Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Part Twenty-Four

There was a knock on the door before it opened and one of Georgeanne's ladies informed her it was dinner time.  Blue told the lady that they'd be out in a minute, and without question, she closed the door.  Blue then turned back to her sister.  "Are you all right?" she asked.

Georgeanne in her fit of tears had slid from the bed to the floor.  It had taken a while, but her sobs eventually subsided leaving the her remaining tears to leak from her eyes as she sat on her knees not speaking.  Her sister just sat with her, keeping her company in her moment of need.

Her breathing slow and steady, she said, "I'm fine," her voice quiet but unshaken.

Blue reached out, her index finger curled, and wiped a fallen tear away.  The gesture caught Georgeanne's attention, and she turned her head toward her sibling.  "We should get you cleaned up for dinner then."  Georgeanne simply nodded and let her sister pull her to her feet.  She sat before her vanity, and stared at her reflection as she blotted her face with her handkerchief.  Then she powdered her face to cover up any evidence she had been crying. 

Standing behind her, Blue fidgeted with her hair to make it look a little more presentable.  Moderately happy with how it looked, she asked her sister for her opinion.  When she didn't answer, she caught her sister staring at the mirror.  "Georgie?"  She continued to stare as if her sister had said nothing.  Blue bent forward, placing her head just above her sister's left shoulder.  She looked from Georgeanne to the mirror and back again.  "Were you thinking of doing something with your hair?" she asked.  "I think it looks fine the way it is, but we could try something else."  Another knock on the door and both girls turned to see Georgeanne's lady, an apologetic look on her face, standing in the doorway.  "We need to go," said Blue.  "You know how M-."  She paused then said, "We shouldn't keep Father waiting."  Georgeanne laid the puff on the table and stood, smoothing her hands over her dress.  Blue left to talk with the lady at the door, and while alone, Georgeanne's mind began to wander again.  With her right hand, she reached out toward the mirror and tapped it with her knuckle as if rapping on a door. 

Blue called to her sister.  "Coming," she replied, taking her hand back from her reflection and turned toward the door.  Once there, her sister did not move.  "I'm ready.  Let's go."  Something had caught her sister's attention, but when she followed her line of sight, saw that she was staring at the mirror.  "What is it?" asked Georgeanne.

"Nothing," said Blue.  "I just thought..."  She shook her head and smiled at her sister.  "Never mind.  Must have been a trick of the light."  She stood beside her sister, offering her arm to her.  "Off to dinner?"

Georgeanne smiled back, looped her arm through her sister's and headed out the door.

Moments after the door closed, what Blue thought she had seen happened again as the mirror's surface began to ripple like water and after a few minutes smoothed again into flat glass.

1 comment: