The Butterfly Box(11)

‘Really. How lovely,’ said Helena, patiently. She looked up at her husband as he walked into the room, filling it with his presence and the tense atmosphere that had once more returned to the house. They locked eyes for a moment like two strangers curiously looking each other over for the first time. Helena averted her eyes first.

‘I want to sit next to Papa,’ Federica announced happily, pulling out a chair and patting the placemat possessively.

‘You can sit wherever you like, sweetie,’ said Helena, dropping Hal gently into his chair. ‘I hope you washed your hands,’ she added, remembering the dog.

‘Oh yes. Señora Baraca looks like a witch,’ Federica laughed.

‘She does, actually,’ Ramon agreed, chuckling, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

‘Well, I hope she didn’t cast a spell on you,’ said Helena, making an effort for the sake of the children. Her throat was tight and her chest constricted under the pressure of having to perform. She longed to talk to Ramon on his own. She needed to release the burden of her thoughts. She needed to resolve the situation. They couldn’t go on like this. It wasn’t fair on either of them.

‘Oh no. She was very grateful we had walked her dog for her,’ said Federica.

‘I want to see the dog,’ Hal whined, wriggling in his chair with impatience. Lidia entered with the steaming pastel de choclo.

‘Fede made this for you this morning,’ said Helena, sitting down at the other end of the table from her husband.

‘So I’m told. You’re very good to me, Fede,’ he said truthfully.

‘She certainly is,’ said Helena dryly. She would like to have added that he was wholly undeserving of her affection, but she restrained the impulse with a

gulp of water from her glass. ‘She worked all morning, didn’t you, Fede?’

‘Papa hasn't seen his room yet,’ she added and a bashful smile tickled her face.

‘What have you done to my room, you naughty monkey?’

‘You’ll have to see for yourself,’ she said.

‘Fede picked flowers this morning,’ said Hal disloyally. ‘Didn’t you, Fede?’ ‘Mama!’ protested Federica in frustration.

‘Have you enjoyed your train, Hal?’ Ramon asked in an effort to distract the child from giving anything else away.

‘It’s brightly coloured and goes very fast,’ he said, making ‘chuga chuga chuga chuga’ train noises. Lidia placed a hot plate of food in front of him. ‘I don’t like sweet corn,’ he grumbled, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms in front of him.

‘Yes, he does,’ said Federica. ‘He’s just pretending because I made it.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘You are.’

‘Not.’

‘Are.’



‘All right you two. Enough of this,’ said Ramon firmly. ‘Hal, eat your corn or you go to your room without lunch or your train.’ Hal scowled at his sister, his brown eyes darkening with resentment.



Ramon and Helena’s conversation revolved around the children. If the children went silent, which they often did after an argument, they would be forced to talk to each other, which neither wanted to do, not with that false politeness, like a couple of actors in a badly written play. Ramon let Federica tell her mother the story of the Inca princess, only interrupting her when she turned to him for help over some detail that she had forgotten. Ramon was surprised at how much she had managed to remember. Helena listened, turning to answer her son once or twice when he whined ‘Mama’ just to get attention. Federica was used to being interrupted by her brother, she was also used to her mother indulging him by saying ‘What is it, my love?’ in a slow, patient voice. She didn’t mind. One often tolerates things purely out of habit.

‘Darling, what a delightful story. And the box is now yours. You are a very lucky little girl,’ said Helena. She didn’t add ‘and I hope you’ll look after it’, as other mothers would, because she knew Federica was more responsible about

things like that than she was herself.

‘I thought we could drive up to Cachagua for a couple of weeks,’ Ramon suggested casually as if everything were normal, as if he hadn’t noticed the change in Helena’s countenance. ‘Spend Christmas with my parents. They’d love to see you and the children.’

‘Oh, yes please, Mama!’ squealed Federica in delight. She loved staying with her grandparents. They had a cosy, thatched house overlooking the sea. Helena wished he hadn’t brought it up in front of the children. They needed to talk first. He hadn’t consulted her. Now if she said they couldn’t go, she’d disappoint them. She couldn’t bear to disappoint them. Hal gazed up at her with hopeful brown eyes.