Chapter 2
At about the time Lina Inverse was stopping the train to succour a sheep, her elder sister, Luna Inverse, was bracing herself to clear up the mess left in her house by a variety of people who had come to sympathize and mourn with her after her son-in-law, Dynast, and nephew's, Christy, joint funeral. Their kindness was such a solace, she told her friend and gossip Zelas Metallium, who had volunteered to help.
"I did what he would've liked, what he would've chosen if he had been here." Luna said.
"Yes, of course," replied Zelas while thinking about a harder drink like sherry or whiskey instead of the served salmon sandwiches and champagne. "Do you want me to put the plates in the dishwasher?" And removing the coat of the black suit she pushed up the sleeves of her white silk shirt.
"It's not working" Said Luna from across the kitchen.
"So the plumber didn't come?" Zelas, who had opened the dishwasher, closed it. "Useless!"
"The plumber," said Luna, enunciating carefully, "is on holiday."
"But he has a partner."
"Gone to a football game."
"Shall we leave it then?" Ventured Zelas, unrolling her sleeves, feeling a little cowardly.
Luna eyed the disorder with distaste. "Oh, if only Dynast..." she said. "He was such a..." she choked.
Zelas, searching for the right word, offered, "handyman?" Seeing her friend's eyes water up, Luna added, "and so much more."
"Oh, so much, so much." Luna wiped her eyes. "He was... oh... he... oh..."
"Yes, of course he was." Zelas said quickly. "Well then let's get cracking," and for a second time, she rolled up her sleeves. 'No use waiting for handyman Dynast,' she thought, 'even alive, he kept people waiting.'
Wrapping an apron around her waist, she said, "I'll wash, you dry." Then turned on the hot water and squirted Palmolive into the sink. "You'll feel a lot better,' she said bracingly, "when the house is clean. Should we clean the living room first?"
Luna Inverse did not answer but picked up a tray and went to collect plates and glasses from the living room. 'I wish Zelas wouldn't call my drawing room a 'living room,' Dynast never called it that, though he would refer to it as my 'parlor,' jokingly of course. Oh, his jokes - Shall we go into your parlor? - She could hear the sound of his voice tease her.
"Phew! What a stink! I wish people would not smoke, it's a disgusting habit." Zelas said before opening up the back door of the house that led to the garden, inviting in the cold air of autumn inside the house.
'She forgets, Dynast smoked.' Then she smiled, remembering his voice - Dear old Zelas, never liked it when people smoke. - she followed her friend and quietly closed the garden door.
However, Zelas opened it again and stepped into the terrace. "Geez," she said, "Empty bottles, glasses too. Whoever was out here punished these bottles." Then she remembered that the vicar who had officiated and the doctor had been out here, talking to Lina while she waited for the taxi to take her to the station; both men chatted kindly as they gulped their drinks and tactfully chewed their sandwiches. Lina has stayed mute, neither drinking nor eating, just standing.
The two men had remained out here after the taxi had driven away. 'Had they come in and said 'goodbye' and 'thank you' to Luna? People, even doctors and priests, had such casual manners these days.' She eyed the empty bottles. One had heard that doctors took to the bottle; their life was such a strain, but priests? "You would think," she said to Luna as she clattered glasses into the foaming sink, "that Lina would have stayed to help. It would have been considerate."
"Lina only considers herself, and don't break any of my glasses." Luna said. "Oh! Why did this happen to me?" she wailed, "I was relying on Dynast. I didn't call the plumber until yesterday. Dynast said... so of course..."
Zelas let out a compassionate 'oh' before running a glass under the faucet.
"She didn't even wear black," continued Luna.
"But I saw her in a black hat and coat."
"Not underneath, she was wearing jeans and a sweater. Imagine wearing jeans and a sweater at Dynast and little Christy's funeral."
"True, and he her husband," said Zelas thoughtfully drying another glass. "And she his widow. Are you the widow of a divorced husband?"
"Don't start splitting hairs," exclaimed her friend. "Little Christy was her child!"
"So he was."
"And my precious nephew!"
"She probably had no black clothes with her wherever she was when she got the message," Zelas spoke in a tolerantly tone of voice. "She looked as though she was wearing black even if she was not. You couldn't tell about the jeans."
"I did."
"You are such a perfectionist."
"Whose side are you on?" Lina's sister raised her voice to a shout. "It was all her fault, that accident; everyone knows Dynast was a terrible driver. She always did the driving when they were together. She should've never divorced him."
"Did she ever give a reason?" Noticing that her friend stood idle, Zelas took the cloth from her and began polishing the glasses. "You never told me the real reasons. We all heard the reasons in court, of course, but... where do these go?" she held up a glass.
"On the shelf, no, not that one, the one on the left. Lina's reasons were outrageous."
"Oh?" Zelas set the glass on the shelf indicated, noticing the crack on the rim of the glass, she turned it the glass so that the crack faced inward. 'At times Luna can be so anal about some things.'
"One reason was that Dynast... no, I can't tell you. It's too..."
"Go on, nothing shocks me" Zelas Explained.
"What was shocking was the utter frivolity of her reasons. Hey! Zelas, you've cracked a glass."
"It's a tiny crack, you can hardly see it. Now, what do you mean by frivolous reasons? Give me an example."
Ignoring Zela's request, Luna moved onto a new subject. "Dynast gave me those glasses, you've spoiled the set."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Luna, harking back, said, "their divorce was not yet absolute so she would be his widow, and the divorce was making no difference to Christy."
"Lina had custody."
"Yes."
"If my child was killed in a car accident, I would've been devastated."
"She doesn't look it, does she?" Luna snorted. "Lina is not devastated. If you ask me, the judge who gave Julia custody should have his head examine. Dreadful old geezer."
"Then would you have wanted Dynast to have custody of Christy?" Zelas raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Surely everybody..." but she trailed off letting that thought die inside her mind. 'Surely everybody knew that Dynast was to all intents and purposes an alcoholic? A charming guy, but an alcoholic none the less.'
"Of course I would," Luna retorted. "Christy would have lived with 'me,' that's what Dynast would have wanted!"
'What honestly,' Zelas thought, getting back to the dishes in the sink.
At about the time Lina Inverse was stopping the train to succour a sheep, her elder sister, Luna Inverse, was bracing herself to clear up the mess left in her house by a variety of people who had come to sympathize and mourn with her after her son-in-law, Dynast, and nephew's, Christy, joint funeral. Their kindness was such a solace, she told her friend and gossip Zelas Metallium, who had volunteered to help.
"I did what he would've liked, what he would've chosen if he had been here." Luna said.
"Yes, of course," replied Zelas while thinking about a harder drink like sherry or whiskey instead of the served salmon sandwiches and champagne. "Do you want me to put the plates in the dishwasher?" And removing the coat of the black suit she pushed up the sleeves of her white silk shirt.
"It's not working" Said Luna from across the kitchen.
"So the plumber didn't come?" Zelas, who had opened the dishwasher, closed it. "Useless!"
"The plumber," said Luna, enunciating carefully, "is on holiday."
"But he has a partner."
"Gone to a football game."
"Shall we leave it then?" Ventured Zelas, unrolling her sleeves, feeling a little cowardly.
Luna eyed the disorder with distaste. "Oh, if only Dynast..." she said. "He was such a..." she choked.
Zelas, searching for the right word, offered, "handyman?" Seeing her friend's eyes water up, Luna added, "and so much more."
"Oh, so much, so much." Luna wiped her eyes. "He was... oh... he... oh..."
"Yes, of course he was." Zelas said quickly. "Well then let's get cracking," and for a second time, she rolled up her sleeves. 'No use waiting for handyman Dynast,' she thought, 'even alive, he kept people waiting.'
Wrapping an apron around her waist, she said, "I'll wash, you dry." Then turned on the hot water and squirted Palmolive into the sink. "You'll feel a lot better,' she said bracingly, "when the house is clean. Should we clean the living room first?"
Luna Inverse did not answer but picked up a tray and went to collect plates and glasses from the living room. 'I wish Zelas wouldn't call my drawing room a 'living room,' Dynast never called it that, though he would refer to it as my 'parlor,' jokingly of course. Oh, his jokes - Shall we go into your parlor? - She could hear the sound of his voice tease her.
"Phew! What a stink! I wish people would not smoke, it's a disgusting habit." Zelas said before opening up the back door of the house that led to the garden, inviting in the cold air of autumn inside the house.
'She forgets, Dynast smoked.' Then she smiled, remembering his voice - Dear old Zelas, never liked it when people smoke. - she followed her friend and quietly closed the garden door.
However, Zelas opened it again and stepped into the terrace. "Geez," she said, "Empty bottles, glasses too. Whoever was out here punished these bottles." Then she remembered that the vicar who had officiated and the doctor had been out here, talking to Lina while she waited for the taxi to take her to the station; both men chatted kindly as they gulped their drinks and tactfully chewed their sandwiches. Lina has stayed mute, neither drinking nor eating, just standing.
The two men had remained out here after the taxi had driven away. 'Had they come in and said 'goodbye' and 'thank you' to Luna? People, even doctors and priests, had such casual manners these days.' She eyed the empty bottles. One had heard that doctors took to the bottle; their life was such a strain, but priests? "You would think," she said to Luna as she clattered glasses into the foaming sink, "that Lina would have stayed to help. It would have been considerate."
"Lina only considers herself, and don't break any of my glasses." Luna said. "Oh! Why did this happen to me?" she wailed, "I was relying on Dynast. I didn't call the plumber until yesterday. Dynast said... so of course..."
Zelas let out a compassionate 'oh' before running a glass under the faucet.
"She didn't even wear black," continued Luna.
"But I saw her in a black hat and coat."
"Not underneath, she was wearing jeans and a sweater. Imagine wearing jeans and a sweater at Dynast and little Christy's funeral."
"True, and he her husband," said Zelas thoughtfully drying another glass. "And she his widow. Are you the widow of a divorced husband?"
"Don't start splitting hairs," exclaimed her friend. "Little Christy was her child!"
"So he was."
"And my precious nephew!"
"She probably had no black clothes with her wherever she was when she got the message," Zelas spoke in a tolerantly tone of voice. "She looked as though she was wearing black even if she was not. You couldn't tell about the jeans."
"I did."
"You are such a perfectionist."
"Whose side are you on?" Lina's sister raised her voice to a shout. "It was all her fault, that accident; everyone knows Dynast was a terrible driver. She always did the driving when they were together. She should've never divorced him."
"Did she ever give a reason?" Noticing that her friend stood idle, Zelas took the cloth from her and began polishing the glasses. "You never told me the real reasons. We all heard the reasons in court, of course, but... where do these go?" she held up a glass.
"On the shelf, no, not that one, the one on the left. Lina's reasons were outrageous."
"Oh?" Zelas set the glass on the shelf indicated, noticing the crack on the rim of the glass, she turned it the glass so that the crack faced inward. 'At times Luna can be so anal about some things.'
"One reason was that Dynast... no, I can't tell you. It's too..."
"Go on, nothing shocks me" Zelas Explained.
"What was shocking was the utter frivolity of her reasons. Hey! Zelas, you've cracked a glass."
"It's a tiny crack, you can hardly see it. Now, what do you mean by frivolous reasons? Give me an example."
Ignoring Zela's request, Luna moved onto a new subject. "Dynast gave me those glasses, you've spoiled the set."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Luna, harking back, said, "their divorce was not yet absolute so she would be his widow, and the divorce was making no difference to Christy."
"Lina had custody."
"Yes."
"If my child was killed in a car accident, I would've been devastated."
"She doesn't look it, does she?" Luna snorted. "Lina is not devastated. If you ask me, the judge who gave Julia custody should have his head examine. Dreadful old geezer."
"Then would you have wanted Dynast to have custody of Christy?" Zelas raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Surely everybody..." but she trailed off letting that thought die inside her mind. 'Surely everybody knew that Dynast was to all intents and purposes an alcoholic? A charming guy, but an alcoholic none the less.'
"Of course I would," Luna retorted. "Christy would have lived with 'me,' that's what Dynast would have wanted!"
'What honestly,' Zelas thought, getting back to the dishes in the sink.