Learning How to Bend

March 13

OOPS. I MEANT TO POST THIS YESTERDAY. My bad. :3 //

I could not tell you how much time I spent with Evangeliya in the piano room.  It seemed to be her favorite in the entire house, and that was saying something because the house was large.  Along with the master bedroom, there were three others.  There was also a small study, the piano room, the kitchen with the attached dining room, and a living room.  In the rooms I frequented, I used echolocation to visualize the room whenever I entered.  I only spoke to Mr. Andino on the journey from the airport, but Charlotte seemed to follow me everywhere if I were not with Evangeliya.  Even with Vasilisa, who was staying with her grandparents for the weekend, I was supervised.  Charlotte tried to do it surreptitiously, but I always knew when she was there.  I considered mentioning it to Thaddeus, but he might think I was paranoid, so I kept it to myself.  Our only escape from her seemed to be when we were in his bedroom with the door locked...even then, she would still knock.  I asked Thaddeus at one point if she had always been so overbearing.  She had always been protective, but it worsened after the death of Andrei, which made sense to me.

It seemed the day in the piano room with Evangeliya was her at her high point, for the next day she never left her bed.  She could not.  Thaddeus and I sat with her in her room for part of the day, both of them silent as I read aloud from a book I had packed in my suitcase.  He practically shoveled food into her mouth at breakfast and lunch, and I knew his heart ached to see her like this.  He made Liya eat, and I in turn did the same for him.  I told him I would not eat unless he did; it seemed to work.  Some of the time we spent reading, but we also watched a couple movies that made Evangeliya laugh.  Thaddeus lied on one side of her with me on the other and Chelise at the bottom of the bed.  Evangeliya and the golden retriever...it was as though they were made for each other.  Besides to go outside, Chelise lied with her head on the younger woman's ankle the entire time we were in the small room.  I only noticed the passing of time by how the heat of the sun lessened on the side of my face.  Tonight was a family dinner, as their traditions dictated.  Vasilisa's mother had come to pick her up at some point during the afternoon, so neither of them would be present.  But Evangeliya, Thaddeus, and I were "required" to attend.  It was not a question or a request—it was a command.  That did not sit well with me, but I decided it was better not to comment.

The food tasted bland in my mouth, but I did not know whether that was because it was actually flavorless or if I was too distracted by the tension in the air to notice the taste of anything.  Everyone was silent until the plates were empty, and silverwares were placed noiselessly on top of the simple china dinner plates.  I wanted to take a generous swallow of the water that sat at my right hand, but I resisted the urge.  Something told me that just because the plates may be unfilled, it did not mean we were finished with dinner.  I intertwined my fingers together in my lap for only a few seconds before Thaddeus grabbed one hand and Evangeliya reached for the other.  I lightly squeezed her smaller one in mine.

"How is work, Thaddeus?" Mr. Andino asked.

"Profitable," Thaddeus said. "We relatively recently finalized a merger, and sales are up by a considerable percentage."

"Adequate."

One of Thaddeus's fingers twitched against the back of my hand.

"He has the best in mind for the company and for his employees," I commented. "I think many admire and look up to him."

"You mean the ones he interacts with," Mr. Andino said dryly.

"AI is a big organization.  He only has so much time.  Thaddeus can't interact with everyone." I chose my words carefully, speaking in a respectful tone.

"And we fall in the 'afterthought' category; is that right, Thaddeus?"

Thaddeus said nothing, but his grip on my hand tightened.