Читать книгу Celia's Shadow - Sandy Levy Kirschenbaum - Страница 23

Emma’s phone conversation was winding down when Celia stepped into her friend’s office. She carried with her a small folder. Emma motioned for Celia to come in and sit down and then put her finger up to indicate she’d be a moment.

Celia took a seat and placed the folder on her lap. After a minute, she put the folder on Emma’s desk, got up and straightened a picture on the wall, walked over to the window, and took a hard candy from the candy dish on the table. She returned to her seat, unwrapped the candy, put it in her mouth, and then took the folder off Emma’s desk and placed it back on her lap.

Emma hung up the phone. “Hey. How’s it going?”

“You busy?”

“I was taking care of loose ends with the engineers on the Cerise Street project. How’s your week going?”

“Good. I have some questions.” Celia took a piece of paper from the folder. “Here you go. Take a glance.” She handed the paper to Emma.

Emma burst out laughing. “I see you’ve been busy with the news I’ve shared.” Emma put the paper down and pushed it toward Celia.

“Busy? Try obsessed! I need some information.”

“And exactly what kind of information do you need?” Emma was amused by Celia’s diligence.

“As you can see, I have a list of questions.”

“Go ahead, shoot. But that looks like a long list—not sure we’ll have time for that kind of session. I have a meeting in ten minutes.” She reached over to the side of her desk, picked up a white box, and put it down next to her keyboard.

“That’s why I wrote everything down. I figured we could check things off as we go through it. But honestly, it’s a few simple questions.” Celia scanned the page.

“Let me see that list again.” Emma put her hand out.

Celia handed Emma the document. “This is your copy. I’ve got my own.” Celia opened the folder and removed an identical piece of paper. “Aren’t you lucky you shared this secret with a friend who has as much free time as I have?”

“You’re very organized. We need to get you a hobby or a boyfriend.” Emma perused the list of twenty-five questions. “I have time for one question this morning. Which question do you want me to answer?” She reviewed the list again and took a deep breath. “In five minutes or less.” Emma opened the box and displayed freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. She took one out and placed it on a napkin and slid it toward Celia and then took another one for herself.

“Thank you.” Celia put the napkin and cookie on her lap. “Let’s see here.” She lifted her paper and scanned the list of questions. “I think we should start with question one. When did you first meet her?”

“Hmmm. That’s a tough question.” Emma furrowed her brow and put her hand on her chin. “I first SAW her before I officially MET her. Fredric had picked me up on his way to take Freddy home. As soon as Fredric rang the bell, she ran to the window facing the driveway. She turned the light off in the room and stared out the window toward where we were parked. I guess she wanted to know if I was in the car.”

“If she turned off the light, how could you see her?” Celia picked up the cookie and took a bite.

“Is that legal to add a question if it isn’t on the list?”

“Yes, it’s my prerogative, since it’s my list. Let me ask the question again. How could you see her if she turned the light off? This is delicious—it’s still warm.” She licked a sliver of chocolate from the corner of her mouth.

“There was a window behind where she stood. I could see her silhouette. She did that every time Fredric dropped Freddy off. One time I gave a little wave and I saw her duck down. I felt she was tormented by the fact that I was in the car, so I stopped going with him.”

“Do you see her a lot?”

“Now that Freddy’s an adult and has his own place, he often has parties and barbeques, which puts me in the position to be around her more than I care to be. I could let Fredric go alone, but I don’t want to do that. I go, and I tolerate her. Freddy tries to schedule things separately between us, but she inevitably shows up. It’s quite pathetic.”

“Does she bring her husband? Do you like him?”

“Two questions at once? This is more than one question, but I’ll answer for a few more minutes.” The banter was obviously entertaining Emma. “Yeah, she brings him. He’s gross. He’s a racist and doesn’t censor anything he says. I stay clear of him.” Emma chuckled at Celia’s ability to fire questions as fast as she could answer them.

“You said there are stories you used to tell Jillian. What kind of stories? Do they bother you?” Celia was enthralled by Emma’s information.

“Wow. You’re good. Have you ever thought of a career in journalism?” Emma broke off a tiny piece of her cookie and put it in her mouth. “Honestly, I don’t care WHAT she says. I care WHY. It’s more about the intention of her actions. Her intent is mean-spirited. I didn’t know Fredric when they got divorced—it wasn’t my fault. I’ve had relationships longer than their marriage. I truly don’t care he has an ex-wife—obviously it would be better if he didn’t. Celia, she constantly tries to disrespect or diminish my existence in Fredric’s life and make her two-minute marriage a focus of every encounter we have together. It’s hard to explain.” Emma shook her head. “She started being conniving when I first met her in 1995. This was my initial introduction to her.”