The Lost Is Found

There was a long silence and his mother spoke.

“We will talk when you come home this evening. The Lopez women are here and the police.”

She disconnected the phone.

Gilma rushed home and phoned Brazil where her family were prominent in politics and business. While their interests were strictly legal, they had contacts that owed them favors and soon a group were making their way by plane to the US where despite jet lag they made their way to Gilma’s apartment within the next twenty-four hours where plans were made, and more contacts made in South America.

In the meantime, Camila and her mother proved to be a tower of strength as police investigations progressed and Camila took every opportunity to show affection and sympathy in support of Stanley. Stanley had not seen that side of her before and appreciated the attention he was receiving. His view of her was changing.

Mrs. Gifford held her peace as Stanley continued to press her on Gilma’s remarks saying she’d explain when the Lopez women had departed but they must concentrate their energies on the kidnapping. Francisco had phoned to report he was working with contacts who were familiar with the criminal gangs in America and putting out probes to find the children promising huge rewards for information. This Stanley greatly appreciated.

Two days later the Lopez women did not show up at the Gifford home and the Giffords on learning their room luggage was still there at the hotel and the bill unpaid wondered where they could be. Messages to their cell phones went unanswered and the Giffords wondered if this could be related and mentioned it to the police who began a search for these new missing persons.

Francisco was in his office two days later when he received a long-distance call from Columbia and wondered who could be phoning from there as they had no business interests in that country. The secretary tried to find out who was calling but they said their message could only be delivered to Francisco personally. So, he took the call. The voice in Spanish expressed the issue clearly and concisely.

“Release the Gifford children to their parents and your wife and daughter will be released to you. We will allow you to be the hero who finds them and delivers them safely to their parents. If this is not done, then you’ll find more family members progressively missing so increase your security because we operate internationally and are watching you now.”

Francisco laughed loudly.

“Did the gringo hire you? He’s smarter than I gave him credit for.”

“No, the gringo knows nothing about this demand and if you check the DNA of these children, you’ll find there is not an ounce of Lopez blood in them. But if anything happens to these children you and your family can never feel safe again and you have lost your wife and daughter. I think you know senor we do not fool around in Columbia just as you don’t it seems.”

Francisco continued laughing at the thought he’d been outwitted. His mind raced for the possible instigator of this payback. He picked up the phone and punched in his wife’s cell phone number just to make sure, then he tried his daughter’s cell phone number. Dead! Probably had the phone cards taken out of their phones and destroyed. The law of probability said these people were not bluffing but he could still be a hero and find the children not letting on his wife and daughter were missing.

Then a sudden inspiration hit him. That Brazilian woman Benita had been so close to. Were these children hers? But how could that be? It was better to not speculate on that as the Brazilians could be quite tricky too. He’d had business dealings with them before and they were equally tough. He picked up his phone and called Stanley.

“I used my contacts, and it seems they’ve found the children so you can relax. Unfortunately, the kidnappers have been found dead by my contacts and the police will find their unidentifiable bodies in San Francisco it seems. I’ll go to the hotel and collect them personally as the children know me and I’m sure they must be scared.”

Stanley was effusive in his thanks but still concerned about the disappearance of his mother-in-law and sister-in-law. He offered to come and collect the children, but Francisco insisted he would deliver them personally.

That evening security at the gate phoned Francisco.

“There’s a Ms. Silva at the gate saying you were expecting her visit do you want to see her?”

Francisco gasped in admiration. This woman was unbelievable!

“Yes. please escort her up to the mansion and tell the doorkeeper to escort her to my office in safety.”

Gilma strode into Francisco’s office confidently and sat down as indicated on the plush lounge activating her phone. She smiled pleasantly when Francisco joined her, and he nodded his head in admiration.

“It’s nice to see you again senor Francisco, I remember all the pleasant visits I made to this home with your daughter Benita during our UCLA days. My phone is activated as you can see and if it ceases to operate you can expect a visit from some very unpleasant people so let’s get on with the business.”

“Where is my wife and daughter?”

Gilma spoke into the active phone.

“Pedro, will you put Mrs. Lopez on the line please?”

A frightened voice spoke.

“Francisco whatever you are up to has to stop!”

Francisco smiled and nodded to Gilma.

“Wife is Camila with you?”

“Yes, get us out of here.”

Gilma spoke with the line still open.

“Bring the children to me so I can see you have them. I’ll walk out with them as soon as the boys arrive with your wife and daughter. Keep in mind they’ll be heavily armed with backup just outside the gate. One word from me and there will be unpleasant things happening.”

There was a cry of alarm over the phone as the frightened women reacted to what Gilma said.

Francisco clicked his fingers at the guard at the door.

Bring the children we rescued today so this lady can see them, and they’ll be leaving with her without any hindrance from security here once our women are returned.”

Within minutes the children were in the room and ran to Gilma crying. She spoke soothingly to them by name.

“I want you to thank grandpa for rescuing you from those bad couple who took you away from your home and then you are coming home with me as soon as grandma and aunt Camila get home. Now thank grandpa.”

“Thank you, grandpa, for taking us away from those bad people.”

“You will never have to worry about them again grandchildren as grandpa will always be here to protect you.”

The two children sobbed.

“We want to go home to dad.”

Francisco turned as his wife and daughter entered the room.

“Say goodbye to the children my loves as they are going home now.”

The women looked guilty as they faced Gilma then obediently kissed their grandchildren and fled to their rooms to recover after their ordeal.

Francisco turned to Gilma.

“I want you to come and work in top administration for our organization. You are remarkable. Name your price and we will start with double your present benefits package.”

Gilma smiled.

“That is a complement indeed coming from an old business tycoon like yourself Francisco with all your worldly experience, but I’m not experienced enough to work for you. By the way the children’s DNA traces to me by the miracles of modern medicine. Not sure if you know that a woman’s egg can be transplanted and as your daughter was unable to have children but could host one through that medical marvel your daughter hosted my egg and her husband’s sperm and delivered safely. I lost the third child in that accident and am mourning Benita my sister and the child. I did this uncomfortable procedure three times because I love your daughter and would do anything for her no matter how unpleasant. So, I had a vested interest in the return of my babies. Stanley has no idea, and we will keep it that way. The whole thing was a secret between Benita, me, and her mother-in-law. Sorry to have corrupted the Lopes line. So, there is really no need for Camila to be sacrificed to protect your pure heritage.”

Francisco smiled and responded.

“Our lineage is pure as our daughter Benita nurtured the children with her blood and milk so what of your DNA. But I thank you for your many kindnesses and loyalty to my daughter and we will be delighted to have you visit with the children whenever you can, but preferably to be part of the Lopez family, perhaps you’d consider Alberto as a marriage partner? He could use the discipline you’d bring to him.”

“My wife tells me you are always in the gringo home are you going to marry the gringo? Alberto is a better option for you, but fate seems to be declaring otherwise. If you do, then please bring the children to visit us on their vacations as Benita used to do. You will be quite safe and welcome.”

Both laughed as Francisco escorted them out to the waiting van loaded with men and their weapons. The children fell asleep on her lap as they waited for the plane home under watchful eyes of their bodyguards who left when they’d seen them off on the flight.

Gilma phoned Mrs. Gifford.

“Tell Stan I’m on a plane home with the children.”

Stanley rushed to the airport to receive his children wondering how this woman had managed to solve kidnapping police were still trying to solve. She was highly involved in this rescue plan apart from them, and he was wondering why she claimed the children as her own when he knew his wife had delivered them. There was the remarkable image of Beverly in her he couldn’t figure out and his mother had not solved this riddle for him telling him to talk with Gilma seeing she’d made the statement. She remembered her commitment not to disclose this to Stanley as it could affect all their relationships if he knew of the women’s plot to solve Benita’s unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant with frequent trips to the specialist. He knew tests proved he was able to provide his part of a birth miracle, so it was a huge puzzle for him.

At the airport Gilma silently handed over the children as Stanley pressed her for information.

“I think you should phone Francisco and thank him for his part in solving this problem, Stan. You won’t receive any further trouble from Camila now so you can relax. Now I’m exhausted and don’t want to talk any more so please drop me off home on your way. I have one more day of vacation to sleep this off so see you in two days’ time. Oh, and when the police come around snooping you can tell them the two missing ladies were there in San Francisco when I arrived and had just decided to go home on impulse. So, the lost has been found. You can also tell them to contact Francisco if they need information as to how he found the children and leave me out of the picture.”

That night after putting the exhausted children to bed Mother Gifford sat down with her son and filled in the details, he now was intitled to know, and had been demanding from her for the past few days. He sat there trying to grasp it all silently thinking through the close relationship between his deceased wife and Gilma. How she’d become a fixture in the home and how there’d been a double gap in the home for months after Benita died. He and the children had missed Benita terribly but now he realized they’d missed Gilma in the home too.

He’d been angry with Gilma in the office when she’d forced him to recognize his responsibilities in the home were not being met after the death and knew that was what Benita would have done too. The two women were like clones in his life.  He realized what would fill the gap in Benita’s role for he and the children and made a sudden decision. He picked up his cell phone and punched in Gilma’s number. A sleepy voice answered.

“Gilma I’m coming over to see you.”

This exasperated the sleepy woman.

“Stan I’ve been through hell and am in bed and want to sleep. It can wait until tomorrow so go to bed.”

“I’m coming over and will beat on your door until you open up.”

There was an explosion of Portuguese he’d never heard her use before and knew she was angry. But he sped over there anyway and beat on the door until an angry face greeted him through the safety screen door. There was another explosion of Portuguese as he stood there resolutely, and she opened the door and began beating him with her fists in anger. He took it from her then slowly folded his arms around her. She drew back in surprise and looked at him carefully.

“This is not proper Stan. Go home!”

He fell to his knees in front of her and shouted he wanted to marry her. He and the children needed her in their lives permanently knowing the children were really theirs and he wanted her with them in marriage from that day forward. She could see his sincerity and remembered Francisco’s words and blessing.

Now she paused to think shaking the sleep out of her eyes. But her response in Portuguese was much softer now and then she switched to English.

“This is not wise Stan we are still mourning our Benita. Go home! You will regret this tomorrow so go home and think about it carefully.”

“I’m not leaving until you say yes Gilma for Benita’s sake.”

Gilma looked anxiously at the neighbors now beginning to look out of windows and doors to see what her loud protests were all about and banging on her door. She realized she was in skimpy pajamas which would become the gossip of this neighborhood for weeks to come. She slammed the door and told him to get up, but he stayed there and repeated his proposal again.

“Marry me, Gilma.”

She laughed softly, this time and pulled him to his feet.

“You have no idea what trouble you’d have married to me you stupid man.”

“I think I’m very wise in asking and I know Benita would urge you to accept me so please say yes.”

She gave him a passionate kiss in response, and he luxuriated in that embrace.

“OK, you deserve what you get then foolish man, and I will say yes because I know my sister Benita would advise that and believe it or not Francisco has suggested it. Now go home because I want to sleep, and you’ve made me very cross. Not wise to do that as Francisco has found out. He offered me a job at double my administrative salary package though. I’m glad I said no.”

Stanley sped home to tell his anxious waiting mother and she jumped up and down with delight.

“You did a very wise thing tonight Stan and I know your father and Benita would have approved too.

Both were curious about the Lopez women suddenly departing their hotel and leaving their belongings behind and the police found it very intriguing when this happened in conjunction with the disappearance and reappearance of the children, but their investigations led nowhere. It obviously had something to do with Gilma’s absence for a few days, but they decided it best not to press her on the matter. The children were back safe and sound that was all that mattered now and their relationship with the Lopez family miraculously remained intact.

Conclusion

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