The Facade

Chapter 26

The front door opened. The yellow glow from the lights inside shined through the screen door. A middle aged woman emerged from the house. Her hair was red and down to her shoulders, framing her plump face. Wrinkles formed by her eyes as she smiled at Marlon.

"Norman!" She turned around, shouting through the mesh of the screen. "Marlon and his wife are here!"

"Marlon?" A mature man's voice shouted out. The woman was joined by the man. I assumed it to be her husband. He was much more thin than his wife, having more of a tall and lanky structure. His black hair was beginning to grey and the tip of his prominent nose was red.

Marlon placed his hand on my back. "Rose, this is Norman and Coredelia Victor."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled and extended a hand.

"We have been wanting to meet you ever since we read about your marriage in the papers." She smiled shaking my hand. "I didn't expect to meet you so quickly!"

The man came over to me and gripped both of my arms. With a large smile he looked me up and down, then left a thick kiss on my cheek. "You did well, Marlon, you did well!"

"Don't steal her from me, now." Marlon joked as he placed a hand in his pocket.

"He couldn't steal anyone since 1932." Cordelia reached up and patted the bald spot forming on her husband's head. Then with a giggle she turned to me and took both of my hands.

"Marlon was always one to do things his way." She smiled at me. "And you sure are beautiful."

"Of course she is." Marlon furrowed his eyebrows. Cordelia wrapped me in a tight hug, then held only one of my hands.

"Come on in." She invited as she extended her other hand to Marlon. As we all flooded into the house, Cordelia paused in the foyer. "Well, we weren't expecting guests. We don't even have the guest room prepared for you."

"They can stay in the guest house!" Norman suggested. "They're newlyweds, they deserve their privacy."

Cordelia's cheeks got red as she smiled at us. "Well I guess you're right. How long will you stay?"

"Only for the weekend." Marlon nodded. "We wanted this to be our honeymoon. I always felt this was a tranquil place, I'd love to spend time here with my wife."

"Why, Marlon, out all of the places you could've gone you chose to come to this hick house?" Cordelia joked with her hand on her hip.

"He's a very smart boy, Celia." Norman rose his eyebrows. "Why spend all those simoleons going to some fancy shamsy place? We have all the paradise right up here in Westchester! Isn't that right, Marlon?"

"Sure." Marlon cleared his throat. In reality he chose this place so people could witness how much we loved each other. It was all a ploy to help himself. "That's exactly why."

"Where is Eula?" Cordelia asked. She stepped up onto the steps, the tribal patterned stair runner below her feet. "Eula! Come down here, we have guests!"

"Wait— Eula's here?" Marlon asked with risen eyebrows. He suddenly was pale as if he was about to see a ghost. Who is Eula? He adjusted the knot of his tie and squinted his brown eyes at the steps.

"Yes, she got tired of living over in Maine so she came back to live with us." Cordelia smiled. A woman about our age emerged on the steps. She was beautiful, her chestnut hair was in an upswept style pinned on the back of her head. Her dress was simple, but elegant and fit her well. Her shoes were tiny black leather heels.

"Marlon." Eula observed from the top of the steps. She stood there like she was at a royal banquet, her posture tall and filled with confidence. Her lips that were covered with red lipstick formed into a smile. She walked down the steps... walking right past me. She found herself standing in front of Marlon. "I didn't even hear you come in..."

"When did you put on all that makeup?" Cordelia asked Eula. I wondered how she looked without all of that caked onto her face.

"Ma, I wear makeup in the house as I please." Eula's mascara covered eyelashes lowered as she spoke to her mother behind her. Her arms outstretched and wrapped themselves around Marlon. "You look so handsome!"

Marlon hugged her back. My breath almost stopped as I watched his eyes shut. Was he smelling her hair?

"Meet Marlon's new wife, Eula." Cordelia touched my arm. "Rose."

Cordelia paused for a moment, looking me up and down. "Well isn't she pretty?"

"You look so... mature." Marlon observed, bringing the attention back to Eula. "I hadn't seen you since you moved up to Maine."

"I'm glad I moved up there with that man. It made me realize what I wanted in a relationship, and that wasn't it." Eula sighed. "If being up there taught me one thing, it was how to be a woman."

"I see you brought back the Maine style." Marlon motioned toward her dress. "A breath of fresh air in this part of town."

Everyone in the room was looking toward them. A lump formed in my throat, I felt my eyes beginning to blink back wetness.

"How about we show the couple to where the guest house is?" Cordelia suggested.

"I'll show her." Eula offered. I glared at her. She was perfect. Perfect breasts, a small waist, full hips, sparkling eyes. My blood was boiling with jealousy.

"That's fine, Eula, I'll show them to the guest house." Cordelia insisted.

"Weren't you cooking? You should go and check the stove." Eula said toward her mother. "I'm not doing anything of important, I see no problem in showing them to the guest house."

Marlon tilted his head to the side, his prominent jaw coming into view. He looked down at Eula, his eyes didn't leave her.

"Marlon and I have to pick up the luggage outside, don't we Marlon?" Norman spoke up as he walked toward the screen door. Marlon came out of his daze and smiled, walking towards Norman. Norman nodded and wrapped an arm around Marlon. "Besides, I think we have a few things to talk about."

The two men exited the room. What a mistake that was. Now it was just Eula, Cordelia and and I. There was a silence between all three of us, then finally Cordelia spoke.

"Let me show you to..." She began but Eula cut her off.

"Ma, I've got our little friend here. Besides, she probably wants someone closer to her own age showing her around." Eula insisted, clasping her hands together. "Right, Rose?"

I was a rock in a hard place. I would rather ring my neck rather than have that Ziegfeld Follie show me around, but I also did not want to create friction. "Cordelia, I truly don't mind who shows me. I'm okay either way."

"Please, call me Celia." Cordelia smiled as she walked toward the kitchen door. "You're family now."

Eula stared at her mother.

Then she looked toward me.

"It's set then. Mom, you go back to cooking and I'll show our little friend around." Eula walked up to me with a smile. "I'll fill you in on everything."

"Eula." Cordelia said in a low, stern voice. Her daughter stared at her with wife eyes. "Watch your step out there. It's muddy and you might trip."