Franzisca's Box by Sandra Perez Gluschankoff

Author:Sandra Perez Gluschankoff [Gluschankoff, Sandra Perez]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Summer Solstice
Published: 2016-03-08T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

Solvang, CA, March 2013

As much as I wanted to stay up and wring out every last piece of information Margaret was willing to give us, the night was growing old. Margaret retired to bed first with the promise of more talk the following morning. We hugged for a long time. Knowing how she worried about me, I assured her I was fine and that I would be in bed within five minutes. Then in that manner of hers, in which she always seemed to be imparting orders to a battalion, she commanded Daniel to stay in one of the guest rooms in the main house. “I don’t need to be worrying about you driving this late at night, Daniel.”

The comment was deviously directed at me. Margaret anticipated I would object to his stay, so she used the oldest trick in the book and blackmailed me with her peace of mind. “Sofia, please take care of the details.” I knew better than to argue, so I nodded and with that she disappeared behind her door.

The main house had seven bedrooms. Abuela’s bedroom and the one I had occupied during my teenage years were housed in a separate quarter. The remaining five bedrooms were lined along a hallway off the family room. Marcela was appointed one of the bedrooms, although she had never stayed in it, and one was Margaret’s. The rest of the rooms were always ready to accommodate the many guests we hosted throughout the years.

I led Daniel to a bedroom at the end of the hallway. It had a lovely view of the gardens and hills. The room smelled of fresh linen and I was happy to see that even without Abuela the house was still kept immaculate; not a speck of dust in sight.

I pointed to a door. “That door opens to a full bathroom. There are clean towels under the sink.”

Daniel had not uttered a word since recounting the story about Alex. He stood by the doorway staring out the window. It was dark outside. Still, through the windowpanes, the twinkling stars were visible. After everything we had gone through during the day, his nearness still made me nervous. “Now that you know for sure who Franzisca was, I guess your job here is done.”

His gaze travelled from the window and rested on me. “You don’t have to stay. Margaret will get over it when she wakes up. I just didn’t have the strength to argue with her.”

Daniel ran his fingers through his hair, another one of his habits I had noticed, and sat down on the bed. “What now?” His question was raw.

I had no idea what was next for us. Every muscle in my body hurt and my eyes were begging for sleep. But I did not want to be alone in my room. For some inexplicable reason I wanted to be with Daniel.

I walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. For a second time in a day, I allowed my impulses to act on my behalf.

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