Silence Is Golden, page 27
Then another letter arrived from Emma, in which she told me that the house in the woods was up for sale. I didn’t realize until then how attached I was to that house. I couldn’t stand the thought of never being able to go back. Despite everything that had happened, Bren had become a part of me. I went to find Aris, who was walking on the beach with Daniel and Adele. I didn’t say anything when I found them. I simply looked at him, holding out the open letter. He immediately took it and read it quickly, then raised his eyes to meet mine.
“They’re selling it,” I told him. “That means we’ll never be able to go back.”
Aris held my face in his hands, saying nothing.
“What if . . .”
He finished my thought with a kiss, and when I opened my eyes, he smiled the same way that he had when he’d first seen his son.
“Let’s go home, Emi,” he said.
I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but during those months we spent in Bandol, Aris and Adele had discussed the possibility of us all returning to Bren. Adele was a widow and had never had any more children. We were the only family she had left, and she said she would follow us anywhere. Aris didn’t even think to suggest Bren to me, given everything that had happened to me in that town. He was willing to stay in France for the rest of his life, if that’s what I’d wanted.
That same afternoon, after we returned from the beach, Aris called Valerio, the real estate agent. Yes, the same one who instilled so much jealousy in Aris that he risked losing not only me, but also his life. Well, Aris told him that he didn’t have to sell the house, because we’d be back in a few days and that we were prepared to make him the highest offer. While Valerio was talking, I saw Aris’s lips press together and his eyes cloud over. Then he said something else and hung up.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“That we can keep the house, of course.”
“And what else?”
Aris shook his head. “Will you ever let me keep anything from you?”
“I hope not,” I replied.
“He said he’s really happy you’re coming back to Bren.”
His tinge of sarcasm made me smile. “And what did you say?”
“That I’m happy that he’s happy my wife is coming back to Bren.”
A devilish smile played on the lips of my angel.
We kiss and hug all our guests and wish them a Merry Christmas. They have helped us put everything back in order, wash the dishes, pick up all the abandoned toys left scattered on the living room floor, and clear away all the empty glasses lying around. Adele has already gone to bed, and even Daniel is sleeping peacefully in his bed, exhausted from this exciting day.
I grab a blanket from our bedroom and go outside to meet Aris, who is watching Benedetto and Linda head down our driveway. He turns toward me and holds out his hand. We sit on the threshold of our house in the woods and wrap ourselves in the blanket, just as we did on our first Christmas together. Many things have changed since then. But there are a few things that remain the same. The love that we will always share. The joy that we feel at simply being together, without speaking. Because for us, every silence is a river of words that we cross together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2015 Piero Gaggi
Laura Mercuri was born in Rome, Italy. She studied psychology, specializing in family therapy, and has worked as a psychotherapist for eighteen years. In 2013, she published a romance novel called La vita di carta. She currently lives by the sea with her son and husband.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Photo © 2014 Lou McClellan (Thompson-McClellan)
Sarah Christine Varney is a translator of French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Her passion for languages began at a young age, when preparing for regional spelling bees took precedence over social activities. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in foreign languages from Scripps College and a master’s degree in translation and interpreting from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She is also passionate about the law; in addition to working full-time as a paralegal, she offers legal translation services as well. In her spare time, Ms. Varney enjoys literature, crossword puzzles, and foreign films. She currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri. This is her second published translation.
Mercuri, Laura, Silence Is Golden
