MY SISTER’S WIFE

There has been something odd about my house since early morning. I felt uneasy. I left my room. I passed the hallways, my paintings staring at me, but this time it felt like they were begging me to free them. It felt like they were in captivity and all they were begging for was their freedom. I sat on the couch. The wind blew again, but this time it was full of Isabella’s cologne. Normally I like her colognes, but this time it smelled like grief. She came downstairs dressed in a black backless dress and the diamond necklace I got her on our wedding anniversary. “Good morning darling,” she said, pouring herself some wine. “Good morning sweetheart,” I said, staring at her face, she smiled. The lines of her smile appeared, and her eyes looked somewhat different. I mean she was getting old. “What’s with that face?” She asked. “Which face ?” I forced a smile. “Oh darling,” she said, getting close to me” you can not lie to me.” She said grinning. “Is it because of Thomas ?” “I am fine, can you get me a glass of tequila?” “Here,” she handed me the glass. “I’ll be on the balcony upstairs” she said. I nodded. I watched her walking, where attractions go. I wanted to protect Isabelle and be everything I promised her to be, but I have been feeling different lately. I want her but not how I used to want her. A knock on the door disturbed my thoughts. I turned the door to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. I heard a knock again. Maria wasn’t around. I went to get to the door. “Can I help you?” I said. “It’s me, Gabriella de Cruz” she said, her eyes shining. “Oh, pardon, I couldn’t recognize your face. Isa didn’t tell me that she was expecting anyone” “Oh, I didn’t tell her either. It has been ten years and I thought a surprise would be nice.” She said A surprise? I found it very strange to see Gabriella standing in front of my door just to surprise Isa? She never talked much about her and the only time I saw them together was on our wedding day. She wanted to surprise her? It didn’t sound sane to me. “Can I come in?” she said. “Sure, I’ll let her know that you have arrived.” I entered our bedroom. “My love, your sister is downstairs, Gabriella.” “What do you mean, Gabriella?” “Yes, my love. I just opened for her. She said she "wanted to surprise you.” She left the room. GABRIELLA'S POINT OF VIEW I heard her shoes as she came downstairs. My sister never changed. This was her kind of life, getting dressed and looking like a goddess even in her room. When she got to the middle of the staircase she stopped and looked at me in disbelief. I missed my sister so much, it has been ten years since I saw her. “Gabriella? "What are you doing here?” She said without any excitement in her eyes but rather worry. “I missed you. "I didn’t want to tell you that I was coming because I knew you were going to say no!” “ And?” “I miss you Isa, you're not even going to greet me? I flew five hours just to see you.” I said with a lump in my throat. “Gabriella, I am married, you don’t show up in a man’s house unannounced.” “Can you give us a chance?” I pleaded. “Alright,” she sighed. “We’re going to converse about whatever you want to talk about but you won’t stay here” “Alright, that’s okay.” I said as I sat next to her. She smelled like flowers, her hair shone, her shoes looked expensive, the diamonds on her necklace made question my existence. But her eyes looked cold. “I’ll get you some water,” she said, already halfway to the kitchen. “Yes please.” “I don’t have much time,” she said. “I won’t take much,” I replied, softer than I intended. I wanted to hug her, but her gaze told me to dare not get closer. “I wrote to you, Isa. For years. No response.” “I read them.” “Then why didn’t you write back?” “Because I knew if I did, you’d come find me.” “And now I have.’ Silence again. A clock ticked somewhere down the hall. “Things are different now. I have a life. A husband. A routine.” “You make it sound like a prison sentence.” “I beg your pardon?” I leaned back, sipping the water. “You didn’t miss me?” “I think you need to leave, it is getting late.” “I understand,” I said, tears burning my eyelids. I reached for my bag and my coat; my heart felt so heavy. “Thank you for having me, Isa” “ Is everything alright?” Said Sebastian, coming downstairs. “Of course my darling, Gabriella, is leaving.” “Is she not staying? It is getting late.” “Exactly that is why she is going to the hotel.” “Why the hotel?” “We talked about this, and she was fine with staying at the hotel.” She said, my lips curved mechanically. “Oh darling, come on, look how bad the weather is outside, let her stay.” He said standing on the stairs, his left hand rested on the staircase, his jawline was perfect, his long curly dark hair and blue eyes. “My beautiful Queen, please let her stay,” she rolled her eyes. “Fine.” she said “I knew you were going to say yes.” he kisses her hand. “Come let me show you your room” she said. We entered a very beautiful room. I stood there, still wearing the same shoes I’d walked on the dusty sidewalks. “This is your room.” “It’s very beautiful” I said in amazement; She turned around uninterested. “Let Maria know when you need anything”. “Who is Maria?” “Our maid” “I will” She headed to the door. “Isabella, thank you for letting me stay.” “You should thank Sebastian”, she disappeared from the room. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized how exhausted I was looking. I raised my arms to smell my armpits. My stomach growled. Thank God it waited until I was alone. I was starving. I jumped on the bed and stretched my body. Before I started dozing off, I heard a knock on my door. “Ma’am?” I stood up in a hurry and fixed my dress and stood still. “Can I come in?” “Yes please.” A door opened and a beautiful woman who looked like she was in her mid-fifties entered. She was wearing a uniform. I could tell that she was the maid, Maria. “Madam Isabella said that you should put this on for dinner,” she said, handing me a beautiful red silk dress. “Oh it’s alright, I got my shorts in my backpack.” “No ma’am, she said you should wear this.” “alright” I said, I felt offended. “I can help you with your hair after a shower if you want.” “No, thank you.” “Alright, dinner is at six thirty, don’t be late.” “Alright” She left the room.