CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

“I got the report on my siblings,” Diana said as she entered the house.

Her aunt looked up eagerly. “Really? Somehow, I did not expect it so soon.”

Floyd walked in when he heard her declaration. “Do I need to cart you around the place to see them, or is Mr. Loverman going to do the honors?"

Diana smiled. “Mr. Loverman already offered.”

Floyd rolled his eyes, “Just the answer I was looking for.” He sat across from her. “So, who is rich and who beats his wife?”

Diana removed the list of contact numbers for Tara and handed the rest of the report to her aunt. “I am going to call the model. You and Aunt Phillipa can read about the rest.”

She headed upstairs and took a deep breath as she stared at the phone. She sat on the bed and closed her eyes. If she was to be honest with herself, she had come back to Jamaica to see Tara and Flynn—her promise to them that they would always be in her heart had haunted her for years—the wan face of her little sister kept creeping into her mind. She could see it as if it were yesterday, Tara asking, “Why can’t it be me? Is it because I am too black? Her little voice echoed in Diana’s mind.

Diana picked up the phone and dialed the first number on the paper. It rang three times then a voice answered seductively.

“This is Tara Lyne, speak to me."

Diana smiled before she answered. “Hello,” She felt her throat closing up. Tears were not far. She was actually speaking to Tara.

Tara adjusted her voice when she heard that the caller was female. She cleared her throat; an uneasy emotion had her in its clutches.

“Hi, Tara, this is Diana,” Diana managed to say quickly and then began to cry. The memories became fresh in her mind: playing in the pond, hushing her little sister when she cried, washing the only blue dress that Tara owned. The memories were murky at the edges, but she never forgot the emotions—the love for her siblings and the despair at her mother’s lack of backbone.

“Diana,” Tara’s voice was husky, and she sounded as if she was choking, “I am so happy to hear from you. I often think about you.”

“Me too, when can I see you?”

“Now,” Tara said, her voice firmer. “I will come to wherever you are.”

“It's okay, I was planning to come to Montego Bay today.”

“No, I am actually in Savanna-la-mar today.”

“Oh,” Diana said excitedly. “That’s a couple of minutes from where I am.”

Tara gasped. “I thought you were in Kingston or something. I am just going to say goodbye to Eric’s parents and head over to Negril. Eric is my late husband. His parents live here. Where are you staying? Oh my gosh; I can’t believe it. We are practically breathing the same air!”

Diana laughed. Tara sounded as excited as she felt. “I am staying at my aunt’s guest house. It's beside the hotel Windsunsea, on the right.”

“Windsunsea. I know it. See you in an hour.”

Diana hung up the phone and leapt into the air.

“Aunt Phillipa,” she said, rushing downstairs. “Tara is coming here in an hour. She was in Savanna-la-mar when I called. I am going to bathe and wash my hair and…” She spun around in the hall as Phillipa and Floyd looked at her indulgently.

“I will have to serve her some of my famous key lime pie,” Floyd said, getting up and heading for the kitchen.

Aunt Phillipa had a far-away look in her eyes. “I am happy for you, child. Your sister is family. She can even stay here for a few days.”

“Thank you.” Diana kissed her aunt and headed for the bathroom.

 

*****

It was the longest hour of Diana's life. She sat on the patio and looked out at the road and then remembered that she hadn’t even thought to ask Tara what type of car she was driving. She jumped when a car slowed down near the gate.

“You are like a cat on hot bricks,” Robert said behind her.

“Oh.” Diana looked at him contritely. “I was supposed to call you and tell you that we do not have to go anywhere today.”

Robert smiled. “I got that from your aunt. You are going to meet the model today.”

“And I don’t know what type of car she drives.” Diana looked at the road again, “I spoke to her this morning and bawled for a good five minutes instead of talking to her.”

Robert hugged her and rubbed her back. “This must be a dream come true for you.”

Diana nodded. “I never pictured it like this. I always imagined a grand reunion where everybody would gather in formal clothes and give speeches on what they have been up to and where they are headed and how we would keep in touch for all time.”

Robert grinned and looked into her eyes. “Reality always intrudes on our dreams.” He kissed her and they stood locked together for a long while.

“A silver Audi just stopped at the gate,” Robert said, drawing away from her.

They watched as a tall woman, with dreadlocks hanging to her waist and liberally peppered with shells, stepped out of the car and looked up at the guesthouse.

“She’s beautiful,” Diana breathed.

Robert nudged her so she stopped staring and headed downstairs. Phillipa opened the gate and Tara got back into the car and drove through the tree-lined driveway. She was clutching the steering wheel tightly. This was it; she was finally going to see Diana.

Standing at six feet, Tara looked at the petite girl heading toward her.

“I look older than you,” Tara said, greeting her sister, before she swooped into her arms.

They hugged and cried and spoke in monosyllables for a while. Phillipa, Floyd and Robert sat in the hall as the two girls finally entered the house.

“This is my grandaunt,” Diana said, pointing to Phillipa. “And that is Robert, my…”

“Friend,” Robert added. He got up and squeezed Tara’s hand. “I can see why you are a model.”

“And that is Floyd, my aunt’s distant cousin, who is also her chef.”

Floyd got up and did the deepest bow his tight khaki pants would allow. Tara bit her lip and watched as everyone tried to contain their laughter.

“At your service, you divine feline,” Floyd said, grinning widely. “Anything you want, I will fetch for you.”

Tara smothered her laughter in a cough and said, “It is nice to meet everyone.”

Diana indicated to a chair and she sat. She could see the sea from her vantage point—the atmosphere was lovely.

“I have a bunch of questions for you,” Diana said, smiling. “I can’t seem to stop smiling.”

Tara smiled back. “Me neither.”

“Would you like something to drink, or eat?” Phillipa and Diana asked at the same time.

“Heavens, no,” Tara said regretfully. “I am just returning from a virtual feast at my in-laws. My husband died three years ago. He was their only child, so they now consider me their only child, but it's not hard to be their daughter. They are wonderful people.”

“I read in the detective's report that you are a model,” Diana said. “That sounds exciting.”

“It is,” Tara said, grimacing slightly. “I would have done anything to get away from Flower Hill, so I ran away with Eric, and modeling was a welcomed occupation. It more than pays the bills, but now I want to settle down and become a mom. I was never averse to being barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove.”

“Are you serious?” Diana asked.

“Very,” Tara said, winking at Robert. “I am every man’s fantasy of their perfect woman. I want to scrub floors and have babies and look like a temptress at nights.”

Robert whistled. He had been watching Tara while she was speaking, and the uneasiness that he had seen her somewhere before almost overwhelmed him—he kept remembering the little girl in the blue dress. Diana had said she resembled her sister, Tara, and now he could see that the impish expression on the little girl’s face matched the expression of the woman before him. That was where the resemblance ended, but the feeling was still there.

“What do you do, Diana? Where do you live? Tell me about your life from the first moment you left that old shack we called home.”

“I will,” Diana said quickly, “but can you tell me why is it that you are the only sibling who was not adopted or taken away?”

“After you left,” Tara said reflectively, “I was sent to live with Ida May. She lived on the other side of the hill, far enough from the family, thankfully. Our grandmother had said she was not going to take care of any of her daughter’s brats.”

Phillipa cleared her throat. “Tara, I don’t think…”

Tara looked at Phillipa. “I think it's time Diana knows everything.”

“What is going on here?” Diana asked.

“Well, your grandmother eventually decided that she could not leave me alone at the house with the other aunts and their children. So before she left Jamaica, she arranged for Ida May to take me, and she paid her every month to do so. She took care of me up to high school. She used to write, and then she stopped, but the money came every month.”

Diana stared at Tara as if she had grown two heads. “My grandmother?”

Tara nodded.

“You knew about this, Aunt Phillipa?”

Phillipa sighed. “I knew that she was contemplating filing for Tara but was told by that lawyer, Mr. Winters, that she has no relation to Tara and she would be hard to file for. So she did the next best thing; she arranged with a respectable church-going woman to take care of Tara.”

“Ida May was an old dragon,” Tara said half-jokingly. “I was only allowed to go to church and school. She did her best, though. She died last year, and I was named next of kin in her will.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Diana said loudly. “My grandmother arranged for you to be cared for.”

Tara nodded.

“But she…” Diana was speechless. “No wonder she didn’t want me to come back here. She always swore that she knew nothing about my other siblings, and all this time … ”

“Well, she had no idea where I went after I left Flower Hill,” Tara said. “I ran away with Eric, an older man. Ida May had to be hospitalized after that, and she always swore that I was the cause of her ill health.”

“I don’t believe this.” Diana looked over at Tara and smiled. “I could have gotten in touch with you a long time ago.”

Tara looked at her watch and jumped up. “Diana, I have a plane to catch. I am so sorry we have to end our reunion like this, but I'm booked with a company to do a swimwear campaign. I will be in Grand Cayman for three weeks. Give me all your numbers so we can talk when I get back; we have to stay in touch.”

Diana hugged her, and Tara headed for the door.

“What about the others?” Diana asked. “Do you know them?”

Tara paused. “Only two. Patricia and I went to the same school. Kemar was a brat. I had to baby-sit him and his numerous sisters for pocket money.”

“Patricia is in Beijing, the report said, and Kemar isn’t sure he wants to know me,” Diana said wistfully.

“Patricia’s not into family a whole lot,” Tara said. “She barely acknowledged my existence while we were in school, and Kemar has many sisters who always seem to be driving him crazy. Don’t be sad about it.”

“What about your brother, Flynn McTaggert?” Robert asked, heading to the door with them. “Do you know if he was captured by the McTaggerts and beaten to death?”

Tara shrugged. “I was only four. I don’t remember anything about Flynn leaving. I will call as soon as I reach Cayman,” she said and then air-kissed Diana.

Diana ran and hugged Tara then watched as she walked to her car and drove away waving.

“So much for my lengthy fantasies of an intense reunion,” Diana said as she closed the door.

Robert was directly behind her. “Let's take a long swim,” he suggested, running his fingers through his hair.

“What are you going to do next, Diana?” Phillipa asked as she fluffed the settee cushions.

“I want to go to Hanover and see the old shack where I used to live,” Diana replied, “and maybe check up on Kemar while we are there. Although he doesn’t want any more sisters, I want to see him.”

Phillipa smiled slightly.

“And I want to go to Whitehouse to see the pastor,” Diana continued.

“But not the criminal,” Floyd said, sniffing and staring at his nails.

Diana ignored him. “I will not rest until I meet Flynn again though.”

Robert grimaced. “Prepare for the worse where he is concerned. Finch is working on that case.”

“Well, you have four more weeks in Jamaica to do all you want,” Phillipa said easily, “so take your time.”

“I will,” Diana replied, smiling at Robert. “For now, I will just take a swim with a handsome white guy.”

“Are you talking about me?” Robert asked, grinning.

Floyd rolled his eyes and got up. “I have baking to do.”