Unending Nora

Chapter 19

Unending Nora 158 Chapter 19 Melissa drove from her eleven o’clock appointment to lunch feeling the same giddy kind of dread she associated with dates in high school. Until her late twenties, Jun had not contacted her at all. Then it had happened by chance that the two were asked to present together on a domestic violence panel. She’d worried beforehand: What was she supposed to say to the estranged father who’d never attempted to contact her, a man she had no inclination to know? Perhaps out of allegiance to Bob, whom she called Dad, there wasn’t a place for Jun in her life, and, to her relief, their brief meeting had produced nothing more than the cordial type of exchange you’d expect between strangers.They were professionals, social workers collaborating around a cause. Because of that, Melissa had not stammered when Jun called her at her office. Neither had she been terribly surprised to hear from him. Jun’s need to disguise his request under professional auspices had been understandable to Melissa. After living away from home for a number of years, Elinore had returned with a child; she was depressed, and in the throes of a spiritual crisis. The root of the problem, which of course he hadn’t mentioned, was that he hadn’t been a good father. Melissa felt lucky to have escaped the man’s parenting; she also knew she didn’t owe him anything. The task as she saw it was to help Elinore. But as she neared the restaurant, the compensatory glow having worn off, she realized that the questioning and not knowing Julie Shigekuni 159 brought about by the prospect of a lunch with Elinore had exhausted her. Arriving ten minutes late, she tried to exude confidence as she made her way through the crowded restaurant. The scenario had already been ordered in her head, but upon discovering that Elinore wasn’t there, she hid herself in a booth and wept. It was all too much. Nora’s disappearance coupled with the reemergence of her father after a life lived without him. It wasn’t Elinore’s fault, and Melissa tried to convince herself of that by fixing her attention on the six-year-old she’d just left. The girl had been a miserable child, difficult to be around, destined for unhappiness later in life—Melissa’s job being to help work it out. But maybe Elinore had left before she arrived or, worse, maybe she’d never intended to show up. Melissa had resigned herself to eating alone when the familiar-looking woman slid into the booth across from her. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, asking for forgiveness without looking up. “That’s okay,” Melissa said, suddenly understanding the annoyance Mark felt when he saw her after she’d kept him waiting. When Elinore did look up, her gaze was disarming. She was more beautiful than Melissa remembered from the wedding, and Melissa set to work comparing their features, finding Elinore’s to be more symmetrical, somehow, more gentle and pleasing. Less than a year separated them, but Elinore looked younger, causing Melissa to feel protective, and jealous, too. “Is there something wrong?” Elinore asked, made nervous under Melissa’s scrutiny. “No,” Melissa lied. “Why would you say that?” “Are you angry that I’m late?” Elinore asked. “It’s the first time I’ve left Naoko in quite a while, and I didn’t realize how much time it would take to drive over the hill. Traffic has gotten much worse since when I grew up in the Valley. I really am sorry, but I didn’t want to leave with the baby crying. I woke up early this morning and got everything ready hours before I was supposed to leave. But you know how you always think you have more time than you actually do?” Unending Nora 160 Elinore’s attention shifted to a server carrying a pitcher of iced water and menus across the room giving Melissa time to decide on a different approach. “I’m glad you could meet me for lunch,” she said. “My father says he’s worked with you on a couple of panels,” Elinore said, the mention of Jun as her father making it impossible for Melissa to establish rapport. “You must be very busy.” It was obvious from Elinore’s...