Forever Waiting (58 page)

AGATHA AND MARIE …

Marie finds herself alone and pregnant, as does Agatha. Where Marie sacrifices her own happiness for the welfare of her unborn child and the child’s father, Agatha clings to her anger and invests all her energy into planning retribution.

FATHER MICHAEL AND FATHER BENITO …

Both priests are disillusioned with their ministry. Michael stays the course, whereas Benito turns his back on all that is holy.

PAUL AND JOHN, PAUL AND FREDERIC …

Paul loses Charmaine to John much as John lost Colette to Frederic. Paul also loses his status of favored son. Though Paul’s “moral compass” is dubious in books 1 and 2, he epitomizes the man who learns from others’ mistakes and, faced with the same dilemmas as John and Frederic, chooses the noble path: He sets aside his enmity and brings the truth about Agatha, his mother, to John. Though he could exploit the opportunity to seduce Charmaine after John leaves in pursuit of Robert Blackford, he eschews this and sets out to bring John home instead. Likewise, he does not abandon Rebecca as Frederic did Agatha.

PIERRE AND JOHN …

Pierre and John are more than parallel characters; to Frederic and Colette, Pierre symbolizes John. Look back to Colette’s death in
A Silent Ocean Away
and discuss her enjoining words to Charmaine:
“But him!” Colette struggled anew, as if Charmaine hadn’t understood. Frantically, she grasped at Pierre in an attempt to reach his governess. “He needs you the most … because he’s the most vulnerable … and I wasn’t able to give him … what he—”
Of whom is Colette really speaking? Similarly, Frederic showers the love upon Pierre that he had never shown John, and at times speaks to John through Pierre:
“I love you, son,” Frederic murmured heavily. The words were sincere, and though they were spoken to Pierre, Frederic’s eyes were on John, leaving Charmaine to wonder for whom they were meant
. (page 190,
Decision and Destiny
). Lastly, Frederic keeps vigil at John’s sickbed in
Forever Waiting
, though in deference to John, he keeps away from Pierre’s deathbed in
Decision and Destiny
.

FORGIVENESS , TRANSFORMATION , AND REDEMPTION

Many readers have commented on the agonizing silence in book 1, thus the title
A Silent Ocean Away
. The first step toward forgiveness and redemption cannot be taken until key characters begin talking to one another and decide to behave constructively. Charmaine lays the groundwork for this in
A Silent Ocean Away
when she asks Yvette to apologize to her father. In
Forever Waiting
, Yvette and Jeannette follow Charmaine’s simple example by suggesting that Frederic write to John and apologize.

“Then why don’t you apologize?” Yvette offered. “That’s what Mademoiselle Charmaine tells us to do when we’ve made a mistake.”

“I’m afraid it is not that easy,” Frederic faltered
.

“Yes, it is!” Jeannette chimed in. “I have an idea, Papa. You can write him a letter and tell him you’re sorry. We can help you write it, can’t we, Yvette?”

Though the seeds of transformation are planted in
A Silent Ocean Away
and begin to germinate in
Decision and Destiny
, they do not bear fruit until
Forever Waiting
. Discuss how John, Frederic, and Paul decide to behave differently—
constructively
—and are therefore transformed.

AUTHOR INSIGHT:

JOHN …

At the close of
Decision and Destiny
, John leaves Charmantes. This “stepping back” is a constructive decision not to manipulate circumstances as he had in the past. On their journey in pursuit of Blackford in
Forever Waiting
, John allows himself to understand his father’s actions and upon their return home, finally forgive him.

FREDERIC …

At the close of
Decision and Destiny
, Frederic abandons his self-imposed exile, retakes the helm of the Duvoisin empire, and begins to nurture a relationship with his daughters. In addition, he vows never to hurt John again, and though he falters on occasion, does his utmost to uphold this vow. In so doing, he discovers it is never too late to apologize, to ask for forgiveness, to abandon a destructive path and chart a new course. Even so, redemption comes at a high price. Frederic must experience John’s pain to receive absolution. Like John:

• He endures a three-year exile of isolation in his own home
  
• He loses those whom he loves dearly: Colette and Pierre
  
• He suffers an agonizing deathbed vigil
  

Finally, Frederic rectifies his transgressions against John by rescuing and comforting him when Blackford is finally apprehended. The Duvoisin family is restored when Frederic and John share a mutual quest to avenge Colette’s and Pierre’s murders.

PAUL …

Paul redeems his family’s passive indifference to John’s original exile from Charmantes. This indifference was the crux of John’s anger with Paul:
“Hurt him? What about me? There was a time you were sympathetic to me.”
(page 66,
Decision and Destiny
) and
“All these years—and that’s what you think happened? No wonder you sided with Father”
(page 265,
Decision and Destiny
). Only after Paul experiences his own heartache can he finally empathize with John. Thus, he confides in John when confronted with the truth about his mother. Conclusively, Paul makes reparation for all the evil leveled upon John. He does this by forsaking self-interest and setting out to bring John home at the end of
Forever Waiting
.

Readers should further note the transformation that occurs with John’s three returns to Charmantes: Initially, he is met with—and harbors— disdain (
A Silent Ocean Away
, chapter 9) then uncertain hopefulness (
Forever Waiting
, chapter 2) and finally, sheer joy (
Forever Waiting
, chapter 9).

Readers should also discuss Charmaine’s influence on each of these men. Through her words, insights, and actions, she plays an integral role in all three transformations.

2. Symbolism and foreshadow are effectively employed throughout the trilogy, but not fully grasped until the close of
Forever Waiting
. Discuss the significance of the following objects:

• Pierre’s lamb
  
• Frederic’s cane
  
• John’s cap
  

AUTHOR INSIGHT:

PIERRE’S LAMB …

Pierre’s lamb symbolizes Pierre. Pierre is the sacrificial lamb that redeems his family. The evil that Agatha and Blackford set out to commit—annihilation of the Duvoisin family—is thwarted and, in fact, turned to good.

FREDERIC’S CANE …

Frederic’s cane symbolizes Frederic’s spiritual malady: his soul is crippled more so than his body. Though his physical impairment seems improved at the beginning of
Forever Waiting
, it is not until he rescues John that he is healed emotionally. Ironically, he throws down the cane to help John to his feet and never picks it up again.

JOHN’S CAP …

John wears two caps throughout the trilogy. The first symbolizes his cynicism. Just as he places it on each of the children’s heads to shield them from cruel reality, he, too, uses it as a shield. Thus, the first cap embodies John’s life until the climax of the story. That cap is lost, but Charmaine—his salvation—purchases a new one. The second cap signifies the new and happy direction his life will take, even through immeasurable heartache: assuming his rightful place as a beloved member of the Duvoisin family.

3. Discuss the relevance of:

• The lightning and thunderstorm the night John first arrives home
  
• Colette’s horses: Charity and Chastity
  
• Colette’s portrait
  
• The three hairbrushes
  

AUTHOR INSIGHT:

THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

The thunder and lightning symbolize John and Paul; the storm, their rivalry, as well as the story itself.
But the worst did not come … Though it rumbled, it did not roar, as if is were purposefully holding back, circling them, waiting for the kill
(page 287,
A Silent Ocean Away
). Charmaine equates the storm with Colette’s death, and during this storm, the French doors in the children’s bedchamber open for the first time, signifying Colette’s presence as a herald of John’s return.

COLETTE’S HORSES: CHARITY AND CHASTITY

Charity and Chastity signify Colette’s dual personalities. Much like her twin daughters’ dramatically different personalities, Colette has two sides, as John suggests to Charmaine in
Decision and Destiny
(page 71):
“Miss Ryan,” he snarled, “the mistress Colette was a very different woman than the one you have painted … ”
Charity—the spirited and pert personality—is the Colette Frederic knows. Ironically, Chastity— the subdued and mothering personality—is the Colette John knows. Readers should examine John’s story about the two horses in
Decision and Destiny
(page 116) and identify the foreshadow in this passage.

COLETTE’S PORTRAIT

Colette’s portrait demurely oversees all that transpires in the Duvoisin manor. It is the focal point of three powerful scenes: The painting is a poignant reminder of Colette’s loss in
Decision and Destiny
(page 196):
“That’s my mama … Isn’t she boo-ti-ful? … She’s not alive no more.”
The portrait becomes Agatha’s undoing and triggers the first sign of her insanity in
Forever Waiting
(page 183):
Agatha confronted her adversary—the woman who taunted her even in death … The blue eyes stared back, so lifelike, they condemned her from the lofty perch upon the wall … Like the wife, it was time for the painting to go
. Most important, it sends John into the chapel to forgive his father at the close of
Forever Waiting
(page 415), fulfilling Colette’s prayer:
“No
,
Father,” John breathed, “ don’t remove it. I feel secure knowing Colette is watching over us.”

THE THREE HAIRBRUSHES

Each of the three hairbrushes is symbolic. On the night of John’s return in
A Silent Ocean Away
, he steps on and breaks the hairbrush Charmaine had tossed across the room. It is John’s first step toward breaking with his past. In
Decision and Destiny
Agatha uses her hairbrush to ruthlessly spank Pierre, and John wrenches it from her, throwing it across her boudoir. At this moment, John glimpses Charmaine’s integrity and valor, marking the turning point in their relationship. Lastly, John’s Christmas gift to Charmaine in
Forever Waiting
is an ivory hairbrush. It embodies their untainted relationship, which stands in stark contrast to the one he shared with Colette.

4. The supernatural seems to play an integral part in the conclusion of
Forever Waiting
. Consider the following:

• Did Colette’s ghost coax Agatha into the waters off Espoir?
  
• Who induced the dream shared by both Frederic and John?
  
• Did John experience an out-of-body experience where Colette, Elizabeth, and Marie sent him back to the realm of the living?
  

AUTHOR INSIGHT:

For the nonbeliever, each question can be logically explained: First, Agatha was insane. Second, John and Frederic’s shared dream was a coincidence fed by mutual guilt and obscure memories. Third, John’s out-of-body experience was a hallucination, nurtured by subconscious images and a grave illness. However, it is far more interesting to entertain the idea: What if … ?

5. The Colette Trilogy has multiple triads. The following are the more significant sets of three. Discuss their importance, then see how many others you can identify:

THREE PRAYERS

The prologue of
A Silent Ocean Away
opens with John’s prayer of death. After Pierre’s death in
Decision and Destiny
, John offers his prayer of grief. At the close of
Forever Waiting
, he recites a prayer of absolution and redemption.

THREE CHAPEL/CHURCH SCENES

The prologue of
A Silent Ocean Away
, opens with John praying in the St. Jude Refuge church. At the close of
Decision and Destiny
, Charmaine and John grieve Pierre’s death in the Duvoisin chapel. At the end of
Forever Waiting
, John forgives Frederic in the same chapel.

THREE PIANO SCENES

In
A Silent Ocean Away
, Colette finds Charmaine at the piano, playing John’s unfinished composition. Through Charmaine’s eyes, this encounter evokes melancholy and yearning. In
Decision and
Destiny
, Charmaine finds John at the piano, playing the very same piece. Through her eyes, this encounter offers wonder and possibilities. In
Forever Waiting
, Charmaine beholds John’s resolution to his poignant composition—symbolic of his life; yet unlike the first two encounters, this one is surrounded by family and love. It heralds happiness and promise.

THREE BOYHOOD RECOLLECTIONS

George’s recollection in
A Silent Ocean Away
is brimming with humor and camaraderie, John’s in
Decision and Destiny
with mischief and daring, Paul’s in
Forever Waiting
with imagination and adventure. All three allude to deep boyhood bonds and a simpler time, in sharp contrast to their present lives.

THREE IMPORTANT LETTERS

Colette’s letter to John, Marie’s letter to Michael, Frederic’s letter to John—each pivotal to the plot.

THREE RETURNS AND THREE DEPARTURES