by Anna Adams
During a lull in the dinner conversation, while James and Victoria were desperately racking their brains wondering what to talk of next after having exhausted the subject of that day’s weather, Peter cleared his throat.
“I am glad that we are all gathered here because I have an announcement to make.”
James and Victoria looked at each other, thinking the same terrible idea.
“Oh gosh! Are you and Cynthia getting married?” asked Ben, who at eleven, had the natural knack of saying aloud what everyone was thinking.
Peter looked at Ben, annoyed, as if he were ruining his moment.
“No, Benjamin.”
“Phew!” Ben said wiping his forehead as if he had just narrowly escaped impending death.
“Ben!” his mother warned, hiding a faint smile with difficulty.
“The news I have to announce is very important and directly concerns all of you in this present room,” he said pompously, his gaze passing from one family member to another, and finally falling on Maude.
“I have decided to enter the arena, sacrifice my well being, and bravely do what is best for our country. I have decided to enter politics.”
Peter looked around the room, expecting cheers and receiving instead a series of blank expressions, including from Cynthia.
Jazmine cleared her throat, and was first to break the silence.
“I think everyone is as astounded as I am. You see, Peter, we don’t really understand why you say that this will directly affect us.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Actually, no. Would you care to explain?” asked a baffled Victoria. Peter never ceased to astound her, and it never was in a good way.
“Very well. You see, it is quite simple. Since you are my girlfriend’s family, and since maybe someday Cynthia will become more than just my girlfriend, I need to know right now if there are any family secrets, scandals, or other information that I should be aware of right away so as to determine the best way to prevent the scandal from emerging. Any secret children? Secret lovers? Secret murder? Any link with a dictatorship?”
“You’re kidding, right?” asked Jazmine incredulously, knowing as soon as she uttered those words that he wasn’t kidding at all! A Longarm never kids.
“Not at all! And I particularly wanted to question Maude Laurent, seeing as she is a newcomer in the family, and that she is an orphan. That isn’t good at all. I need to know why your parents abandoned you. Were they criminals or something of the sort?”
Maude stared at him, hardly believing what she was hearing.
“I don’t know who my parents were,” she said softly.
Silence covered the room like a thick cloth. It was the first time Maude had mentioned her parents since she had arrived at the Baldwins. Jazmine felt like wringing Peter’s neck with her two hands.
“Maybe we should think about looking into that—”
“That’s enough, Peter,” James bellowed, rising from his chair.
Maude had never seen Mr. Baldwin this angry, all amusement gone from his usually calm face, his eyes flashing with anger.
Peter was about to retort, but at that same moment the doorbell rang.
“Right on time,” Jazmine muttered while going to answer the door.
When she came back to the living room, a tall, handsome boy with gray eyes followed her.
“Good evening, everybody! Is everything alright here?” Matt asked as he saw the look of anger on James’s face and anguish in Cynthia’s eyes.
Maude, who had been uneasily looking at the tablecloth wanting to disappear, or better yet wanting Peter to disappear, started, surprised, when she recognized Matt’s voice.
“Hi Matt! What are you doing here?” Ben asked.
“I was supposed to come at nine, wasn’t that what you wanted Cynthia? Remember, you told me weeks ago that we were supposed to go the movies with Jaz. This Saturday?” he said, visibly insisting on something Cynthia had never said.
Cynthia didn’t mind. She was too happy to have an excuse to leave Peter. She knew Peter would never want to go to the movies with Matt, whom he hated, and she certainly didn’t want to deal with him that evening. She felt mortified over his behavior to her family.
It was a relief when he said he wouldn’t go to the movies and headed for the door. He refused to continue to dine with people too dim to understand his true calling.
Jazmine hugged Matt, grateful for his impeccable timing.
“You are my hero, Matt. You have no idea how awful this evening has been.”
“Really? Peter was that bad, huh?”
“He was. Since we’re going to the movies, I would really like something amusing, not too serious or dramatic.”
Maude thought she’d had enough drama for one night.
“How about that new vampire movie, Vampire Love?”
“You mean the one in which you were supposed to play the lead role, but turned down because you didn’t want to damage your new and improved reputation as a serious artist?” James asked.
“That one exactly,” Matt answered, laughing.
Maude started leaving the dining room.
“Hey Maude, you’re coming with us, aren’t you?” asked Cynthia.
Maude hesitated. She had never been to the movies and had been dying to go with her new friends. She certainly couldn’t go if Matt was going to be there.
“No, I have work to do,” she replied, refusing to look at Matt, although quite conscious that his eyes were on her.
“Come on, Maude,” said Victoria gently, “You deserve a break. You’ve been working hard these past three weeks.”
“You should come,” Matt insisted softly, a hint of mild amusement still in his eyes.
Maude looked directly at him and said, “No, I have better things to do tonight. Maybe some other time.” She quickly departed. Matt, regretfully watching her exit, hadn’t wanted her to leave and was worried he’d hurt her feelings.
Cynthia shuffled uneasily, thinking Maude must have been hurt by Peter’s lack of manners at dinner.
“So, are we going or what?” asked Jazmine, snapping Matt and Cynthia out of their thoughts, both of them thinking they were the cause for Maude’s coldness, when actually, only one of them was right.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Matt answered, tearing his eyes away from the door through which Maude had just left.
When Maude heard the front door slam, she sighed in relief and went to the piano, not wanting to ponder why she felt a small, creeping feeling of regret over not going to the movies with Matt, Cynthia, and Jazmine.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Ben who came into her room a few minutes after the trio had left.
“It’s too bad you didn’t go to the movies. I would’ve liked to go, but Dad won’t let me see a vampire movie after what happened last time I saw one with Jaz and Cynth. I covered my eyes during the whole movie, but still managed to have nightmares for weeks. Dad scolded the girls so badly for taking me to see a scary movie, they didn’t talk to me for days. I don’t think it’s fair because I was only ten back then. Now I’m eleven.”
“That makes all the difference,” Maude said as seriously as she could, not wanting to hurt Ben’s feelings. “Say Ben. Tell me something. How close are Jazmine, Cynthia, and Matt?” she asked, feeling uneasily that this question somehow shouldn’t pique her interest as much as it did.
“Oh, Matt is a part of the family now. We’ve known him for years, and he even lived with us for a while. He plays video games with me when he comes. Hey, do you want to come play with me?”
Maude looked at the piano and back at Ben. There was no way she would be able to concentrate on her music after the evening she’d had. Talking about her unknown parents in front of the Baldwin family and a prodding inquisitor had left her feeling a palette of emotions going from hot scarlet anger, greyish sadness, and also a light red hue of embarrassment.
“You know what, Ben? That’s a great idea! Just give me ten minutes,
then I’m all yours.”
She waited until Ben had left the room before plopping on her bed with her laptop.
In the Google search bar, she started typing “Ma” but didn’t need to go any further as a detailed list of suggestions instantly appeared.
Matt Girlfriends, Matt Love Doctor Video, Matt Songs, Matt Albums, Matt Parties, Matt World Tour.
Her first reflex was to click on Matt Girlfriends, but she hesitated. She really shouldn’t be doing this. Curiosity wasn’t a sound advisor. But then who would know?
Maude shook her head and clicked instead on Matt Love Doctor Video.
It was Matt’s greatest hit with Glitter Records, but Maude found the clip hilarious, which clearly wasn’t what it was aiming at. Every teenage girl had gone crazy over this video in which Matt’s character tried unsuccessfully to woo a gorgeous ice queen played by supermodel Tiana Henderson. By the middle of the clip she was literally seen smashing his heart to pieces with a gigantic hammer, thus needing the intervention of the highly skilled, but also highly comical, Love Doctor.
Maude laughed as the music died out then continued her search, conveniently avoiding clicking on Matt Girlfriends.
Albums, songs, collaborations, fights with the paparazzi, sightings, charities and fundraisers, hair gel endorsement, Hugo Boss commercial, jet set parties. Maude browsed quickly through it all and realized there was little Matt hadn’t done, and none of it improved Maude’s opinion of him. He definitely was a wild child. Finally, her curiosity got the best of her, and she clicked on the suggestion Matt Girlfriends. A list of twenty out of over eighty million results appeared in less than a second. She scrolled rapidly down the page her eyes widening as she did so. “Matt and Tiana Henderson break up,” “Matt having brunch with model Stella Madison two days after breakup with Tiana,” “Matt and actress Toni Terrell in love,” “Matt and Lindsey Linton.”
Wait, Matt and Lindsey Linton?
Maude with an eagerness she felt half ashamed about, clicked on the title, but would never get to read the desired article because Ben chose that exact moment to pop his head in.
“Mauuuude, are you coming?” he asked impatiently. He’d been patient enough but when those ten minutes had become twenty his patience had worn out. There’s just so long an eleven year old can wait.
With haste, Maude slammed her laptop shut and jumped off her bed. She felt she probably shouldn’t want to read another article about Matt anyway. Especially if it involved Lindsey Linton.
“Sorry, Ben! I just got caught up. Let’s go play video games. But you’ll have to teach me how to play, okay?”
“Okay, but don’t learn too fast because I really like winning against beginners,” he admitted as they left the room.
“So, how was Vampire Love last night?” asked Maude the next morning at breakfast, trying hard to look as nonchalant as she possibly could.
“Oh God, so funny!” Jazmine giggled taking a glass of orange juice. “After being ambushed by a herd of crazy fans, we got in twenty minutes after the film had started. As if that wasn’t awkward enough, Matt criticized Jason Taylor, the lead, from the beginning to the end of the movie. We almost got kicked out of the room. He’s so silly! He did say he was looking forward to start working with you next week though.”
“Where’s Cynthia? Is she still sleeping?” asked Maude, ignoring Jazmine’s last comment.
“Oh no, not Cynthia. She’s in the middle of an intense yoga session, poor thing. She was so angry about what happened yesterday, about what Peter said to you. Didn’t I tell you Peter was something?”
Maude nodded, thinking even Jazmine had underestimated the extent of Peter’s character.
“Speaking about men. I absolutely need your advice.”
“No, Brad is nothing like Peter. Yes, you have my blessing to date him,” Maude said in a very serious tone although her lips twitched.
“This has nothing to do with Brad the Joker, like you called him.”
“I said the “joke” not the “Joker,” I’m not crazy, and neither is he. Give me some credit here.”
“At any rate, it isn’t about Brad. Do you remember Jonathan?”
“Tall, pale, skinny Jonathan?” Maude asked.
Jazmine nodded, frowning.
“He auditioned?” Maude asked, astonished.
Jazmine nodded again.
“He actually managed to keep his guitar in his hands during the entire song?”
“I know, I know, he isn’t at all appealing physically. He’s got large, Harry Potter glasses. He’s scrawny and looks like you could break him faster than a twig. He drops anything that comes into contact with his two left hands. However when he plays, you could almost forget he looks like a complete nerd. Almost, but not quite. That’s why we are hesitating to take him in the band.”
“Were there other guitarists you would consider?”
“That’s the thing. He was the best. He had a Jimi Hendrix vibe, you know. He played Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” so well.
“Then take him,” Maude shrugged not seeing what the problem was.
“That’s what Cynth said, along with, “Beauty isn’t everything, Jaz.” But it’s not that simple.” Jazmine sighed. “Matt was the only one who got it. He understood that even though Jonathan was a great guitarist, he also had to be able to blend in with the rest of the band. Especially as he would necessarily stand out as the only male member of our group.”
Maude glowered. So not only was Matt a jerk, he was also a superficial narcissist.
“Look at the bright side, at least you know you could never fall for him. So he would probably last longer than all your other guitarists put together,” Maude observed philosophically.
“You’re right, Maude!” Jazmine exclaimed, a smile slowly creeping across her face.
Just then, they heard a dreadful noise coming out of Ben’s room. It was midway between a baby’s bawling and a dying cat’s last pleas.
“Oh God,” Jazmine said, covering her ears. “It’s started.”
“What’s started? Is someone torturing Ben? And us at the same time?” Maude cringed.
“We have a tradition.”
“Does it involve killing poor, innocent kittens?”
“Not at all. During our eleventh year, we have to experiment all sorts of instruments and on our twelfth birthday, we decide which one we feel the most comfortable with, the one that we can’t part with. It’s a tradition that comes from Mom’s side of the family. It has been passed on from generation to generation. Mom is always psyched when this happens. She loves traditions, especially when they involve music. That is why Ben is torturing us with his bagpipe. Let’s just hope he improves rapidly.”
“That’s a pretty cool tradition. When is Ben’s birthday?”
“In July. And in the meantime, we are going to hear a lot of different instruments.”
July, Maude thought her heart sinking. She wouldn’t be there to see which instrument Ben had chosen.
“Hey, are you okay?” Jazmine asked worriedly, noticing Maude harbored the strangest expression. “Don’t worry, it won’t be that bad. You can put on earplugs if you want. I’m sure that’s what Cynthia did right now to pursue her yoga session peacefully,” she teased and started to clear the table.
Maude smiled wanly to reassure Jazmine, but couldn’t get rid of that awful, gnawing feeling in her chest.
That night, after having turned and turned again in her bed for the umpteenth time, Maude decided sleep was definitely eluding her that night.
She’d had a great three weeks with the Baldwins. How could the mention of the month of July, when she would be returning to Carvin, disturb her that way?
It was January. July was far away, she tried to reassure herself.
Maude quietly slipped out of the room, went down the stairs, careful not to make any noise, and headed for the kitchen.
She was surprised to hear that someone was moving in the kitchen. As she got closer, she realized it
was Victoria, making herself warm milk.
Maude hesitated, not wanting to disturb her.
Victoria was the person in the Baldwin family that Maude knew the least. She had gossiped with Jazmine, chatted and played the piano with Cynthia and her violin, played video games with Ben, and spent countless hours with James learning about music. However, Maude felt somewhat intimidated by Victoria although the woman was nothing but kind to her. In Maude’s eyes, Victoria had a special aura, something she had never seen in anyone else. She was an image of strength, a strong woman who appeared to be afraid of no one, and who let nothing get in her way. Victoria was a women’s rights advocate and was at the head of an association that fought for women’s rights on a daily basis. She had founded this association with her best friend and lawyer, Nathalie Fern. The members, men and women, met once a month at the Baldwin household to discuss issues, including the women’s shelter Victoria had created eight years prior.
Maude had heard Victoria talk the first week she had been there and couldn’t help but feel awed and intimidated by her strong, assured tone, her detailed facts, and her power of persuasion. Cynthia and Jazmine who regularly attended those meetings were also very proud of their mother although they couldn’t perceive it like Maude did, through the eyes of a newcomer. Maude was amazed by Victoria’s inner strength, as she was capable of bringing lots of joy, jokes, and laughter in the household even though she faced daily challenges in the shelter.
Maude was still debating whether she wanted to interrupt Victoria during her midnight snack when she turned around and spotted Maude.
She smiled and asked, “Having trouble sleeping, too? Do you want some warm milk?”
“I don’t want to disturb you.”
“Nonsense. Come on in. I can’t make hot cocoa like James does, but mine isn’t too bad. Don’t tell him I said that, or he’ll start bragging about all the things he does better than me. As if there were so many,” Victoria said smiling.
