Named for the two-faced Roman god Janus, the wintery month of January invites both reflection and anticipation. In a spirit of reflection, I find myself thinking about “Afterward,” a ghost story by Edith Wharton.
In this tale, a wealthy American couple purchase an old home in the English countryside, hoping it is haunted. They are assured the house comes with a ghost – although they will only know this “long, long afterward.”
As months pass, they forget about the ghost. Then, while the wife is working in the garden, a stranger appears, asking to see her husband. Preoccupied, she directs the man to where her husband is writing in the library. Later that day her husband disappears along with the stranger, who turns out to be the vengeful ghost of a business associate her husband cheated. The wife only realizes this “long, long afterward.”
We only fully appreciate individuals who have influenced our lives “long, long afterward.” Irmgard Bartenieff was one such individual for me. Find out more in the next blogs.