Tatiana and Alexander: A Novel(106)

"Why do I have to go with you?"

"Because I don't want to go alone. Because my English is not so good. Because you my friend."

Vikki sighed.

She sighed for five hours on the train, all the way to Boston. "Vikki, I counted. That was three sighs per mile. We went two hundred and forty miles. That's seven hundred sighs."

"That wasn't sighing," Vikki said petulantly. "That was breathing."

"Exasperated breathing, yes." She wished for her brother. Pasha would have gone with her and never uttered a word of misery, he would have just been stoic by her side. Her sister would have complained though, much like Vikki was doing. "I should've asked Edward," Tatiana muttered, covering up Anthony. It was raining in Boston, too.

"Why didn't you?"

"Can younot let me know every single thing you feeling at all times? I don't want to know that you grouchy about doing me favor. Just do it, and stop complaining."

Vikki stopped sighing.

The girls took a cab from Boston to Barrington since there were no local trains. The cabbie said, "That will be twenty dollars, going all that way."

Vikki gasped, then yelped as Tatiana squeezed her thigh. "That will be fine," Tatiana said to the cab driver.

"Twenty dollars? Are you crazy?" The girls settled into the back of the cab with Anthony on Tatiana's lap, and the taxi screeched off. "It's half a week's pay for me. How much do you get paid?"

"Less than that. How you think we going to get there?"

"I don't know. By bus?"

"Well, too far to walk to bus."

"But it's going to be twenty dollars more to get back."

"Yes."

"Can you tell me now what we're doing?"

"We going to visit one of Anthony's relatives." She knew she shouldn't do it, Sam had told her she shouldn't, but she could not help herself. For some reason she felt it was going to be all right. Besides, Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

she might soon need a favor from one of Anthony's relatives.

"You have relatives in the United States?"

"I don't. He does. I need you with me for support. If I need help, I will pinch arm really hard, like this."

"Ouch!"

"Right. Until I do, you stand there, and smile, and say nothing."

An hour later they were at Barrington. Tatiana paid and the girls got out. Barrington was a white town with black shutters and green oaks lining the clean streets. It was homey and peppered with white spires peeking out over the trees. There were some open shops along Main Street, a hardware store, a coffee shop, an antiques gallery, and a few women on the streets. None of them were pushing carriages--no young babies in sight except for Tatiana's Anthony.

"Did you just spend more than two weeks' salary on his trip?" asked Vikki, taking out a brush for her tangled hair.

"Do you know how much money I spent to come to here from England? Five hundred dollars. Was that worth it?"

"Absolutely. But to comehere ?"

"Just push carriage for me."

"Wait, I'm busy." Vikki continued brushing.

Tatiana glared at her.

"Oh, all right."

"Let's go and ask where Maple Street is."

From the newspaper shop on the corner of Main, they learned that Maple was just a few blocks away. In the rain they walked there.

"Hey, something just occurred to me," Vikki said. "The town is named Barrington, and your last name is Barrington. Is that a coincidence?"

"Thatjust occurred to you? Stop. We here." They stopped at a large white colonial clapboard house with black shutters, and overripe maples in the front yard. Up the brick walk they went, came up three steps, and stopped at the doorbell. They stood without ringing it.

"What are we doing?"

Tatiana couldn't get her courage up. "Maybe we should leave," she said.

"Are you joking? All this way, to leave?" Vikki rang the bell herself. Tatiana left Anthony's carriage at the foot of the steps and she held her son in her arms. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

The door was opened by a stern-looking, properly dressed, perfectly coiffed, older woman. "Yes?" she said in a brusque voice. "You're collecting? Hold on, let me get my purse."

"We not collecting," Tatiana said quickly. "We come--I come to speak to Esther Barrington."

"I'm Esther Barrington," said Esther. "Who areyou ?"

"I--" Tatiana hesitated. She held out her boy. "This is Anthony Alexander Barrington," she said. "Alexander's son."

Esther dropped the keys she was holding in her hands. "Whoare you?"

"I am Alexander's wife," said Tatiana.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

Esther's face turned red. "Well, I'm not at all surprised. Tothink you would have the nerve to come here, to my house! Who do you think you are?"

"Alexander's wife--"

"I don't care who you are! Don't you shove your son in my face, as if suddenly I'm supposed to care. I am very sorry for you--" Her stern voice belied Esther's wretched expression. "Very sorry, but you have nothing to do with my business."