Part 2
Marianne opened the package that sat between them on the couch and showed Christa the photos of her and Luke plus her other keepsakes including the menu from her birthday dinner, a matchbook from Braddock Austin's yacht, the napkin on which she had made notes about When The Bombs Came Down and corks from the various bottles of wine that had been served at her birthday party. The clothes were on the bottom. Marianne pulled out the green halter dress first.
Christa made a face, "Oh, God, Mom. That's disgusting."
Marianne smiled and agreed. Then she pulled out the peach lounging pajamas and then the pink silk evening gown. Christa started to cry, and gushed, "Mother, you must have been so incredibly beautiful in that dress!"
After she composed herself, she said, "You know, Mom, I always knew something amazing happened to you on that trip. The stories you told never added up. There were huge gaps in the narrative. Your 'boat tour' pictures didn't look like any tour boat I had ever seen. It was all very strange.
"Strangest of all was the way you behaved when you came back. You were different in many ways. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time, but somewhere along the way (maybe after I got married and came to understand what being with a man you love does to you), I knew you had met a man in France. I couldn't figure it out, but I have to confess that, at eighteen I don't think I would have been open to the real explanation.
"Anyway, the most surprising thing was that, after rejecting Mr. Henry's advances for years, all of a sudden you hauled off and married him out of the blue. I was very worried about you, and I always suspected something had happened to you in France.
"A couple of years after that, a package came addressed to me at school. It was from a man, and the note inside asked me to give you the wrapped package unopened. I wondered. But I didn't want to pry. I guess I reckoned that when the time was right and you were ready, you would tell me. Besides, I was something like twenty at the time, and, frankly, I didn't want to think of my mother, whom I thought of as kind of an old lady, as a woman who would need a man in that way. I never asked because, I had a pretty good idea what the answer would be, and I didn't want to hear it then. I appreciate the fact that you didn't burden me with your story at that time as much as I am grateful for your sharing it now.
"I'm sure that package was from Mr. Payne. What was it? And why did he send it to me?"
Marianne touched the dainty gold necklace she wore at all times except for the rare occasions when she dressed up and wore her pearl-and-cameo necklace. "The package contained a necklace - this necklace. The pendant is made of a tiny a piece of the Paume d'Or which is what they call the award they give out at the Cannes Film Festival. Luke won almost every acting award there was for When the Bombs Came Down. He broke this little piece off his award and had it set in a necklace. The letter that came with it said that he sent it to you because he couldn't locate me. Recall I had married and moved from Charleston to Aiken. He knew your name and that you were a student at the University of South Carolina. He took a chance that it would get to you.
"He wrote that he always believed he owed much of the credit for the accolades he received for that movie to me, along with any career success he might have as a result, because I had talked him into it, or, more precisely, I had talked Braddock Austin into not taking no for an answer. He said he wanted to share his award with me.
"I put the necklace on and I have never taken it off except for when I wear the pearls, and even then, I usually carry it with me. I am not sure why I keep it near me all the time. Maybe it is a reminder to myself that sometimes it is good to step out of the ordinary. Maybe it is a reminder that if I never do anything worthwhile in my life again, I once helped pave the way for entertaining a lot of people when I helped Luke Payne make the decision that sent his career into the stratosphere. I don't know. Maybe I wear it because despite the horrible way I lied and abandoned him, and without diminishing in any way the wonderful life I had with Henry, I never got over my infatuation for Luke. The fact that he took the trouble to send it to me at least let me know he hadn't forgotten me either.
"This necklace caused me to tell the second lie I told Henry. I told him you gave me the necklace."
"Do you want to know my little secret?"
"What?"
"Luke Payne has been my very favorite actor since I saw him in When the Bombs Came Down while I was in college. I had a huge crush on him for a long time. Maybe, in a way, I still do. I can't believe I've spent my whole adult life in the presence of the love of his life without ever knowing it."
Marianne protested that characterization of the situation, and then started to put away her treasures, but Christa stopped her. "You don't need to hide them any more, Mom. Leave the photos out. Hang the pink dress up in your closet. I'll bet it still fits you; perhaps you'll have the opportunity to wear it again sometime. Get rid of that hideous green dress, though."
Marianne laughed and said, "You know, I knew that dress was ugly the day I bought it, but I sort of went with what the saleslady told me I should buy."
Marianne put the photos on the piano and pushed the box aside, "Let's have some tea."
Christa was quiet while she drank her tea. She said, almost more to herself than to her mother, "I know you were happy with Mr. Henry. He was a good man. You were a wonderful wife to him. I think I can guess why you married him, but I'd really like to know why you didn't go to LA with Mr. Payne."
"Because I was afraid. I knew that if I followed Luke to California, I would have to live in a world where someone would be watching me all the time. He was a movie star. He was not yet as big a star as he became in later years, but even then he had photographers and autograph seekers following him around. I didn't think I could stand that.
"In addition there were the women throwing themselves at him. I knew he was infatuated with me, or with the idea of me, or something. But, he was young, sexy, ambitious and, despite what he told me, I didn't think he was really ready to settle down. His career came first with him. His reputation with women enhanced his marketability. No matter how much he might have cared for me, I knew in my heart if he had the chance to boost his career by embarking on a relationship (whether it was real or concocted by the publicity department of some studio) with someone else, he would do it.
"I was used to living quietly. I am basically a shy and retiring person, despite the story I just told you. You know how I hate to have my picture taken! How would I stand being with a movie star? I made my decision while I was pushing my breakfast around on my plate in Gordes that I couldn't go through with it."
Christa asked, "I'm guessing you are finally making that trip LA to visit Luke Payne. You're a little late. How did you reconnect after all these years?"
"I read in the paper that Luke was to receive a Life Achievement Award at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. In the bio that accompanied the article, it said that he had announced his intention to accept the award in person. That was something of a surprise in Hollywood because after his second wife had died a year before, he had avoided public appearances. He had continued to work as hard as ever, and, at 76 years of age, he had one new movie ready for release and was working on another.
"You know me, I rarely act on impulse, but I made an exception that day. I sat down and wrote a letter in French. It said:
My dear Luke:
I read in the paper that you will soon to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Academy Awards. I want to join my voice to the choir of praise that will no doubt be raised for the entire body of your life's work. You have remained true to your original plan to devote your life to your craft. You have achieved the awards and accolades you so richly deserve as a result of your hard work and diligence. The Lifetime Achievement Award is a testament to both your considerable talent and your passionate devotion to the career you love.
It is most certainly presumptuous of me for saying this, but I am very proud of you.
While I am s
aying things I have no right to say to you, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sympathy for the loss of your wife. As you know I do not follow the celebrity press. The news article I read today was the first I heard of her death. I understand only too well, and from personal experience, that the death of a spouse is one of the hardest things life calls us to face... along with the death of one's parents and living with the guilt of betraying someone you love. I am truly sorry for your loss. I hope you were happy with her and I hope you can take comfort in the love of children and grandchildren.
Once again I want to congratulate you on your professional achievements. I do not usually watch the Academy Awards, but I will watch this year in order to see you honored by your peers in the Academy. I will be the little old lady standing like an idiot in the middle of my living room in Aiken, South Carolina, cheering for you. And probably crying, too.
Sincerely -- and with love,
Marianne
"I looked up the address of Luke's agent on the Internet and immediately took the letter to the post office in order to mail it before I had the chance to chicken out. A few days later, I was reading a book after dinner when the phone rang. I remember glancing at the clock. You usually call at about 7:00 on Sunday and Tuesday. It was 9:30 on a Thursday.