Two Faced - The Impostor

Chapter 2, Louiza

January 12th, 2018

LOUIZA

"A letter for you Miss Cleaveland." With a polite smile our maid Raquel hands me a wine-coloured envelope, just when I walk into the mansion.
"Who's it from?" The heavy wooden door slams shut behind me as I frown in confusion. I can't even remember the last time someone sent me a letter that wasn't a bill, especially not one that looked as mysterious as this one. Contemplating the golden wax seal with two men holding a raised sword and standing on a scroll charged with the words DEO JUVANTE makes me realize this can't be an ordinary letter, let alone a bill. This message must be important. Or maybe the person whoever sent it just needed to make herself feel special, some wannabe noble.
"Valerie Roux from Monaco, I believe. I was surprised you have friends over there, Miss Cleaveland, I didn't know you've been to Monaco." Her Brazilian Portuguese accent always makes it sound like she was saying 'Cleeflent' when she tries to pronounce my name, which always puts a little smile on my face. My dad just hired her two weeks ago, but her cheerful and friendly manners make me feel as if I had known her for years.
"Well, I haven't. And I don't even know a 'Valerie Roux'. You sure the letter's for me?"
"Raquel! I need you in the kitchen asap!" The sharp voice makes both of us jump a little. Raquel only mumbles "Desculpe" and turns on her heal. I flip the letter around in confusion, to double-check the name. 'To: Miss Natalia Cleaveland' is written in golden cursive letters.
"Oh, wait Raquel, this letter isn't for me!", but by the time I look up, Raquel is already gone.
Since it would probably take me longer to find her again and make her give the letter to Natalia, I decide to take it to her myself. But more than that, I also really want to know who on earth she knows in Monaco. I can't recall her ever telling me about having friends there. Perhaps they have a house by the beach that we could visit in the summer. I cannot wait to spend late nights sitting on the beach, watching the sunset while having traditional food from Monaco (whatever they eat over there) and listening to Europeans speaking French. I'll lie on the beach all day long while reading 'The Nightingale', my favourite novel, and listen to the sound of the sea. Natalia's friends will show me all the places in Monaco I only know from movies and I'll finally get to meet celebrities at the casino!
In euphoria, I almost turn the doorknob without knocking first and I'm still traumatized from the last time that had happened. "Tití, it's me!"
"¡Entra!" Her familiar bright voice has always made me feel welcome and understood which is probably one of the reasons why I love listening to her stories, and god knows, she's got a lot of them.
"You never told me you have friends in Monaco" I step inside her room and pretending to be a tad offended, I wave the letter in my hand.
"What are you talking about? I don't know anyone in Monaco, Chiquita." Natalia puts down her eyeliner and turns around to look me in the eye. "This must be a misunderstanding.", she adds in her strong, Spanish accent, which I have gotten so used to over the years that I barely recognize it anymore. I always thought she just didn't know how to speak without an accent, but the truth is that she enjoys being known for it and she is very proud of her heritage. She used to talk to me only in Spanish so I would be able to benefit from it one day, but once I started kindergarten that became an actual problem. I refused to speak English, but when I realized that I had to, I had so little knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary, I tried to translate everything literally. That's why, when I broke my toe on the playground and complained about the pain in my 'footfinger' nobody knew what I was talking about and the other kids laughed at me and started making fun of me.
I point at the address on the envelope. "But it says your name on it." She just shrugs and turns around to her dressing table, picking up her mascara to finish her makeup for dinner.
Staring at her in disbelieve and without even thinking I snatch the mascara out of her hand. "Are you seriously just gonna sit there and not open it? I came all the way here just to find out who that Valerie Roux is and when I can start making plans for my next summer vacation in Europe!"
Natalia rises her left eyebrow. "Plans for next summer?" She gives me a puzzled look.
"Never mind. Could you please just open the letter, please?"
"You're not going to give up on this one, are ya?" Her face works into an amused smirk. As she takes the letter from me, she goes over to the couch by the window and drops onto it. As I sit down, I rearrange the five billion pillows, in every different pattern and shade of green one can only imagine, on it. Why on earth does anyone need this many pillows? They are only a waste of space if you ask me.
Using her long, manicured fingernails as a letter opener, she destroys the noble-looking wax seal which had been placed so accurately in the middle. I watch her taking out the letter as careless as you handle a bill and starting to read it like a six-year-old staring at the TV when Curious George is on. Just when she unfolds the paper to read the rest of the page, a yellowish photograph falls out. I try to figure out what or who was on it, but it is way too small. Natalia's facial expression suddenly changes from relaxed and a little annoyed to surprised in a weird kind of way. She pokes her eyes wide open and her lips start to tremble. I don't dare to ask her what's wrong, instead I start holding my breath. What could the letter possibly be about that would make her react this way? I've never seen her like this ever before. Did she inherit a mansion or a casino in Monaco? But in that case, she would probably look astonished in a more positive way. What if someone framed her for a crime in Europe she didn't even commit? Maybe even murder. My father would be devasted if his wife got arrested and the other women in prison would probably beat her to death or do even worse things to her! Who will I tell about my problems or ask for advice? What if the message of the letter is even worse than that?
The silence of the room is killing me, I want to know what the letter says so badly, but it feels like violating her privacy to read the letter along with her. Even though my aunt and I are remarkably close, her private space had always been crucial to her and god help if you ask one wrong, too personal question about her. Some days she disappears for hours and won't tell anyone where she goes. I used to think she was having a huge secret, maybe even a double- life. When I was ten, my brother and I followed her for a whole day to see what she was up to, (in our defence, we had been obsessed with CSI: MIAMI during that time!) only to watch her going to the beach and watching seagulls by herself all day long.
Natalia reaches again for the envelope and pulls out a necklace with a silver locket and beautiful engraving on it. It is full of dirt, but you can tell that once you clean it, it'll be one of the most gorgeous antique pieces of jewelry I've ever seen. That means she probably didn't get framed for murder, whew! But why would a stranger send my aunt such a precious necklace? Did it belong to her a long time ago and someone found it and now returned it? Did she sell it when she was younger, and someone thought she'd deserve to have it back? With shaky hands she opens the locket and inside is a tiny picture of a man. He looks about thirty years old and is without a doubt Latino. He might be an old lover of hers. I can't possibly take the suspense any longer and finally find the courage to ask her
"Is everything okay? "Natalia turns her head slowly in my direction and it is just now that I can see tears welling in her hazelnut brown eyes. She swallows hard and takes a deep breath before opening her mouth.
"It's my sister Celia." Tears start to run down her face until she has huge black stripes of mascara all over her cheeks, ruining her carefully put on makeup. "She passed away." Those words only come out as a whisper, so quiet, I'm not even a hundred percent sure if I understood them right.
"Well yeah, but that happened about thirty years ago, didn't it?" I couldn't be more confused.
"Selin and I only assumed she died" She stops for a second to collect herself before she continues, "apparently she didn't." While taking another deep breath, she starts staring at the ceiling like a hypnotized dog, most likely to make herself stop crying, but it is far too late for that now.
Who on earth would just assume their sister was dead? If something happened to one of my siblings, I'd never stop looking for them, not in a million years if there was only the slightest chance of them still being alive. But I guess that's the difference between me and most people. I would do anything for the ones I love, while others...
"According to the letter she just passed away two months ago"
She doesn't even try to swallow her feelings anymore, instead she bursts into tears and covers her face with both her hands like a little toddler. I have never seen her like this my entire life. My aunt is the kind of person that brightens up the whole room once she walks in and only spreads joy and happiness every day. The only time I saw her cry was the day she got married to my father, and those were certainly happy tears.
"TWO MONTHS... all those years I've been blaming myself for her death, while she was still alive? Why wouldn't she reach out?" She is almost yelling now, and I couldn't pity her more.
"I am so, so sorry." Desperately trying to comfort her somehow, I start petting her back like you do when a child just cut his finger. She looks so pitiful, sitting there with her chocolate brown hair tied up in a messy bun, her big almond brown eyes red from crying, and ruined makeup all over her face.  How can she be sure the information in the letter is trustworthy though? I've watched enough movies to know that you should never trust a stranger's letter. But then again, what if it's true and Celia has been alive all those years? Every time we prayed for her and every year, we celebrated her death anniversary with making her favourite meals and singing her favourite songs, we were always grieving for a woman who was still alive? I feel betrayed and confused at the same time.
I decide that the only way for me to decide whether the source could be trustworthy or not, is reading it myself.
Dear Natalia,
I am deeply sorry I've never reached out to you or your family, but I didn't know you existed until only two months ago. I feel horrible for breaking the news to you over a letter without even knowing who you are or what you even look like. Unfortunately your sister Celia has had trouble with breast cancer for several years and when we thought we finally got rid of it in 2016, the doctor told us two years later the shocking news: The cancer had come back and there was nothing they could do for her anymore. Two months ago, November 28th, 2018 at 6.32pm (CET), your sister Celia passed away.
I wish I could have invited you to the funeral, but I started cleaning up her stuff only three weeks after my mother's passing away and didn't find the pictures of you until then. It took me a long time to figure out how to contact you, but I am very glad I finally did. Learning that I have an aunt who lives in the United States was a real surprise and I would love nothing more than getting to know you and your family. To prove to you that I really am Celia's daughter I sent you the picture I found of you in my mom's basement and a necklace with a locket with the picture of your father inside of it. Please give me a call sometime, there is so much to talk about, and I cannot wait to get to know you.
All the best and in deepest sympathy
Valerie Roux, your niece
"I have a cousin?" I've always wanted to have a cousin who I could invite for the holidays or go on vacation with, but I gave up on that wish years ago.
"What do mean, Chiquita?" It is only now that I notice her accent seems to become worse when she is crying, I didn't even think that was possible.
"That's what it says in the letter. Valerie Roux is Celia's daughter, your niece, which makes her my cousin." From the look on her face I can tell that this is brand new information to her.
"Did you not finish reading it?" Natalia only shakes her head, but I can see a little spark in her eyes, and it seems like there are no tears coming out of them anymore. "I wanna to meet her." A smile flits across her face.
"It says a phone number here at the bottom, I think you should call her. She'll be thrilled to learn that she has the best aunt in the world!". I try to smile at her courageously. "Believe the word, I will unlock my door and pass the cemetery gates" The ringtone of my phone almost gives me a heart attack, I should really replace my Heavy Metal ringtone with something calmer like Sam Smith or James Arthur, I've never really been a fan of the music of my brother's band anyway.
"Louiza Cleaveland speaking"
"Good evening Miss Cleaveland. It's Jason. I am so sorry to bother you this late, but I really need somebody to talk to, do you maybe have a minute or two?" The trembling of his voice makes me assume it took him a lot of courage to actually ring me, I can't possibly let him down now.
"Of course, Jason, just give me a second to find a quiet place." I cover the microphone with my right hand and whisper to Natalia "Lo siento, it's my work. I'll catch up with you before dinner, okay? Don't worry about the letter, I'll help you through this, promise." I give her one of my warmest smiles while petting her back.
"Is that what you do with your patients after you finish a session?"
"Kind of. They usually get a piece of chocolate on their way out though, but I know if I gave you one you'd be worried about gaining weight for the next two weeks!" She chuckles a little and stands up from the couch to walk over to her dressing table.
When I leave the room, I turn into the small hallway connecting our bedrooms with the ones of the staff and take a seat on my favourite red velvet couch facing the window with a view on our flowerful garden. "I am all yours now. Go ahead, what happened?"