The Reconnection

The waiter came to take their order and Rosa quickly chose the Italian speciality. Dan decided to try this too and the waiter departed to check in with the kitchen. As soon as he left Dan spoke.

“Rosa I would have come to your rescue, but I understand the difficulty you had deciding under those circumstances with that trumped up charge against your family. That would have been awful! I’m so sorry.”

“Dan, you have no idea the trauma I went through. I thought I’d hate the child when it was born but as a mother, I couldn’t do that when the time came. I hated Bill with a passion, and it showed though he tried his best to make amends and was constantly attentive. Eventually he gave up and went looking for female company more pliable than I was as I made his life miserable. I was OK with that as I didn’t want him to touch me.

His parents were awful blaming me for getting their son into this situation and because of my heritage I gave it back in kind. Eventually they left me alone too and I was left out when they took Bill on family vacations with them. But what I didn’t know was the corruption wing inside the police force had been tracking my father in law’s criminal practices for some time and in my fifth year of marriage they swooped and arrested him. He was tried convicted and jailed along with some other bad eggs in the police force and my family and I when hearing of the arrest gave our story to the crime commission.

To our surprise Bill was also swept up in the net of that criminal organization and he was also jailed. I moved back in with my parents, and we all moved to Florida. Years later being released from jail Bill suddenly turned up at my parent’s home looking to continue his marriage with me as if nothing had happened. My father drove him out threatening to seek out some of our community who teach lessons to errant people and Bill realized he had no support group in Florida to turn to his advantage. Not long after that we learned he’d died in a shootout with police in Chicago. Good riddance!”

Dan reached across the table and grasped Rosa’s hand.

“I’m so sorry to hear this story Rosa, why didn’t you contact me when Bill was arrested. I’d have looked after you and your daughter and loved you unreservedly.”

Just then the waiter arrived with their order and placed in carefully in front of them politely asking if there was anything further, they required.

Rosa shook her head, so Dan addressed the waiter.

“Thank you. We will indicate if we need anything further.”

Dan looked at Rosa for an answer to his question. She picked up her cutlery and began to devour the meal in front of her, so he did the same. They ate in silence and when finished she looked up smiling.

“Dan I was too ashamed. You’d received no explanation as to why I suddenly vanished from your radar after we were developing such a close relationship. By the time of Bill’s arrest my parents had developed such a hatred of non-Spanish background people you’d have received the same treatment if you showed up at their door and I love my parents and do not want to hurt them after they were treated like criminals just because I had a problem with Bill’s family. They are still humiliated over that unjust treatment. My daughter also grew up with an antagonism toward non-Spanish people as pieces of the family experience slowly emerged as she grew up. So, you in turn would have been unjustly treated by my family when you do not deserve it. That’s why I tried to avoid you today but that didn’t work out did it?”

Dan inquired if Rosa would like to have something for dessert and she shook her head, so he lifted his hand to get the waiter’s attention and he appeared hopefully. Rosa watched as Dan added a generous tip to the bill and gave his credit card for processing. He spoke to the waiter.

“You are fortunate to receive a big tip today because I rediscovered someone precious lost over forty years ago friend.”

The waiter looked at the tip and nodded in appreciation.

Dan stood and assisted Rosa as she exited the table. “Rosa, I’m not letting you out of my sight again now I found you. If I asked you to marry me now, would you say yes, if so, I know a great jeweller on this level who has the best engagement and wedding rings.”

Rosa laughed. “I’m afraid that would not be possible now Dan. You obviously have not been listening to me. I have a family and daughter who’d be quite opposed to such a liaison, and they’ve been my rock of support through long, lonely years.  Besides that, I return to Florida tomorrow. Believe me under different circumstances I’d have asked you if you delayed asking me to marry you long ago, but times have changed and so have all our circumstances. I’m so sorry your years have not been fulfilling. You deserved a loving wife and children and I spoiled that for you too.”

“Rosa my parents are dead, and my siblings scattered around the world with their work so there’s really nothing to keep me here. If I moved to Florida, would you refuse to see me as there really isn’t any reason why we can’t enjoy each other’s company. I presume you’re not working now and have retired too.”

Rosa laughed. “My parents are too old to attack you if you show up at the door but my brother who shares our mansion with my parents would most likely do that as he is very protective of me and my daughter. My daughter will be taking me to the airport tomorrow and if you just happen to be there, I could introduce you to her and we will see what her reaction is to you. She had quite an influence on my brother.”

She took out her purse and removed the notepad he remembered she’d always carried with her. Old habits die hard. These days people make notes in their cell phones.

“This is my flight number and departure hall.”

He took it and put it in his pocket.

“Rosa please don’t leave now I’ve found you again. Why do you have to return tomorrow? I want to take you to the beach and other places we used to frequent as young adults and work on you to say yes to my plea for you to be my wife now we’ve reconnected.”

“Under normal circumstances Dan I’d jump at that offer but must get back as my aged mother has health issues, I don’t want to be too far away so I can be by her side in case of bad news. But I’ll phone my daughter and tell her I won’t be home until later and maybe we can see some of those places quickly today. We do have a whole afternoon. Did you spend all those forty years in that tiny little cluttered apartment with your precious exercise equipment?”

Rosa turned to her phone and messaged her daughter telling she’d met some high school friends and wouldn’t be home until later in the evening. She was just replacing the phone in her purse when it chimed, and she removed it and read the message bursting into laughter.

Dan looked at her in surprise.

“My daughter is very intelligent she has replied asking if I’ve been secretly meeting up with my first love Dan Turner, she’s heard so much about all her life and she’s warning me not to let this gringo sweet talk me because she’ll have you tied up in courts for months if her mother is hurt in any way. I guess our cover is blown.”

Dan felt happy. So, she’d talked about him with her family over the years. Perhaps with care he may win the family over after all. They took a taxi to the beach as it was not rush-hour at this time of day and sat looking over the ocean. The breeze coming off the ocean was cold as it was the turn of season and Rosa felt herself involuntarily shivering. Dan noticed this and put his arm around her, and Rosa snuggled in.

“It’s a bit cold here Dan. I guess in our young adulthood that wouldn’t have been a problem, but I just realize I’m not young anymore. I don’t see Greg’s name on the board display over there it looks like someone else owns it now.”

“Greg died several years ago Rosa; he was a contemporary with my parents. Wait here and I’ll be right back.”

He quickly looked her over then left the beach and she watched curiously as he headed for some of the beach front stores. He was back within ten minutes with a bag containing something and she struggled to read the label. He handed her the bag, and she looked inside then squealed with delight pulling out a warm expensive jacket. She put it on tentatively and to her surprise it fitted perfectly, and the colour fitted well with her outfit. She turned to Dan.

“Dan, you’re making it very hard for me to think with my head rather than my heart. That was so sweet of you, and I feel cheated I didn’t have you to spoil me with kind acts like you used to for the past forty years. I think you better take me home before I make an unwise decision because the longer, I stay with you the more difficult it will be for me to refuse your offer of marriage.”

Dan’s spirits lifted when she said that.

“Then I’m not taking you home until I work some more on your heart Rosa. You should be able to see that having resisted marriage my whole life to date because of my love for you I can never be happy without you.”

“Well, I’ve had the same unhappiness during that time too Dan, but my head tells me there are family obligations and I owe my family so much and don’t want to hurt them either. Sometimes sacrifices must be made in the larger interest and we must put our own wishes to the side regrettably, so I need to think about this for a while.”

That evening Dan delivered Rosa to her daughter’s apartment, and he bent to kiss her before she keyed in the entry number, but she put her fingers on his lips instead.

“Don’t make it harder for me than it is Dan. If you do that my heart will overrule my logical head. I need to see if this is likely to alienate my family if we are to get together and my parents are in fragile health now.”

The door opened and Eva Rodrigues was quickly silhouetted against the dimmed lights within.

“I saw you on my security TV as you approached the door mom. Come on in.”

She indicated Dan should join them inside and he followed hopefully. Eva indicated a spacious lounge chair for him to sit and she and her mother occupied the twin lounge chair. Eva faced Dan.

“So, this is the football hero Dan Turner mom. I used to imagine what he’d look like as a teenager but developed a complete dossier on you Dan when I became an attorney. I even have the layout of your apartment on file, and it is quite up market. Never married. That’s unusual. You must have made a powerful impression on him mom for him to make that sacrifice. A well respected professional and no dodgy sidelines. Quite opposite to my own criminal father. Why have you surfaced to disturb my mother at this time in her life Dan Turner? How do you think you can fit into a family with proud Spanish heritage who’ve been damaged by your kind now?

Rosa turned red faced to her daughter.

“Eva that’s quite enough. Dan is a respectable and responsible man who any woman would have been proud to marry.”

She turned to Dan.

“Dan, I apologize for this outburst from my daughter which I find to be totally unacceptable. You don’t deserve that speech and I’m terribly embarrassed so perhaps you should leave now. I’m so sorry!”

She got up to accompany Dan to the door and her daughter pulled her down again.

Dan Turner you’ve not going anywhere yet. I want to hear your response.

To Be Continued

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