by ADAMS, J.
It has been a glorious morning for the newlyweds. Their wedding ceremony in the gardens behind the reception hall was wonderful, and Velma and Ted make an attractive couple. Velma is breathtaking in her silky white gown. Her shoulderlength, black hair is styled in deep waves. Her facial features are similar to mine, as well as her figure, but she is three inches shorter than my height of five-feet-ten. Her skin tone is a shade darker, but it is still easy to tell we are cousins. Ted is equally attractive, though his complexion is closer to mine. He is tall and lean with short, neatly-trimmed hair, and his big brown eyes sparkle every time he gazes at Velma.
We have enjoyed the time we've been able to spend getting to know Ted during the last couple of days. And even if I hadn’t already known where he was from, I could have guessed he was a New Yorker the first time he spoke because his upstate accent was so prominent. We learned that Ted is also the only member of his family to ever move away from New York. His parents and his sister were saddened by his decision to settle in North Carolina, but they still supported him, and they fell in love with Velma the moment they met her. Ted’s parents couldn’t come for the wedding because his mother recently had heart surgery and isn’t well enough to travel. His sister is a nurse and needs to be there for their mother. Under the circumstances, I'm even more grateful we can be here to support the happy couple.
Once the reception is underway, I seat myself at the grand piano on the stage in front of the reception hall, and the members of the band I've practiced with for the last few days move to their instruments. I was thrilled when Velma told me she asked a few of her talented friends to play backup for me. I've never had an opportunity to sing with any accompaniment other than the piano, and I was very pleased with the way the rehearsals went.
Cisely and the band begin playing a medley of love songs. She is lost in the music, her silky voice resonating through the hall, and it is obvious to Adagio that everyone is touched by how beautifully she sings. Pretty soon, the floor is filled with couples dancing to the soft ballads. He smiles as he watches her. Glancing to his left, he grins as a few of the older teenage boys cease talking, instantly mesmerized by Cisely, and he is again thankful to be her husband. Turning heads is something she definitely does often, yet she never seems to be aware of how she affects other men, only how she affects him.
Adagio makes his way to the front with his eleven-yearold partner who is wearing an infatuated grin as she looks up at him. Smiling slyly at Cisely, he winks. He watches her smile widen and wonders if she will be able to get through the song without laughing. When she does finally finish up the set, she informs the guests that she is taking a break, which brings some disappointed sighs, but she promises to continue in a few minutes. Approaching him, she slips her arms around his waist.
“It looks like you sure made a little lady’s day,” I say, smiling at him. “Stepping out on me, huh?”
Adagio pulls me close. “Are you jealous?” he whispers close to my ear.
“Maybe.”
“Well, when she asked me with that adorable little smile of hers, I couldn't say no.”
“I suppose not. But I could hear her sighing above the music. She was like putty in your hands.”
“I can assure you that I only have eyes for you, amore. Besides, she is not my type.”
“Oh really?” I continue toying with him. “What, Mr. St. John, exactly is your type?”
He tightens his embrace. “I am holding my type right now.”
“Good answer,” I say and he chuckles softly.
Velma and Ted hired a young man in their church to play music in between sets. The next song he chooses is one by Marc Anthony. As the familiar tune fills the reception hall, Adagio's eyes meet mine and we smile, our expressions melancholy. It is the song we danced to years ago at my wedding reception when I married Ingo. Memories of that day rush back to us both. It was the first dance I had ever shared with Adagio, and the fact that I had just married his best friend makes this moment even more sentimental.
“Come, amore,” he says, leading me out on the dance floor. Grinning, I eagerly follow.
Adagio and I share a great love for dancing. We go dancing quite a bit, and sometimes we even dance at home with the boys. Ingo has learned a lot of good moves from watching us, and though Phillip’s rhythm still needs a little work, it never stops him from joining in the fun with his own special talent of bouncing around.
After the song ends and before I begin another set, we go to check on the boys in another room down the hall and find them both very content, coloring with several other children attending the reception with their parents. A couple of the young women from Velma’s church have volunteered to keep an eye on everyone.
“How are you doing?” I ask, kneeling down between Phillip and Ingo.
“Fine, Mama,” Ingo answers. He holds his drawing up and Adagio and I tell him how beautiful it is. Caressing his hair, I watch him as he continues to color, his concentration deep.
“Look at my picture, Mama,” Phillip says, holding his drawing up for me to see. “I drew a dinosaur.”
“That is a wonderful picture, honey,” I say, ruffling his wavy hair. He grins and kisses my cheek, then his father’s.
“Can I hang it in my room when we go back home?”
“Sure you can,” Adagio answers. “As a matter of fact, why don’t you both save your pictures and we can frame them when we get back to Italy.”
“Okay, Papa,” the boys respond together.
We stay with the boys a few more minutes before heading back to the reception hall. We take our time, walking slowly, enjoying being close to one another. Before entering the hall, Adagio pulls me aside, holding me a moment.
“I don't think I am ready to share you again just yet.” He smiles. “You know, we could . . . What is that American phrase? Oh, yes. We could blow this joint and take a drive through the country or something.”
I laugh. “Feeling a little lonely, are we?” “More than a little.” He brushes my hair back and kisses my ear.
“A drive does sound pretty nice. Tell you what. You hold on to that thought and I promise you, after this last set of songs, I’m all yours.”
“All right,” he whines. “I guess I will just have to wait.”
I laugh, but I can hear the longing in his voice through the teasing. He kisses me before reluctantly releasing my hand. I smile and head back up front.
When Cisely returns to the piano, Adagio takes in all the anxious faces in the crowd. He's so proud of his wife for continuing to cultivate her talents by sharing them with others. She has even begun teaching Ingo and Phillip to play. Ingo doesn't show much interest, but Phillip is a natural, almost a prodigy. Adagio figures he must have gotten the musical gene from Cisely, because he definitely enjoys singing and playing with her.
Cisely starts the next set of songs with one that has become hers and Adagio’s personal love song. Eyes shining, she begins to sing Lara Fabian’s emotional ballad, You’re Not From Here. As her silky voice caresses the lyrics, Adagio closes his eyes, letting his mind drift back to years ago when she first sang the song to him for his birthday. He remembers the tears he’d swallowed back because it stirred his emotions for her so, and he could feel how deeply she loved him as she sang.
Even now, emotion churns inside him as he listens to the words. Smiling, he lets his thoughts drift to memories of last night.
The daughter of one of Velma’s friends had offered to watch the children at the hotel and give Adagio and Cisely a chance to go out for a while. They gratefully took her up on her offer. They went to dinner, then took a drive through the city. Adagio loved again exploring the place of his wife’s birth. Cisely pointed out more places of interest and they revisited some of the places she used to spend a lot of time.
One of those places was the botanical gardens at the university. Since the weather was comfortably warm, they decided to stop there and take an evening stroll. They kept an arm around each other as th
ey walked though the winding paths, admiring the beautiful flowers and landscaping. Cisely told him the place brought back a lot of memories for her. She’d spent a great deal of time there contemplating her life and where it was headed.
“I used to come here a lot to think because it was so peaceful.” “What kinds of things did you think about?”
She sighed, her eyes becoming distant. “Just about the different ways
my life had changed. Before giving up the party life, I never really felt worthy of much of anything because of how I was living. Nor did I ever think about the future. Nothing in my life seemed to be important, except surviving and finding my next drink or fix. I didn’t have any aspirations at all, and you never would have found me in a place like this. Even after I changed I still didn’t feel that my life was worth much because of all the mistakes I’d made. I was pretty lost. All I could see in my future was loneliness.” She paused in her thoughts, her eyes holding a subtle sadness at the memory. “I discovered this place one day when I was taking the bus to see a friend and immediately asked the driver to stop. It was as if . . . it was calling to me. I came to love coming here after that because I almost felt like God lived here, and it made me want to be here, to feel Him near. Back then, I never felt as close to Him as I did when I came here.” She chuckled. “Sounds kind of silly, huh?”
“It doesn't sound silly at all. I am sure He really was here for you, and He probably kept pulling you here. You needed this place and the peace that you felt here. There are times we all need such places.”
They continued to walk in comfortable silence. After a few moments he turned to find Cisely gazing at him intently. “What are you thinking about, amore?”
She smiled. “Oh, I was just remembering our wedding day and how happy I was to finally be your wife.”
He also smiled, remembering the joy he felt when they were married. Stopping on a small wooden bridge, he drew her into his arms. “I needed you in my life so much. I was tired of being alone, of never having anyone to come home to or share my days and nights with.” He sighed, looking into her eyes. “I can honestly say the day we married was the happiest day of my life, because it changed my life forever.”
Her eyes grew misty. “For me, too. You were, and still are, everything I could ever want.”
“And having you makes me the most blessed man in the world. I can't imagine not being with you.” Touching his lips to hers, he kissed her slowly.
She finally drew back and looked into his eyes, a slow grin spreading across her face. “Tell me again when you first knew you loved me.”
He leaned back against the railing, pulling her firmly against him, smiling as he thinks about the moment he lost his heart to her. “Well, it was something that happened slowly, but the moment I truly realized I loved you was the day I came in from the kitchen to let you know lunch was ready. You were standing in front of the living room window deep in thought. I remember quietly gazing at your profile, unable to move. You looked so beautiful just standing there.” He paused, softly caressing her lips. “I remember my heart pounding so hard, it was hard to breathe. Then you turned and looked at me and smiled, and in that moment, you claimed me, heart and soul.”
Cisely pressed her face against his neck and sighed, and Adagio sensed the warm memories washing over her as she remembered that moment.
“You know,” she said, “the look in your eyes at that moment nearly took my breath away.”
Smiling, he tightened his embrace. “You took my breath away by looking at me as well.” When she drew back slightly and met his steady gaze intently, he grinned and said with warmth, “Yes, just like that.”
“I'm glad I still have the same effect.”
“And you always will, bella. Now,” he said, kissing her brow, “tell me again when you first realized you loved me.”
“Okay,” she drawled. “I guess it is only fair.” She laughed at his boyish grin. “Well, my love for you grew over time, too, but the moment I truly knew I loved you was the morning of the day you came over and proposed. I was standing in front of the window again looking out at the city, and I started thinking about you. Only instead of fighting it, I gave in to it. I had only been lost in my thoughts of you for a few minutes when I suddenly remembered the very day you stood in the doorway of the living room the week before, staring at me. I remembered the look in your eyes and how it made me feel.”
She caressed his face. “The memory of the way you looked at me affected me so much, it intensified the feelings I already had for you, and I knew I was fighting a losing battle. I saw the longing in your eyes. I knew the feeling because I felt the same that day and every moment after that. That's when I knew I truly loved you, and my heart was no longer my own.”
Adagio closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers a moment before tightening his embrace and kissing her passionately. At that moment nothing else in the world existed. Just her. He finally pulled back and looked into her eyes, relishing the feel of her warm breath on his face. His entire being was full of longing for her. “Devo amarlo,” he whispered. He pressed his mouth lightly to hers and again whispered the words in a raspy voice.
“I need you, too,” she whispered back. She kissed him once more and without another word, took his hand and led him back to the car.
When they got back to the hotel, the children were already in bed. They thanked the sitter and Adagio paid her. After she left, he went to the bedroom and found the room lit only by the moonlight shining through the opened curtains. Cisely smiled at him through the darkness. “I thought since we don't have any candles, this will have to do.”
“It is perfect.” He undressed and carried her to the bed, and they made love as the rays of the moon filled the room and surrounded them.
Adagio’s thoughts return to the present and he again gazes at his wife, longing to hold her in his arms.
As I sing the final chorus, I meet Adagio's emotional gaze. Through this song, I express my love for him to everyone present. When I am finished, I receive a standing ovation from the guests. Brushing a tear away, I smile lovingly at Adagio and he smiles back, blowing me a kiss.
Our love is truly a thing to behold.
Fifty-six
Gladys watches Cisely through the cracked door, her heart seething with anger and bitterness. The niece she dislikes with a passion had become a thorn in her side long ago. In Gladys' eyes, Cisely completely ruined her life and took her meal ticket by convincing Velma to move away, as if Velma didn’t have a mind of her own and couldn’t think for herself. Since her daughter left, there has been no one left for Gladys to rule over or take advantage of, and this makes her angry.
So now anything and everything that goes wrong in her life is Cisely’s fault. It is her fault that Gladys doesn’t have enough money to fuel her nicotine and alcohol addiction. It is Cisely’s fault that Velma is no longer living under her roof, supporting her and jumping at her every beck and call. And it is Cisely's fault that Gladys hadn’t been able to see her daughter get married. Velma had chosen not to invite her, but in her mind, it is still Cisely’s fault.
Gladys continues to watch her niece, jealous of her looks, her talent, and the life she now has. She'd managed to avoid seeing her niece during her previous visit to Asheville. Before that, she had heard about Cisely’s first husband dying. Even then, Gladys didn’t have one sympathetic thought for her niece. Why should she? After all, Cisely is trash, and Ingo was white. It just wasn’t right for them to be together. Then Velma told her about Cisely remarrying and living happily in Italy.
Looking around the large hall, she immediately spots Adagio, recognizing him from the picture Velma had shown her of he and Cisely with their two children. Gladys has never been into men who are not of her race, but she can’t deny that Adagio is handsome. Ingo had been handsome as well, but to Gladys, Adagio is even more so. For a white man, he is walking perfection. This fuels her hatred for her niece even more. She looks back at Cisely and o
nce again begins to seethe.
She doesn’t deserve to be happy. She doesn’t deserve any of it, the little tramp! Gladys glances over at Velma and Ted. I should be in there with them. After all, I am still her mother, whether she likes it or not. She just didn’t want me around her snobby friends.
Gladys closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them, fixing her stare on Cisely once more, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
You won’t get away with this, Miss Better Than the Rest of the World. You’re gonna to pay for everything you’ve done to me. And you’re gonna to pay dearly.
I finish up with a few more songs, again receiving a standing ovation. Through the years, I've grown to enjoy performing for others, and I am happy to have been able to do this for Velma. People often tell me I should pursue a professional singing career, but I've never given it a thought. I am completely content with my career of being Adagio’s wife and a mother to our children. I want nothing more than that.
After taking a final bow, I stop and talk with a few of the new fans I've made, which is always so much fun. Walking over to the young man in charge of the music, I request a song. I turn, letting my eyes search the hall for my husband, wanting to share a slow dance with him. Adagio’s eyes meet mine through the crowd and he moves toward me, producing instant butterflies in my stomach. I again marvel that he never ceases to affect me that way.
“Have I told you how incredible you are?” He repeats one of his usual questions, pulling me close, pressing his lips against my ear.
I close my eyes and smile, relishing the feel of being in his arms again. “Yes, but I am no more incredible than you are.”
