George and I
spoke very little on the plane and even less in the car ride to the house. I
should have warned Mom, I know it, but to say what? When the car pulled up outside, I couldn’t
make myself get out. Marisol was intent on hurting me and everyone around me in
this quest. My mother had been through enough and now she was about to suffer
more.
“Ready?”
I stepped out of
the car and headed up the stone walkway to Mom’s new house. I’d not been here
since she moved. After the divorce was finalized, she’d stayed in my childhood
home for a few months, but then decided it was time for a change. Dad had
managed to taint the good memories she had of that place since she now felt
like their entire life had been a lie.
The new one was
very quaint. The vibrant rose bushes that lined the front of the small house
gave it a lot of character. Stack-stone pillars flanked either side of the
covered front porch area. The house was smaller than the one I grew up in, but
it was the perfect size for just her. It sat on a quiet, tree lined street in
one of those planned communities. Mom’s house was cute, and inviting. A stark
contrast to the place George now lived. We’d stopped by there so he could drop
off his luggage first. I think he was really stalling, trying to buy time
before having to face Mom. They’d not spoken to each other since the sale of
the house. Like me, Mom didn’t want to hear his apologies. I wondered how
Marisol would leave the message since Mom didn’t mention getting any visitors
recently.
There were two
cars parked in her drive way. Mom’s small compact, and a bright red Mercedes.
After ringing the bell, we both waited. Through the glass-pane front door, I
couldn’t see Mom but then she appeared coming out of a room. She was securing
the sash of her robe and smoothing down her hair.
“Amari? What a
surprise.” She sounded nervous and glanced back over her shoulder towards the
door. “Why…why didn’t you call?” Her eyes then settled on George. Whatever she
was about to say was halted by the sound of a deep masculine voice calling out
her name.
“Kathy, baby,
who is it?” Seconds later he appeared in the doorway, shirtless and still in
the act of fixing the belt buckle of his tan slacks.
My eyes went to
him then back to my mother who was wearing a robe at one in the afternoon and
her hair was disheveled. My mother was having afternoon sex. My mother was
having afternoon sex with a hot younger guy and we’d interrupted. Mom stepped
to the side to let us in. She shot daggers at George and the man walked up and
put his arm around her waist.
“Adrian this is
Amari. And that is the ex.”
“A pleasure to
meet you finally,” he said extending his hand out to me. “Kitty has told me so
much about you and the grandkids, I feel like I know you already.” Adrian
smiled at me flashing a beautiful set of perfectly white teeth.
Mom looked up at
him adoringly. She’d mentioned she was seeing someone, but I never imagined
this would be who. I was happy for her, Dad hadn’t taken the best years of her
life after all.
“It’s nice to
meet you too. Sorry for the…interruption,” I replied trying to keep the smile
off my face.
Adrian’s smile
got bigger as color flooded Mom’s face. “I have to get back to the office
anyway.”
He cut his eyes
over at George who hadn’t said a word. The men sized each other up. Adrian gave
Mom a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back to the room he’d come from.
“Have a seat,
and let me get decent,” Mom said before disappearing.
George looked
pissed as he kept his eyes focused on the now closed bedroom door. I glanced
around Mom’s new place. The main living area was one large room consisting of
the living room and kitchen area but had enough separation that they felt like
two distinct spaces. The color choices she’d made all complimented each other.
Her home was stylish decorated, different from the practical, homey décor our
old place had. The place boasted the bold new her.
She’d lost
weight, and looked to be in great shape because of it. The shorter hair style
gave her a youthful appearance. I wasn’t sure the age difference between Adrian
and Mom, but they seemed happy with each other. She deserved that.
A few minutes
later the door opened, Mom stepped out first but Adrian pulled her back into
his arms kissing her. I had a feeling that was for George’s benefit. He then
whispered something in Mom’s ear and she giggled. Giggled like a school girl.
He said his goodbyes to me and was gone.
“Amari dear
would you like something to drink?” she asked walking into the kitchen. She
pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and carried it over to the table.
“Thanks,” I said
reaching for a glass. “Sorry for not calling…”
“You look good
Kathy,” George said interrupting me.
She briefly
looked at him before turning back to me. “I admit seeing you was a surprise,
especially since we just talked yesterday. And…” she got up and went into a
different room, coming back with an envelope. “This came for you this morning.
I was going to call you later, odd you getting mail here.”
I took the item
from her. I hadn’t told her about Ceula when we talked, I didn’t want to worry
her, but I knew she was going to want answers.
“Are you just
going to pretend I’m not here?” George asked angrily. “We were married for
nearly thirty years, and I can’t get a hello?”
“You have a lot
of nerve George Vinson thinking you deserve anything!” she snapped. “I don’t
owe you a damn thing, you should be happy I allowed you into my home and not
push for more. For my daughter…”
“Our daughter,”
he corrected.
“MY daughter, to
show up here, unannounced and with you in tow can’t mean anything good, but
whatever it is will be told to me from her. You sit and stay quiet so I can
pretend you aren’t here!”
George pressed
his lips together in a tight line. He would never change. He totally blew apart
our lives for his own selfish gains yet he wanted to somehow play the victim.
“Now, Amari, I
know you didn’t fly here because you had an urge to see me. What’s going on?”
I glanced over
at George. “Marisol…she, she’s taken Ceula.”
Mom gasped,
covering her mouth with her hand. “Taken? What? When?”
“Shortly after I
returned home. Since I can’t have more children, she took her. Marisol is set
on revenge that goes past George at this point. She’s playing some sort of
game. Leaving me riddles, clues and I have no choice but to play along if I
want to find Cece.”
Mom whipped her
head over to look at George. “Was it worth it?!” she yelled. “Your selfish ways
have had an unbelievable ripple effect. First my children, now my grandchildren
have to suffer! Get…out!”
“Kathy! I didn’t
plan on this. Marisol, she’s gone off the deep end. I can’t be blamed for
that!”
“Like hell you
can’t.” I said. “You send her into my life. Everything that has happened since
is a direct effect of that choice!”
George got up
and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Both Mom and I took deep breaths.
“Why doesn’t he
just take responsibility for what he did?”
“Because he’s
always been a proud man, even if that pride is misplaced. He will refuse to
admit he failed, not matter how much his failure is staring him in the face.”
Mom pulled me
into a hug and we sat comforting each other quietly for a while.
“So, riddles?”
I nodded.
“Marisol has been dredging up every painful memory she could think of.”
“And one of
those brought you to me?”
I shook my head.
“This one was directed at George really. He, um showed up…quite out of the
blue…” I thought on that for a moment.
I’d not spoken
to him, so how did he know he was needed? It was too much of a coincidence. So
did she send him? If so, why would she help me? But then again being faced with
George was not a pleasant experience.
“Of course he
factors in. So, that,” she said indicating towards the envelope on the table,
“would be another clue?”
I leaned down to
pick it up. “Most likely.” I tore open the piece of mail. A small piece of
paper was inside. I read it, then crumbled it up, throwing it angrily across
the room.
Mom got up to
retrieve it. “Mirror, mirror on the wall. It’s her face you still see
after-all. Her face?” I nodded. “She
means?”
“Yeah.”
The look on
Mom’s face let me know her feelings. It was the same devastating feeling I had
when Marisol brought the twins into her sick game. Nothing was off limits for
her. Her hatred, as misplaced as it was, knew no bounds.
“Mom, I’m
sorry…”
“Nonsense, this
is not your doing. The one to blame has run away like the coward he is.”
Since George
left, Mom had to be the one to take me to the cemetery.
It had been an
emotional day. The message at Amella’s grave wasn’t a riddle, it simply said
see you soon. Mom wanted me to stay the night with her, but I wanted to be
alone. To do something I’d not done in a very long time, drown my sorrows at
the bottom of a bottle. I wanted my child back. I wanted Marisol dead. I wanted
this nightmare to be over. But my hands were tied. Without another clue, I was forced to wait on Marisol to make contact. I called Marcus to let him know I’d be home in the
morning and I was about to settled down for the night when there was a knock at
my door.
“Hello, Love.”
