The Secret Life of Mrs. London by Rebecca Rosenberg

Author:Rebecca Rosenberg [Rosenberg, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781542048736
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2018-01-29T23:00:00+00:00

Sunlight streams through the open door of my hut and wakes me. The hibiscus-patterned easy chair is empty, the ashtray full of butts, the lamp still burning. Jack had spent all night there, watching over me with worried eyes, licking his pencil lead and writing in his notebook. I kept waking up, seeing him there . . .

My throat is parched from salt, my belly distended from gulping ocean water, my legs wobbly, but the smell of Kona coffee guides me to the lanai. I’ll bring a cup back to my hut and make notes of my experience for my Hawaii book.

Jack sits by my Remington with dark swaths under his eyes, blowing a stream of blue smoke into the air. “There’s my Mate-Woman. Are you feeling better? You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you.”

Nakata serves me a plate of steaming malasadas, fried dough with haupia coconut milk custard. “Mahalo, Nakata. You know how I love these.”

He smiles and pours my coffee.

The hot liquid soothes my throat, and creamy custard washes the salt from my mouth. The breeze is soft, the waves gentle. The storm has left everything pristine and calm.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” Jack’s voice crackles with enthusiasm. “I finally know how The Little Lady in the Big House ends, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to tell it to this confounded machine. In fact, I refuse to speak to it ever again.” He marches the Ediphone to the shoreline and hurls it against the boulder.

I gasp as the thing smashes into coils and wires and molded parts, washed away with the waves. I’m overjoyed. I never got used to listening to the staticky recording of his voice and typing words gone cold.

Jack walks back, satisfied and triumphant. “There. It’s gone.” He kneels beside me and takes my hands in his. “I want to tell my stories to you, Charmian. Not some box. It’s the only way I can work now, don’t you see?”

His honeyed words and the coconut malasada turn cloying in my mouth, yet his pleading eyes are hard to resist. Part of me wants to throw my arms around his neck and kiss his face with all this renewed attention. But after yesterday, I’m afraid. The near drowning has transformed Jack somehow, but can I trust him? And what do I want? A few minutes ago, I wanted to work on my book.

Jack paces the lanai. “Please, Charmian. I need to finish this novel now, or it will finish me.”

I relent to his wishes, as a good muse wife does, and sit at my Remington, drumming my fingers on the keys, excited to finally finish the novel that’s languished so long.

I hope Jack lets his heroine, Paula, run off with her lover, or maybe she’ll decide to be faithful to her husband. Either way, I want her to be happy, she’s waited long enough.

But now Jack’s staring into palm trees, smoking, as if he still can’t decide.

I sip my coffee patiently and look out to the glimmering water.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.