A Love that Endures

by Forrest, Bella

  “That was intense,” Katy exhaled when David removed his protective grip from her shoulders.

  “There’s definitely less of an emphasis on personal space here,” David said with a grin. “Not enough room for that.”

  I wouldn’t mind that, as long as I’m always next to you. If only she could still feel David’s tight, strong grip around her. She missed it already.

  Katy followed David out of the station and to a busy street, her eyes going wide when they made it outside. Even though the sun had gone down, the city was anything but dark. The night was alive with bright lights, crowds of people, and honking taxi cabs. It was a beautiful yet intimidating sight. There were so many people here. Would she be recognized? And how would David feel if he found out she had lied about her identity? Would he still feel like they were good friends?

  “I went ahead and told Joseph we’d catch a cab to his place,” David said, confidently striding toward the street.

  Katy followed, still slightly dazed by the sights of the city, and watched David quickly flag down a yellow cab. He held the door open for her, and she slid into the back seat, watching as throngs of people crowded out of the station and made off for their various destinations. There were more pedestrians here than she had ever seen in her life.

  “Broadway and Grand,” David said to the dark-haired cab driver. The cabbie nodded, and the cab began to drive away from the station.

  Watching the cab merge into the busy street, people passing all around them, abrasive neon lights flashing from every direction, Katy almost forgot where they were going. She looked over at David, whose left leg was bouncing anxiously as they sat. She placed her hand on his jittery thigh.

  “Feeling all right?” she asked, trying to exude a calm that, truthfully, she didn’t feel at all. But she was happy for another excuse to touch David.

  “More excited than anything,” he replied. “I still can’t believe I’m here. That all of this is happening.”

  Katy smiled at him, letting her hand linger on his leg. “Your family is probably just as excited. I’m happy to be here for you.”

  David reached down and squeezed Katy’s hand—and Katy squeezed back, enjoying the warmth of his fingers against hers for far too long before she pulled away.

  The ride to Lower Manhattan took more than twenty minutes, most of which they spent in silence. Katy could tell that David was a bit too anxious for small talk. So instead she gazed out the window, pointing out a few notable sights and buildings to David, who, if he had seen them before, was gracious enough not to put a damper on her excitement. But the closer to their destination they got, the more nervous David appeared. He fidgeted with his hands, and his leg went back to bouncing. Katy couldn’t blame him. It must’ve felt quite overwhelming.

  “We’re here,” the cabbie said, as the taxi pulled up in front of a row of pleasant brick townhouses. Lollipop-shaped trees dotted the sidewalk in either direction, and a block over, a small crowd was hanging around the door of what looked like a café. But on the steps of one of the houses, in pools of yellow lamppost light, two people caught Katy’s eye: a young man and woman, both in overcoats. Katy knew right away who they were.

  After paying the driver, David reached for the door handle and paused, exhaling deeply. Then he threw open the door and stepped out.

  Katy scooted across the frayed leather of the seat to follow him. She had barely shut the door behind her when the cab began to drive back off into the night, leaving David and Katy alone with the crowd of strangers on the street.

  David readjusted the strap of Katy’s bag on his shoulder, took another audible breath in, and then stepped toward the house. Katy briefly hung back, but the two people she’d noticed on the steps also took a step forward. David spoke first.

  “I’m—”

  “DAVID!”

  No sooner had David opened his mouth than the man and woman were bounding down the steps together, shouting David’s name in unison. The young woman reached him first, veritably slamming into him and throwing her arms around him. The young man was close behind, throwing his arms over David and the woman. Katy watched in quiet joy as David’s eyes widened in shock and then closed in overwhelming emotion. As he finally raised his arms up to hug his cousins back, Katy couldn’t help but smile broadly.

  After a few long, happy seconds, David pulled back.

  “Joseph! Cerise!” he said, his voice a combination of shock and joy.

  “We’ve been sitting out here freezing our butts off waiting for you!” the young woman replied, her voice bouncy. She was short and slight with long, dark ringlets and trendy black-rimmed glasses. Her brother had similarly curly hair and a dark beard. Katy thought she could see a slight resemblance to David in the shape of their eyes and the texture of their hair, but it was too dark, and she was still a bit too far away to be sure. She certainly didn’t want to interrupt an emotional reunion.

  But David turned back to her quickly. “I want you to meet my friend Katy,” he said to his cousins, although his eyes still lingered on Katy.

  Katy felt warmth spreading in her chest. She would’ve been perfectly content standing back and letting them spend as long as they needed to together first, but David obviously didn’t want to leave her out of things. And that meant a lot to her.

  She strode forward politely and stuck her hand out to greet Cerise first.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Katy said, and she meant it. Cerise and Joseph smiled back at her, but then Cerise was bypassing Katy’s outstretched hand and embracing her tightly.

  “Sorry,” Joseph said from behind his sister. “But one thing you should know about us is that we’re huggers.”

  Katy laughed and hugged Cerise back. Then she hugged Joseph. Americans sure are touchy-feely. Katy was still getting used to the culture shock. Even her own parents barely hugged her! Maybe that explained why she felt electricity course through her every time David touched her.

  Or maybe that was due to something else entirely.

  “Well, let’s get inside! It’s freezing out here.” Cerise grabbed Katy’s hand and pulled her up the steps to the townhome, David and Joseph following close behind.

  Inside, Katy was relieved to feel the warmth coming off a crackling fireplace in a small but tastefully decorated living room.

  “Here, I’ll put these in the guest room,” Joseph said, taking the bags from David. “You two get comfortable. It was a little late to make dinner, but we got takeout from our favorite Chinese place.”

  “Oh, it’s so good! We used to get it all the time as kids,” Cerise added with a small, wistful smile. “You can hang your coats up here and follow me to the dining room.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Katy said, unzipping her jacket.

  “Yeah, I’m starved,” David added, grabbing Katy’s jacket from her and hanging it up alongside his own on a coat rack in the entryway.

  Joseph took the bags down a hallway, and David and Katy followed a few steps behind Cerise. Katy noticed that the home was small but far from cramped, and the multitude of framed family photos hanging on every wall gave it a homey feel.

  Katy looked over at David. Happiness still radiated from his every movement. It must’ve been so strange for him, going from having no one to finding several family members all at once. And Katy was thrilled that Joseph and Cerise had accepted David so quickly and so fully. It made them seem like wonderful people—which was exactly what David deserved.

  In the dining room, David and Katy came upon an antique-looking wooden table draped with a tablecloth. On top, a huge assortment of white takeout boxes emitted various pleasant odors. Katy breathed in the scent of spicy peppers, orange, garlic, and soy sauce.

  “Grab a plate and help yourselves,” Cerise said. “Tomorrow I’ll cook, I swear.”

  “Don’t be silly,” David assured her. “This looks wonderful.”

  Joseph rejoined the group, back from depositing their things in the guest room, and soon they we
re all ladling food onto their plates and taking seats at the table together. Katy used her chopsticks to deftly maneuver a piece of steamed broccoli into her mouth.

  “So how long have you two been together?” Joseph asked innocently.

  Katy choked on her broccoli. She coughed and then swallowed hard, grabbing a glass of water to chase the stubborn vegetable down.

  “Are you all right?” David asked, leaning toward her.

  “Yes, yes,” she said, embarrassed and slightly out of breath. “I’m fine. I apologize.”

  David nodded at her, his eyes twinkling with a bit of repressed humor, and then turned back to Joseph. “Katy and I are just good friends. We only met earlier this semester, but we have a lot in common.”

  Katy took another long drink of water, trying to will the red out of her cheeks. David had been so much more gracious in his response than she had. She felt ridiculous. Obviously, Joseph would’ve assumed that they were romantically involved, since David and Katy had come together on a very personal trip. So why had it shocked her so much? Because she was still so wounded following what happened with Alexei? David’s words echoed in her head: just good friends. If she was so damaged by Al, then why did David’s phrasing bother her slightly?

  Just friends. It felt like an understatement, even if it was technically the truth. At least to Katy.

  She looked over to see Cerise staring at her curiously. Katy put her water glass down.

  “You have a lovely home,” she said, trying to casually turn the conversation.

  “Thank you,” Joseph said. “It belonged to our parents, actually. Um, that is, it belongs to our mother.” Joseph looked away, as if he was ashamed of his slip-up. Katy wondered if having a loved one with cancer always felt like that: simultaneously imagining the world with them and without them, in preparation for the end result.

  “Well, it’s just beautiful,” Katy went on, hoping to spare Joseph too much introspection. “And thank you so much for your hospitality. I’m glad to be here.”

  Joseph smiled at Katy. “We’re glad to have you two. I’m sorry that I don’t have two guest rooms available, though. Cerise decided to come in from Ithaca for the weekend.”

  “Didn’t want to miss out on my chance to meet my cousin!” Cerise was still bubbling with excitement.

  “I’m glad we’re all here. And I am perfectly content with the couch,” David replied. He turned to Cerise. “What do you do in Ithaca?”

  “I’m a freshman at Cornell,” Cerise replied. “Majoring in history. Which Mr. Business Degree isn’t a fan of.” Cerise directed a wry grin at her brother.

  “Marketing degree,” Joseph corrected her. “And I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  Katy considered piping up then to tell Cerise that people said that about her degree, as well. But she thought better of it, finding it in poor taste. After all, Katy came from a wealthy family; she didn’t have to worry about supporting herself with her degree. But she knew that wasn’t the case for most.

  “Either way, I really like my major,” Cerise finished good-naturedly.

  “Is your father nearby?” David asked, looking between his cousins.

  “He passed a few years ago,” Joseph replied, his gaze momentarily heavy. “But please don’t feel bad for asking. There’s so much that we don’t yet know about each other’s lives.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” David replied, his shoulders hunching a bit at the news. Katy wondered if it was a blow to him.

  “I’m sure he would’ve loved to meet you,” Cerise added. “But I’m so glad Mom will get that chance. You have no idea what it will mean to her.”

  This time David’s smile was decidedly nervous.

  “We’ll go and see her tomorrow afternoon,” Joseph said. “If you’re still up for it.”

  “Of course I am,” David replied immediately. “I just wish I could’ve brought her sister to see her, too.”

  The table grew silent for a moment, as if a foggy gray cloud had rolled in, quietly raining on their dumplings and chow mein. Finally, Joseph replied in a quiet but firm tone.

  “She’ll just be happy to see you, David,” he said. “She’ll understand. As far as your mother goes, well . . . we’re all in this together.”

  David nodded and turned back to his food. But he didn’t eat, seeming to have something pressing on his mind.

  “How long have you been in this house?” he asked, still looking down at his food.

  Joseph considered David for a few seconds before he responded.

  “My parents bought it before Jeanine left,” he said.

  “So, she would’ve known where to find you all these years,” David replied, looking up to meet Joseph’s gaze. “If she was looking.”

  Katy watched David carefully, sensing that she knew where he was going with his line of questioning.

  Joseph sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. And I’ve considered that. That Jeanine might not want to be found, or even that . . . that she might not be around anymore. But as long as my mother is alive, I don’t want to give up.”

  “They were the best of friends,” Cerise said, looking at David. “That’s how my mother tells it. I was born after your mom left, but Mom never stopped talking about her.”

  “Mary,” Joseph added. “Our mother’s name is Mary.”

  Aunt Mary, Katy thought. She looked over at David. His face looked cautious but inquisitive as he listened intensely to his cousins, absorbing every detail.

  “Our parents tried everything they could think of to find Jeanine. They put ads in papers across the country. They papered New York City with flyers. They even hired a private investigator.”

  “And . . . nothing?” David asked.

  “The private investigator was a swindler. Took thousands of dollars to go looking around South America for clues and just never came back. My parents didn’t have the money to try again.”

  David’s eyes widened, as if a thought had occurred to him.

  Joseph spoke again before David had the chance to. “I wanted to hire a private investigator myself, but the service is incredibly expensive. And, with Mom’s treatment, I’m afraid I just don’t have the means. In fact, we’ve . . . well, we’ve been considering selling the house to keep paying the hospital bills.”

  Katy’s heart clenched in her chest. Joseph and Cerise seemed so lovely, just like David, and yet they all seemed to have their share of struggles.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” David replied. “Truly.”

  Joseph shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t invite you here so I could complain to you. All in all, we’re making it through okay. Selling the house is a last-ditch plan, and we’ve still got some options before then.”

  “It’s been a rough few years,” Cerise added. “But having you here is the best thing that’s happened in a long time. We’re so happy that you’re here. And Mom will be, too.”

  David smiled and nodded.

  Their conversation got lighter and more casual again as the Chinese food disappeared. Katy could sense that they were all just happy to be in one another’s company, and it gave her great joy to watch the connections between the newly found family grow deeper. Closer up, and in better lighting, Katy was struck by just how alike some of the cousins’ features were, particularly in the intensity of their deep-set eyes. But David’s skin tone and hair color were darker. He was also considerably taller than his cousins, with broader shoulders and a squarer jaw.

  As Katy gazed at David, distracted from her analysis, just admiring his features, he turned to look back at her. She looked away and blushed, thinking that she had caught the twinkle of laughter in David’s eyes again.

  When they were done, Joseph stood and grabbed Katy’s empty plate.

  “Can I help with the dishes?” Katy asked, also rising to stand.

  “Of course not,” Joseph replied with a wink. “You’re our guest.”

  “I’ll help,” David said, standing. Joseph smiled at him.


  “You’re technically a guest, too,” Joseph replied. “But, since you’re also family, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

  David smiled and followed Joseph to the kitchen with the dishes as Cerise began to gather the empty takeout containers. Katy moved to help her, but Cerise brushed her away.

  “I’ve got this! Paper boxes make for easy cleanup.” Cerise grinned. “You just go relax.”

  Katy walked back into the living room. She could hear Joseph, Cerise, and David talking and laughing in the kitchen. She walked toward one of the walls to admire some of the family pictures hanging up.

  She had always been a fan of family photographs; in fact, she and her parents had one done every year. But it was a ridiculously formal event. In the large, gold-rimmed prints that lined their grand hall, Katy was usually draped in silks, her hair plaited with fresh flowers, painstakingly arranged and poised beside her unsmiling parents. In contrast, American family photos looked so fun and casual. Katy looked at a photo of a very young Joseph, his dark curls framing his cherubic face, seated on his radiant mother’s lap. Their smiles both looked so genuine and so loving. In another photograph, a pouty-looking Cerise was standing next to her gangly older brother in what looked like a theme park. And beside that, a photo of Mary and her husband at their wedding showed them mid-laugh, clutching each other’s hands. Katy touched the frame lightly, trying to picture the wedding scene live. Family all around, a chorus of cheers, the laughter of young children on a sugar high from slices of almond-flavored wedding cake . . .

  “Have you ever been to Ithaca?” a voice asked behind her, making Katy jump. She turned to see Cerise standing there, a few inches shorter than herself, her brow furrowed as if in thought.