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Chapter 11
The bedroom was dark. Mason called from the door, “Julia?”
“I’m here. My back hurts, so I have lain down, okay?”
“Of course.” He came in and sat on the bed. There was a pause. “I can imagine
what Eden’s been telling you. I’m very grateful you’re listening,” he said gently.
“As I told Eden, I hope I have learnt my lesson,” Julia said. “Once I mistrusted
you and almost lost you; I would have if not for the baby…”
“Ah, I have never seen the irony,” Mason said to himself, “it was Pamela that
time…”
Julia did not interrupt him.
“Believe me there’s as little ground for jealousy this time as there was with
Pamela,” Mason said louder. “I’ll explain… I only do not know where to start.”
“Why not at the beginning?”
“Okay. Pamela left me when I was five.”
“She did…”
“I stayed in Santa Barbara with my father and she went away. At that time
neither him nor me (of course) knew she was pregnant.”
“No!” Julia sat up, her concern for his mother’s miserable position unmistakable.
Mason loved it that, of all people, Julia was able to forget herself in an
immediate reaction of compassion. “Yes,” he went on. “She was pregnant, and
in a while she gave birth to a – how did Eden put it – beautiful girl.”
Julia could not see Mason’s face in the dark but she reached out and touched
his hand. “So the girl--”
“The girl – my sister – has grown into a ‘beautiful, sexy woman’ Elena by name.”
“Unbelievable. How long have you known?”
“Just a few days. Dad doesn’t know yet. And Elena has no idea I know.”
“Why?”
“I – I have my own reasons for this. You just have to trust me on this, okay?”
“Another sister,” Julia said, stunned.
“The ONLY sister related both on my father’s and mother’s sides, Julia.”
She could see the talk was not easy for Mason, nor was the news too pleasant.
“Well, aren’t you glad to have found her?”
Mason chuckled mirthlessly. “I am. Quite happy. Julia, Elena’s a grown-up
person and a very complicated personality. I feel like--” He did not finish it.
“Ok; but what does she think you to be, if she believes you do not know? I
mean dining out, dancing and all?”
“A source of information, most probably. Frankly, I guess she does not care. As
to our dancing, I danced with her tonight as I would with Kelly or Eden; it was
Elena’s idea. I think she saw Eden and wanted to – upset her, I don’t know why.”
Mason paused. “Elena’s dying – starving – for stories of my childhood. I needed
to take down the image of a golden boy who grew in luxury with an adoring
father, and give her a taste of what it really was like. She’s full of pain and
resentment because – not only was she deprived of her father, which in my
opinion is a blessing in disguise--”
“Mason…”
“—but Pamela also left her. Elena grew up with Alex Nicholas who absolutely
adores her, but she feels it’s not the same. She feels cheated.”
“Did she tell you this?”
Mason sighed. “Of course not. I – just know. ...It’s ironic you should have
thought she was my psychoanalyst; I’ve tried to be hers but she wouldn’t open
up. I’ve asked people, I’ve talked to her, and the main thing is I’ve got the same
explosive blood mix in my veins. I can see the trends, Julia, at least in my own
sister.”
They kept silent for a short while. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Julia
reproached Mason gently.
“I am sorry. I did not want to upset you – and I think I needed to sort it all out
first – and--” Mason stopped. “And if I’m honest I’m probably just not
accustomed to sharing my feelings with anyone. Since my childhood, no one’s
been interested in what was going on here,” he pointed to his head, “or here,”
to his heart, “so I just kind of keep it all to myself. It has nothing to do with you
personally, Julia.”
“Oh – I see,” but still she felt hurt, and Mason saw it. He lay down and held her.
“I’m sorry Julia,” he said earnestly. “I do trust you. I hope I can learn to show it
and share with you my joy and my pain; please give me time, let me learn to.”
Julia clung to him. “I love you,” was all she answered.
Soon she was asleep in his arms. And Mason, holding her, was thinking how
lucky he was to have her – and how lucky he was she had not asked him more
dangerous questions concerning Elena.
For Elena was not only suffering from her childhood anger but she was filled
with hatred; and she was not only interested in the Capwells, but it seemed to
be her mania. Little by little Mason was coming to the horrible realization that
his own sister Elena COULD have been behind all the mysterious happenings
the Capwells had to be enduring, and his own kidnapping and torture; slowly he
was realizing that what Elena needed was a psychiatrist’s help.
The bedroom was dark. Mason called from the door, “Julia?”
“I’m here. My back hurts, so I have lain down, okay?”
“Of course.” He came in and sat on the bed. There was a pause. “I can imagine
what Eden’s been telling you. I’m very grateful you’re listening,” he said gently.
“As I told Eden, I hope I have learnt my lesson,” Julia said. “Once I mistrusted
you and almost lost you; I would have if not for the baby…”
“Ah, I have never seen the irony,” Mason said to himself, “it was Pamela that
time…”
Julia did not interrupt him.
“Believe me there’s as little ground for jealousy this time as there was with
Pamela,” Mason said louder. “I’ll explain… I only do not know where to start.”
“Why not at the beginning?”
“Okay. Pamela left me when I was five.”
“She did…”
“I stayed in Santa Barbara with my father and she went away. At that time
neither him nor me (of course) knew she was pregnant.”
“No!” Julia sat up, her concern for his mother’s miserable position unmistakable.
Mason loved it that, of all people, Julia was able to forget herself in an
immediate reaction of compassion. “Yes,” he went on. “She was pregnant, and
in a while she gave birth to a – how did Eden put it – beautiful girl.”
Julia could not see Mason’s face in the dark but she reached out and touched
his hand. “So the girl--”
“The girl – my sister – has grown into a ‘beautiful, sexy woman’ Elena by name.”
“Unbelievable. How long have you known?”
“Just a few days. Dad doesn’t know yet. And Elena has no idea I know.”
“Why?”
“I – I have my own reasons for this. You just have to trust me on this, okay?”
“Another sister,” Julia said, stunned.
“The ONLY sister related both on my father’s and mother’s sides, Julia.”
She could see the talk was not easy for Mason, nor was the news too pleasant.
“Well, aren’t you glad to have found her?”
Mason chuckled mirthlessly. “I am. Quite happy. Julia, Elena’s a grown-up
person and a very complicated personality. I feel like--” He did not finish it.
“Ok; but what does she think you to be, if she believes you do not know? I
mean dining out, dancing and all?”
“A source of information, most probably. Frankly, I guess she does not care. As
to our dancing, I danced with her tonight as I would with Kelly or Eden; it was
Elena’s idea. I think she saw Eden and wanted to – upset her, I don’t know why.”
Mason paused. “Elena’s dying – starving – for stories of my childhood. I needed
to take down the image of a golden boy who grew in luxury with an adoring
father, and give her a taste of what it really was like. She’s full of pain and
resentment because – not only was she deprived of her father, which in my
opinion is a blessing in disguise--”
“Mason…”
“—but Pamela also left her. Elena grew up with Alex Nicholas who absolutely
adores her, but she feels it’s not the same. She feels cheated.”
“Did she tell you this?”
Mason sighed. “Of course not. I – just know. ...It’s ironic you should have
thought she was my psychoanalyst; I’ve tried to be hers but she wouldn’t open
up. I’ve asked people, I’ve talked to her, and the main thing is I’ve got the same
explosive blood mix in my veins. I can see the trends, Julia, at least in my own
sister.”
They kept silent for a short while. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Julia
reproached Mason gently.
“I am sorry. I did not want to upset you – and I think I needed to sort it all out
first – and--” Mason stopped. “And if I’m honest I’m probably just not
accustomed to sharing my feelings with anyone. Since my childhood, no one’s
been interested in what was going on here,” he pointed to his head, “or here,”
to his heart, “so I just kind of keep it all to myself. It has nothing to do with you
personally, Julia.”
“Oh – I see,” but still she felt hurt, and Mason saw it. He lay down and held her.
“I’m sorry Julia,” he said earnestly. “I do trust you. I hope I can learn to show it
and share with you my joy and my pain; please give me time, let me learn to.”
Julia clung to him. “I love you,” was all she answered.
Soon she was asleep in his arms. And Mason, holding her, was thinking how
lucky he was to have her – and how lucky he was she had not asked him more
dangerous questions concerning Elena.
For Elena was not only suffering from her childhood anger but she was filled
with hatred; and she was not only interested in the Capwells, but it seemed to
be her mania. Little by little Mason was coming to the horrible realization that
his own sister Elena COULD have been behind all the mysterious happenings
the Capwells had to be enduring, and his own kidnapping and torture; slowly he
was realizing that what Elena needed was a psychiatrist’s help.
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