The Legacy (36 page)

As I sing the final chorus, I meet Adagio's emotional
gaze. Through this song, I express my love for him to everyone
present. When I am finished, I receive a standing ovation from
the guests. Brushing a tear away, I smile lovingly at Adagio and
he smiles back, blowing me a kiss.

Gladys watches Cisely through the cracked door, her
heart seething with anger and bitterness. The niece she dislikes
with a passion had become a thorn in her side long ago. In
Gladys' eyes, Cisely completely ruined her life and took her
meal ticket by convincing Velma to move away, as if Velma
didn’t have a mind of her own and couldn’t think for herself.
Since her daughter left, there has been no one left for Gladys to
rule over or take advantage of, and this makes her angry.

So now anything and everything that goes wrong in her
life is Cisely’s fault. It is her fault that Gladys doesn’t have
enough money to fuel her nicotine and alcohol addiction. It is
Cisely’s fault that Velma is no longer living under her roof,
supporting her and jumping at her every beck and call. And it is
Cisely's fault that Gladys hadn’t been able to see her daughter
get married. Velma had chosen not to invite her, but in her
mind, it is still Cisely’s fault.

Gladys continues to watch her niece, jealous of her looks,
her talent, and the life she now has. She'd managed to avoid
seeing her niece during her previous visit to Asheville. Before
that, she had heard about Cisely’s first husband dying. Even
then, Gladys didn’t have one sympathetic thought for her niece.
Why should she? After all, Cisely is trash, and Ingo was white.
It just wasn’t right for them to be together. Then Velma told
her about Cisely remarrying and living happily in Italy.

Looking around the large hall, she immediately spots
Adagio, recognizing him from the picture Velma had shown
her of he and Cisely with their two children. Gladys has never
been into men who are not of her race, but she can’t deny that
Adagio is handsome. Ingo had been handsome as well, but to
Gladys, Adagio is even more so. For a white man, he is walking
perfection. This fuels her hatred for her niece even more. She
looks back at Cisely and once again begins to seethe.

She doesn’t deserve to be happy. She doesn’t deserve any of it, the
little tramp!
Gladys glances over at Velma and Ted.
I should be in
there with them. After all, I am still her mother, whether she likes it or
not. She just didn’t want me around her snobby friends.

Gladys closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them,
fixing her stare on Cisely once more, a subtle smile playing on
her lips.

You won’t get away with this, Miss Better Than the Rest of the
World. You’re gonna to pay for everything you’ve done to me. And you’re
gonna to pay dearly.

I finish up with a few more songs, again receiving a
standing ovation. Through the years, I've grown to enjoy
performing for others, and I am happy to have been able to do
this
for
Velma.
People
often
tell me
I should pursue
a
professional singing career, but I've never given it a thought. I
am completely content with my career of being Adagio’s wife
and a mother to our children. I want nothing more than that.

After taking a final bow, I stop and talk with a few of the
new fans I've made, which is always so much fun. Walking over
to the young man in charge of the music, I request a song. I
turn, letting my eyes search the hall for my husband, wanting to
share a slow dance with him. Adagio’s eyes meet mine through
the
crowd and he
moves
toward me,
producing
instant
butterflies in my stomach. I again marvel that he never ceases
to affect me that way.

“Have I told you how incredible you are?” He repeats
one of his usual questions, pulling me close, pressing his lips
against my ear.

I close my eyes and smile, relishing the feel of being in his
arms again. “Yes, but I am no more incredible than you are.”
“Okay, then have I told you how much I love you?”
“Yes, you have, but you can always tell me again.”
He moves back a little and stares into my eyes, gifting me
with one of his heart-stopping smiles. “I love you, Cisely, more
than anything in this world.”
“I love you too,” I sigh, resting my head against his
shoulder.

Holding her close, Adagio lets the words of the ballad
flow through his mind and heart.
The way you touch my lips right after every kiss,
And softly whisper that I’m your everything.
The way you pray our love won’t die,
Every night just before you close your eyes.
The song has become one of his favorites, because it
describes exactly, some of the many things he loves about his
wife. He is moved by everything about her, and that will never
change.

After we dance for another couple of minutes, Velma and
Ted approach us and we embrace them both.
“Thank you, Cisely, for making our reception so special,”
Velma says.
“Well, thank you for asking me to do this. It was a lot of
fun and I really enjoyed it.”
Adagio shakes Ted’s hand. “We were honored to be
invited. It was a beautiful ceremony and we wish you both all
the happiness in the world.”
“Thank you. We’re glad you could come. It wouldn’t have
been the same without you.” Ted smiles at Velma. “I guess we
should get going if we want to make our flight.” Ted’s friend
owns a private plane and offered it and the services of his pilot
as a wedding present. They are going to the Bahamas for their
honeymoon.
Velma hugs me once more. “I have always prayed for the
kind of love you and Adagio have.” She gazes at her new
husband. “And now I have it.”
Adagio wraps his arms around me, his eyes meeting mine.
“We are very blessed,” he says softly.
“I’ll call you when we get back,” Velma tells me as they
turn to go.
“I’ll look forward to your call.” I give her hand a final
squeeze. I'm truly going to miss her when we return to Italy.
After the newlyweds make their final rounds and say
goodbye to everyone, Adagio and I follow them out to their
car, now covered with shaving cream and ribbons. We wave
goodbye as they drive off, laughing when Ted gives a loud
whoop out the window as he pulls out of the parking lot.
Leaning against Adagio, I gaze down the road until their
car is no longer in sight. Reaching back, I press her hand to his
face. “This was so great. Thank you for bringing me and for
being so good to me.”
“I will always be good to you,
amore
,” he says, kissing my
cheek. “There is no way I would have let you miss your
cousin’s wedding. In a way, I feel like she is my cousin as well.”
“I think she feels the same,” I say, grateful that Velma
and Adagio get along so well, and pleased that Velma was also
born with the desire to love people for who they are. Skin color
or ethnic background are never an issue. This fact about Velma
had surprised me at first, considering the racial views Gladys
holds near and dear to her heart. It seems Velma had been
determined she would never share her mother’s views, on that
subject or anything else. Her strength makes me love her even
more.
Adagio tightens his embrace a little and I sigh deeply,
relishing the closeness we share. I smile, thinking of Velma and
Ted’s wedding ceremony. As the two spoke their vows, I was
again overwhelmed by the memory of our own wedding and
the pledge we made to love and cherish one another always.
When they had repeated the words “Til death do us part,” I
briefly
experienced the
familiar
pain
that
always
comes
whenever I think of being separated from Adagio. It's not that
I ever dwell on that thought, but every now and then I try to
remember what my life was like before him. Because my love
for
him
is
so
intense
and deep,
it's
sometimes
hard to
remember that I did love before. I loved before, and I lost that
love. If I were to ever lose Adagio, I honestly don't think I
could survive.
It frightens me sometimes, this powerful love I feel for
him. And whenever my thoughts betray me and remind me that
nothing in life is ever certain, including having a long life with
him, it hurts so much, I feel physical pain.

When Cisely is silent a little too long, Adagio senses there
is something was wrong. Turning her to face him, he knows her
thoughts the moment he looks into her eyes. He has seen that
look before. She is afraid of losing him. He knows this because
he has experienced the same feelings about her, and each time
the thoughts intrude, he pushes them away because he can't
bear it.

Adagio sees the subtle pain in Cisely's eyes, even though
she tries to hide it and it literally tears at his heart, but he
understands exactly how she feels. He is quiet for a moment,
contemplating what he can say to her, needing to comfort her
as much as himself. Closing his eyes, he rests his forehead
against hers, needing her warmth. Drawing back slightly, he
presses a hand against her cheek and smiles, his emotion-filled
gaze meeting hers.