John was relieved to see the car pull into the driveway of an attractive Spanish-style ranch house on a residential street in Palm Springs. "I will get the kettle on, if I knew we had a guest I would have made biscuits", said Maria apologetically.
"No worries, ma'am. I can't really eat much sweets, my digestive system is messed up and I wear dentures", John explained.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. I could ask you to stay for dinner, but is there anything you can't eat?", asked Maria.
"It's okay, I don't want to impose. I'm used to it, my housekeeper knows about my diet. I'm sorry, I'll just stay at a hotel", said John.
"Nonsense, I'll prepare something. Are you a vegetarian?", she asked.
"No, I don't eat processed food or sweets", he replied.
"Oh good, I can grill some fish with vegetables. And we have a spare room upstairs, you are welcome to stay", said Maria.
"Thank you, ma'am", John replied.
"Please call me Maria, and may I call you John? I don't think I'm old enough to be called ma'am", Maria chuckled.
John smiled and found he liked Mrs. Lacroix, who reminded him of his own mother. "It might be a while before I can call you by your name, we just met", he replied.
"I want to show you Pepere's study, he has got so many books", said Nika.
John followed her upstairs as Nika showed him a study all done in warm earth tones. Three quarters of the room were lined by bookshelves crammed with tomes of every sort, the big oak desk in the center topped by a typewriter and a stack of papers. "He's a college professor, those are term papers. And these are his books, Mom's will said I'm going to get her books", she said.
"I have a lot of books too, especially on art and Buddhism. I used to paint years ago during a bad time, but I concentrate on writing music now", said John.
"I'm surprised you do read, aren't high school dropouts dumb?", she asked.
"Nika, don't talk like that. Not everyone who drops out is stupid. I dropped out because school was boring and pointless, I preferred to play music and I joined the band when I was eighteen. I preferred playing guitar and writing music to sitting in study hall", said John.
"I suppose that makes sense. Weren't your parents angry?", she asked.
"No, they understood how much music meant to me. They let me drop out but I needed to get my GED, I passed it on the first try", he replied.
"Mom would never let me drop out of school, she was very conscious of our family reputation", said Nika.
John felt more disturbed than ever at her words. He'd thought that she was serious due to her mother's death, but she seemed far too serious for a child. Her words and demeanor seemed far too serious for a child. Her words and demeanor reminded him of a Victorian-era child from a Masterpiece Theater program than a modern child, far more serious than any child he'd ever encountered. "This is one of my favorites, it's the best translation of Homer", said Nika, showing him a copy of Chapman's Homer.
"I read that back in eighth grade, but it was in prose. I prefer the Odyssey over the Iliad, it's too bloody", said John.
"What's your favorite part of the Odyssey?", she asked.
"When Odysseus and his men wound up in Lotus Land and didn't want to leave. I know that feeling too well", said John ruefully.
"My favorite part is when the crew went to Tartarus to speak with Tiresias, I love the descriptions of the ghosts and of the landscapes. It was too bad Odysseus never got to see the Elysian Fields, and it would have been interesting to see Sisyphus", said Nika.
"But if him and his crew went to the Elysian Fields, they might not have wanted to leave. And I think seeing a guy roll a boulder up a hill or a guy suffering like Tantalus would be tedious, or depressing", said John.
"I suppose you're smart", she said grudgingly.
"I think I am, many musicians can be quite smart. I don't want you to call people stupid, Nika. I'm going to introduce you to my bandmates and friends and family, they are all interesting people. I don't want people to think my daughter is rude", said John.
Nika looked terrified at the idea of meeting a lot of new people. "Not all at once, I'm shy around people too. I'll introduce you to my band mates and maybe to other friends. But maybe we'll just be alone for a bit, just us and my cats", he said.
"Okay, but if you're a Buddhist, do I have to a be a Buddhist too? Pepere and Grandmere are Catholic, but Mom said Catholics are stupid, she was an atheist", said Nika.
John frowned. "No, you don't have to a Buddhist. But religion is not stupid, it can be a very positive thing. I got into Buddhism a few years back and it's helped me a lot. Let's go downstairs and help your grandparents", he said.
They went back downstairs where Pierre was seated in his easy chair watching EWTN, the Catholic cable channel. The parlor was done in a warm cream color and on top of the big-screen TV was a cloth runner topped with various figurines of saints and pictures in little plastic binders of Jesus and Mary, in the center a large statue of Mary in blue and white robes with numerous rosaries hanging from her slim neck. "I hope you don't mind, I was watching Mother Angelina", he said.
"No, it's your house. My mom watches that channel", said John.
"I find myself becoming more involved with my faith now, I am rereading the Bible again. Zoe wouldn't let me take Nika to church, she thought religion was for dumb people. Do you go to church, John?", he asked.
"Uh, I'm a Buddhist", he replied.
"Interesting, I have read several Buddhist texts and it is a fascinating religion, just not mine. I don't want Nika to be an atheist, I find them to be miserable gits", said Pierre.
"Okay, but should she be Catholic or Buddhist?", asked John.
"Expose her to your faith, and perhaps when she is old enough, she'll choose for herself", said Pierre.
"Okay, sir", John replied.
"Please call me Pierre, you are Nika's father after all. And what sort of music does your band make?", he asked.
"Uh, we're a rock band. I joined when I was eighteen, I was a huge fan of theirs and they called me up to tell me I was in the band. I acted like a crazy dumb kid", said John ruefully.
"I can imagine, being eighteen and joining a rock band, there must have been a lot of temptations. I hope you have gotten that out of your system", said Pierre.
"You could say that, Pierre. I'm completely sober for the last two years, I just smoke plus I'm celibate. It's just me, my housekeeper and my cats", said John.
"Good, I can imagine that rock musicians aren't the most clean-living people, no offense", said Pierre.
"No offense taken, some of my friends had really bad addictions but got sober. Now I have another incentive to stay sober", he said, smiling at Nika.
"Nika, why don't you help Grandmere in the kitchen?" Pierre suggested.
The older man waited until Nika was in the kitchen and took out a cigarette case and lighter. Both were made of silver and had an enameled Byzantine eagle on the sides as Pierre opened the box and offered a cigarette to John. "These are Regals, I get them through the post. Northern English people smoke Regals, Southerners smoke Embassys", he said.
John took a cigarette as Pierre lit his and then his own. "Maria quit years ago when she was pregnant, but I still have one from time to time, not as many as I used to", said Pierre as he took a drag.
John nodded as he took a drag. "I used to smoke a lot more, I was a two pack a day smoker. I'm down to half a pack a day and switched over to Dunhills from Winstons, it's more classy and smooth", he said.
"Dunhills are for special occasions, I've been a longtime Regals smoker. I suppose it's common with many former addicts", said Pierre.
"Yeah, it's that, coffee, or junk food. I barely drink coffee and junk food messes with my system so it's cigarettes for me. I suppose I should quit one day, but with all the bad stuff I did, a few cigarettes can't kill me", said John with a shrug.
The two men smoked quietly for a few minutes. "John, when you bring Nika back to your house, put her in a regular school, either public or fee-paying. She needs to be around children her age", said Pierre.
"Okay, I'll ask friends who have kids about schools", John replied.
"Zoe didn't raise Nika like a normal child, she was homeschooled and kept away from other children. I want my granddaughter to be a normal girl, I don't want her to be like Zoe", said Pierre.
"I will do my best", John vowed.