  ‘Yes, she a natural,’ said Carlotta, marvelling at Alexia.

  Another rider came onto the area but was at the other end so Carlotta paid no attention to them. The coach set up some small jumps for Cookie and Alexia to try. Chris looked at Carlotta.

  ‘This is the hard part. She is trying jumping but sometimes she bounces out of the saddle,’ he said worriedly.

  Carlotta held her breath as Alexia and Cookie moved towards the first jump. Just as they were about to take it, the other rider came flying up in the opposite direction and jumped the hurdle, knocking into Cookie. Alexia went flying off the horse. Chris jumped the fence and ran towards her. Carlotta felt enraged and ran up the side of the area to speak to the rider. ‘Excuse me,’ she yelled.

  The rider turned around. It was Jessica Berconi.

  ‘Jessica, what the hell do you think you’re doing? You could have killed her?’

  ‘I didn’t see her. Sorry,’ said Jessica, smirking at Carlotta.

  ‘Yes you did, and those jumps weren’t even set up for you,’ she said angrily.

  ‘Those jumps were the size of what I was getting over when I was ten. Anyway, it’s not like she is going to do any more damage,’ laughed Jessica. ‘She’s already a gimp.’

  Carlotta drew in a sharp breath. What a little bitch, she thought. ‘You are a piece of work, Jessica Berconi. I will speak to your father about this.’

  ‘Speak to me about what?’ she heard, and turned to see John standing behind her.

  ‘Your daughter deliberately knocked off another rider,’ she said to John.

  ‘Well, I don’t think she meant it and no harm done, it looks like,’ he said, looking at Alexia who was now back in the saddle on Cookie.

  ‘No thanks to Jessica,’ argued Carlotta.

  ‘Well, it’s not really the place for a cripple is it?’ said John easily. ‘I am sure there are other places she could ride instead of infecting this place with her disability.

  Carlotta was shocked at his attitude and realised Jessica was exactly like her father. ‘You disgust me,’ she said. ‘And I won’t be needing your money for the horse show. We have another sponsor.’

  ‘Fine, I was going to pull out anyway. A conflict of interest, you might say,’ said John, as he smoked his cigarette, ignoring the no smoking signs.

  Carlotta didn’t wait to find out what he meant but instead ran over to Chris. ‘What a pair of assholes,’ she said.

  Chris looked at her, surprised. ‘Fragrant speech, Ms de Santoval,’ he said, looking up at Jessica and John at the other end of the area.

  ‘I say it as I see it,’ said Carlotta, crossing her arms.

  ‘Indeed you do,’ laughed Chris.

  After Alexia’s lesson they got into the car to travel back to the city and Carlotta was astounded by how easily Alexia laughed off the incident with Jessica.

  ‘She hates me because I am a better rider t
han her, even without legs that work,’ laughed Alexia.

  ‘Alexia!’ admonished Chris.

  ‘It’s true,’ said Alexia from the back seat again.

  ‘I can see she likes to say it as she sees it too,’ said Carlotta to Chris as Alexia answered her cell phone.

  ‘Yes, her mother was just the same. I seem to love women who have no trouble saying what they are thinking,’ he laughed.

  ‘Can Carlotta stay for dinner? Please?’ she begged.

  ‘It’s fine with me, but you should ask her yourself,’ said Chris.

  ‘Please, Carlotta? Will you stay for dinner?’ said Alexia from behind her.

  Carlotta laughed. ‘OK, I will. I mean thanks, that would be lovely.’

  She smiled at Chris who smiled back at her and caught her eye.

  *

  Carlotta was skittish as Chris made her a Vodka tonic with a new bottle of cold Chopin, she noted. The man certainly had taste, she thought, as she looked around his apartment. A loft in Soho, once an art gallery, Chris explained, but now his home. Carlotta wandered about the large space made warm by the red brick, bookshelves, and the rugs on the floorboards. Everything was made for Alexia’s ease and comfort. She noted the lowered countertops and door handles, the widened passage way, and the extra large bathroom.

  ‘You have a lot of books,’ she said, and then regretted it. What a stupid comment, only a bimbo would say that. She should have asked him what he was reading. ‘Read anything good lately?’ she asked.

  ‘Nope,’ said Chris as he came towards her with her drink and one for himself. ‘You?’

  ‘No, I have kinda been caught up,’ said Carlotta, and a shadow crossed her face briefly.

  Alexia wheeled herself into the living room. ‘Pizza, Dad?’

  ‘Really? Pizza?’

  Alexia made a face. ‘Dad is such a pain in the ass about eating right. He cooks most nights for me, and pizza is such a treat.’