The Facade

Chapter 28

The next day, I awoke and changed out of my nightgown. Since I was in such a rural area, I wore a button up shirt tucked into cuffed denim capri pants. A simple gold cross hung around my neck.

When I headed downstairs, I was surprised to find the living room was empty. Marlon was no where to be found. The blanket and pillow was left vicariously on the couch. After rolling my eyes, I picked it up and brought it upstairs. Suppose someone saw this? What would they think?

After hiding the evidence that Marlon and I don't share the same bed, I headed outside into the fresh air. In the distance I could see Marlon, Norman and Eula down by the stream. The men had fishing rods as they waited The the morning fish to come up. Eula sat by on the bank and watched.

After a moment, she noticed me standing out by the guest house. She rose her whole arm and waved it excitedly. I smiled, but didn't react as much as her. She quickly got up, crossed the bridge and then headed over to me. I slowly walked over to her as she made her way over.

"Morning, sleepy head! Felt like you could be up there asleep all day!" Eula smiled with her hands on her hips. She wore a beautiful sundress. The top of it was low, showing some of her coveted cleavage. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a pony tail, a wavy bang fell over one of her eyes. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I always was a late sleeper." I smiled, brushing my hand over my curled hair. Eula laughed warmly.

"Well if you're someone's wife, you should start to get up a bit earlier, now shouldn't you?" Eula said with a friendly high pitched voice. Her words didn't match her tone. My smile faded a bit, but then I pushed those negative thoughts aside.

"Well, Marlon and I don't have the traditional marriage. He isn't expecting me to cook everyday and such." I spoke. Eula nodded slowly then looked me up and down.

"I see." She said. "City folks always have strange ways, I guess. Wouldn't be the first strange thing about your marriage."

I blinked at her comment.

"But that's what makes it great, right?" Eula smiled. I didn't answer. "Let's head over to the guest house, I've always loved that place!"

She took my hand and practically began dragging me back to the guest house. Once we got there she opened the door and stepped inside. "A cozy little place, isn't it? Perfect for newlyweds."

"We like it very much. Your family is so kind to let us stay here at such short notice." I told her politely.

"I noticed you both like it already. You know, I passed by last night." Eula informed me. My face fell, below my eyes becoming sunken. "Say, I found it funny that Marlon slept on the couch. Trouble in paradise already?"

"No." I quickly answered. Eula needed to learn how to mind her own business. "It's just that... we haven't consummated the marriage yet?"

"You haven't?" She rose her eyebrows. "I'm surprised... I didn't take Marlon as the traditional type. And even then I'd think he would've jumped at the chance to do it after you married!"

"Well, Marlon and I are taking our time." I told her.

"Time. Such a funny thing." Eula crossed her arms. "Speaking of time, how long have you known Marlon?"

I could feel a coldness coming from Eula. She was beginning to show her true colors now that we were alone. She must've felt that pang of jealousy too after finding out Marlon and I were married.

"We've known each other for years." I answered vaguely.

"Well, so have I." She shrugged. "How many years? Five? Ten?"

I paused, wondering whether or not I should be completely candid with her. At the press conference, Marlon wasn't very detailed about how we met. He must've wanted us to keep the way we met a secret.

I blinked, coming out of my thoughts.

"I can hardly remember, it feels that we've known each other forever." I shook my head. "However I do know it was long enough to fall madly in love."

"Madly in love." Eula repeated. "So in love you're sleeping in two different rooms! Isn't love funny?"

"Well aren't you curious." I tilted my head to the side. "Asking so many presumptuous questions. It's almost like a child. I love that about a person. Being able to keep that immature childlike quality for so many years."

She paused, then walked over to the fireplace. She allowed her hand to touch along the mantle that was made out of a log. "This room will always be so warm to my heart. You know— it's where I got my first kiss."

"Snuck boys around here? How unruly of you." I lifted my chin.

"No, he was a guest." Eula walked toward the couch. "In fact, he was more than a guest. He was living with us at the moment."

My whole body became cold. I knew exactly what Eula was going to tell me next.

"Marlon is such a good kisser with those lips, isn't he?" Eula wrapped her arms around herself. "And his arms were always so strong."

"How tasteful." I sat on the couch. "Telling his wife about a thing like that."

"Well, I'm only a past memory. You're the wife, Rose, no need to be finicky." She joined me on the couch. She smiled, allowing her hand to run across the fabric of the gingham couch. "It happened right on this couch. There's more details but I'll save them from you."

"I'm fine going my whole life without knowing those details." I looked at her in the side of my eye. She rested her arm on the back of the couch and placed her hand in her cheek. Then, she turned around to a table that sat on the side of the couch. With a smile she shoved a picture into my view. "We were so young."

"He's a grown man now." I looked down at the photo with a stern expression. "With different tastes."

"He always had tastes for your people." She placed the photo back on the side table. "We'd catch him all the time on the other side of town."

"I don't think Marlon cares much about things like color." I told her. She smiled.

"They always say you never get over your first love. No matter how many girls he saw I knew I was the one he loved." Eula placed a hand over her heart.

"Funny how he didn't marry you." I pointed out. She glared at me.

"He was too busy becoming a big city actor." She frowned. "So I met someone and we moved up to Maine. We got engaged for a for a while. That man didn't see things the way I did, so I came back home. I wasn't in touch with Marlon— I hadn't seen him in a long time. Now all of a sudden I'm reading in the papers he's married to some colored girl."

"That colored girl is me." I answered. Within that moment, the only thing I wanted to prove my position. No longer was I concerned with names. My tribal instinct to claim what was mine kicked in. I let Eula know exactly who I was. "I'm Rose Brando."