Six Left Behind Daughters and One Returned White Box Fifteen Years Later

“I need to find Adele,” I said, my voice barely reaching past the hum of the water heater.

Jerome placed a steadying hand on my shoulder, his grip firm and warm through my dark suit jacket.

“She is upstairs in the bride’s room,” Jerome said. “Maya is still at the hotel with her sister.”

“Did Harry go back to the hotel?” I asked.

“He is sitting in his car in the parking lot,” Jerome said. “He hasn’t turned the engine on.”

I walked up the narrow carpeted stairs to the small parlor at the back of the second floor, where the scent of hairspray and lavender water was heavy. Adele sat in front of the vanity mirror, her white lace veil draped over the back of the chair like a quiet wave.

The room was quiet, the other girls having gone downstairs to check on the flower arrangements in the sanctuary.

Adele looked up as I closed the door behind me, her hands folding tightly in her lap as she saw my face in the mirror.

“What is it, Dad?” she asked, her voice calm but measured.

I sat down on the small upholstered bench near her dressing table, the old wood creaking under my weight. I looked at the small pink invitation card she had left near the hairbrushes, its edges slightly curled from the humidity.

“I just spoke with Harry,” I said.

“Did he say something about the seating?” she asked, her reflection looking directly at me.

“No,” I said, looking at the pale pink paper on the table. “He told me he signed a child support check for two thousand dollars every month for fifteen years.”

Adele did not move, her eyes widening slightly as she stared at me through the mirror.

“He thinks we lived on his money,” I said. “He thinks I demanded cashiers checks so the girls wouldn’t know she was supporting us. He thought I was the one who kept her away from you.”

Adele turned around in her chair, her white dress rustling against the carpet.

“She kept it,” Adele whispered.

“She kept all of it,” I said. “And she told Harry that I refused to let her see you because of my own bitterness. She told him I was a wealthy man who didn’t need her help.”