Ruby by Francesca Lia Block

Author:Francesca Lia Block
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780061753350
Publisher: HarperCollins

miss flora and the demon

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EASY for me to keep pretending and repressing. After all, I had spent my whole childhood doing these things. But when Isabelle and Phillip left, I started wondering if the whole idea was a big mistake.

Partly, it was because of Christmas. I had only been away from my family once before at this time of year, with the Martins, and part of me wished I could be home, baking sugar-crusted chocolate bourbon balls and Christmas cookies in the shapes of stars, bells, and angels with my mom and Opal. I tried to imagine sitting at my mother’s table with you beside me, your back healed, your voice merry as you drank hot cider and chatted away with them. But even with my imagination, I couldn’t see it. My old life was fading and you were lying in your bed, silent and sullen, hardly eating, avoiding my eyes now when I came to check on you. Fading, too.

That was the other reason I thought I’d made a mistake. You seemed so depressed and nothing I did was helping. What did I expect? Magic? Who did I think I was?

Before Isabelle left, she decorated the house with evergreen boughs, holly wreaths, mistletoe, bowls of nuts and fruits, candles, gold and silver moons and stars. Every nook and cranny was draped in folds of rich dark green velvet. It did look magical, and I began to think maybe I should at least try to do some spells of my own. Maybe I could cheer you up a little at least. So I spent the whole day on the meal. There was a rich mushroom risotto, crusty bread, a tray of cheeses, mulled wine, sweet spiced nuts, a glazed poppy-seed loaf, and the cookies I had imagined making with my mother.

I draped a green velvet cloth over my arm and balanced two large trays on either hand. Those years of waitressing as a teenager had paid off a little. You looked up.

“May I come in?”

You nodded. Your eyes widened a little at the food, but you didn’t say a word.

I set the trays down and lit the candles I had placed all around your room. Outside, the garden was white under a black sky.

“This is only the second time I’ve been away from my family during the holidays. I thought I’d share some of our traditions with you.”

I fed you small bites of all the dishes, but I kept my eyes averted, the way I always did when I helped you eat. I sensed the shame you felt at having to be cared for this way. I wanted to tell you that it was okay, that there was no reason to be ashamed with me, but I didn’t want to make it worse.

When we were done eating, I said, “My mom used to read us this one book every Christmas Eve and I wanted to read it to you.”

You didn’t say anything, so I picked up Miss Flora McFlimsey’s Christmas Eve.

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