“Yes, please, I’d like that.”
She sat, removed the cloth napkin from the table setting and placed it on her lap. Jolene did the same as the waiter approached with the meals that each had pre-ordered on the daily fill-in sheet that was slipped under their door every night.
“Salmon?” Selene said. “Never could stomach it no matter how many times our chef said it was a healthy choice.”
“I only order it at five-star restaurants, and from the meals I’ve enjoyed thus far, the chef at Heritage Inn is one of the best in all the countries I’ve visited around the globe.”
“Do you enjoy traveling the globe? I tired of it quickly and only go when work demands it,” Selene said.
“I am a flight attendant; my job demands it all the time.”
The girls laughed and it felt good. Selene studied her twin sister. “You don’t look anything like me.”
“Twins delivered from two sacs are not supposed to look alike.”
“I suppose, but the very word twin conjures that image in your head,” Selene said.
“I’m glad we don’t look alike. Sometimes I hate the image in the mirror that stares back at me.”
Selene jerked her head back. “Why? You are gorgeous without even trying.”
“I supposed when I feel dissatisfied on the inside the outside goes into sympathy-mode.” She bit her lip, not wanting to go there with Selene, the rising star of Fashion Queen Magazine.
“My mother bragged of your success when we dressed for dinner, and says you have an inner beauty that is quite captivating.”
“Your mother said that?” Jolene asked, surprised she hadn’t described her as an insolent brat, too suntanned and bitter.
“Our mother said that,” Selene said, sighing, “For now, can we forget that our parents made the worst mistake of their lives in separating their daughters? I want to get to know my sister. You may find it odd, but all the time I spent with professional nannies and tutors, I always envisioned a sibling sat at a desk beside me suffering the same boring fate, or snuggled in the imaginary bed in my room at night. The idea of her made my childhood more bearable.”
“I’m sorry you hated your life so much,” Jolene said.
“It had its moments, but lacked the element of intimacy that I noticed other kids enjoying at parks with their parents. But my mother’s efforts paid off in the end. I am brainwashed and love all the same superficial things my mother does. The inner child tests the boundaries on occasion but its usually a catastrophe.”
“I loved my childhood, even without a mother. Daddy doted on me and still managed to become a very successful businessman.” She almost said she was glad she’d gotten the more balanced parent, but held back. “Once I asked him why he couldn’t find a woman to go out with; he laughed and then proceeded to ask me on a date. I think we went fishing that time.”
“Fishing! Oh, my, with slimy worms and poor little minnows?”
Jolene chuckled. “We come from two different worlds. It’s no wonder our parents couldn’t make their marriage work. Opposites might attract but long-term survival is quite another matter.”
Selene became quiet and after a minute of empty conversation she said, “I’m sort of thinking about me and Craig – being opposites and all.”
Jolene swallowed hard. She did not want to be caught in the middle of that conversation, but unfortunately, her sister was just getting started. “You both have successful careers; that’s a similarity,” she said trying to erase the sad expression from her face.
“True, but for me work is the driving force to get me out of bed in the morning. Losing the promotion has robbed me of what makes me tick. I feel lost and drained dry.”
“Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and regroup. Consider this vacation a time to reset the energy button for the next great adventure.”
Selene laughed. “That is an encouraging way of viewing the loss of what I worked so hard for, and rightly deserved.”
“Obviously someone else did the work as well. Maybe he’ll fall flat on his face and your boss will come crawling back to you. That would give you another edge with the upper crust.”
“Again – where do you come up with these ideas?”
“My father always taught me to look on the bright side of every cloud – even the grey gloomy ones can suddenly burst open to allow a new, stronger light to shine through the darkness.”
Selene’s cell phoned rang and she quickly glanced down at the caller’s I.D. “I have to take this Jolene.” She pressed accept and grew very quiet. As she listened, Selene’s eyes lit up with a glow Jolene had not seen in her sister during their time at the resort. After the odd “yes,” and “certainly”, and an unconvincing, “I’m sorry”, she hung up.
“Bad news?” Jolene asked.
“No – I think this news almost ranks as high as finding a sister.” She bounced to her feet. “I need to talk to mother.” As she gathered her purse her hands visibly shook. Two feet from the table she turned back. “Thanks for telling me about the light behind that black cloud. I’ll always count it as hope whenever I find myself in a dark place.”
Jolene was confused but pleased that Selene had received happy news. She finished the last three bites of her cherry cheese cake and left the dining room with her bag of gifts. The guest sitting room was still empty and she hurried to the fireplace, decorated in all of its Christmas splendor. Names glittered with sparkles on each homemade, felt stocking and Jolene quickly found the names and put her garage sale items inside. She almost put the lovebirds in Craig’s stocking – for he and Selene, but couldn’t bear to be a part of sealing
