Ammo and Mary

by Annette Stephenson

  “What wonderful news!” Jenn said. “I am really happy for you, Ben. You have deserved this for a long time.”

  “Thank you, Jenn.”

  “So, you hungry? Need anything?” Tarzan said, walking back in.

  We settled into a conversation about old times till it was time to get ready. Tarzan and I got into our dress blues. Jenn put on a dress she loved. There was a sadness to them about it since it probably would be the last time they got dressed up to head out to a fun evening. We were standing in the living when the doorbell rang. Tarzan opened the door and there were Kamon and her family. They were all dressed up in their nicest red clothes. I remembered that in Thailand, red was the lucky color for Sunday.

  “What are you all doing here?” I asked, touched that they were here.

  Kamon stepped forward and took my hands. “Benboy ... today is a special day for you. You marrying one very special woman. I know your mama in heaven looking down on you, sending many blessings. But I was wondering if, just for today, that I could stand with you, so you have earthly mother support as well?” she asked, her eyes bright with tears.

  I couldn’t answer her, so I hugged her instead. After a few deep breaths, I said, “I would like nothing better, Kamon.”

  Manoj, Kasem, April, Hom, Jenn, and Tarzan all joined in the hug too. “We will be your family today, Ammo, so you know that you are never alone,” April said.

  “Thank you, thank you all so much. This means so much,” I said while I was trying to collect myself

  “The limo’s waiting. We should go!” Kasem opened the door.

  “Kasem, go ahead and take our sister and our grandmother to the limo. We will be right there,” Tarzan said. Kasem caught on and acted like a gentleman, letting his sister take his arm and his grandma the other and walking them to the limo.

  Tarzan turned to me. “I am so happy for you always, my brother. May your joys be plentiful.” He hugged me. He set the handle on the door so it would lock behind us.

  Jenn stood on her toes and kissed my cheek. “Congrats, Ben.” She went to her husband and he held out his arm so she could take it and they went out to the limo.

  Manoj and Kamon stood before me. They took out a piece of paper and Manoj started to read. “Son, at temple today, we made offering in your and Mary name. Wish for you many blessing, happy, and joy.”

  Kamon took over. “With good times there will be sad, but together you are stronger to overcome.”

  Together, they said, “Marriage is a promise made to one another for love and commitment for life. Work together to make your happy one.”

  I was stunned; I didn’t know what to say. They’d put so much effort into this for me.

  “Did we say it good? We had reverend at temple help translate some of our ceremony into that for you,” Kamon said.

  “Mom, you did a great job,” I said.

  The tears in her eyes splashed down her cheeks, but her smile lit up the room.

  “Thank you, Mom, Dad. It means a lot.” They gave me a hug.

  “Now we better go before your brother make everyone crazy,” Manoj said.

  The three of us walked out the door together. I was truly thankful for the wonderful people in my life and that they would be celebrating this wonderful day with me.

  We arrived at Rosa’s restaurant. I walked in with Kamon and Manoj and was left speechless. Rosa had outdone herself with the decorations. Little sparkling lights and paper flowers were everywhere. I saw the buffet tables set with the chaffing dishes, ready to accept the food pans. The tables were all decorated with more lights and flowers. I soon saw Rosa helping Charity’s sister display the cake.

  The cake was a masterpiece. It was all white with flower decorations that mimicked the paper ones. I walked over to the ladies. “Mercy, that cake is breathtaking. You have done it again. Thank you.”

  “No, thank you for paying on time.” We laughed. “But really, I hope you both have a wonderful day. Congrats!” she said.

  “Rosa, this is amazing. Mary will love it. Thank you is not enough,” I told her.

  “It was my pleasure; the girls did most of the work. So, you ready?” She was staring at me with her soul-penetrating gaze.

  “Yes.” I smiled, thinking how perfect everything was so far.

  “Good. Ari is waiting over there for you. I am ready whenever you are.” I saw where she indicated and headed over.

  “Everything is in place. I think most, if not all, the guests are here. You got the rings in your pocket. Anything else?” Ari said, going over a mental list.

  “I think we are just missing my bride and her parents,” I said, jarring Ari out of his thoughts.

  “Oh yes, you are. Well, does that mean you’re ready?” he asked. God, he could be so over the top.

  “Yup, I’ll grab Kamon and Manoj after everyone is seated, then we will walk in. You going to text Mary to start walking over?”

  “As soon as I tell everyone to sit their rears down.” He turned from me and started to do just that. I saw Kamon talking with Rosa and Manoj, seated in the front row. I got his attention and he came over as we got Rosa to go sit and Kamon to walk to the lobby with me.

  As the stragglers seated themselves, Joey cued the music and I started to walk up the aisle that Rosa had made from the tables and chairs. I had Kamon and Manoj on either side, thankful they were able to fill in on this day. I seated Kamon in the front row and Manoj shook my hand, much like I thought my father would have. I took my place at the end of the aisle with Ari next to me. He was the officiant, after all.

  The door opened and I looked up, expecting to see Mary and her parents. Instead I saw a woman with fiery orange hair and a Hispanic man. I squinted. I had moved toward them without realizing it. It couldn’t be. I got closer thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. I was almost to them. She looked up at me. Her eyes were the navy blue with the lighter star pattern. Just like mine, just like Mom’s. “Nessa!” I wrapped my arms around her. “Oh my God, Nessa.” She was real. I spun her around, she laughed. I could feel everyone’s eyes on us. I didn’t care; I had my sister. I put her down. “Nessa, you’re here?”

  “I’m here Benji.” Her hair was still the fiery orange as it was when we were kids. She was tall, as tall as I was, but she was slim.

  “Thank god you’re safe.” I hugged her again. “You’re okay? Not hurt?” She shook her head no. I was scared to let her go she might disappear. “Nessa, how …”

  She smiled. “Tomorrow. Right now you have something much more important. Come on.” She walked with me back up the aisle. Rosa seated the man Nessa had come in with at her table.

  I made Nessa stand with me as we waited for Mary. I could see Tarzan and Jenn whispering to their neighbors. I was sure they were telling everyone my sister was back. I took a deep breath.

  The Wedding March started. Mary’s parents walked her down the aisle. I could not tell you what they were wearing. I didn’t care. I only saw Mary. She looked like a dream. Ari had done fantastic things with that dress. Her skirt showed her legs. She had lace sleeves. But it was the smile on her face that was the best feature. Her mom and dad gave me her hands. They found their seats in the front row. And that’s when Ari started the ceremony.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to witness the marriage of these two very special people.” Ari opened the ceremony. “Ben and Mary will now take over the show.”

  Everyone chuckled. I was sweating. “Mary, since our first date, we have been making vows to each other. I thought we could share them today. The very first one came from you: we will always be good as long as we hold on to our values and are honest.” I waited for her to repeat it back.

  “We will always be good as long as we hold on to our values and are honest.” Her eyes shone.

  “The next one came from me: you are mine. I will treasure you, protect you, and take care of you until my last breath.”

  “You are mine. I will treasure you, protect you, and take care of you
until my last breath.” A tear rolled down her cheek.

  “The next one is from both of us: we will face everything together. I am here to catch you. Trust me to be there.”

  “We will face everything together. I am here to catch you. Trust me to be there.”

  “Ben, if you and Mary would exchange rings?” Ari prompted.

  The look of horror that came across Mary’s face made me chuckle. “Trust me to be there,” I told her as I found the rings in my pocket. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her smile returned.

  I took her hand and slid the band on her finger. She took mine and slid it on my finger.

  “Since you decided to invest this power in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss your bride!” As soon as our lips touched, Ari threw some paper flower petals in the air around us.

  “I love you, Ben. This was perfect,” Mary said. She turned to Nessa and hugged her. “Nessa, I am so happy to finally meet you,” she smiled. The three of us linked arms, with me in the middle, and walked down the aisle and into the arms of our family and friends.

  Epilogue

  Mary

  The Day after the Wedding

  “Look at this one,” I laughed, showing Ben the picture of Oatmeal. We were in the lounge relaxing with our pictures, and just enjoying our time together. He had told me about Jenn’s letter; he wasn’t ready to read it yet.

  We were waiting for Nessa and who we learned was Orlando De La Cruz to come by. We were too busy celebrating last night to get the story. There had been lots of drinking by everyone but not Ben or me. There had been lots of dancing, I thought Ben would burst if he got any happier.

  I got the door when the bell finally rang.

  “Hi, Mary.” Nessa said. “Hi Benji,” they hugged.

  “Hello Orlando, please come in,” I said stepping back so Orlando could come in.

  We went to the lounge and sat down. Ben between Nessa and me, Orlando in a chair. “I know you want the story Ben, so here it goes. I was kidnapped at the community college. I had been studying in the library and as soon as Jane left me, three Hispanic guys surrounded me. They dragged me off threating me the who way. They took me to a really fancy house in the northern suburbs and told me I was going to be Moses’s play thing. Moses used me, abused me, then told me that he would forever remember me and if I ever escaped my fate, he would make sure I would go right back to the cartel herds of women. I was scared to death. I was bought and sold, I tried to leave things for you to find did you find them?” she asked Ben.

  “The Celtic knot, the Chicago Flag, the four-leaf clover, and pot of gold,” he listed.

  “Yes, you’ve been to all the places I was. What about the post cards?”

  “Yale, and the Cubs winning the world series, even though we hate the Cubs being South Side Irish and all.”

  “I sent the Yale one the day I graduated. I know we hate the Cubs but seriously 108 years, that’s a long time to wait. Benji, Orlando saved me, he bought me and kept me safe from Moses.”

  I felt Ben stiffen, even his breathing changed, “He was the last buyer that I could never trace,” his rage was barely controlled. He gripped my hand and I gripped his right back. Ben turned to Orlando, “You bought my sister.”

  “Please, let me explain,” Orlando said, putting his hands up in defense.

  Ben nodded. I held his hand in both of mine. Nessa held his other one; she was completely relaxed.

  “I am a very wealthy businessman in my home country of Argentina. I like to put my money to good use. There are men that I do business with that like to buy and sell women as if they were cars. I do not approve of this, but I must be careful and play their games so that I can continue to do business. I have bought many women from them over the years. Once I have them in my home, I do everything to get them back to their families. I never leave a girl without a family to go back to. Over the years, I have had about seven that just have no one to protect them if they go home. Nessa was a bit like that and a bit different.” He shifted in his seat. “See, we knew she had her brother and he was doing everything he could to find her, but he would then go on missions and not be there if she needed him.”

  “So, I housed her. I got to know her. She wanted to go to school, so I sent her to school. She wanted Yale and with some donations I got her in and educated without her name being searchable. You know your sister is amazing. She got her doctorates and then stayed with me to help the women I continued to rescue. With her psychology and psychiatry, she helped them start to get mentally better so they could go home and recover.”

  Nessa took over. “I was terrified that Moses would find me and send me back. He had it so ingrained that was what he was going to do. So, I waited. During this time, you were working for Forces. You seemed content. Lonely, but okay. I kept hoping someone would take out Moses. Then it happened; he was arrested, then he was killed in jail. I was free to come home.”

  “And this is where I will take my leave. Nessa, see you back at the house. Ben, I am sorry for everything, but I had to ensure everyone’s safety. I hope you will understand. Mary, thank you for inviting me into your home,” Orlando said, getting up to leave. Ben got up to let him out. I heard them talking.

  “I hope you don’t feel like I stole your day,” Nessa said to me

  “No, not at all. Everything about yesterday was perfect. How do you like Kamon?” I asked her Kamon was thrilled she now had another daughter.

  “Oh my gosh, I have no idea how Benji met that family, but they are the best. I can’t wait to get to know them better,” she laughed.

  “Nessa, did you have a place to stay?” I asked. I didn’t really have a place to put her, but we would make it work.

  “Yeah, sis, where are you staying?” Ben walked in and took his seat back.

  “Orlando has a house here. He uses it when returning the girls to their families. I am going to stay there and continue our work. We decided to make some changes to how we send the girls home. I am going to run a halfway house of sorts so when the girls get home, they will be just about ready to live their life again.”

  “That is really amazing work that you do,” I said.

  “I enjoy it. It makes me feel good about myself. And who better to understand than someone who has been through it?” Nessa said. “Well, enough about me. I want to get to know you both. Tell me everything!” Nessa said.

  We laughed at her enthusiasm. Ben looked truly happy.

  Teaser

  Chapter 1

  Ape

  “We are almost there,” I said. I wanted to get her home, into bed, and let her rest. But as I approached her apartment building, I realized that was not going to be the case. There were fire trucks everywhere. I found a place to park. “Let’s go check it out,” I said. I walked around to Greta’s side and helped her out. She was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants from the Forces stockpile. She would be warm enough in the chilly autumn night. We walked closer to the action.

  “Oh my God. That’s my apartment,” Greta said.

  I saw a cop walking by, “Hey, officer, what’s going on here?” I flashed my Forces ID, hoping it would get me some information.

  “The occupant in 2A was cooking something. A fire broke out; no one saw it until it had taken over the top floor,” he said.

  “Any casualties?” I asked. I looked at Greta. She had tears in her eyes.

  “Yes, the occupant of 2A. As far as we can tell at this point, everyone else has gotten out. Though the occupant of 2B is unaccounted for,” he said.

  “Thank you, officer,” I said. He tipped his hat and moved on.

  “Greta, I am so sorry.” I saw the tears start down her cheeks. I put my arms out to her; she buried herself in my chest. She had had too much happen to her in the past week; the kidnapping, being held captive and used by a human trafficker, and now the loss of her home.

  “It’s my fault. I was gone too long. Harriet must have tried to cook,” she cried. I just held her.

  “Greta
let’s get you out of the cold. I’ll take you somewhere safe,” I said. I felt her nod yes against my chest. I walked her back to my SUV and tucked her in. I was going to take her back to my house. I had no other place to take her and ensure her safety.

  Don’t miss Walker and Valerie’s book in the Joining Forces Series.

  About the Author

  Annette Stephenson enjoys reading, writing, quilting, and ’80s music. She has participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) since 2015. In 2018, she accomplished the goal of 50,000 words in a month’s time.

  Annette was born in Skokie, Illinois. She now lives in a small town about an hour outside of Chicago. Annette and her husband married in 2018. Their favorite holiday is Halloween and they like to go big to pass out the candy. They met in 2011. For her birthday that year, her husband adopted a kitten they called Mojo. Two weeks later, they adopted another kitten, Jinx. Their lives have never been the same since.