Mrs. Lee could be seen in the banquet hall fixing things up after putting the kids to bed that night that the party ended. She knew they had three housemaids and two houseboys but she couldn't find any of them that night. She had assumed that they got tired, and the workaholic mom, because she was an insomniac, started gathering the wares. She could do things slowly anyway. Tomorrow, the maids would finish everything. The spoons and forks clinked clanked and the plates, cups, and glasses clattered. She had to move fast, put them all in the sink. Ellie and Eleanor could sort all the wares out to dry first thing in the morning. There was an automatic dishwasher anyway. The boys could do the vacuum. She hadn't finished; sat on a chair, fell asleep, exhausted from the day's activities, and was woken up by Michael's cry, so she went up to the baby's bedroom and helped Zen put him back to sleep.
Then, she went down again to the banquet hall, and was nostalgic.
The banquet hall was colored all bright gold and white. Like any part of the house, it had beautiful sofas and chairs that matched, tables all over the place, tapestries and dainty white curtains, a fireplace at one end and a big chandelier that hanged from the roof in the middle of the hall. A big family photo also called attention. There was a balustrade at the upper level.
Isabella fancied herself and Aaron as she smiled.
That banquet hall had been a witness to many great events in their married life, she thought. This was where they had their first dance, their first kiss, their first romance. They had shared those good years with friends and relatives. They were one of the most fortunate, building their livelihood from scratch. How it had grown over time. The Zion group becoming like an empire was a miracle of heaven. Then, she stood up, turned the light on, then, danced and enjoyed dancing. She imagined herself dancing with somebody.
Then, she looked around. No one's looking.
Well, she thought no one was looking. But here he was, and he enjoyed looking at her like she was crazy dancing all by herself. It had been a long time. He had learned to live without her, and she, too, had learned to live without him.
I was, myself, enjoying the view.
What else could she ask for? Isabella thought. They had come a long way. This had been the nest of their love—with three kids around, she had expected happier things to come. The birth of Michael after a long time should have been a turning point. There were friends who welcomed the news; there were "friends" who scorned. Besides, Josh and Suzy were not getting young, she thought. In a few years, they would decide things on their own. She wasn't getting young either, or Aaron, except that Michael came as a surprise. She was thinking about that night with Aaron, when suddenly, she didn't notice that Josh was standing.
"Hey, mommy, what are you doing?"
Isabella turned her head.
"Oh, nothing, you're up?"
"Hmm..." Here she went again with her illusions, he thought. He pretended not to see her.
"Come." She embraced her son. How he had grown now, a very fine young man.