Page 22 of Claiming His Wife
“How did they help you?” Kalilah ventured tentatively. She didn’t believe for a second her parents would help anyone but themselves.
“They were there for me, okay. And you weren’t,” Kaiya responded, but it didn’t sound accusing – more matter-of-fact.
Kalilah swallowed hard, her guilt rising again.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I understand.” Seriously, it stung. She never thought she would be using her own skills on her sister. Eyes level, voice neutral but projected with confidence, and some empathy to invite trust.
“I do want to tell you about everything that happened, but not yet, maybe later. Just not right now.”
“Okay. I’ll accept that… so, what do you want to do now?”
“Let’s just sit here for a while before we go shopping again, I will try to finish my food.” Lilah tactfully didn’t want to point out that they didn’t buy anything the first time around. Thankfully Kaiya averted her attention to her meal in such a leisurely way that even Lilah noticed that every spoon was a personal debate. Every gulp, every swallow was a single choice.
“So, what are you up to these days anyway? Still hoping to join a professional ballet group?” Kalilah suddenly spoke catching Kaiya off guard. Lilah remembered how determined her younger sister was to join Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.
“I... I no longer have any interest in joining a ballet company,” Kaiya stammered.
Kalilah was shocked by that admission. She wondered if their parents knew.Well, of course they knew,she surmised. She placed her hand on Kaiya’s and spoke softly.
“Are you serious? You can’t be serious. How come?” she asked, all without taking a breath.
“So much has happened, and I guess I no longer feel the appeal I once felt for professional ballet.” Her face lit up as she continued. “I have decided instead to open my own dance school for young girls.”
“Really? That’s a grand endeavor. I’m proud of you.” Kalilah said encouragingly.
“Yes, I know, right? I’m nervous, but excited!” She all but squealed. A shadow then came over her face and she cast her eyes down. “Don’t be mad when I say this, but Finn has been helping me find a place that will be big enough for the school.”
Kalilah’s eyes grew wide at that admission. This was the last thing she was expecting to hear from her Kaiya. She didn’t think Finn would care what her sister had going on. A lot had changed since she left, she supposed, even her husband.Soon to be ex-husband,she reminded herself. She didn’t want to concern herself with what he was up to, but she couldn’t help but wonder. She squeezed her sister’s hand.
“That’s nice of him, I suppose.” She responded. She couldn’t say more, didn’t want to either.
“Yes, it is, we have more buildings to visit, but my heart is almost set on one building we saw last week in the West Island, on Pierrefonds Boulevard.”
“I am so proud of you, sis. Tell me more about your school.”
Feeling a bit put off by everything she’d just learned, she went back to her meal and left Kaiya to do most of the talking – about her plans for the school – for the rest of their meal. Listening to her sister happily discuss her plans about the school made her happy. It gave her hope for her own future.
They spent the second half of the day in a more jovial mood than the first. They went shopping; Kaiya finally bought a soft cashmere shawl, a silver wind chime small enough to hand over a baby’s crib, and soft silver bangles that matched them in tone. They spoke in depth about things that had happened since they were last together. Kaiya never ventured into whatever it was their parents had helped her with, but her Kalilah didn’t mind. She told Kaiya about Seattle and Jonathan. She also told her about the times she volunteered in the shelters, and the wonderful women she had met. When they were finished shopping and catching up, Kalilah hugged her sister and then texted Owen to pick them up.
After getting seated in the back of the car, she brought up the idea that had been running around in her mind throughout their outing.
“Do you want to stay with me? I know I’ll be gone soon, but I’m going to be here for a little while and I want to spend time with my favorite sister. I’ll have to get a condo obviously, because I can’t stay at the Ritz forever, so are you in?”
Kaiya’s brows knitted together, as if in deep thought, until she answered with a short nod and hid her tears against her sister’s shoulder. Kalilah looked away only to catch Owen's eye in the rearview mirror. He nodded at her too.
“I’m so glad you’re back, Lah,” Kaiya sniffled, “Even though it’s only for a little while. I missed you.”
***
Finn’s mom Lawrence’s face lit up with joy as he stepped through the living room. She came to him immediately and offered him a big hug. He had driven two hours from Montréal to Ottawa to see his family. The last time he saw his mom was last Christmas. At the time she was complaining about losing weight and had decided to jump on the keto train. It looked as if the keto life had been working for her.
She was trim and slim, better than the last time Finn saw her. Lawrence ran a keto blog and had even started a YouTube channel. He was glad to be around his family, even though it wouldn’t be a long visit. His 22-year-old siblings came over and gave him a hug. Julia was as gorgeous as their mom, and Justin was as tall as Finn but not as broad in the shoulders; he looked more like their dad, especially with his grey eyes. Finn and Julia inherited their mom’s blue eyes. Finn’s dad, Alexandre, came up to him, and intense grey eyes gave him a once over before he pulled him into a hug.
“I missed you, son!” said Alexandre. His mom had met and married the man when Finn was five years old. After they got married, Alexandre had adopted Finn, and never saw him as anything less than his son. Finn was happy for the man’s presence in his life. Finn had never met his biological father and knew very little about the man except that he was Irish. “How long are you staying?” He asked as he pulled away from the hug.
“A few hours. I need to get back.” Finn missed the knowing look that passed between his mom and dad.
“How do you like the fat bomb?” Lawrence asked Finn, almost an hour after his arrival, and he made a face. ‘Come on; it is tasty. It is dark chocolate and pecan, the keto way. Can’t you see how healthy I am looking? It will do you a lot of good, young man, to eat healthily, so you do not look like a bag of potatoes when you are older,’ she said sternly. The family burst into laughter. Julia almost choked on her snack.
