The M Word (12 page)

The look of horror, quickly masked, on
Marius’ mother’s face when she saw their blue house was
priceless.

“I will stay in a hotel,” she offered
quickly. “You won’t have room for both of us, and I don’t want to
be a burden.”

Marius thought that was nonsense and wouldn’t
hear of her spending the night anywhere else. “We’ll make room for
you. Tesia can sleep on the fold-out couch.”

That evening, Marius made dinner and they ate
in the dining room, which looked much better than it had the week
before, but the walls were bare and her dining room chairs didn’t
match. For a few minutes, Brenda wished that her house was as
lovely as Kelly’s, but she tried to put those depressing thoughts
aside.

Early September was still hot in Dallas, so
Marius served a cold tomato-based soup, and a pasta salad with feta
and olives. Like her son, Mrs. Jaworski ate slowly, but she ate
very little. As they ate, they talked. Marius asked about the
family store, and Anselm, and Brenda was surprised to learn that it
wasn’t just one store -- the family owned six locations.

She’d thought his family were eking out an
existence, but it sounded as if they were prosperous. Mrs. Jaworski
certainly looked and acted prosperous.

Brenda asked Tesia about her interests and
learned that her sister-in-law was studying accounting, but liked
to draw. “I’ll introduce you to my friend Kelly,” Brenda
promised.

Mrs. Jaworski asked about Marius’ college
classes, and seemed pleased with the progress on his Master’s
thesis.

“You must be as glad as I am that Marius
changed his degree to Music History,” she said to Brenda.

Brenda frowned, not understanding what she
was referring to.

“After the surgery,” his mother said clearly,
as if that explained everything. She turned to Marius. “I think the
surgery may have been a blessing in disguise, to make you give up
your foolish dream of being an opera singer.”

Brenda glanced at Marius, who was bringing a
piece of bread up to his mouth. For a split second, the bread
paused and his eyes met hers.

Then he put the bread in his mouth and said
nothing, but suddenly Brenda knew that no matter what his mother
thought, he had not given up the dream.

Marius wanted to be an opera singer.

It made perfect sense now, but she was
stunned by the revelation. That’s why he loved to sing, why he was
always practicing.

And although his voice might not be at a
professional level yet, because of the surgery -- he was still
going to try.

“You changed your major when you couldn’t
speak,” Brenda said quietly. When he wasn’t certain whether he’d
sing again.

His hazel eyes glowed as they looked at her.
“Yes. Before that, my degree was for vocal performance.”

Mrs. Jaworski continued, “I would rather have
you at home, working at the store, but you are your father’s son. A
dreamer.” She shrugged and smiled at Brenda. “At least now, he is
doing something better. More realistic.” She turned to Marius. “You
will make a good university professor.”

“Wouldn’t he make a good opera singer?”
Brenda asked pointedly.

Mrs. Jaworski sniffed. “He’s no
Pavarotti.”

Brenda bristled at the slight, but Marius
agreed. “She is correct. Pavarotti may have been the best modern
lyric tenor.”

“You don’t need to be Pavarotti. You will be
Jaworski,” Brenda said fiercely.

Mrs. Jaworski smiled and said something in
Polish that Marius did not translate.

Brenda gathered up the dishes and took them
to the sink in the kitchen. She turned on the water until it ran
hot. She was too irritated to stay in the dining room and try to be
civil.

#

It was very late when they finally went to
bed. Marius was so happy to see his mother and sister again, and he
was thrilled that they had finally met Brenda. Things had been a
little awkward at dinner, but he trusted that as they all got to
know each other better, they would come to love and appreciate each
other. He waited for Brenda to brush her teeth and wash her face.
When she slid into the bed, he held his arms open wide and she drew
close to him. He kissed her forehead and said, “Thank you,
kochana
.”

“For what?”

“For believing in me.”

Brenda made a face. “I can’t believe what
your mother said.”

“She has her reasons. She loves me and wants
me to do well. But for her, that means a steady income.”

Brenda looked as if she wanted to say more,
but chose not to. Finally, she just smiled and said, “You see the
good in everyone.”

CHAPTER TEN

“So what do you think of your mother in law?”
Kelly asked after Mrs. Jaworski had been staying at the house for
three weeks.

“No comment,” Brenda said. That evening she
had walked over to Kelly’s pottery studio, which was in a house
less than half a mile from her house. She had needed to get out of
her house, to find some peace of mind.

“That bad?”

“I’m not sure any guest should stay three
weeks. We’re getting on each other’s nerves. I think we’ll get
along much better ....”

“When there’s an ocean between you?”

Brenda smiled. “Maybe.”

Lars was out of town on a business trip, so
Kelly was hanging out at her studio, working on pottery for her
clients. Brenda was glad to see that Kelly had finally bought a few
chairs. Brenda sat in a comfortable arm chair while Kelly worked at
her potter’s wheel.

“Do you want something to drink?” Kelly
asked. Her hands were slick with brown mud as she shaped a bowl out
of clay.

“Vodka,” Brenda said, then paused. Since she
was trying to get pregnant, she couldn’t drink alcohol, no matter
how tempting it might be. “Sorry. Don’t get up. I’ll get something
from your fridge.” She came back with a glass of orange juice and
sat back down.

“How long is she staying?”

“Only three more days.” Brenda sighed. “My
mother in law is not horrible. She’s just a business woman, through
and through. She’s continually on the internet, monitoring
inventory and sales. And when she’s not running her business, she’s
trying to be helpful, suggesting ways I can improve my house, my
yard, my car, my wardrobe.”

“Ouch.”

“At least she isn’t whipping out the Visa
card and actually buying me things. She tried, but Marius spoke to
her. He told her ‘Your gift was coming to visit and bringing Tesia.
We don’t need anything else.’”

“Good for him.”

“Before, I had assumed Marius’ family was
poor. They’re not. Their stores are thriving, and Marius owns
thirty percent of the business.”

“Good thing. SMU isn’t cheap.”

“I know. I should have put two and two
together. But he doesn’t dress well. He cuts his own hair.”
Like
me
, Brenda thought ironically.
But with better results
.
“I don’t think material possessions matter to him at all,” she
continued. “As long as he has a comfortable bed, good food, and
chance to sing, the man is happy. But not his mother. She wants the
best of everything. Money is her measuring stick. If a person
doesn’t make enough, she thinks less of them.”

“Does she think less of you?”

“She thinks Marius could have done
better.”

“Isn’t that a universal mother-in-law
response?”

Brenda considered that. “Probably.” She
sighed. “The M word can be a bitch.”

Kelly frowned. “That’s harsh. I didn’t think
Marius was that bad.”

Brenda laughed. “No. Not Marius. I meant
marriage as the m-word.”

“Oh. Then I agree. I think every marriage has
its rough moments.”

Brenda wondered what Kelly hadn’t told her.
“So Lars isn’t perfect?” she gasped, trying to be funny.

“No, but he’s very close.”

That was more like it
, Brenda thought.
She’d never known two people more ideally matched than Lars and
Kelly. The man was completely besotted with her. And he should be.
Kelly was a wonderful person: beautiful, kind, funny, and
talented.

“So what are you going to do about your
mother in law?” Kelly asked. “Are you going to try to win her
over?”

“Not in three days. I’m going to keep a low
profile and keep out of her way.”

“That’s a good way to avoid conflict.”

Brenda wondered when “avoiding conflict” had
become her life motto. “It’s not fair, but sometimes Marius ticks
me off. He doesn’t get mad at his mother. He loves her and accepts
her, warts and all.”

“That’s terrible,” Kelly commiserated.

Brenda smiled ruefully. “I know. It’s
terrible to have such a nice husband.” She sipped her orange juice.
“The only good thing is that he doesn’t let his mother’s opinions
change him or what he’s decided to do. He’s still going to try to
become a professional opera singer.”

Kelly’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow. I thought
all opera singers were fat.”

“A lot of them are. Or at least were. These
days, more of them work at being fit. They’re more marketable that
way.”

Kelly nodded. “Marius certainly has the looks
to be a star. Does he have the voice?”

“I don’t know.”

“At least he’s trying. It’s better to try and
fail, than to never try at all.”

Brenda smiled. “I agree.” Kelly was a sweet
person who saw most things in a positive light. It occurred to
Brenda that Marius was similar. Maybe that’s why she felt so
comfortable with him.

“Enough about me,” Brenda said abruptly,
determined to be a good friend and not so self-absorbed. “How are
you doing?”

“Fine.”

“And the baby?”

“Rumbling away. Doing little gymnastics in my
belly. Growing like a watermelon.”

“You still look great. Your face isn’t puffy.
You look just the same -- except for swallowing a basketball.”

“I feel like a cow.”

“But you’re happy.”

“Yes. It just feels weird sometimes.”

“And Lars?”

“He’s happy, too.” Kelly smiled. “He talks to
my stomach all the time now.”

Brenda couldn’t wait until she was pregnant,
too. “When do you want your baby shower?” she asked. “I’ve got a
two week training course at the end of October, so I’d like to
schedule it before or afterwards.”

“Afterwards.”

Brenda nodded. “Great. But we want to do it
early in November, before my birthday and Thanksgiving.”

“And then Christmas is around the corner.”
Kelly beamed and rubbed her stomach. “Maybe I’ll have a Christmas
baby.”

#

It was close to midnight, and Marius thought
Brenda might have gone to bed, but she was still awake when he
unlocked the door. She sat in the living room, in the dark. She
said flatly, “You’re late.”

“The papers took longer to grade than I
thought.”

“Can’t you grade papers at home?”

“I could, but I prefer to do it on campus. I
don’t want to bring work home.”

“You want to keep the different areas of your
life separate and distinct.”

She made it sound like an accusation. “Yes.”
Marius agreed cautiously. “Is that a problem?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

Something was definitely bothering her. He
turned on the light and saw that Brenda’s face was pale and her
eyes were pink as if she had been crying. “What is wrong?”

“You got a phone call at the house. I took a
message.”

Marius waited.

Brenda’s voice was like ice. “Francesca
called to say that she couldn’t see you tomorrow night, but she is
free on Monday.”

Marius let his breath out with a sigh of
relief. “Is that all?” For a moment he had been seriously
concerned. “No problem,” he said. “Thank you for letting me
know.”

Brenda continued. “FYI. If your girlfriend
doesn’t want to talk to your wife, she should text you.”

Girlfriend?
Was Brenda jealous? Marius
couldn’t believe it. It was so ridiculous, he found it funny, but
he didn’t dare offend her by smiling. “Francesca doesn’t text,” he
said clearly. “She’s almost eighty years old.”

“What?”

He did laugh at the look of astonishment on
her face. He couldn’t help himself. “Forgive me,” he said gently.
“Francesca is my voice instructor.”

“What?” Brenda gasped, and looked at him as
if trying to judge his veracity and make sense of his words. Then
she started to cry.

Marius held out his arms and she walked into
his embrace. For a moment, he held her close, smoothing her hair.
“
Ukochana
,” he murmured, kissing her. “
Moja
ukochana.”

“I wanted to trust you,” she said weakly and
looked up into his eyes. “I didn’t think you were cheating on me.
But when she called, I thought of Steven, and I ...”

At that moment, he would have gladly run
Steven through with a sword, if he had one. “I am not Steven,” he
said quietly.

“I know.” She lay her head on his shoulder
and sighed. “When can I meet her?”

Marius hesitated. Did part of her still
distrust him? Did she think he was lying? Perhaps after her
relationship with Steven, it was reasonable for her to be wary, but
the question still stung. He said, “You’re leaving on Monday
morning for your training. You can meet Francesca when you come
back. I’ll schedule an appointment.”

She smiled at him, her eyes shining through
her tears. “I’d like that.”

#

Usually Brenda enjoyed travelling for work.
It was a nice to take a break from the branch office politics, and
she liked learning ways to be more efficient at work. But this
time, she missed Marius. She missed the delicious food, their
conversations, his singing, and his whispered endearments at
night.

When Marius picked her up from the airport
Friday afternoon, she was hoping that they’d drive straight home
and make love to make up for all the time apart, but instead, he
drove to Francesca’s home in Highland Park.