Banipal - A Retired Gentleman extract.pdf - Inpress Books

Issa J Boullata Title Story of A Retired Gentleman and other stories
ISBN 978-0-9549666-6-9 12
bravely, “With all my love,” he felt elated but
deep down he felt he was somehow betraying
Margaret, his first and only love of half a
century.
One morning at the beginning of autumn, when
the leaves had turned and the trees were a
glorious sight of blending colours, Margaret
came to see him at home without prior
arrangement. The maid showed her into the
drawing room to wait for him. When he came
downstairs from his bedroom, the air became
redolent of the fresh fragrance of the Parisian
eau de cologne he was wearing as he greeted
Margaret amiably, hiding his deep surprise.
This was the first time since her marriage
that William had seen her in private. She stood
up and shook his hand.
“I’m sorry I’ve come without prior notice,”
she began as they both sat down near the
fireplace. “But I hope you don’t mind,
William.”
“Not at all, Margaret,” he said, trying to put
her at ease.
“Well, you see, it’s about Lena,” she
continued. “I’ve only recently learned of her
relationship with you.”
“Oh . . .”
“You know Lena is my daughter.”
“She never told me but I suspected it all
along. And I didn’t want to bring it up with
her because I felt she didn’t want me to, and
she seemed to have her reasons.”
“She’s my only child, you know, and I’m
worried about her infatuation with you. She has
told me how you’ve helped her immensely in
gathering information for her Master’s thesis,
and I’m grateful to you. She speaks so highly
of you and keeps reminding Jack and me that