recognized me as Gisselle.
'Hello, Uncle Jean,' I said, my body trembling. 'May I sit with you?'
He didn't respond.
'Tell him who you really are,' Lyle coached.
'My name is Ruby. I am not Gisselle. I'm Gisselle's twin sister, someone you've never met.'
His eyes blinked rapidly and then he brought the forkful of food to his mouth.
'He's interested or at least amused,' Lyle whispered.
'How do you know?'
'If he wasn't, he would be smacking the plate with his fork or starting to scream,' Lyle explained. Feeling like the blind led by the blind, I inched my way forward to the table and gently put my tray down. I paused a moment, but Uncle Jean just kept eating, his blue-green eyes fixed on me. Then I sat down.
'Hi, Jean,' Lyle said. 'The natives appear a bit restless today, huh?' he said, sitting down beside me. Uncle Jean gazed at him, but didn't respond. Then he turned his attention back to me.
'I really am Gisselle's twin sister, Uncle Jean. My parents have told everyone how I was stolen at birth and how I managed to return just recently.'
'Is that true?' Lyle asked astonished.
'No. But that's what my parents are telling everyone,' said. Lyle started to eat.
'Why?'
'To cover up the truth,' I said, and turned back to Uncle Jean who was blinking rapidly again. 'My father, your brother, met my mother in the bayou. They fell in love and she became pregnant. Later, she was talked into giving up the baby, only no one knew there were twins. On the day Gisselle and I were born, my Grandmere Catherine kept me when my Grandpere Jack took the first baby, Gisselle, out to the limousine where your family was waiting.'
'Great story,' Lyle said with a wry smile on his face.
'It's true!' I snapped at him, and then turned back to Uncle Jean. 'Daphne, Daddy's wife, resents me, Uncle Jean. She's been very cruel to me ever since I arrived. She told me she was bringing me here to see you but secretly she made arrangements with Dr. Cheryl and his staff to keep me here for observation and evaluation. She's doing everything she can to get rid of me. She's—'
'Easy,' Lyle warned. 'You're going too fast for him.'
'I'm sorry, Uncle Jean,' I said. 'But I wanted to see you and tell you how much Daddy suffers because you're in here. He's so sick with grief, he cries in your room often and in fact, he's been so upset recently, he couldn't come to see you on your birthday.'
'His birthday? This isn't his birthday,' Lyle said. 'They make a big deal over everyone's birthday here. His isn't for another month.'
'It doesn't surprise me. Daphne simply lied to get me to come along with her. I would have anyway, Uncle Jean,' I said, turning back to him. 'I wanted to see you very much.'
He stared at me, his mouth open, his eyes wide.
'Start eating,' Lyle said. 'Pretend it's business as usual.'
I did as he advised and Uncle Jean did appear to relax. He lifted his fork, but continued to stare at me instead of continuing to eat. I smiled at him.
'I lived with my Grandmere Catherine all my life,' I told him. 'My mother died shortly after I was born. I never knew who my real father was until recently and I promised my Grandmere Catherine I would go to him after she died.
'You can't imagine how surprised everyone was,' I said. He started to smile.
'Terrific,' Lyle whispered. 'He likes you.'
'Does he?'
'I can tell. Keep talking,' he commanded in a whisper.
'I tried to adjust, to learn how to be a proper young Creole lady, but Gisselle was very jealous of me. She thought I stole her boyfriend and she plotted against me.'
'Did you?' Lyle asked.
'Did I what?'
'Steal her boyfriend?'
'No. At least I didn't set out to do anything like that,' I said.
'But he liked you more than he liked her?' Lyle pursued.
'It was her own fault. I don't know how anyone could like her. She lies; she likes to see people suffer, and she'll deceive anyone, even herself.'
'She sounds like she's the one who belongs in here,' he said.
I turned back to Uncle Jean.
