The shocked look in her eyes told me nothing one way or the other. But a moment later she tried to shake off my comment with a scoffing laugh. “No, you’re generous but men don’t show me any genuine kindness based on my merits. The only reason people are nice to me is because of my family, well my father or my uncle to be precise.” As the words fled from her mouth a single tear streamed down her check.
And that was when her attitude clicked. She knew how she looked, but she was so blinded by her family that she just couldn’t trust it. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her for that, an uncle like hers might make me just as blind. With a slight sigh that I hoped she didn’t catch, I tried to rebut her train of thought. “Bella, has my attitude towards you changed since I found out who your uncle is?” She brought her eyes back up to mine and we sat in silence for a while, just studying each other.
Her face went from the depths of apparent sadness to the murky heights of confusion so fast that had I blinked I would have missed the transition. “Are you telling me you seriously didn’t know about that relation prior to him telling you?”
She really was blinded by her uncle. No wonder she was described as a wallflower, she had no way of knowing who was genuinely friendly and who might be trying to use her. “Yes I am, but that’s not all I’m trying to tell you. I’m telling you that who your uncle is simply doesn’t matter to me. You’re a good person and I have honestly enjoyed talking with you. Whatever he’s done, and by the stories I’ve heard it’s a lot, it doesn’t need to define you. Your words and actions do that. So how do you want to be defined?”
She responded at my attempt to cheer her up with a smile, “I like that, though you sound a bit like a fortune cookie.
“The words may sound a bit cliché, but they still hold true. We are not the sum of our parents. Whatever they did, they did. It’s their past. Now we can certainly learn from them, and it’s usually a good idea, but those actions ultimately hold no sway over our lives.”
She thought about it for all of two seconds, and I thought she seemed to be intrigued by what I was saying. But I could tell the intrigue held little sway over her as soon as that slight glimmer in her eye disappeared. “Unfortunately your argument might hold more sway if those two weren’t still around trying to walk in my footsteps.”
“You could outrace them, you know. They don’t have to influence your life.”
As she offered me one of her warmer smiles she scooted her chair closer to mine and voiced what was going through her mind. “You’re a good one. A little bit naive but a good one.” Once her chair was next to mine she laid her head on my shoulder and whispered the remainder of her thought. “There is no running from this family, you can only survive and, with any luck, find someone good enough to stand with you, even if only for a short time.”
Pleasantly surprised by both her words and her head laying on my shoulder I took a chance and draped my arm around her and gave her a comforting squeeze. “You mentioned that you have to pay a price, when you take their affection.” I felt her soundless reply, and knowing this was a sensitive topic I whispered my question into her ear. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the price?”
She kept her head on my shoulder as she softly answered. “For that fleeting moment of happiness, I come out feeling dirty. I’m sure I would feel the same way if I swam through a sewage drain. And the saddest part is that those moments of happiness grow shorter each time, and it won’t be long before what is supposed to be a moment of happiness will be nothing instead.”
“It can’t be as bad as that.”
Without moving her head she replied in the same soft voice, “Yes it can.”
With another gentle squeeze I asked one more question. “If you can’t stand you uncle or your father for that matter, why do you even come?”
“The money’s good.” She answered immediately with an ample amount of forced cheer. It looked as if that would be all she would say, but after a few moments she pressed on. “But that’s not all of it.” I had known that money would not be the real answer, hopefully she was willing to share it with me after all. “I know my uncle has some of his own men playing in this thing. It’s never more than a few but the ones who play, they’re decent players. Someone has to keep my uncle from a bigger payday, and if I can do it, then I will.”
I was impressed with her attitude. Here she was, terrified, well that may be a little strong. She had no love for her own flesh and blood, and in fact she was acting against them. I idly wondered what Dempsey would do if he ever realized what his niece’s intentions were. She was a good person even if she couldn’t or wouldn’t see past her family to believe it herself. But something had changed in her demeanor, the forced joviality had vanished to be replaced by an emotionless voice that once again reminded me of her uncle. “I’ll fight tooth and nail to reach the final table so I can deny them as much money as I can.”
With a grin, she looked up at me and spoke in a voice that was slowly taking on its natural tone. “I made it there last year and so help me, I’ll do it again.”
Meeting her eyes, I was intrigued by her desire to just reach the final table. “What’s the big deal about reaching the final table?”
She was obviously getting very comfortable with me because she simply answered the question, “As long as you reach the final table, at minimum, you get your entrance fee back.” She must have seen my confusion because she eagerly enlightened me. “This is not a winner take all tournament, Marcus. Everyone who reaches the final table will take money home. And while tenth place will only return your entrance fee, the money grows from there.” My surprise was clearly evident as she sighed and asked, with the slightest tinge of laughter ringing in her voice, “You thought this was a winner take all tournament, didn’t you.”