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Heaven

Esther’s first thought when she opened her eyes was that she was in heaven, for there, leaning over her bed was the beloved form of Lucian.

“Lucian!” she cried.

“Hush,” said Lucian softly. “You’re going to be OK.”

Then the memory of the previous night flooded back.

“Fred...”

“Gone,” said Lucian.

“The police would like to interview him,” said Carl, “and you too, for that matter, but that can wait.”

“Listen,” said Lucian, “I’m sorry about what happened. I’ve always loved you, and I should have married you at once and spared you all this...”

“I’m sorry too,” interrupted Carl. “I thought I was acting for the best – but I was blinded by greed – for myself and for my brother and his son.”

“...but I’m going to do it now – as soon as you are well, that is. Yes, I’m going to marry you – I don’t care what happens. We’ll sort something out. The main thing is that we’ll be together.”

“Oh yes,” said Esther, who by this time really did believe she had died and gone to heaven.

It was too much for her, and she passed out again.

She was young and strong and recovered quickly, and as soon as she was on her feet, Lucian announced their engagement. Fred wound up his Manila affairs and left the country without trying to reclaim the apartment. It was a wise decision. It wouldn’t have been easy because the apartment was legally in Esther’s name, and any attempt to prove that it had been acquired by fraud would have meant an embarrassing and damaging exposure of his own behaviour. So Lucian had his million pesos, and with it, he married Esther, and bought his partnership – and to nobody’s surprise, that million pesos made both of them entirely respectable in the eyes of Philippine society.

As I said before, happiness has no history, and the story-tellers of all lands have understood this so well that the words, ‘They are happy,’ are the end of every love tale. It was happiness in its loveliest form; a poem, a symphony – but this time, of a lifetime’s duration.

 

 

© Bangkok Byron, 2007. All rights reserved by the author.

If you enjoyed this novella, why not read Balzac’s original, “A Harlot High and Low” (the title of the Penguin translation). My review of the novel can be found in the Book Review section of this site, along with suggested editions, including a free online etext version.