Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jan 14, 2008 15:55:38 GMT -5
Chapter 94
Esmé was sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of hot tea clutched between her hands. She looked over at Carmelita, who was sitting across from her, and saw that the expression on the young woman’s face was more than a little troubled.
“What’s wrong, Carmy?” Esmé asked.
Carmelita looked up from her cup of tea and shrugged. “Esmé, may I ask you a serious question?” said Carmelita.
“You may ask me anything you want, darling.”
“Do you think it’s worth it to give your whole heart to someone when it hurts all the ones you love at the same time?”
Esmé returned her gaze to her tea while she considered Carmelita’s question. Esmé supposed she knew the answer better than anyone, but at the same time she was reluctant to answer.
When Jerome had come to her and disclosed what had befallen Carmelita and Lisa, Esmé had been reminded of an event in her past that she had never fully been able to let go of. It was an event that had occurred nearly fifteen years ago, between her and her best friend, Beatrice Taylor. Throughout high school, each of them had had a steady boyfriend— Bertrand Baudelaire, who had been Esmé’s boyfriend, and Lemony Snicket, who had been Beatrice’s boyfriend.
When Esmé and Beatrice had first met at a Thursday tea party when they were both twelve years old, they had hit it off immediately and become the best of friends. For the next eight years they remained inseparable, doing everything together. They had even planned to be married in the same church on the same day in identical wedding gowns. Little did the girls know that their dream to marry the men they loved and to raise their children together would remain only that: A dream.
The dreams of both young women had been shattered when Beatrice decided she could no longer marry Lemony, a decision that Esmé had never been able to fully understand all because Beatrice had refused to explain the reason. Not wanting to press her best friend for answers she wasn’t willing to reveal, Esmé had simply left the matter alone. It wasn’t until she had caught Beatrice and Bertrand kissing one rainy afternoon on the steps of Veblen Hall that Esmé’s friendship with Beatrice had ended, never to be rekindled. Esmé supposed that it had been made official when Beatrice had married Bertrand.
Esmé didn’t want to see Carmelita’s friendship with Lisa end because a man had gotten in the way of it. True, it wasn’t the same situation in regards to Esmé and Beatrice’s friendship, but love still played a very important role. Carmelita and Lisa had been friends for almost as long as Esmé and Beatrice had, and Esmé didn’t think she could stand to see Carmelita throw it all away.
Lifting her eyes from her tea and resting them on her adopted daughter, Esmé answered honestly: “You don’t have to worry anymore about hurting me, Carmelita. I’ve accepted your relationship with Nero. And besides, you can’t help who you love. But I do think you should have a talk with Lisa. After all, she did make an effort to apologize to you, so that must tell you something about the regret she feels.”
Carmelita nodded in agreement. “I do kind of miss her,” she admitted.
“Then why don’t you give her a call?”
“But what should I say?”
“Apologize,” said Esmé. “Tell her that you’re sorry for ignoring her for all those months that you spent with Nero.”
Carmelita nodded, and walked across the kitchen to the telephone. She didn’t even have to ask Esmé for any privacy, and after she had left the kitchen, Carmelita picked up the telephone and dialed the Logan’s number.
The telephone rang three times before someone picked up. “Hello,” said the voice on the other line, “Logan residence.”
“Hi, Mr. Logan,” Carmelita replied. “This is Carmelita Spats speaking. Is Lisa available?”
“Yes, she is. Hold on a minute, Carmelita, while I go and get her.”
Carmelita listened to the phone being set down, and she more than half expected to hear a “click” echo on the other line any minute. She couldn’t help but be haunted by the feeling that everyone’s opinion of her had transpired into something less than flattering ever since the appearance of the article in The Daily Punctilio. She was deciding whether or not to hang up when a voice suddenly resonated in her ear.
“Carmelita?”
“Lisa?”
“Hi!” both girls exclaimed at once, and laughed.
“How are you?” Carmelita asked.
“Fine,” Lisa replied. “Well, more like surprised. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to the phone. I was taking my dog for a walk.”
“You have a dog now? When did that happen?”
“A few weeks ago. It’s a four-month old female Shiba Inu puppy. My parents finally broke down and bought me a dog.” Lisa laughed. “It only took ten years of ceaseless whining and continual talk of all things canine to convince them.”
Carmelita smiled. “Well, I’m glad you finally got your puppy,” she said. “You deserve it.” And as the last words fell from her lips, she was surprised by how sincere they sounded.
“You don’t sound angry,” Lisa pointed out. “I would’ve thought you’d be calling just to yell at me some more.”
“That’s not why I called you, Lisa. I called you to say I’m sorry for ignoring you all this year, and to tell you that I still consider you my best friend.”
“Even after what I did to break you and Nero up?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because,” Carmelita went on, “even though I know you did what you did to hurt me, I also know that you’re still a good person. If you weren’t, then you wouldn’t have bothered to even call me and apologize.”
“Yes,” Lisa agreed. “That’s true, but… it still doesn’t excuse what I did.”
“No. It doesn’t. But I’m willing to forgive you, if you’re willing to forgive me.”
“I forgave you a long time ago. I just thought you were too angry with me for it to matter much.”
“Well, I was angry with you,” Carmelita replied. “But I’m not anymore. You’re my best friend, Lisa. I could never stay angry with you forever.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Lisa said, “the next time you see me, you can punch me in the nose again.”
Carmelita laughed at the memory. “That’s was almost four years ago. I can’t believe you still remember it.”
“I know, but I do. We were just kids back then.”
“Not to mention a couple of cakesniffers.”
They laughed some more.
Carmelita had no idea, but Esmé was standing outside the kitchen listening from behind the wall. She was glad that Carmelita appeared to have straightened things out with Lisa, but sad that things hadn’t been that easy for herself and Beatrice.
Esmé stood there for a few minutes more until she heard the phone click, and then hurried away before Carmelita could catch her eavesdropping.