“Submarine?”
“Oh, I forgot. Sorry. Silly name I call my stepmother because she’s so devious, like an enemy submarine.” She laughed, expecting him to do the same. But he didn’t. He just looked uncomfortable. Clementine was embarrassed. She wished she hadn’t said it.
She opened the front door and showed him through the hall to the kitchen. “Why don’t you put it on the kitchen table?” He did as she asked, but when she looked at him, his whole face had changed. She knew she had to say something to justify her comment. She so needed him to laugh again. “Look, I’m sorry I was rude about Marina. But you don’t know her like I do.”
He shrugged stiffly. “Your relationship is none of my business.”
“Then why are you offended by my nickname for her?”
“I’m not offended.”
“Yes, you are. Look, you’ve gone all strange.”
“I like your stepmother.”
“And it’s okay to like her. You’re a man, it’s no surprise. But I have a complicated relationship with her.”
“Yes, I know. It’s a problem because you’re allowing it to be one. It doesn’t have to be a problem at all.”
“How do you mean?”
He sighed and leaned against the sideboard. “You have the power of choice, Clementine, and you are choosing to hold on to old grievances.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Of course you can. The past no longer exists but in your mind. You can choose to let it go whenever you like.”
“I can’t.”
“It is not who you are now.” She frowned crossly. “Have you ever stood back and looked at the situation through her eyes?”
She lowered her voice. “I don’t think I have to understand her point of view at all. She’s the one who stole my father and caused my parents to divorce.”
“Which was devastating for you at the time, of course. But nothing is ever quite that simple. Have you ever sat down and asked her what happened, woman to woman?”
“My mother told me the whole story.”
“How could she? She only knows her portion.”
Clementine felt her fury mount. “She knows enough. She was there, for God’s sake.”
“No, she wasn’t.” He smiled at her sympathetically. “I’m not suggesting you forget the past, just that you accept it and let it go so that it doesn’t ruin your present. You cannot change what happened, but you can change the way you view it. There is always more than one side to every story. You are not a child anymore. You should try to understand it with compassion rather than cast blame and continue to feel wounded.”
“You know nothing about it, Rafa. You’re way out of line here,” she snapped.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it isn’t.” She folded her arms defensively. “I think you should go.”
“Listen, Clementine, I can see that you are bitter. I’m only telling you that you don’t have to be. It’s your choice.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, I’ll go.” He made for the door. When he turned back, he smiled at her sadly. “Enjoy the crabs.”
Clementine watched him leave, seething with rage and self-pity. How dare he come into her family and tell her how to behave? She had clearly misjudged him. From a few well-chosen words in the church she had believed he understood her. From the way he looked at her she had believed he was attracted to her. But now, on reflection, she realized he looked at everyone in the same way. Perhaps he was a typical Argentine man after all, out to seduce for the sheer pleasure of the sport. Shouldn’t she know better? Looks were only skin deep.
She was distracted by the ringing of her mobile telephone. Joe’s number was displayed on the screen. She sighed with resignation. At least Joe was kind. He didn’t glare at her when she told him about her stepmother, or try to make her see Marina’s point of view. As if that was important, or of any interest to her! Above all, Joe was in love with her.
“Hi, Joe,” she said. “Fancy a crab for dinner?”
“Your place or mine?”
“Which do you think?” she asked sarcastically.
“Okay. Come over as soon as you can. I’m hungry.”
As he wandered back to the hotel, Rafa realized he had acted foolishly. His father had always told him not to try to put the world to rights. As a young man he had always been drawn to the lame duck, the wounded dog, the broken spirit, but a person accepted help only if he reached out for it. Clementine believed she was content where she was. She didn’t want to be rescued, and anyway, he had his own problems. He’d make it up with her in the morning then never touch the subject again.