Hidden Dreams by Shelley Thrasher

Author:Shelley Thrasher [Thrasher, Shelley]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781635558579
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2021-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Ready to rest for the night, we are lying faceup in our queen bed, side by side. I am sweating, not sure what to do. Nothing has changed. I am uncertain what Barbara thinks of me. Does she view me as her tour guide, a person who probably saved her life? Or does she feel sorry for me? I am a refugee who deserted her country to save her own life and finally returned to discover a totally different place.

Her parents had an unhappy marriage. She rebelled briefly against her upbringing but then seems to have settled down and lived in Dallas. Yet what else? Is she satisfied with her life, or does she wish she had done things differently? I would like to know, so I simply ask.

“What happened after you and your hippie girlfriend broke up? You said you grew up. What did you mean?”

She stares at the ceiling fan, slowly circling above us. “Red bought me a house in the same posh neighborhood where he and Meatea lived. Not so close that they could spot any of my overnight guests, but near enough that I could keep tabs on how he was treating Meatea.”

“Were you afraid he would mistreat her?”

“No. Not physically. That might damage his reputation. I simply didn’t want her to be too lonely. Not that I made much difference.”

“Tell me more about her situation.”

Barbara jerks, seeming startled that someone would express interest in the subject, but then she evidently remembers who I am and why I might be interested in her mother.

She turns onto her side and begins to speak, at first seeming to search for words. “She lived in a small apartment attached to the mansion where Red reigned, so they basically lived separate lives. He was always involved with sports and loose women, and I hate to admit it, but I served as his hostess when he gave big parties for his various business associates.”

I can envision Barbara playing that role. Did she feel like she was betraying her mother at those times or saving her from an uncomfortable experience?

“Meatea preferred to carve figurines and help landscape their huge yard. I spent time with her there occasionally, and as I grew older, she taught me to love flowers and birds.” Barbara picks at a loose thread on our bedspread. “I truly don’t know if she had a happy life. I would occasionally visit her and admire one of her intricate carvings, but we never had much to talk about until after Red died.” She pulls the thread free and wraps it around her finger. “After he did, we stretched our wings like two doves freed from a cage, but by then it was almost too late to make up for all the time together we’d lost. I was so looking forward to traveling here with her. It might have drawn us together even more closely.” She seems to have a hard time swallowing and pulls the thread tight.

Watching the moving fan,

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