Elias continued to watch me silently.He retrieved a packet from the inside of his jacket that was wrapped in velvet and laid it upon the countertop.
“This isn’t about paying for forgiveness,” he said quietly. “It’s about showing you what I’m doing since you went away.”
Nestled inside was a music box, constructed from wood; it was delicate and ornate but the evidence of repairs (from the flaking pieces) was readily visible.
“When I found this, it was broken,” Elias explained. “The mechanisms had been damaged by corrosion; the exterior had cracked and splintered. I invested almost five months repairing this because I’ve realized that using my words is not an effective method of expressing myself to you, so I found another way.”
He wound the key made of brass and played a gentle waltz from the small instrumental box, filling the kitchen.
“It still has some evidence of its history and what has happened to it,” he remarked as he placed his finger on the repaired crack, “however, it works. I suppose that’s worth something.”
Before I could speak, an announcement from our intercom interrupted us:
“Doctor Adelaide? There is someone named Genevieve wanting to see you.”
Instantly, Elias became motionless.
“Who is Genevieve?” I inquired.
“My previous spouse,” he said softly.
Five minutes later Genevieve, a gorgeous woman wearing a beautiful trench coat, entered my apartment; her gaze went directly on Elias.
“Hi, Elias… I see you finally mustered up the nerve to talk to us,” she greeted and then turned to me with arms opened wide, “and you must be Adelaide. You received the blanket I sent you?”
“You sent that?” I asked incredulously.
“Sophie and I speak each evening, and she told me about a lovely physician who looked very unhappy several months ago, and I was able to put two and two together,” Genevieve informed me.
Elias stepped toward her and said, “Why are you here?”
Genevieve replied, “To give her a warning,” and then she directed her eyes at me.”I think all women would agree with me when I say, ‘Every woman who loves a broken man, needs a broken man, too.’ “
The woman walked to the music box as she spoke.
“I was in love with him for four years, and I was sure I could melt the walls he built up after his parents died. He was never mean. He was just a coward. I left him because I wouldn’t be a ghost in my own marriage. If he is fixing music boxes and showing up at your house, then he has done for you what he never did for me.”
She placed her hand upon my arm gently. “He cares more about you than he does about his fears, but make him earn every step of the way.”
Then she kissed the top of Sophie’s head and walked away.
I turned to Elias. “Was she right?”
“She spoke the truth,” he said with tears in his eyes. “But I don’t want to be that man anymore.”
Before I could respond, I was engulfed in an overwhelming wave of pain from deep inside of me. My legs buckled beneath me.