Vera Bethel's life did not turn out the way she'd expected. She was supposed to have been married by now, with two children (one boy, one girl) and a small yellow house with a white picket fence. She never could decide if they would have a dog or not. She hadn't had one since Duke, the German shepherd she and her brother had raised when they were young, and frankly, she wasn't sure she could raise another, knowing that it would simply die a few years down the road.
But no, Vera Bethel was not married. She did not have children or a small yellow house with a white picket fence, and she most certainly did not have a dog. She wasn't the housewife she always imagined she'd be. Instead, she had a job at one of the local garment factories. She was in charge of an automatic pleating machine--that is, a machine that automatically creates pleats in men's slacks. It was an easy enough job, and the pay was adequate. Still, she somehow found herself lacking any passion in pleating.
On this particular morning, Vera found herself making breakfast before the trip to work, which consisted only of a piece of toast she would eat while walking to the factory--a habit she had picked up from her brother when they were both young. Breakfast was the only time she ever thought of her brother anymore and for good reason. He was selfish and unreliable and completely oblivious to the world around him.
There came a knock on the door while she spread a thin layer of butter across her single slice of toast. She imagined that it was the paper boy, back again to beg for a tip so that he could further his education or make a sizeable donation to a charity that either funded children's heart transplants or planted trees in an effort to reclaim the Sahara Desert--whatever scheme his greedy little heart had cooked up this time. So it came as a complete shock when she opened the door to find her brother standing before her. For the first time in eight years, Vitus Bethel had returned to Tristesse.
"Vitus?" she said.
"Hi, Vera," he replied.
"What are you doing here?"
He cast his eyes around at the ground and the walls inside her house, anywhere but into his own sister's. He was taller than she remembered, and he wore his right arm in a sling.
"Oh my God. What happened? Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine. I was just passing through, so I wanted to stop in and see you. You look great, by the way. How are you?"
"I'm fine, too," she replied. "Would you like to come in?"
He hesitated. "Actually, I'm here with a friend."
A girl with short hair peeked from around the frame of the door and smiled. "Hi," she said. "I'm Jenn. Pleased to meet you."
Vera smiled back politely. "You, too. I'm Vera. Would you both like to come in?"
"We'd love to," said Jenn. Vitus forced an awkward smile, and they both stepped into the small house that had once belonged to Vitus and Vera's grandmother. They were an odd pair--he in his suit and she in a bright sundress.
Vera checked the clock on her wall. She calculated the amount of time it would take to walk to work if she took the shortcut and decided that she had just enough time to catch up with her brother and send him on his merry way. It wasn't that she was unhappy to see him, but in that moment she opened her front door and found him standing on her front porch, she could not help but see him once again as selfish and unreliable and completely oblivious to the world around him.
"You have a lovely house," said Jenn, and Vera noticed that the girl with the short hair seemed to be taking charge, attempting to make conversation where Vitus was failing miserably.
"Thank you," said Vera. "So are you two seeing each other?"
"Yes," said Vitus.
"More or less," said Jenn.
"How about you?" Vitus asked. "I mean, are you married or anything?"
Vera shook her head. "No," she said. "So, Vitus, what did you say you were doing here again?"
"I'm sorry," Vitus blurted out. "I'm sorry that we haven't been on the best terms. I know I let you down when I left town--and again when I didn't come back for our grandmother's funeral and again for everything after that I might have missed. I'm very, very sorry. It seems I've been saying that a lot lately, but only because I mean it."
Vera smiled and turned to Jenn. "How long did it take you to talk him into this?" she asked.
"A few hours," Jenn replied. "He's learning, though. He must have been a stubborn one growing up."
"You have no idea," said Vera, hardly able to understand exactly why she said what followed. "Well, Vitus, it's okay. I forgive you, and believe me, that's really not an easy thing to say."
"I appreciate it."
Vitus began to wonder how an awkward pause could ever be deafening. He was definitely putting the idea to the test and was starting to form a reasonably good explanation as he and his sister stared at each other for a moment that felt like eternity.
"So how long are the two of you going to be in town?"
"Just for the day," said Vitus, "then we really have to get going."
"Well, listen, I've got to get to work before I'm late, but why don't you come over for dinner late this afternoon? I'm off at five."
"That sounds wonderful," said Jenn, flashing a gleaming white smile.
"Great. Make yourself at home. If you have to leave, lock the door behind you," said Vera, before disappearing out the door with her slice of toast in hand.
"So what do you want to do?" asked Vitus once they were alone.
"Why don't you take me for a walk and show me around town?" suggested Jenn.
"Okay. Is there anything you'd like to see first?"
"Yeah. Let's go visit your parents."
But no, Vera Bethel was not married. She did not have children or a small yellow house with a white picket fence, and she most certainly did not have a dog. She wasn't the housewife she always imagined she'd be. Instead, she had a job at one of the local garment factories. She was in charge of an automatic pleating machine--that is, a machine that automatically creates pleats in men's slacks. It was an easy enough job, and the pay was adequate. Still, she somehow found herself lacking any passion in pleating.
On this particular morning, Vera found herself making breakfast before the trip to work, which consisted only of a piece of toast she would eat while walking to the factory--a habit she had picked up from her brother when they were both young. Breakfast was the only time she ever thought of her brother anymore and for good reason. He was selfish and unreliable and completely oblivious to the world around him.
There came a knock on the door while she spread a thin layer of butter across her single slice of toast. She imagined that it was the paper boy, back again to beg for a tip so that he could further his education or make a sizeable donation to a charity that either funded children's heart transplants or planted trees in an effort to reclaim the Sahara Desert--whatever scheme his greedy little heart had cooked up this time. So it came as a complete shock when she opened the door to find her brother standing before her. For the first time in eight years, Vitus Bethel had returned to Tristesse.
"Vitus?" she said.
"Hi, Vera," he replied.
"What are you doing here?"
He cast his eyes around at the ground and the walls inside her house, anywhere but into his own sister's. He was taller than she remembered, and he wore his right arm in a sling.
"Oh my God. What happened? Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine. I was just passing through, so I wanted to stop in and see you. You look great, by the way. How are you?"
"I'm fine, too," she replied. "Would you like to come in?"
He hesitated. "Actually, I'm here with a friend."
A girl with short hair peeked from around the frame of the door and smiled. "Hi," she said. "I'm Jenn. Pleased to meet you."
Vera smiled back politely. "You, too. I'm Vera. Would you both like to come in?"
"We'd love to," said Jenn. Vitus forced an awkward smile, and they both stepped into the small house that had once belonged to Vitus and Vera's grandmother. They were an odd pair--he in his suit and she in a bright sundress.
Vera checked the clock on her wall. She calculated the amount of time it would take to walk to work if she took the shortcut and decided that she had just enough time to catch up with her brother and send him on his merry way. It wasn't that she was unhappy to see him, but in that moment she opened her front door and found him standing on her front porch, she could not help but see him once again as selfish and unreliable and completely oblivious to the world around him.
"You have a lovely house," said Jenn, and Vera noticed that the girl with the short hair seemed to be taking charge, attempting to make conversation where Vitus was failing miserably.
"Thank you," said Vera. "So are you two seeing each other?"
"Yes," said Vitus.
"More or less," said Jenn.
"How about you?" Vitus asked. "I mean, are you married or anything?"
Vera shook her head. "No," she said. "So, Vitus, what did you say you were doing here again?"
"I'm sorry," Vitus blurted out. "I'm sorry that we haven't been on the best terms. I know I let you down when I left town--and again when I didn't come back for our grandmother's funeral and again for everything after that I might have missed. I'm very, very sorry. It seems I've been saying that a lot lately, but only because I mean it."
Vera smiled and turned to Jenn. "How long did it take you to talk him into this?" she asked.
"A few hours," Jenn replied. "He's learning, though. He must have been a stubborn one growing up."
"You have no idea," said Vera, hardly able to understand exactly why she said what followed. "Well, Vitus, it's okay. I forgive you, and believe me, that's really not an easy thing to say."
"I appreciate it."
Vitus began to wonder how an awkward pause could ever be deafening. He was definitely putting the idea to the test and was starting to form a reasonably good explanation as he and his sister stared at each other for a moment that felt like eternity.
"So how long are the two of you going to be in town?"
"Just for the day," said Vitus, "then we really have to get going."
"Well, listen, I've got to get to work before I'm late, but why don't you come over for dinner late this afternoon? I'm off at five."
"That sounds wonderful," said Jenn, flashing a gleaming white smile.
"Great. Make yourself at home. If you have to leave, lock the door behind you," said Vera, before disappearing out the door with her slice of toast in hand.
"So what do you want to do?" asked Vitus once they were alone.
"Why don't you take me for a walk and show me around town?" suggested Jenn.
"Okay. Is there anything you'd like to see first?"
"Yeah. Let's go visit your parents."
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