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Chapter OneNine hundred and seventeen days. Raquel Poppy Valente ticked off another in her tally as she rolled over and faced the sun shining outside her bedroom window in New Orleans. It had become a habit now to wake up with a number in her head, followed closely by a curse. That she had woken up at all to face another lonely day with Carly gone pissed her off. It pissed her off because the loss swamped her hope so badly she wanted to roll right over and close her eyes.Today was different, though. Today she stared at the innocuous yellow envelope on her dresser until her skin prickled. She'd had the damn thing for all of those nine hundred and seventeen days, but the idea of opening it had only started to germinate the night before. Now the envelope was almost screaming at her from across the quiet room.With a deep breath she swung her legs over the bed and walked slowly to the dresser. She carried the envelope down to the den and sat in her boxers and T-shirt to rip it open. The videotape she pulled out had the words "For Poppy" written neatly across the front. For a long while, Poppy just held it before putting it into the machine.The scene it opened with was sunset on Carly's Sound, a small, privately owned island near Aruba. Poppy leaned forward as Carly came into view, bald and wearing a large terry cloth robe. She sat on a porch that overlooked a beach with crystal blue water. Next to her was a cup, and when the camera panned back, Poppy could see that her legs were folded under her."Hi, sweetheart." Carly looked directly into the lens and smiled for what she knew would be a very attentive audience of one. "I finally got you to take a nap. You're so stubborn about leaving me alone. If you're watching, I hope it means you're ready for the next phase of your life, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me.""I'll never be ready for that." Poppy clenched her fists, fighting the urge to just sit still and listen.Carly rubbed her chest in an attempt to ease the pain that had racked her body constantly at the end. Poppy knew the gesture well, and seeing it once more made her angry over the familiar helplessness."It's a strange concept to wrap your brain around," Carly said in a surreal but accepting tone, "the fact you'll be dead in a matter of weeks. But I'm not that overly concerned. Don't get me wrong. If I could, I'd change my fate, but we both know that can't happen. My life has been short, but it's been good, in large part because I've lived the last eleven years with you, baby."Poppy, above all else I want you to know that you've been the piece that's made my life complete. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Now that I can see the end of my road, I'm the most proud of two things?being a mother and your wife."Carly stopped talking for a minute and took a sip of her tea. She pulled her robe tighter around her body as if she was trying to ward off a chill. For a brief moment a slight smile graced her face as she looked toward the surf."With you I never felt trapped or insignificant. Do you realize how lucky I felt every time you told me I was too beautiful to do anything else but spread my wings and fly? Besides the birth of my children it was the one gift that ever meant anything to me, because it meant you'd listened to me and had taken me seriously. You made me feel like I was worth more to you than all the things you accomplished and all the places you built. That's not something everyone experiences in a lifetime."Carly stopped and pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. "You loved all of me, Poppy, and that was a gift. It made choosing between quality of life, and quantity, easy. I chose quality. I wanted to be in my right mind for all the time I had left with you. Living every moment of the time you're given is what helps you accept the fact there are only a few grains of sand left in your hourglass. It's a lesson you've taught me well."The toll of having to film this message was starting to show on Carly's face, and seeing her tire so quickly broke Poppy's heart again. Being active and productive at both work and play had been such afundamental part of Carly's personality, it had been hard for her to accept when the cancer started to defeat her strong determination."We've returned here to the place we began a lifetime ago, and we'll add one more memory on this beach. Ooh la la, the stories I could tell, huh, sweetheart?" Carly's lips curved into a beautiful smile."I want you to do a few things for me, and the first has to do with Lizzie." Elizabeth "Lizzie" Stevens was Carly's daughter, who now worked for Poppy. "If you want, you can show her this part of the tape, but please remind her how special she was to me?my little bookworm who morphed into an extraordinary young woman. Aside from you, she's the person I'm going to miss the most. Tell her that I love her, and that I'm proud of her. Tell her to take care of herself and remember all the things we talked about. I'm going to miss those long conversations we shared."Carly's soft green eyes watered at the admission, and she stopped for a moment as if willing herself not to cry. She tilted her head back into the wind, and Poppy could tell she was trying to find the strength to finish. She had gotten so frail at the end, but her sense of humor had remained.When the camera lens focused on the green eyes again, Poppy felt like Carly was looking right into her heart. The parting words were just for her."So all there's left to say is dry your eyes, my love, and shed your sadness. I love you, and don't you forget it. Thank you for listening. You always were a soft touch when it came to me, and I love you for it. I'll be seeing you in your dreams, honey.""I wish for so much more," whispered Poppy."Get yourself dressed and get going. It's time to stop your moping."As soon as she emerged from the revolving doors at the side entrance to the upscale Piquant hotel in downtown New Orleans, Poppy heard the wailing. She stared across from the closed hotel shops to the source of the noise, a red-faced, crying infant being bounced gently by a young blond woman who looked equally miserable. The two were standing in line in the hotel coffee shop, being ignored by not-so-amused customers."Come on, Tallulah girl, it's going to be okay. Mommy just needs some coffee before we fly out this morning," the young woman said, as she tried to juggle a diaper bag, flight bag, and her baby. "God, I should've known better and just ordered room service."Unable to stand their helplessness, Poppy quickly crossed the gleaming marble floor to stand next to them and asked, "May I give you a hand?"Knowing that most people mistrusted strangers, she fully expected the young woman to decline, but Julia Johnson expelled a breath of relief when she heard the soft velvety voice offering help. Without hesitation, she handed the flight bag and diaper bag off to the tall, dark-haired stranger, thanking her sincerely.Once her savior was loaded down with her possessions, Julia distracted Tallulah with a soft toy. This ploy reduced the decibels enough that Julia could order. "A decaf cafe au lait, please, and a blueberry muffin."The clerk nodded, then turned her attention to the pack mule standing next to Julia. "And what do you desire, good-looking?" The clerk's arched eyebrow looked even more pronounced because of the spike piercing it."A venti latte, please." The stranger glanced toward Julia, who was trying to extract her wallet from her purse, and said, "It's on me."Moving a superbly tailored jacket aside, she slid a hand into the front pocket of immaculate black pleated pants and extracted a gold money clip engraved with a flower instead of a name or initials. She peeled off a twenty and pressed it into the teenage clerk's hand. "Here you go, kid, and keep the change. You're good for my ego."Julia couldn't help but join the clerk in really taking in her benefactor. The tall stranger was laughing softly, and something in her bearing lifted Julia out of the frustrated mood she had been in and replaced her aggravation with a slight panicky feeling. She realized that, in her distracted state, she had not only handed over the bulk of her money, which was in the flight bag, but she'd also allowed the woman to pay for her order."I can't let you buy my breakfast," Julia protested as the woman started walking.Tallulah was restless again and emitted a couple of sharp howls. Bouncing her, Julia followed her luggage, which was still attached tothe woman who was also carrying the tray holding their coffees and Julia's muffin."Why not?" The woman paused at the coffee station and set down the tray."Why not what?" asked Julia."Why can't I buy you breakfast? Is there some law or religious reason why I wouldn't be able to?" The stranger uncapped their cups and started adding the appropriate ingredients to hers."No, it's just that I don't know you, and I don't want to impose," said Julia above the wailing going on near her right shoulder. Tallulah was trying to crawl over her body, and the cries sounded as if she was in pain. "Why can't they talk from the beginning?""How do you take your coffee?" The voice was close to Julia's ear, making her shiver."What? I'm sorry," said Julia, after the woman's snapping fingers brought her back to the coffee shop."How do you take your coffee?""Three sugars, thanks.""They can talk from the beginning, ma'am. You just have to listen to what they're saying." Julia's savior shook three sugar packets, shifting the granules to one side before ripping the packets open and dumping their contents into the steaming liquid."Excuse me?" Julia moved the baby to her other shoulder to give her right ear a break and to get a better ... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Chapter OneNine hundred and seventeen days. Raquel Poppy Valente ticked off another in her tally as she rolled over and faced the sun shining outside her bedroom window in New Orleans. It had become a habit now to wake up with a number in her head, followed closely by a curse. That she had woken up at all to face another lonely day with Carly gone pissed her off. It pissed her off because the loss swamped her hope so badly she wanted to roll right over and close her eyes.Today was different, though. Today she stared at the innocuous yellow envelope on her dresser until her skin prickled. She'd had the damn thing for all of those nine hundred and seventeen days, but the idea of opening it had only started to germinate the night before. Now the envelope was almost screaming at her from across the quiet room.With a deep breath she swung her legs over the bed and walked slowly to the dresser. She carried the envelope down to the den and sat in her boxers and T-shirt to rip it open. The videotape she pulled out had the words "For Poppy" written neatly across the front. For a long while, Poppy just held it before putting it into the machine.The scene it opened with was sunset on Carly's Sound, a small, privately owned island near Aruba. Poppy leaned forward as Carly came into view, bald and wearing a large terry cloth robe. She sat on a porch that overlooked a beach with crystal blue water. Next to her was a cup, and when the camera panned back, Poppy could see that her legs were folded under her."Hi, sweetheart." Carly looked directly into the lens and smiled for what she knew would be a very attentive audience of one. "I finally got you to take a nap. You're so stubborn about leaving me alone. If you're watching, I hope it means you're ready for the next phase of your life, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me.""I'll never be ready for that." Poppy clenched her fists, fighting the urge to just sit still and listen.Carly rubbed her chest in an attempt to ease the pain that had racked her body constantly at the end. Poppy knew the gesture well, and seeing it once more made her angry over the familiar helplessness."It's a strange concept to wrap your brain around," Carly said in a surreal but accepting tone, "the fact you'll be dead in a matter of weeks. But I'm not that overly concerned. Don't get me wrong. If I could, I'd change my fate, but we both know that can't happen. My life has been short, but it's been good, in large part because I've lived the last eleven years with you, baby."Poppy, above all else I want you to know that you've been the piece that's made my life complete. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Now that I can see the end of my road, I'm the most proud of two things?being a mother and your wife."Carly stopped talking for a minute and took a sip of her tea. She pulled her robe tighter around her body as if she was trying to ward off a chill. For a brief moment a slight smile graced her face as she looked toward the surf."With you I never felt trapped or insignificant. Do you realize how lucky I felt every time you told me I was too beautiful to do anything else but spread my wings and fly? Besides the birth of my children it was the one gift that ever meant anything to me, because it meant you'd listened to me and had taken me seriously. You made me feel like I was worth more to you than all the things you accomplished and all the places you built. That's not something everyone experiences in a lifetime."Carly stopped and pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. "You loved all of me, Poppy, and that was a gift. It made choosing between quality of life, and quantity, easy. I chose quality. I wanted to be in my right mind for all the time I had left with you. Living every moment of the time you're given is what helps you accept the fact there are only a few grains of sand left in your hourglass. It's a lesson you've taught me well."The toll of having to film this message was starting to show on Carly's face, and seeing her tire so quickly broke Poppy's heart again. Being active and productive at both work and play had been such afundamental part of Carly's personality, it had been hard for her to accept when the cancer started to defeat her strong determination."We've returned here to the place we began a lifetime ago, and we'll add one more memory on this beach. Ooh la la, the stories I could tell, huh, sweetheart?" Carly's lips curved into a beautiful smile."I want you to do a few things for me, and the first has to do with Lizzie." Elizabeth "Lizzie" Stevens was Carly's daughter, who now worked for Poppy. "If you want, you can show her this part of the tape, but please remind her how special she was to me?my little bookworm who morphed into an extraordinary young woman. Aside from you, she's the person I'm going to miss the most. Tell her that I love her, and that I'm proud of her. Tell her to take care of herself and remember all the things we talked about. I'm going to miss those long conversations we shared."Carly's soft green eyes watered at the admission, and she stopped for a moment as if willing herself not to cry. She tilted her head back into the wind, and Poppy could tell she was trying to find the strength to finish. She had gotten so frail at the end, but her sense of humor had remained.When the camera lens focused on the green eyes again, Poppy felt like Carly was looking right into her heart. The parting words were just for her."So all there's left to say is dry your eyes, my love, and shed your sadness. I love you, and don't you forget it. Thank you for listening. You always were a soft touch when it came to me, and I love you for it. I'll be seeing you in your dreams, honey.""I wish for so much more," whispered Poppy."Get yourself dressed and get going. It's time to stop your moping."As soon as she emerged from the revolving doors at the side entrance to the upscale Piquant hotel in downtown New Orleans, Poppy heard the wailing. She stared across from the closed hotel shops to the source of the noise, a red-faced, crying infant being bounced gently by a young blond woman who looked equally miserable. The two were standing in line in the hotel coffee shop, being ignored by not-so-amused customers."Come on, Tallulah girl, it's going to be okay. Mommy just needs some coffee before we fly out this morning," the young woman said, as she tried to juggle a diaper bag, flight bag, and her baby. "God, I should've known better and just ordered room service."Unable to stand their helplessness, Poppy quickly crossed the gleaming marble floor to stand next to them and asked, "May I give you a hand?"Knowing that most people mistrusted strangers, she fully expected the young woman to decline, but Julia Johnson expelled a breath of relief when she heard the soft velvety voice offering help. Without hesitation, she handed the flight bag and diaper bag off to the tall, dark-haired stranger, thanking her sincerely.Once her savior was loaded down with her possessions, Julia distracted Tallulah with a soft toy. This ploy reduced the decibels enough that Julia could order. "A decaf cafe au lait, please, and a blueberry muffin."The clerk nodded, then turned her attention to the pack mule standing next to Julia. "And what do you desire, good-looking?" The clerk's arched eyebrow looked even more pronounced because of the spike piercing it."A venti latte, please." The stranger glanced toward Julia, who was trying to extract her wallet from her purse, and said, "It's on me."Moving a superbly tailored jacket aside, she slid a hand into the front pocket of immaculate black pleated pants and extracted a gold money clip engraved with a flower instead of a name or initials. She peeled off a twenty and pressed it into the teenage clerk's hand. "Here you go, kid, and keep the change. You're good for my ego."Julia couldn't help but join the clerk in really taking in her benefactor. The tall stranger was laughing softly, and something in her bearing lifted Julia out of the frustrated mood she had been in and replaced her aggravation with a slight panicky feeling. She realized that, in her distracted state, she had not only handed over the bulk of her money, which was in the flight bag, but she'd also allowed the woman to pay for her order."I can't let you buy my breakfast," Julia protested as the woman started walking.Tallulah was restless again and emitted a couple of sharp howls. Bouncing her, Julia followed her luggage, which was still attached tothe woman who was also carrying the tray holding their coffees and Julia's muffin."Why not?" The woman paused at the coffee station and set down the tray."Why not what?" asked Julia."Why can't I buy you breakfast? Is there some law or religious reason why I wouldn't be able to?" The stranger uncapped their cups and started adding the appropriate ingredients to hers."No, it's just that I don't know you, and I don't want to impose," said Julia above the wailing going on near her right shoulder. Tallulah was trying to crawl over her body, and the cries sounded as if she was in pain. "Why can't they talk from the beginning?""How do you take your coffee?" The voice was close to Julia's ear, making her shiver."What? I'm sorry," said Julia, after the woman's snapping fingers brought her back to the coffee shop."How do you take your coffee?""Three sugars, thanks.""They can talk from the beginning, ma'am. You just have to listen to what they're saying." Julia's savior shook three sugar packets, shifting the granules to one side before ripping the packets open and dumping their contents into the steaming liquid."Excuse me?" Julia moved the baby to her other shoulder to give her right ear a break and to get a better ... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]