Free Gift of the Black Virgin by Serena Janes

flowers.
    She hadn’t really done much else, except to
buy the perfect dress while she and Luc were in Paris. The
sleeveless bodice was made up entirely of off-white interwoven
ribbons, and the mid-calf skirt hugged her curves as if it had been
custom made. She loved it, and knew she would wear it again and
again.
    Together they shopped for rings, agreeing on
two plain gold bands. Jo couldn’t help remembering the rings James
had bought her last year. Her Christmas gift, a big aquamarine and
diamond cocktail ring, was far too flashy for her taste, and she’d
wanted to give it back to him when they broke up. He refused it,
and now it sat in the dark in a safety deposit box. Then there was
the diamond engagement ring he’d tried to give her last spring. It
had been equally too much, and Jo couldn’t accept it. Not only was
the ring symbolic of James’ over-the-top approach to everything, at
the time he proposed she wasn’t ready to marry and have
children.
    But now it was clear to her why she wasn’t
ready to settle down. Quite simply, James was the wrong man.
    What a difference a few months make.
    And the right man.
     
    In the weeks leading up to the wedding, life
in the LaPlante home fell into a routine. Luc went into the office
five days a week, and while he was gone Jo poured through real
estate listings, tried to cook a little, and explored her
neighborhood. Slowly she got used to the spooky new place, and as
long as Luc was with her she could forget about her surroundings.
But when he wasn’t home, she had trouble relaxing. She hated being
alone in the big house, with its various creaks and
groans—inaudible when Luc was there.
    So she took to going out almost every
weekday. When the weather was good, Luc rode his motorcycle to
work. Then Jo and Sammy took the SUV and roamed the countryside
looking at real estate. She’d collected information on everything
on offer within a twenty-five mile radius of Cahors, and she wanted
to see them all. Although they had plenty of time to shop for a new
home, she wanted to make an informed decision, she explained to
Luc, who was too busy to help. He said he had no problem turning
the entire enterprise over to her.
    When the weather grew stormy, Jo didn’t want
Luc riding on slippery, wet roads so she either stayed home or
walked the countryside near their house. She’d been meaning to buy
a car for herself, but didn’t feel comfortable dealing with
salesmen. She was in no hurry, she told Luc. He could help her shop
when things slacked off a little at work.
    With Luc was gone during the day, she was
often lonely. But then she met the Andersons.
    The closest place to buy supplies was a large
rural supermarket a few miles down the road. Jo could cycle there
and back, with Sammy riding in the basket, in just under half an
hour. Although Luc was still doing most of the cooking, she
occasionally bought prepared foods, or tried her hand at a few
simple dishes. Most nights, she made an appetizer to eat with the
glass of wine she and Luc shared when he got home from work.
    One day she noticed there were no charcuterie meats in the fridge. They were also low on
cheese and completely out of olives. So she pedaled to the store,
intending to choose a selection of delicacies, enough to last the
rest of the week. But when she walked up to the deli counters—there
were several—the selection overwhelmed her. She couldn’t recall
which pâté was Luc’s favorite. She couldn’t even remember
which one she liked the best, either. Duck, chicken, goose liver
with or without pork? Veal? Flavored or plain? Aspic on top, or
not?
    And to make matters worse, the name of each
variety was hand-written in some kind of calligraphy, all swirls
and embellishment. She could barely make out the letters, let alone
form them into words.
    So she decided to move over to the terrines.
The choice there was equally overwhelming. Did she want terrine
made of pork, veal, beef, chicken, rabbit, duck, or