ATONEMENT by S. W. Frank Page A

meeting. Later, he’d call Selange, maybe then she’d listen to his dumb explanation, because seriously that’s what it was, D-U-M-B!
     
     
     
     
     
                               CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
     
     
    Lucia and Crystalia were at the dining table, whispering conspiratorially when Selange came down for breakfast. The pretty redhead spoke but Lucia said nothing. Without a care, Selange skipped around the table, lifting fruit and a roll from the breakfast tray . She stacked them on her p late.
    “I slept like a baby last night,” Crystalia announced.
    Tia entered with coffee and juice , s at them down then vanished.
    “So did I.” Selange smiled devilishly plucking a strawberry in her mouth. She chewed, “ Ummm , did anyone hear a loud scream, I wonder what happened?”
    This set Lucia off, “American beech!”
    “ It’s bitch, rhymes with stitch.”
    Renalda and Kim-Sung floated in.
    “ Oooh , you think I will not hit you, eh because you are Alfonzo’s wife, eh?”
    Marcella appeared suddenly, “Lucia, shut-up!”
    “No, she put worms on my bed. The whore!”
    Another strawberry was devoured, “Call me that one more time and I ’ll deliver on my promise.”
    “ Oooh , beech. Go to America!” Lucia fumed then stormed from the table in an impotent rage.
    The others were laughing except for Renalda . “We should not fight each other. I am sorry, Selange for scaring you. It was not nice. Forgive me.”
    The apology seemed sincere, but then again, Selange didn’t really know the women. Besides, it was easy to unleash her anger on the women because they were here and Alfonzo was not. Nerve, of him…how dare he confess how much he missed her then run straight to another woman’s bed?
    Ooooh , she was so angry at him but wondered if she had a right to be. After-all she was the one possibly carrying another man’s child and trying to seduce Nico.
    “Some of us are going to the salon are you coming today?” Renalda asked.
    “No, I’d like to see the countryside, maybe next time.”
    Marcella was sitting with her coffee, “The wedding is soon. It is going to be bellissimo !”
    They began to chatter excitedly, Selange found herself joining in. Happiness was contagious. Every time Crystalia asked a question about the location, Marcella shot her a murderous glance and she fell silen t . .
    Amelda and Sophie were out early she was told, on a mother-daughter errand. The women were free to do as they pleased. The gap in the itinerary allow ed for private time.
    Selange was the only one who passed on the salon, she wasn’t in the mood for small-talk and the women talked a lot. She might get whiplash from it. Instead, she dressed comfortably and de cided to visit one of the olive gardens she’d seen during the drive yesterday. It didn’t seem far, besides walking was a great form of exercise.
    At the exit to the property she was halted, “ Excusi , you cannot go off the grounds without an escort.” A guard informed her when she got to the gate .
    A car rolled on side of Selange before she could respond. She turned and saw Nico.
    “It’s alright, she’ll be with me.” He frowned at her, “Get in.”
    The minute she slammed the door shut, the gates opened and he drove to freedom. “Where the hell were you going without me?”
    “To the olive garden.”
    “Alone?”
    “Geez, of course.”
    He shook his head, “Selange, seriously you know better.”
    She ignored him. Matter-of-fact, she pretended he wasn’t there when they reached the garden. Even when she entered the store off to the side and she purchased bottles of the pure olive oil to take home and she chatted with the farmer without his assistance . She did all this without acknowledging his presence and di d quite splendidly. Until, Nico chuckled as he shadowed her and she stopped to find out the source of his laughter.
    “What’s funny?”
    “ Pagliaccio means buffoon . You told the man h ave a nice buffoon .