An Uncommon Family (26 page)

“Better. My headache is gone, thank God. I’m still a little tired. But I don’t think I’m feverish anymore,” Karla said. Her facial color was almost back to normal and her forehead felt cool to Anna’s touch.

“Well, I want you to take it easy today. Fortunately, it’s Sunday, no school anyway.”

“Yeah, thank God.” Karla took a sip of juice. She pointed outside, to where Jonas’s car stood. “So Jonas spent the night?”

“Yeah, he did.” Anna felt her face warm up. If Karla saw Jonas coming out of her bedroom, she would know.

“Good,” Karla said. “That’s nice of him.”

“Yes, he wanted to stay, in case you got sick again. Anyway, are you going back to bed again? I think you should.” Anna wanted Karla back in her bedroom, so Jonas could get up without her noticing where he had slept. Anna knew she was being ridiculous, but for some reason she felt embarrassed in front of her niece.

“Yeah, I’ll lie down for a little longer, I guess. I’m getting hungry though.”

“I’ll fix us some pancakes for breakfast. You think you can eat those?”

“Sure, I’d love pancakes.” Karla picked up her glass of orange juice and got ready to go back to her room.

The door to Anna’s bedroom opened, and Jonas stepped outside, dressed in his pants but without his shirt. He brushed his hands through his wildish white hair, which stuck out in different directions. Karla stared at him surprised, then glanced at Anna, who felt heat flooding her face.

“Well, hello, Jonas,” Karla said with a big grin on her face.

“Hello, sweetie, feeling better?” Jonas said. He gave Anna a quick glance, but didn’t seem embarrassed.

“Well, I’ll see you a little later.” Karla went back to her room.

Anna rolled her eyes at Jonas and pushed him back into the bedroom.

“What’s the matter?” he asked her.

Anna grinned. “Couldn’t you have waited a few minutes?”

“Why? And why is your face so red? Ah.” Jonas laughed as well, realizing why she was embarrassed. “I’m sorry but I didn’t know she was up. Besides, she has to know sooner or later.”

“Yeah, I know, but . . .”

Jonas guffawed. “This is funny. You are the aunt and she is the niece. But you behave as if you were the young girl, having been caught doing the unspeakable.”

“I can’t help it,” Anna said with an embarrassed grin. “Anyway, I’m going to take a shower and fix some breakfast.”

“Good, I’m going to join you.” Jonas took off his pants and stepped into the shower after her.

“Psst,” Anna said. “She’s going to hear us.”

“Anna.” Jonas rolled his eyes. “You are an adult.”

“Oh, all right.”

Anna was stirring the pancake mix when she saw Maja drive up on her bike. She leaned it against the wall and lifted a bouquet of flowers out of the bicycle basket. Anna narrowed her eyes. Seeing Maja again reminded her of the girls’ scheming.
I’ll talk to them later.

“I heard Karla was sick,” Maja said when Anna opened the door. “May I see her?”

“Yeah, sure, she’s still in bed but feeling better.”

“Oh, great.” Maja seemed relieved.

“Thanks for the flowers,” Anna said.

Maja knocked on Karla’s bedroom door and disappeared inside. Anna went into the kitchen and put the flowers in a vase. She was just about to open the bedroom door when she heard giggling inside. She listened for a while.

“They slept in the same room?” It was Maja’s loud voice. “Great. Love it. See, I told you it would work.”

Anna pushed the door open, and caught the two girls giving each other high fives. They stopped as soon as they saw her, their grins fading from their faces. Anna put the vase on the credenza near the window and faced the girls.

“This is just about as good as any time to tell you what I think of your scheming. It’s wrong, it’s disgusting, and I’m ashamed of you both. If you continue to do this kind of nonsense, I don’t want you to hang out with each other anymore.” She glared at Maja, whose face turned red. She lowered her head and looked down at her feet. “You are friends and you should encourage each other to do the right thing, not to plot and interfere with other people’s lives. And, one more thing: what happens between Jonas and myself is none of your business and has nothing at all to do with your dirty little games. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes ma’am,” Maja said.

“Sorry,” Karla mumbled.

Anna stared at them for a while. “Okay, that’s settled. Karla, get ready for breakfast. Maja, if you’re still hungry, you can have some pancakes with us.”

“Thanks, I’d love to.”

“Breakfast in five minutes.” Anna turned around and closed the door a little more forcefully than normal. “Little rats,” she murmured.

Jonas sat in the living room, reading a newspaper. He looked up when Anna stepped into the room.

“What are you grinning about?” Anna asked him.

“Tough Auntie Anna,” he said and winked at her.

“You should support me and not make fun of me,” Anna said, suppressing a smile.

“Oh, I do, I do. Now, what about those pancakes?”

Chapter 48

Jonas was humming as he shaved. He stretched the skin on one side of his face and pulled the razor across his cheek, inhaling the lemony smell of the shaving cream. He stopped and grinned at the face in the mirror. “You look like the cat that got the cream.” He was happy, happier than he had been in a long time.

The doorbell interrupted his musings. He wrinkled his forehead and glanced at his watch. It couldn’t be Anna and Karla yet. It was too early. He put the razor on the shelf above the sink and got ready to wash the soap off his face, then hesitated. It was probably Mrs. Schatz, the snoop from next door, bringing him goodies again. Ever since Anna had started coming by on a regular basis again, Mrs. Schatz had been on a baking spree. Her face gleamed with happiness whenever she handed him another plate of her homemade delicacies. “For you and your guest,” she would say, and wink at him. She was a good soul, but Jonas was in no mood to deal with her that early in the morning.

He left the shaving cream on half of his face, figuring that he could get rid of her faster that way. When he opened the door, he stepped back startled. “Martina?”

“Hi there, sorry for dropping by without warning. I’ve just come from the airport and my room at the hotel isn’t ready yet. So I thought I’d see if you’re around.” She pointed at his face and grinned. “I got you out of bed, obviously.”

Jonas was flustered. “Well, no, I’ve been up . . . I’m actually waiting for someone. I thought it was them.”
Bad timing, I hope Anna and Karla don’t come early today.

Martina peered at him. “You don’t seem glad to see me. Is anything wrong? Aren’t you going to ask me in?”

Jonas sighed, stepped aside, and motioned her to come in. “No, I’m glad to see you. It’s just . . . kind of inconvenient right now. I . . . How did you get in? It’s usually locked downstairs.”

“Well, obviously, it was open,” she said, looking at him puzzled. “Listen, I can come back later. I didn’t mean to—”

Jonas heard the sound of the door opening downstairs, the cheerful chatter of Karla and the darker, quieter voice of Anna.
The one time I hope they’d be late. Damn it.

Martina glanced at Jonas, recognition in her eyes. “Ah, I see. I’m sorry, Jonas,” she whispered.

When Karla and Anna reached the top, the two women stared at each other. Karla’s eyes showed shock and reproach. Jonas cringed.

Martina smiled at them. “Hello,” she said. “I just dropped by to give Jonas this.” She pulled out an envelope and handed it to him. “There are a few paintings of mine in this gallery. I’m having an exhibition there later. I would love it if you all took a look at them. Just wanted to let you know. I’m on my way. Ciao.” She waved her hand and started walking down the stairs. “Great to meet you again,” she said to Anna and Karla.

“Come in and don’t look at me like that,” Jonas muttered.

Anna and Karla followed him into the living room. “Well,” Anna said, peering at him. “What do you expect? You’re half shaved and a woman just walked out of your apartment.”

“She wasn’t in my apartment. She just got here. Now sit down and let me explain.”

“Who is she?” Karla asked in a belligerent tone. “Is this the same woman who was here before?”

“Yes, it is.” Jonas was getting angry.
Damn women.
“Excuse me one moment.” He went to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, he wondered if he should finish shaving first, then decided to leave it. He’d probably cut himself. He washed his face and went back into the living room.

Anna grinned a little. “You look funny with one side shaved.”

Good
, Jonas thought,
she doesn’t seem all bent out of shape
. He cleared his throat. “You want something to drink?”

They both shook their heads. Karla still glared at him.

“All right, here is my confession,” Jonas tried to lighten the atmosphere. Two pairs of eyes still stared at him with questioning looks. “Martina has been a friend of mine for a long time. Back when Eva died, she really helped me a lot.” Jonas figured he could score some sympathy points by mentioning his wife’s death. “We have been friends ever since. At one time, we were dating off and on, but that’s in the past. I like Martina a lot but she is not someone I would want to be in a relationship with. She is a great artist, a great friend, but totally unreliable as a mate. She lives in Italy and we see each other every once in a while when she’s in town.”

“You don’t have to explain all this,” Anna said.

“Yes, I do.” Jonas glowered at her. “I’m not stupid. I see the suspicion in both of your eyes. I don’t want you to think the wrong thing.”

“So she’s not your girlfriend?” Karla asked.

“No. Not anymore.”

“It’s okay. I trust you,” Anna said.

“Me, too,” Karla piped.

“Well, wonderful. I’m honored.” Jonas couldn’t help a touch of sarcasm. “So that’s settled. Would you mind if I finished shaving now?”

“I don’t know, I kind of like you that way.” Anna’s eyes showed a humorous glint.

Jonas breathed a sigh of relief.

PART FIVE

Chapter 49

Anna grabbed her jacket, purse, and umbrella and was getting ready to go to the library when the phone rang. She looked at her watch and wondered if she should let the caller leave a message on the answering machine, then decided to answer. It was still early and her library assistant was usually on time, so she didn’t need to rush. She picked up the phone and was surprised to hear Edna’s voice. Edna was Richard’s sister and Nico’s aunt in England.

“I have some sad news,” she said. “Richard died.”

Anna felt a stabbing pain in her chest. She hadn’t even known that he was ill. They had kept in touch off and on over the years and she had even visited Richard once in England. Richard had been very warm and supportive of her.

After hanging up the phone, she sat down and looked out the window. It was the beginning of April, the month of change and instability, and the weather fit the month’s reputation perfectly. It had been raining intermittently all night; the snow was almost gone and the last patches were a dirty brown. The wind whipped the branches of the trees where the first buds and tiny green leaves sprouted.

Richard’s passing made her realize that the last connection to Nico was gone. His death awakened some of the old grief, but the beauty of the first signs of spring made her feel better again. March had been warm and spring flowers—yellow daffodils and blue and white pansies—erupted everywhere.
Death and new life, so close together,
she thought. She decided to get a card and send it to Edna.

A few days later, she pulled an envelope out of the mailbox with a stamp from England. She expected a card with the notice of Richard’s passing and was surprised at the size and thickness of the envelope. In addition to the card, there was a legal document and a letter from Richard informing her that he had left her a sizable amount of money from his estate.

Anna unfolded the letter.
Dear Anna,
it said.
As far as I am concerned, you, too, were Nicolas’s wife—now widow—and in the event of my passing, part of the money that would have gone to him will be yours
.

“This is too much,” Anna told Jonas. It was Saturday and Jonas was spending the weekend with Karla and Anna. Karla was at the movies with Maja, and Anna and Jonas were taking a short walk after dinner. A few sun rays pierced the fading dark clouds and it was pleasantly warm after a few stormy days.

“I can’t take his money. I wasn’t his legal wife and I’m not his widow. It really belongs to his Mexican wife.”

“It was his father’s last wish,” Jonas said. “And it may have been Nico’s wish as well.”

“You don’t know that.” Anna shook her head. “I doubt it. He was legally married to that woman in Mexico and he had children with her. His life insurance policy was in his first wife’s name as well. I don’t want his money.”

“That’s your decision, of course,” Jonas said. He stopped and peered at her with a serious face. He buried his hands in his lightweight jacket. The wind tousled his hair and gave his cheeks a pinkish glow. “But think about Karla. You could use it for her education. She’ll eventually need a more professional art education than I can give her. She may need to take classes abroad to really advance her career. And that can get expensive.”

Anna began to waver; Jonas’s suggestion did make sense. “I guess you’re right. I could use it for Karla.” She hesitated. “But I would like to find out how his wife and children in Mexico are doing financially.”

“Don’t they get some money from the estate as well?” Jonas asked.

“I don’t know. I would hope so, but Richard didn’t specify. And the woman has three children. I just don’t feel right, keeping it all for myself.”