'I pleaded with him to be more sensible and he continued to mock me for being too sensible. 'Women don't like men to be reasonable and sensible and logical all the time, Pierre,' he said They want a little danger, a little insecurity. If you want to win Daphne, take her out here on a day like this and let her scream as the spray hits her face and the sailboat tips and totters like it's doing now,' he cried.
'But the storm grew worse than even he expected. I was angry at him for putting us in this unnecessary danger. I was angry and jealous and during our battle against the storm, when he was struggling with the sail . . .' He sighed, closed his eyes, and then concluded, 'I sent the jib flying around and it struck him in the head. It wasn't an accident,' he confessed, and lowered his head to his hands.
'Oh, Daddy.' I reached up and took his hand as he sobbed. 'I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt him so badly. I'm sure you regretted it the moment you did it.'
'Yes,' he said, lifting his face from his palms. 'I did. But that didn't change things and look where he is and what he is now. Look at what he was,' he said, lifting one of the silver framed photographs. 'My beautiful brother.' Tears of remembrance clouded his eyes as he gazed at him. Then he sighed so deeply, I thought his heart had given out, and lowered his chin to his chest.
'He's still your beautiful brother, Daddy. And I think that he could make enough progress to leave that place. I really do. When I spoke to him and told him things, I felt he really understood.'
'Did you?' Daddy's eyes lit up as he raised his head again. 'Oh, how I wish that were true. I'd give anything now . . . all my wealth, if that were true.'
'It is, Daddy. You must go to him more often. Maybe you should get him better treatment, find another doctor, another place,' I suggested. 'They don't seem to be doing anything more than making him comfortable and taking your money,' I said bitterly.
'Yes. Maybe.' He paused and looked at me and smiled. 'You are a very lovely young lady, Ruby. If I was to believe in any forgiveness, it would be that you were sent here to me as an indication of that. I don't deserve you.'
'I was almost shut away, too, Daddy,' I said, returning to my original theme.
'Yes,' he said. 'Tell me more about that.'
I described how Daphne had tricked me into accompanying her to the institution and all that had followed after-ward. He listened intently, growing more and more upset.
'You've got to get hold of yourself, Daddy,' I said. 'She just told me she might have you committed, too. Don't let her do these things to you and to me and even to Gisselle.'
'Yes,' he said. 'You're right. I've wallowed in self-pity too long and let things get out of hand.'
'We've got to end all the lying, Daddy. We've got to cast the lies off like too much weight on a boat or a canoe. The lies are sinking us,' I told him. He nodded. I stood up.
'Gisselle has to know the truth, Daddy, the truth about our birth. Daphne shouldn't be afraid of the truth either. Let her be our mother because of her actions and not because of a mountain of lies.'
Daddy sighed.
'You're right.' He rose, brushed back his hair, and straightened his tie, tightening the knot. Then he stuffed his shirt into his pants neatly. 'I'm going down to speak with Daphne. She won't do anything like this to you again, Ruby. I promise.'
'And I'll go in to see Gisselle and tell her the truth, but she won't believe me, Daddy. You'll have to come up and speak with her, too,' I told him. He nodded.
'I will.' He kissed me and held me for a moment. 'Gabrielle would be so proud of you, so proud.'
He straightened up, pulled back his shoulders, and left. I gazed at Uncle Jean's photographs for a moment and then I went to tell my sister who her mother really was.
'Where have you been?' Gisselle demanded. 'Mother's been home for hours and hours. I kept asking for you and they kept telling me you weren't here. Then Mother came by and told me you ran away. I knew you wouldn't stay away long,' she added confidently. 'Where would you go, back to the bayou and live with those dirty swamp people?'
Because I didn't say anything immediately, her smile of self-satisfaction evaporated.
'Why are you standing there like that? Where were you?' she wailed. 'I needed you. I can't stand that nurse anymore.'
'Mother lied to you, Gisselle,' I said calmly.
'Lied?'
I walked over to her bed and sat on it to face her in her wheelchair.
'I didn't run away,' I said. 'Don't you remember? We were going to the institution to see Uncle Jean, only —'
'Only what?'
'She had other intentions. She brought me there to leave me there as a patient,' I said. 'I was tricked and locked up like some mentally disturbed person.'
'You were?' Her eyes widened.
'A nice young man helped me escape. I've already told Daddy what she did.'
Gisselle shook her head in disbelief.
'I can't believe she would do such a thing.'
'I can,' I replied quickly. 'Because she's not really our mother.'
'What?' Gisselle started to smile, but I stopped her and seized her full attention when I reached out to take her
