“Well slap me and callme Lois Lane.” Trudy stacked her bagel with slices of smokedsalmon, pickled capers and red onion. “I didn’t think youliked him.”
“I didn’t…Imean I don’t…I think I might.”
With food in her mouth,Trudy mumbled, “Either way I’m not totally surprised…‘thou who protest too much’.”
Celeste pursed her lips inconsternation. “A little overboard?”
“Like the Titanic.”Celeste snatched up a velvet pillow and let her cousin have it.
“Hey! Don’t beatthe messenger. You asked.”
Trudy settled back againstthe pillows. “Glad you wised up. I wouldn’t even mindletting him put his shoes under my bed.”
Celeste nibbled her lip.“You think I’m wrong for stepping out so soon after myfather’s funeral?”
Trudy shook her head. “Youneed some fun after that spectacle,” she said with a shudder. “All those people falling out and carrying on. You would’vethought Marcus Garvey had died.”
Celesteignored a sudden swell of sadness. “It was a mess wasn’tit?”
“A hot mess.”Trudy leaned back with a sigh. “I’m just glad it’sover and done with. You deserve a spot of sunshine. Just make surehe treats you like a lady and not some grove picker.”
Celeste fell into themountains of pillows at the head of the bed. “He was a dollwasn’t he? And he smelled yummy. It should be illegal for aman to smell that good. Oh Trudy, I gave him such a hard time. Idon’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothingwrong with you, honey. You just drew the short straw when God handedout parents. Go out on a few dates. Fall in love.”
“You must haveforgotten he’s white,” Celeste pointed out. “Menlike him don’t jump the broom with women like us.”
Trudybrushed aside Celeste’s argument with a flick of her hand. “Love can come in any form. All I’m saying is its hightime you stop carrying that monkey on your back and live the life youdeserve.”
The thought of drying output a sour taste in Celeste’s mouth. Her appetite sufficientlyruined, she slipped from the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“I have an appointmentwith my father’s attorney this afternoon.”
Trudyinstantly perked up. “Want some company?”
“No. This should be aquick meeting. I’ll be back by the time you get your secondwind.”
Her cousin stretched herarms over her head and the sleeves of her silk pajamas puddle aroundher elbows. “How’d you know I was going for anothertwenty winks?”
“We’re firstcousins,” Celeste reminded her.
“Whileyou’re out, could you pickup a jar of Sioux Bee honey from the grocers?”
Celeste reached for thewooden door knob. “I’ll put it on my list.”
“Oh and pick up acouple of Schmids. I’m too young to be an aunt.”
Celeste turned around at thedoor. Her cousin was lighting up a Camel. The first of manycigarettes she’d have over the course of the day. “It’sonly one date, Trudy.”
“True. But the way youpanted after him, I know you and you’ve tried your utmost tolive up to your father’s nickname.”
Bristling, Celeste openedher mouth but Trudy beat her to the punch, “No need to explain,honey. I’m not judging you one whit. You enjoy the company ofthe opposite sex and I just want you to protect yourself.”
“Ialways have.” In spite of her many dalliances, Celeste hadnever used the services of a back alley doctor.
“Good,” Trudynodded. “Now make tracks. Mama needs her beauty sleep.”
Long after Celeste shut thedoor behind her, Trudy’s words stayed with her. She mightpractice protection to prevent disease and unwanted pregnancies, butshe was woefully unprepared if Shane Brennan tried to steal herheart.
* * *
The solicitor didn’tget the memo that there was a depression going on. Celeste noted thehalf a dozen leather armchairs lining the dark paneled walls and alarge receptionist desk made of the finest walnut sitting oppositethe lobby door.
Even his secretary wasimpeccably dressed in a navy belted dress adorned with a crisp whitecollar and cuffs. Instead of wearing her hair in loose waves to hershoulders, à la the current fashion, a neat chignon completedher polished look.
“Mr. Percy, yourtwo-thirty appointment is here.” The solicitor’ssecretary smiled, while hanging up the receiver. “You can go onin, he’s expecting you.”
Upon entering his office,Mr. Early Percy stood up from behind his desk and motioned for her totake a seat. Attired in a three-piece, navy pinstripe suit he lookedas immaculate as his office.
“Sit, sit,”Percy insisted. “We have plenty to discuss.”
“We do?” Celesteasked somewhat surprised as she sat in one of the leather arm chairshe’d indicated. In all honesty, she’d simply come out ofcommon courtesy, not expecting to inherit a dime from her father’sestate.
Mr. Percy regarded her overa pair of oval reading glasses. “You look surprised.”
“If you knew thenature of the relationship I had with my father, you wouldn’thave wasted a business card.”
The attorney reached overand picked up a leather-bound portfolio. “Well, he’s madeup for it in the afterlife. Before you leave my office you might havea different opinion of your father.”
And Ihave a bridge overlooking the East River I want to sell you!It would take more than a few tokens to completely whitewash adecades–long estrangement.
“Were the preparationsfor your father’s funeral satisfactory?”
“Itwas lovely.” Celeste looked down at her hands. In truth, herfather’s funeral had been a blur. She’d made sure of itby getting just drunk enough to sit through it without anyassistance, but too sloshed to remember the details.
“Good.I followed your father’s direction to the letter. As I willwith the reading of his will.”
Although she knew she hadnothing to look forward to, Celeste felt on edge. This could be someking of bad joke, her father’s last hoorah to get back at herfor defying him.
“As you know, yourfather’s estate entails a brownstone located in Forte Green, amixed-commercial building and a four-family walk up inBedford-Stuyvesant.”
Percy slid two sets of keysacross the desk. One a small ring containing two keys, the other alarge one filled with too many to count. “Go on take them,”he coaxed.
Celeste eyed them as if theywere vipers. “Why?”
“You’renow the proprietress of all three properties. Although I will saythat there is an interested party whom inquired about the buildingjust yesterday.” Percy shuffled through the papers.
