you’re right, that’s exactly why I called you. After all, you don’t fly to each other.
“She and I are strangers, accidentally brought up in the same family.” I’m already sick of this pretense, not only mine, but our entire family’s. You and mom, your relationship collapsed a long time ago. Why should we pretend?! I don’t understand, I don’t see the point. It’s time for you to come to terms with the fact that we will never communicate,” Olivia exclaimed in her hearts.
– Olivia! You say terrible things. Just think about the fact that there is no one dearer to her, and never will be. You must talk, understand each other and forgive childhood grievances.
At her father’s words, she grinned sarcastically and added:
– Are you kidding me now?
– I’m talking seriously.
– Better think about your mother. As soon as I see it, Inessa, her favorite, won’t know how her mother is doing. She lives in London and doesn’t even think about those who pay for her studies.
– Calm down, why are you saying that now? After all, I helped you when you decided to stay in France, you are not fair to us.
– Not to you. Only to her,” Olivia turned around and went into the house. When she entered the house, Louise was carrying chamomile tea on a tray to Vanessa’s room, they encountered Olivia at the door, and from the anger that gripped her, she shouted at the housekeeper and overturned the tray of tea. Louise stood rooted to the spot, not understanding what happened in a split second. Louis ran after his daughter, looked at the broken cups and teapot and followed his daughter into the office. He knew her violent temper, especially when she was taken out by talking about her mother. Inessa came down from the second floor, and, seeing that Louise was collecting broken dishes, asked:
– What happened? Did the father turn the tray over?
The housekeeper shook her head and she realized that this was the work of her sister, she ran into the office to find out what had happened, and when she ran in, she found her father and her older sister talking in a raised voice. Louis, seeing his youngest daughter in the office, shouted to her:
“Now is not the time, Inessa, go away,” he pushed her out the door and locked the office with a key from the back.
“Great! So we went to the salon,” thought Inessa.
She went up to her mother and said that they would go to the salon together.
– Mom, let’s go together, Olivia is arguing with her father.
– What? Why?
– I don’t know, he kicked me out the door. I don’t intend to wait for her. Let’s go,” she took her bag and they went down to the car. Vanessa and Inessa left, and in the office there was a tense dialogue between the father and the eldest daughter:
– Olivia, calm down, please. She yelled at Louise, broke the dishes…
The daughter looked at her father and said in a firm voice:
– You can just leave me alone. What do you need?! What do you all want from me?! You can just leave me alone – shouting this, she grabbed the key from the table, opened the door and went up to her room. There were tears in her big green eyes, just like once in childhood, and again pain pierced her.
Louis was shocked by his daughter’s words, he even forgot how to speak. This was exactly what he had told Vanessa in France. That sooner or later it will come back to haunt them that their daughter was raised by strangers. He realized that his daughters would not be able to find a common language, neither now nor later. He understood that this was his failure as a father and Vanessa’s as a mother. As he grew older, he increasingly came to the conclusion that the cocoon opens one day, and here is their cocoon, in other words, the opportunity to reconcile the daughters was long lost, and it was impossible to return back the time when childhood grievances could be forgotten. The constant lack of attention from her mother developed in Olivia a persistent feeling of uselessness for her family; her father, always busy with business, still found time to communicate with her, but her mother, who abandoned her when she was very young, now evoked only a feeling of hatred. They never made it to the opera that day. Louis did not want to go without his eldest daughter. Vanessa decided to spend this evening in the company of Inessa at home in the living room. She sat and waited for her youngest daughter to come down. Inessa was in no hurry, the feeling in this house was strange, because she was not used to staying with her parents for so long, especially when they had Olivia. Their relationship was formal and devoid of any kind of emotional contact. At receptions they pretended that they had a warm sisterly relationship, they were the ideal of mutual understanding, and many family friends set them up as an example for their daughters. However, all this was just a screen, a skillful play by two actresses. Vanessa did nothing to improve their relationship, Louis was busy ensuring their future and therefore did not delve into the intricacies of their communication. Finally, Inessa went down to the dining room and sat down next to her mother. Vanessa took her beloved daughter’s hands in hers and asked softly:
– What’s on your heart? What’s in your soul? I, too, was just as young and carefree, and fluttered through life, and I have something for you.
Inessa looked at her mother and was so touched by these questions that she could hardly hold back her tears.
“Mom, dear mother,” the daughter turned to Vanessa in a whisper, “everything is really great with me, you don’t need to worry about me, okay?”
– Fine. Let’s go,” she stood up and led her daughter by the hand into the library.
– Why are we going there?
– I want to show you one thing, but no one else should know, in general, do you understand me? – the mother looked carefully into her daughter’s eyes to make sure that her daughter would not tell anyone about this.
– Nobody will find out, Mom, I promise you.
When they entered the library, Vanessa pointed her daughter to a chair and said:
– Sit down.
Inessa sat down, and her mother walked along the shelves with books, reached the windows, closed the curtains, and turned on the lights. The daughter began to fidget in the chair, showing with all her appearance that she was impatient to find out the reason for their being here.
– Mother! What did you want to show?
– Be patient!
“Okay,” Inessa lowered her eyes guiltily, and her mother began the story.
– Once upon a time, a very long time ago, I happened to visit an extraordinary place, and I have a reminder of it for the rest of my life. It’s here,” she placed the ladder against the shelves and climbed the steps. I took out a very ordinary book, which was a little shabby over time, but overall looked good. Inessa was silent. Mom handed her a book with the words:
– Open it.
The daughter raised her head and looked into her mother’s eyes, as if she wanted to see the answer that in this book, Vanessa looked distant and lost in her thoughts. When Inessa began to slowly open the cover of the book, a chill ran down her mother’s back, as if she was reliving her emotions of those years. At that moment, a knock on the door distracted them. Louis was outside the door.
“Come in,” Vanessa did not want to arouse suspicion and therefore decided that Louis, seeing the book in his daughter’s hands, would think that they were talking about art and would not interfere. She whispered to Inessa not to open the book when her father came in. The daughter nodded and at that moment the door opened and the father came in.
– Did you interfere? – he asked kindly.
“We are talking about the fashion of past years, no, it didn’t