"Hello, Uncle Jean," I said, my body trembling.
"May I sit with you?"
He didn't respond.
"Tell him who you really are," Lyle coached. "My name is Ruby. I am not Gisselle. I'm
Gisselle's twin sister, someone you've never met." His eyes blinked rapidly and then he brought
the forkful of food to his mouth.
"He's interested or at least amused," Lyle
whispered.
"How do you know?"
"If he wasn't, he would be smacking the plate
with his fork or starting to scream," Lyle explained.
Feeling like the blind led by the blind, I inched my
way forward to the table and gently put m
y tray down.
I paused a moment, but Uncle Jean just kept eating,
his blue-green eyes fixed on me. Then I sat down. "Hi, Jean," Lyle said. "The natives appear a bit
restless today, huh?" he said, sitting down beside me.
Uncle Jean gazed at him, but didn't respond. Then he
turned his attention back to me.
"I really am Gisselle's twin sister, Uncle Jean.
My parents have told everyone how I was stolen at
birth and how I managed to return just recently." "Is that true?" Lyle asked astonished.
"No. But that's what my parents are telling
everyone," said. Lyle started to eat.
"Why?"
"To cover up the truth," I said, and turned back
to Uncle Jean who was blinking rapidly again. "My
father, your brother, met my mother in the bayou.
They fell in love and she became pregnant. Later, she
was talked into giving up the baby, only no one knew