Lucia watched Prince Michael walk into the house and stayed on the patio. She was reading her book when she heard the glass doors slide open and heels clicking on the floor. She looked up and saw her sister. Caroline. She was smiling dreamily as she took the seat Prince Michael had vacated a few minutes back.
Lucia turned back to her book. Hoping her sister did not want to talk about tule, cakes, ribbons or flowers. She could not handle that kind of talk anymore. She was getting exhausted from it.
"Can you believe this is happening?" Caroline sighed a loopy grin on her face.
Lucia raised her head and just looked at her sister. Her face seemed to be asking the question her lips did not; What was happening?
"I am marrying Alex," Caroline said as she took a couch cushion and hugged.
"Oh," Lucia did not know how she managed to just barely keep the disinterest in her voice.
She could believe her sister was getting married to the prince. Caroline and their mother had made sure it worked that way. The queen had also helped so the chances of success had been high from the very beginning. It also helped that Prince Alex was easy to please and Caroline somehow (quite easily) had managed to wrap him around her elegant and well-manicured fingers.
"I feel like pinching myself just to be sure it's real," Caroline breathed with a faraway look in her eyes.
Lucia looked at her sister and wondered if she would be as deliriously happy when she met the man she would ever consider marrying. Or would she be annoyed by her mother flocking around her with flower arrangement ideas and dress designs? Maybe her mother would not care at all. Maybe she would be worrying about Caroline's children if Caroline had children at that point.
"I'm glad you're happy, Line," Lucia wondered if her response was appropriate.
She did not know how to react to Caroline's joy. She did not know what to do. She didn't even know if she was where she was supposed to be in life. She didn't know what kind of life she wanted to lead now that it was time to pick a career path. She was at that point in life where she had to stop just living and her mother was not there to guide her.
"I'm glad you are here," Caroline said as she got up and went to sit next to the younger girl.
Lucia smiled at that. It was just a stretch of lips but it made Caroline happy.
"When do you think Dela will get here?" Lucia asked.
She had not seen her sister since she got back. She was not sure if she was ready to. They had not parted on good terms.
She probably still hates you, a voice at the back of her head whispered.
"Lee is bringing her," Caroline said with a careless shrug, "They went on a business trip together and will be here between tomorrow and the day after depending on the traffic and how their meeting goes."
"That sounds like fun," Lucia said.
She wondered if she should join their father's company like Adela and Leroy had done. She did not have an affinity for it but what other choice did she have? She could not lounge around and wait for her father to feed her for the rest of her life. She wanted to do something with her life.
"Trust me," Caroline said leisurely, "There's no fun in it."
She put her elbow on the arm of the couch and crossed her leg over the other.
"I tagged along with Lee once," she was looking over at her younger sister, "It was all business talk. No outings and no time to explore. Business meetings all day round. Boring. Boring. Boring."
Lucia smiled at her sister. Caroline preferred the receiving end of their lifestyle and not the part where one had to toil for it. It was a good thing their father had made a fortune and no one really needed to work to maintain their lifestyle otherwise Caroline would suffer.
"It cannot be that bad," Lucia said, "I believe there could be something interesting to deduce from the meeting."
"Oh please," Caroline rolled her eyes at the notion, "What fun could there be? I tried but I was bored out of my mind."
Lucia nodded. She understood that Caroline did not have the attention span to focus on a meeting. It was a wonder she even got through university.
The girls both looked up as there was a knock on the glass door. Their mother was smiling at them as she slid the door open and walked out onto the patio. She closed the door behind her.
"Everyone will be here this time tomorrow if Leroy and Adela get here," she said with joy.
Lucia nodded absently. She wondered if it would be a happy reunion or if their mother would make it painful for them again. It would not be a happy getaway for everyone except Caroline if so. She hoped her mother would be too distracted with Caroline to look in Adela's direction.
"It would be so nice," Caroline said her grin directed to her mother, "My family in this old place one last time before the wedding."
"Who knows when you will get the chance again after you get married," Josephine said her eyes shining with emotion.
"I'll have to hope that Mike gets married fast," Caroline said with a smile, "To lighten the load on me."
"It's a pity the crown prince and Adela could not work," Josephine said sadly.
Lucia looked at her mother in suspicion. What was she up to? Was she going to turn on Lucia again like she did before Lucia left?
"Adela put her foot down on that," Caroline explained.
And Lucia gaped at her sister. When had this happened? When she had left, Adela had been taking their mother's battering mutely.
Lucia looked from Caroline to her mother still not believing her mother had just agreed to Adela's refusal.
"Dad and Lee helped her," Caroline answered the questions on Lucia's face with a smile.
"I am realising how much you missed not being home all these years," Caroline said as she patted her little sister's arm comfortingly, "You'll catch up to the changes Lucy."
Lucia wondered about what had changed and what had remained the same. She wondered if all the changes were for the better. She could not see the changes. How significant were they?