Chendo and I decided we needed to see my mother to tell her about our plans.
“Well, at least that’s one I don’t have to worry about” were her words.
I was sixteen, already living apart from her, and now I was moving with my boyfriend 1,600 miles away. But my mother didn’t stand in my way. The following week, she took me to an ob-gyn, staying in the room with me as the doctor fitted me for a diaphragm.
That August, Chendo and I flew to St. Thomas, moving into an apartment complex on a hilltop overlooking the city. Once I arrived on the island, I sent my father a letter to say I was going to St. Thomas to get “a different kind of education.”
Years later, I learned the real reason I had to leave the Rhodes School. My father had decided to write a novel. He’d used the funds that Sherman had left me for my education to pay for his trip to Europe for his research.
* * *
ON ST. THOMAS, I started working full-time as a cosmetics counter manager in a department store, C. & M. Caron. I enjoyed the job, getting dressed up every morning, helping my customers, having the responsibility of handling sales. After work, Chendo and I played at being grown-ups. I bought a Betty Crocker cookbook called Cooking for Two and started to try my hand at cooking. One of the first dishes I tried was meatballs. They turned out square. Chendo thought this was hilarious.
On my days off, I’d sip piña coladas on a raft at the pool attached to our apartment building, or Chendo and I would take the ferry over to Trunk Bay to go snorkeling. I was scared to snorkel at first. I’d never taken a swimming lesson in my life, and I could barely doggy-paddle. But Chendo encouraged me and made me feel safe, until I was completely at ease in the water. The island was surrounded by miles of coral reefs and hidden coves. Underwater, I saw every kind of brightly colored fish and coral, turtle, ray, and sponge in magical formations. Paddling through the turquoise water, I was transported to a world of stunning beauty and peace.
My new salary gave me choices and the ability to pursue my own tastes and interests. I began to wear designer clothes and silk blouses with the gold jewelry that Chendo had given to me. I remember I bought a crystal statue of the Greek god and goddess Pan and Diana, made by Lalique, because I was fascinated with Greek mythology. I started going to calisthenics classes, trying to make up for all the years my mother had made sure I was excused from gym. Chendo and I moved to a bigger apartment at Sapphire Bay Resort, a much nicer complex on the other end of the island with views of the ocean from our terrace. Now that we had more space, I rented an upright piano for ten dollars a month. I had wanted to play piano ever since I was old enough to beg for lessons, the only thing I remember fighting for as a child. My mother had arranged for lessons for me but they didn’t last.Before long my parents announced they couldn’t afford to pay for them anymore.
Now that I had my own money, I found a piano teacher who lived close by. She was a petite woman in her sixties with white-blond hair and skin that was tan and leathery from years under the island sun. She was kind, patient, and motherly, and I practiced for hours each day hoping to win her approval and make her proud. I played Beethoven’s “Für Elise” over and over, sensing the emotion written into the music as the notes escalated, then quieted again. I learned to play Tchaikovsky’s melodies for The Nutcracker, all the music my mother and I loved from our trips to the ballet. I pounded and caressed the keys until I improved, and I felt real pride in my skill. It was as if I had finally found the structure and discipline my parents had failed to offer me growing up. Playing piano gave me something else I had never experienced before: a sense of accomplishment.
The following year, Chendo and I were married. I was only seventeen, and he was nineteen. We went to the courthouse and filled out the paperwork. I wore a matching Courrèges shirt and skirt with a white, turquoise, and pink pattern. Chendo wore his best pair of pants and a short sleeved button-down shirt. When the judge pronounced us husband and wife, there was a moment of hesitation between us. We were so young; I don’t think either of us had ever attended a wedding before. Was this the part where we were supposed to kiss? The judge looked at us and laughed, saying, “You may kiss the bride!” Afterward, we went to the nearby island of St. Barts for our honeymoon.
As Chendo and I neared our second Christmas on the island, I began talking with Robin about bringing our mother to visit. I was a married woman now, completely emancipated from my family, but even so, I wanted to share some of my happiness with them. I knew that my mother hadn’t been doing well. Jill had found her a job at a small store, but it was more than she could manage, and the owner let her go. Robin arranged the travel plans and booked and paid for the flights. I met them at the airport. I noticed right away how different my mother looked. Her hair was longer than she liked, falling around her shoulders, and under the bright skies of the islands, she seemed frail and out of place.
Even so, I was eager to show my mother and sister my new life. One of my favorite recipes
