A Kiss in Time (20 page)

At the palace, I often stood by the window and watched the peasant children. Their lives
seemed consumed by work. Boys helped their fathers in the fields. Girls milked cows and
gathered eggs. But they did play, when the work was done. I watched them sometimes from
the windows, and I wished I could join them.

There is a large tree nearby, an old one with moss hang- ing from it. I nudge Jack.

Teach me to climb that tree! I have never climbed one.

Jack looks at the tree, dubious. Thats a hard one. Would it be difficult for you? No, I . . . Then show me. I am stronger than I look. He nods and walks to the tree. You
have to get a good grip first. There arent any low branches, so you use your fingers. Then, dig in with your
feet.

I try it. It is far more difficult than I had imagined. What if I fall?

Im behind you. Ill catch you.

This seems to help, for I am suddenly able to dig my feet in and climb a bit.

Good, Jack says. Now, grab that branch above you and pull yourself up.

I do. I do! And next thing I know, I am sitting upon the branch.

Now, grab the next one and get up on it, Jack says.

But I am already doing that. It is easy, now that I have started, and soon I am so high
that the park seems to swim beneath me, and Jack is climbing up behind me. When we reach
the highest branch I dare, I sit upon it and look down.

The earth spins below me, and yet it is fine, like every- thing has been today. So what if
I cannot be a model, if I am no longer considered beautiful, if Malvolia is trying to
catch me. I am climbing a tree! And I am doing so with Jack.

He comes up behind me. You did it.

I nod. We sit there a moment, watching the children at play. Why do you suppose this has happened? I ask Jack. What has? You. Me. You finding me after
all those years. Of all the people who could have stumbled upon Euphrasia, why you?

I said I was sorry about not being a prince.

No. It is just . . . odd when you think about it. Had you and Travis not been in Belgium,
and had you not been bored and looked for the beach and taken the wrong bus . . . I might
still be asleep. Or some Belgian boy might have found me. In any case, I would not be here.

It is weird when you put it that way, he says.

Yes. Do you know the story of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone?

I saw the movie with Keira Knightley. But they didnt concentrate on the stone partmostly
it was about Keira in a breastplate. She was Guinevere.

Guinevere in a breastplate? How interesting. Arthur was the son of a king who died, I say.
He was raised by Sir Ector, a knight. No one knew he was heir to the throne. Then, one
day, a strange stone appeared in a churchyard. In the stone was a glittering sword, and
written on it, in letters of gold, Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is
rightwise king born of all England.

I swing my feet a bit and continue.

Many knights tried to take the sword, but none could budge it. So a day was chosen when
all could try, and jousts were held as well. Sir Ector and his son, Kay, and Arthur also came. But when it was time for the joust, Kay found that he had broken his sword. He
asked Arthur to ride back for another. When Arthur returned to the castle, he could not
get it. That was when he remembered the sword he had seen in the churchyard. The guards
were away, and the sword was there, alone. Thinking only to get a sword for his brother,
young Arthur took the hilt and drew the sword from the stone.

I love this part!

Why could he take it out when no one else could? Jack asks.

He was meant to be king. Destiny. Do you believe in destiny, Jack?

Im not sure.

Do you not think, Jack, that perhaps it was destiny, you going to the castle? Do you think
you were destined to be the one to wake me?

I wait. If he believes in destiny, perhaps he will believe that he is my destiny. I sit,
feeling the wind upon my face. Below, the boys are finished playing. They run their
several ways, some stopping at the newly weeded garden.

Hey, would you look at this? one of them says. Yeah. Someone got rid of all the weeds.
Cool. What will Jack say? What will he say?

Finally, he says, I dont know.

You do not know? The words explode from me like cannon fire, and some of the children look
up at us. But what do you think? Surely you must think something, sometime, you silly boy?

It is useless. I was wrong to believe that Jack could be my destiny, my beloved. He cares
not for me at all. He thinks of nothing but play.

Never mind, I say. It is of no import.

But you didnt let me finish. I was going to say that I dont know about destiny. I dont
know if there even was a King Arthur, or if thats just some dumb story.

I sigh, not merely because I adored Morte dArthur, but also because Jack is missing my
point entirely.

But what I do know is that everythings different since Ive been with you. Im different.
Like being here. I might have thought about coming here, but I wouldnt have. Id have been
out partying. You made me remem- ber. I dont know if I was destined to wake you up, or if
it was just dumb luck. But Im glad it happened this way.

Are you? I ask.

He nods. Before, Id say I didnt want to do what my dad wanted, but I knew Id end up doing
it, anyway. Id go to college and major in what he wants me to major in and do what he
wants me to do, and one day Id wake up and Id be sixty and with all my decisions made for
me.

His voice is soft, and he smells of dirt and the air above us, and it is a clean smell.

And now? I say. Now, maybe I wont. I nod. This is where he should say that he is in love with me, that I have changed his
life and that he loves me for it. But he doesnt. Is it because he is shy? Or because he is
too young to say such a thing? Too scared after Amber?

Or is it merely because he does not love me?

The worst of it is, I am falling in love with him. Before, I was merely trying to make him
love me. My own feelings were meaningless. But now, I, Princess Talia, am in love with a
boy, a boy who does not love me back.

Jack takes his telephone from his pocket and looks at it. I guess we should be going.
Meryl just texted that my dads actually coming home for dinner.

Really? I try to swallow my disappointment. I look forward to meeting him, and you can
discuss some matters with him as well.

Some matters, meaning, of course, his hopes and ambitions. I am one to talk, having run
away from my own father. Still, I suspect at least some things are easier for those not to
the castle born. While Jacks father may be angry if Jack fails to follow in his path, it
is the tradition of a mere generation or so, not the divine right of kings. And Jack will
only be disappointing his own family, not an entire kingdom.

Jack says, Yeah, maybe. Can you get down? I look, and I am dizzy again, but I say, I think
so. Ill catch you if you fall. Or you can fall on me. He starts to climb down. When we reach bottom, I say, Jack, what is a garden club? When he gives me a questioning look, I say, Meryl said that you egged a car owned by
the president of your mothers garden club.

Jack shrugs. Im thinking its a club for ladies who like to . . . garden.

So then your mother is interested in plants as well? I guess. And you have never told her
of your shared interest? I never . . . He shifts his knees. I mean, she wouldnt care. My dad wants me to go into his business. Hes in charge.

I laugh. You do not know the first thing about women, do you?

Whats that supposed to mean?

Even in my time, we knew that men were not in charge. Oh, they might bluster as if they
were. But when it came down to it, we women bore much of the influence. Often, my father
would make some grand pronouncement in the evening. And the next morning, he had changed
his mind. After a while, I realized that it was my mother who had changed it, quietly, in
the night.

Jack appears to think about it. So youre saying . . .

I am saying that perhaps your mother would be your ally. It would be diplomacy.

When we return, Meryl is outside in the front yard, sit- ting underneath a tree. She
clutches her pad to her, clearly interrupted in the act of drawing by Jennifer, the wicked girl from the next house. As Jack and I approach, I hear the word weird.

Hello, Meryl, I say, loud enough to interrupt Jennifers cruel talk.

The girl immediately breaks from Meryl, but not due to any guilty conscience about
disturbing her. No, she has other motives.

Hi, Jack, Jennifer says, throwing her chest out and prompting me to clutch Jacks arm in a
most territorial and un-princesslike manner. Nonetheless, the tramp runs her hand across
his arm. To his credit, Jack seems uncomfort- able at the attention.

Meryl, I say, how is that new drawing coming along? I am dying to see it.

She smiles. Really?

Really. I have thought of little else. This is not true, for I have been thinking of how
to make Jack fall in love with me. But Meryl does not have to know that, nor does
Jennifer, who is rather a junior version of Amber.

Ive been working on it all day. Meryl takes it out to show me.

Jennifer laughs. That junk. Ive seen her drawings. They suck.

I start to defend Meryl, but she interjects. A lot you know. Talia thinks theyre good, and
she studied art with Carlo Maratti!

Whos that? Jennifers derision shows on her face. And you know what else, Jennifer? Meryl
continues. My brother isnt going to like you, no matter how much you stick your boobs in his face.
Right, Jack?

Jack sort of nods. Jennifers mouth takes on the appear- ance of one of the suits of armor
in the castle hall, when the hinges have rusted out and the face mask hangs open.

Come on, Talia. Meryl gestures for me to follow her.

I do so, without a backward glance at Jack, but I am amazed. I have changed things. I have
helped Meryl to stand up to Jennifer. I am sure of it. I have changed Jack, too. I know
it. But is it enough? Perhaps if I can help Jack to speak with his father, it will make
him love me.

T
alias grabbing my arm all the way down the stairs. I dont know if its because shes nervous
about having dinner with my parents (both of them, here for dinner on the same day!) or
just that guys held out their arms to help girls back in her time. I sort of like having
her hold on to me. But I bet if my dad sees her holding my arm, hell see it another way.
Clingy, hell say. Thats what he used to say about Amber.

But maybe it would be okay if it was the guys idea. So right before we go into the
kitchen, I take Talias hand off my elbow and put it in my hand. I give it a squeeze. She
squeezes back. It will be okay, I say.

I might say the same to you.

Then we walk into the kitchen. My dads there in his suit and tie, like every other day of
my life, so its weird that I have this urge to throw my arms around him, like I did when I was three and he went
out of town, to say, Daddy.

But I dont.

Dad, this is Talia, the girl I met in Europe. Shes stay- ing with us.

Nice to meet you, Talia. Have a seat. As soon as she does, he turns back to me. So, Jack,
its lucky, your coming home early. Ed Campbell was telling me hes looking for a summer
intern for his office.

Im torn between annoyance and annoyanceannoyance that my dads not even going to bother
disapproving of Talia. Instead hes going to ignore her completely. And annoyance at the
idea of a summer internship. Like, couldnt he say hello at least before he starts trying
to turn me into him?

I know what that meansmy dad talked one of his golf buddies into offering me a job making
copies and fetching Starbucks to get a feel for the business and look good on my college
apps. Boring. Talia says I should tell my parents what I want. But she doesnt know what
thats like when youre a regular person, not a princess.

Um, I dont think so, Dad. I sort of have other plans for the summer.

Partying and going to the beach?

No. Not exactly. Although whats so bad about that? I mean, I am seventeen years old with
my whole life to work.

Good, then. So Ill tell Ed you can come in Monday. Its Thursday. I should probably be happy hes at least giving me a weekend before he
destroys my summer. But Talias staying a week.

Dads talking about what a great opportunity this is, blah, blah, blah. . . .

Mr. ONeill, Talia says, I believe what Jack was try- ing to say is that he has other plans
for an occupation during the summer.

Excuse me? Dad gets that line that he always gets between his eyes whenever he talks to
me. Young lady, I dont believe I asked Shes right, Dad, I say. I was thinking about putting up some flyers at the grocery store,
about doing gardening. It would be, like, starting my own business.

Gardening? Dad laughs. Jack, youre not eight years old anymore, and were not poor, either.
This internship will look great on your college applications.

Here we go with college applications.

I like plants, okay?

Well, thats just ridiculous. What are you going to dowork at Home Depot?

Mom holds up a bowl of string beans. Beans? When I shake my head, she says, Enough about
work. Tell us about your trip, Jack.

Then she starts talking about it herself. Shes memorized my entire itinerary, starting
with Day One, Museum One and starts going through it. I answer, trying to avoid the words
boring and lame and also trying to keep from looking at Dad. Were talking and laughing like everythings okay, but I know its not.

When I finish, Dad says, So, Ill call Ed and tell him you can start Monday?

I told Talia youd never listen to me. This was Talias idea, then? Dad says. Yeah. I mean,
no . . . I mean, the gardening business was my idea. Trying to tell you about it, like youd actually care what I want, that was
Talias idea.