The Rosetta Codex by Richard Paul Russo

Author:Richard Paul Russo
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Group US

Dinner was a long and extravagant event, with everyone seated at a table by a high window looking out onto the garden in the waning evening light. Food was plentiful, most of it provided by the garden, supplemented with fish and braised meats and bottles of homemade wine. By the time it was over, and Rusk was serving coffee and brandy and kuma and tea, darkness had fallen completely, and Cale realized they were expected to spend the night.

Soon the two youngsters, after cleaning up the dishes and kitchen, went off to bed—they were going to sleep on cots up in the attic rooms—but the adults remained at the table, drinking and talking for another two or three hours, until the moonlight began to glisten a silver green off the tops of the highest plants out in the garden. Karimah’s brother and sister and their wives said their goodnights and went upstairs, then Cale thanked Rusk and Zaida for their hospitality, and Karimah led the way up to the second floor and a small room that looked out on the pond and the kiln.

While Karimah went down the hall to the bathroom, Cale went to the window and looked out at the quiet and peaceful night. After a time, Rusk appeared outside. Smoking a cigarette, he walked along the outer rows of the garden, then went over to the pond and sat. Zaida came out, walked over to Rusk, kissed him gently on the forehead, then went to the kiln and checked the temperature. She added more wood to the firebox, then stood and watched the glowing heat through the narrow vents, watched the smoke rise up from the chimney, a light gray cloud against the black evening sky.

Karimah returned and stood beside him, looking at his face. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, knowing that they both knew he was lying. He wiped the tears from his face, put his arms around her and pulled her to him, held her tightly, but it wasn’t enough to ease the deep and painful ache that drove though him, and he wondered if it ever would be.

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