Moments after Dempsey was absorbed back into the crowd a slightly annoyed Bella arrived with both of our drinks. “You two seemed awfully chummy.” She said as she placed my new glass next to my empty one as she sat back down in her chair. She fixed me with an inquisitive stare and allowed a slight silence to build before asking, “What were you two talking about?”
The irony of the question forced a fit of laughter out of my throat, which of course only aggravated her more, it was a very vicious cycle. I was barely able to keep her seated and calm with a placating hand gesture. She was awfully skittish about her uncle. True he never outright told me that I had his blessing, but that was what he had implied, at least I thought that was what he implied. But that would probably not go over so well. “Honestly he was shocked that I managed to keep you in one spot for so long.”
“What?!” she exclaimed. At first I thought there was curiosity in her voice, but then I caught sight of her eyes. What was that look in her eyes, it looked like equal parts curiosity and anger, or could that be indignation? Either way it really didn’t matter. Nope, all that mattered was she didn’t like her uncle, though apparently not strongly enough to keep her away from his tournament.
With a shrug of my shoulders and the strongest voice I could muster I explained. “Apparently you’re a little bit of a wallflower.” And as soon as she heard the words she clamped her mouth shut and her cheeks colored ever so slightly, but with her fair complexion she may as well have been beet red. “So I guess that’s a pretty fair way to describe your behavior.” I paused for a moment before I hastily added, “Don’t shoot the messenger though, those were your uncle’s words, not mine.”
I quickly found out that she had mastered the same look of intimidation that her uncle had patented. For a brief moment I idly wondered if she had to pay him a royalty for using that look. But before I could make a joke of it she spoke to me in that same stern and measured whisper. “Do not mention that relation to me, ever again.” She kept those fearsome eyes upon me and without changing her fearsome tone she went on. “Do you understand?!”
I simply swallowed. This apparently sweet and gentle woman just flipped a switch and had become a clone of her uncle. She had definitely inherited the family’s intimidating streak. It took me a moment to work some saliva back into my mouth. Strangely enough, her use of that streak was simply more terrifying than her uncle’s. I mean you expected it with Dempsey, but I never would have thought Bella could pull it off. When I was finally able to muster any kind of response it was a simple one. “Sure no problem Bella. But…”
“I just cannot stand the man,”
“But he’s your…but he is what he is.”
With a heavy sigh she acknowledged the relation. “Yes, he is and that is why I wish he would simply leave me alone.”
There are always going to be people you will never understand, and even when you get a handle on them they will always say something that makes no sense. It is one of the truths of the world. I could tell it was going to be a bad idea but I just had to know, so I took a deep breath and asked the question. “You might, berate me for asking this but I’m going to risk it. If you can’t stand him…”
“Why do I come to his tournament?” Bella finished for me.
“You would be able to accomplish your goal of avoiding him, with greater success that way.”
Slumping down in her chair Bella sighed as she answered. “I don’t like my uncle or father, I won’t deny that. But they’re also my only family and you…”
“Can’t choose your family.” I finished the cliché for her, I could tell she was tired of using that one to explain herself.
“No, you can’t.” She agreed solemnly.
“But that’s not the real reason you tolerate them, is it?” Bella simply sat there like a statue. She was so unwilling to say anything positive about her uncle that she couldn’t explain herself anymore, so I offered my guess. “He’s overprotective of you, that’s why you choose to deal with them at all, isn’t it?”
It was small but I was able to see the slight squirm and just like that I knew that I was on the right track. But it was equally obvious that she was extremely uncomfortable with the whole topic. A point she quickly confirmed. “Yes both he and my father are overly protective of me.” She lifted her glass to her mouth and swallowed the entire martini, like it would sooth her throat. “Their attention does make me feel special, but it comes at a terrible price.”
After a few moments of careful thought I spoke up, “Bella you could have that feeling anytime you want. All you have to do is just go out on few dates. I can’t think of any reason why a man wouldn’t lavish his attention on you. Even if he were blind, once you started speaking, well it would be enough.”
Now I expected some kind of reaction out of her, but shock was not on the short list until I remembered Dempsey’s words. She isn’t fully aware of the affect she has on others. Was her uncle right about her after all? No! How could she not know how men looked at her? Or could that attitude just be a mask that she has created for herself? But how could Dempsey be so blind that he actually would fall for that kind of mask? And what would possibly motivate her to create that kind of persona? Wait a second, was it possible that she believed it was her relationship to Dempsey that affected the people in her life and not her looks?