Northern Africa, 1949
I kept trying to sneak away from the wedding festivities, but every time I managed to steal a solitary moment, someone came to find me, dragging me back to the crowded meadow where Anna and Mark danced to a hastily arranged string quartet. Dad had hired a few people to serve food and drinks, acquaintances of William, so there was nothing for me to do but sit around and smile whenever anyone said anything to me.
Henriette had tried to warn me that my smiles looked more like smirks, but I was still angry about Olu's exclusion from the festivities. I imagined that he wouldn't have wanted to participate anyway, but I was offended that Anna thought so highly of herself. And I was angry that Dad, for all of his supposed love for Olu, would go along with her plan. I sat pouting for the rest of the afternoon, counting the minutes until it was time for Anna and Mark to leave for their honeymoon.
I spied Anna slipping away for a few moments, quietly walking to her bedroom. I went around the house, toward the back, so that I could watch her through her window. The festivities were taking place on the other side of the house, so I knew that I could watch safely, unless someone at the party began to miss me. Anna sat on her bed, smoothing her hands on her lacy white dress for a few minutes. Then she took a small box from the drawer of her bedside table, searching through it until she found a few slips of folded paper.
She carefully unfolded them, running her fingers along the edges, taking time to look carefully at each one. From where I was standing, I couldn't see what was written on them, but she smiled slightly as she flipped through them. I stood, confused, until someone came knocking on Anna's door.
'Come in,' Anna called, furtively pushing the papers beneath her pillow.
'Oh, here you are!' It was one of the bridesmaids. 'We've been looking everywhere for you... reminiscing, are you?'
'You've caught me,' Anna stood up.
'Well, people are demanding more photos... You'll have to suffer for a little while longer...'
'All right. Duty calls.'
'I suppose I'll have to find Olivia now. Where do you think she's skulked off to?'
'She's probably climbing trees in that expensive dress, for all I know. She's like a monkey, that girl, no grace or poise whatsoever...'
I smirked as they walked out of the room, waiting until Anna had closed the door before I climbed into the window. I dashed over to the bed, feeling beneath the pillow to find the papers she'd been looking at. I pulled them out, surprised and confused when I realized what they were.
They were simple pencil sketches of fossils, bone fragments, and other artifacts. Some I recognized, and others were unfamiliar to me, but all of them had been drawn on the same parchment paper that Olu liked to use. And the drawing style was his; precise, neat, and very detailed. I wrinkled my brows trying to discern the reason that Anna would be keeping them. I looked in the box, noticing that it was filled with things that were special to her: letters from Dad, a photo of our mother, and a few postcards from Mark.
I put the sketches back under the pillow, and quietly made my way back around the house, just in time to be grabbed by my father as he whisked me towards the photographer. We posed for what felt like a hundred photos before Mark looked at his watch and noted that they just had enough time to get changed for their train trip. Anna's maid of honor took charge, flitting to and fro, as Anna and Mark disappeared into the house.
I waited until the second round of drinks and deserts provided a distraction before I quietly made my way back into the house. I kept wondering why Anna would keep anything of Olu's. She had no interest in anthropology, so even if Dad had given them to her, I didn't think that she would have kept them. And knowing that Olu had drawn them would have probably made her want to burn the things. But they were obviously dear to her, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why.
I entered the house through the sitting room, pulling my shoes off as soon as I stepped onto the carpet. I walked across the room with the intention of going to Anna's room to wish her a farewell, but I stopped when I saw her in the hall.
She was standing outside of Olu's room, still in her wedding dress and veil, looking up at him. I saw her hand something to him, in a small red box.
'I can't accept this,' she said in a hushed tone.
'Take it,' Olu said.
Anna, strangely less formal and icy as she normally was with him, said, 'I can't accept it. Mark will wonder where it has come from.'
'It will be lost among your other gifts. Please, take it. I hope your wedding went well.'
'I must go now...' Anna hurried off, with the box still in her hand.
I ducked back into the sitting room, pretending to be searching for something, but Anna didn't even notice that I was there. I heard her close the door to her room, and when I looked down the hall, I saw that Olu's door was closed as well. I stood there, processing everything, realizing that there was more to Anna's seeming hatred for Olu than met the eye.
I went to Anna's room, and walked in without knocking. She turned around, holding her dress in front of her body, surprised at my sudden arrival.
'Oh, it's only you,' she turned away from me, carefully placing her dress in its large box.
'Anna...'
'What do you want? I don't have time to waste. We'll be leaving shortly.'
'I just wanted to say...' I saw the red box sitting on top of the clothes in her open suitcase.
'What is it?' she sounded impatient.
'I just wanted...' I lost my nerve. 'I wanted to say farewell.'
'Well, you could have done that outside with the others... you didn't have to come bursting in here. You act as if I'll never see you again.'
'Two months is a long time...'
She sniffed, pulling a new dress over her head. 'You don't have to pretend that you're going to miss me, Olivia. I know you'll be glad to be rid of me for a while. I hope you'll use the time wisely... hopefully your French skills will have progressed at least a little by then.' She snapped her suitcase shut, and pulled it off the bed, brushing past me to leave the room.
I stood there, looking at the folded dress in its open box. I could feel the anger stirring inside me, and I wanted to take scissors to it and rip it apart. I knew it was jealousy; I was jealous of whatever the secret was that she'd kept with Olu. I wanted to know, so badly, what had happened between them. It must have been long ago, because the house was too small for me not to have noticed something. And they usually steered clear of each other. I was dying to know what was in that box, and what feelings Olu had for my sister.
I heard peals of laughter and applause as I stood there fuming. I realized that Anna and Mark had left, and that everyone else was outside, waving and cheering. I took the opportunity to visit Olu, knowing that I could get at least a few minutes alone with him before anyone came looking for me. And even if someone asked me later where I had been, Anna would be able to verify the fact that I'd given her a private farewell.
I stepped into his room, not realizing how emotional I was. He was watching the farewell from his window, so engrossed, that he hadn't heard me enter. I could feel tears welling in my eyes. I felt betrayed, angry, afraid, and sad, all at the same time.
'So,' he said when he finally turned to notice me standing in his room. 'You're actually sad to see your sister leaving?'
'Do you love her?' I asked. 'Is that why you play with me? Is it because you can't have her? You're settling for me...'
'Olivia, don't upset yourself.'
'Is that why you were so rough last night? You were angry, because you couldn't have her, because she belongs to Mark now?'
