Foolishness

Proserpina

I was yet to see the rest of Lucien’s ‘crew’ as he called them drily. So I was thrilled to know they were finally going to be permitted to come and visit me that afternoon.

I was freshly bathed and the nurse had brushed out my hair, the long mahogany tresses finally feeling shiny and clean beamed the nurse, whose name was Camilla. Gently, carefully, she smoothed out the wild tangles.

She commented on my husband.

“Mr. Dello, he very much older than you?’ I smiled at her choice of expression, her curiosity and shook my head. Lucien was close to two decades older than me but in my eyes, he was all that I ever wanted.

Every time she called him Mr Dello, I had the desire to laugh.

*

My babies were in cots in the same room as I. Now they slept in identical postures, mouths puckered, eyes squeezed shut, small pink fists clenched, the small fluff of blonde hair on their little heads. My heart went out to them.

I had been shifted to a larger, VIP room, on the recommendation of Ma