by S. E. Rose
“These seats OK?” he asks as we sit.
“Like you can watch a horror movie from anywhere but the middle seats,” I say and grin at him.
We cheers with our sodas and begin to watch the movie. It’s a classic paranormal-style film in English with Spanish subtitles. There are a few moments when the film takes an unexpected turn and I jump, grabbing Lance’s arm. When I go to pull away, he puts a hand on top of mine and holds it there. I look at him out of the corner of my eye, but he’s watching the screen. I love the way his hand feels on mine so I leave it there. His thumb draws tiny circles on the back of my hand and I feel my skin prick with goose bumps, but not from the scary movie.
“So, what did you think?” he asks as we leave the theater after the film.
“It was good. I’d give it a B. It was fairly predictable. However, there were a few good scares and plot twists,” I respond doing my best movie critic impersonation.
“Do you have to be back at the orphanage at a certain time?”
I look at my phone. It’s 2:30. “Well, I’d told my driver to meet me back here at three, so I have a few minutes.”
“How about some Juan Valdez then?” he says, motioning to the kiosk with a few tables and chairs.
“Sure,” I answer and I grab us seats while he gets coffees.
He places a latte in front of me and takes a seat. “So why volunteer at an orphanage?”
Well, here goes, I think to myself.
“I was adopted from here when I was about three years old. I had tried to find some paperwork about my bio family before, but it was difficult, laws were different and we never found anything. I decided to try to find out more information about my biological family again.” He gives me a look that I can’t quite read. “I also want to spend some time here just getting to know the country. My brother is going to try and fly down at some point. I think we’ll meet up in Cartagena in a few more weeks.”
He doesn’t even flinch at my story, which surprises me. “So where exactly is this orphanage?”
“Las Naranjas, it’s a small village near here,” I say.
“I’d love to come see it,” he says. His hand that is next to mine moves closer until his finger grazes the back of my hand.
“Sure,” I say. “They’re always looking for help.”
He smiles. “You should come over someday to the villa we rented. We have a small community pool and a beautiful view.”
“I’d love to,” I answer, looking down at my coffee and his hand that is touching mine.
“When will you be back in town?” he asks.
“Tuesday, I have a 10:00 a.m appointment to go through some records,” I explain as I take a sip of coffee.
“I can drive you. I have a car here,” he offers.
“It’s really far, Lance,” I say.
“It’d be my pleasure. Plus, I’m honestly a bit bored right now. Cody’s working crazy hours and I haven’t made too many friends yet,” he states as though he has lived here for a year and Cody is his partner and not his brother.
I laugh out loud. “Geez, don’t you have some kind of media empire to run or something,” I snort.
He laughs, “Or something.” He smiles at me. “I’m serious though. I will pick you up at 8:00 a.m., OK? We can grab breakfast beforehand.”
I want to say no, but something about the way he looks at me tells me to say yes.
“Alright,” I practically whisper. I’m not even sure he heard me until I see him nod. He takes my phone and programs his number into it.
“There,” he says, “now you’ll know it’s me when I call you.” And he winks at me.
“I better go, Alfonso should be here soon,” I say as I stand.
“I’ll walk you out,” he says, placing his hand on the small of my back.
I let him guide me toward the front of the mall. I see Alfonso’s car waiting by the curb.
“Thanks for the movie and the coffee,” I say. “I’m glad you ran into me.”
“Me too,” he says with a wink.
I reach up on my tippy toes and wrap my hand around his neck so that I can tilt his cheek down and kiss it. He’s over a foot taller than me, which isn’t saying much considering how short I am. His hand on my back tightens its grip as he bends down.
“See you Tuesday,” he murmurs against my ear.
“OK,” I practically sigh from his touch.
I turn and walk over to Alfonso who gives Lance the once over like he’s my dad or something. I turn back to Lance who is grinning at me and I shrug and grin back before getting into the car.
Chapter 6
Lily’s Playlist: “Good Days Bad Days” by Kaiser Chiefs
I return to the house to find that two kids have been sent to foster homes and two more will be arriving Monday. Yenny explains to me that this happens a lot. Kids come in and kids go out as soon as foster homes are available. I nod my understanding but am sad I couldn’t say goodbye to them. I’m just starting to know the kids; however, I’ve become attached to them nonetheless.
A little girl by the name of Leidy comes over to me and pulls at my dress. She’s about five years old and absolutely adorable.
“Si, Leidy?” I ask as I crouch down to look at her.
“Donde esta Diana?” she asks her bottom lip trembles. Oh dear, here we go. As sad as I am that Diana and Marta have been sent to a foster home before I could get here to say goodbye, I can’t imagine what it’s like for the other kids. The not knowing from day to day where they will be living, where their friends will be living. It’s heartbreaking.
I give her a big hug and explain to her how Diana was going to live with a nice family. This only made the waterworks turn up a notch as she asked me why she couldn’t live there too. After I calm her down, I leave her to swing with another of her friends and I grab my phone and call my mom.
“Hey, honey, what’s wrong?” She hears my sniffles before I can even speak.
“I know exactly why you adopted us,” I say between sobs.
“What do you mean, sweetie?” she asks, very serious now.
“Two of the little girls went to a foster home today and I was just comforting one of their friends. I just wanted to pick her up and bring her home with me. I can’t imagine how confusing and scary it is here for the children. The not knowing…I just never understood how it could be,” I say as I try to calm myself down.
“I know Lily,” she says quietly. “The day dad and I met you, a little girl about your age had just been adopted and you were inconsolable, rocking yourself back and forth on a rug in the corner room. I remember asking a woman working there why you were upset and she explained. I walked over to you and just held you for a long time…,” she trails off as she remembers.
“You never told me that before,” I say. I frown. “I don’t remember that at all mom.”
“Well, you weren’t even three yet. I hardly think you could remember that. It was a lifetime ago. I swear I’ve told you this story, well maybe I forgot the part about the little girl getting adopted, but I know I’ve told you.”
“Not that part,” I say a bit angry with her now for holding back even the smallest of things about my life. I know so little about my past and she knows I want to know as much as possible. I try to breathe and calm myself down. “I gotta go, mom. I’ll talk to you later,” I say and hang up before I say something I may regret later.
I sit in the back courtyard for a while before I go back in and start helping kids with various tasks. I find Leidy later and ask her if she wants me to read her a story.
“Si,” she says excitedly and claps her little hands as she runs to find a book.
I spend the rest of the day playing with Leidy and trying to get her to interact with a few of the other kids, but she resists. By bedtime, I’m exhausted and I climb into bed and check my cell phone. There’s a text from Lance.
Lance: Sweet dreams
I start to text him back over Wi-Fi. Heck, I wonder if Yenny unplugge
d the Wi-Fi yet. I type a response anyhow.
Lily: You too
I fall asleep immediately. I’m awoken by some noise at 2:00 a.m. I walk out into the halls and peek inside each of the kids’ rooms. I don’t notice anything out of place, so I go back to bed. I swear I can hear a car go down the lane, but I’m tired and a storm is blowing in so maybe I’m hearing things.
I wake early on Sunday and creep downstairs to get coffee before the kids wake up. Patricia is downstairs as I enter the kitchen.
“Buenos,” I greet her.
“Good morning, Lily,” she says with a smile as she pours herself a coffee. “Tinto?” she asks inquiring if I want some black coffee. I nod and grab a cup.
“Did you hear anything last night?” I ask as my memory floats back with my daily injection of caffeine.
“No, why?” she asks, frowning.
“Just curious, I swear I heard a car outside but I’m sure it was just the storm playing tricks on my imagination.” I smile. She nods and we talk about the tasks at hand for the day before she excuses herself to go and help with the younger kids and their morning routine.
As I go to start the homework time, I realize that one of the twelve-year-olds is not there. I go ask Patricia and she shrugs. “Kids come and go so often, who knows? Did you check with Directora Martinez? Maybe she found a last-minute placement. That happens all the time.”
I walk down the hall and knock on the directora’s office door.
“Entra,” I hear her say from beyond the door.
I walk in and stand while she is on the phone. She motions for me to take a seat and I do. She’s speaking fast, but I catch something about payments and bank accounts. She gets off the call quickly and smiles at me.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” she asks and folds her hands in front of her.
“Well, I just couldn’t find Yaquelina and I was worried. Patricia mentioned that she may have been placed?” I ask.
“Ahhhh, yes. My apologies. The social workers are always working to find foster homes for the kids here and yesterday while you were out they were able to make a placement. I meant to mention that to you, but it completely slipped my mind,” she explains.
I frown. “Does that happen often?”
“Unfortunately, yes. All the time. It’s hard to keep track of the kids because they come and go so quickly at times,” she says with a look that is saying she understands my concern. “However, it is for the best. They will have a better life in a foster family than here at the orphanage,” she notes.
“Yes, of course. I understand that, I just wanted to make sure we hadn’t lost anyone,” I say with a quick laugh. “Do we have a running list of kids that I can check from now on so I don’t bother you?”
“I’ll have to work on putting that together. That’s a wonderful idea,” she says. Her tone tells me she is dismissing me and I nod and thank her for her time.
I run into Patricia in the hallway and confirm that Yaquelina was indeed transferred yesterday. She looks puzzled for a moment and then shakes her head and continues on her way. I decide that I will make a list. Perhaps that will help the staff, I ponder as I walk back to the homework room.
The next few days go by quickly. By Monday night there have been three more kids that have left. I receive a text from Lance at 8:00 p.m. on Monday.
Lance: Still on for tomorrow?
Me: Sure
Lance: I’ll pick you up at 8:00 a.m.
Me: OK, you sure? I can get Alfonso to drive me.
Lance: Yes, I am sure.
Me: OK, thanks
I text him the address. I suddenly have butterflies in my stomach and I hurry to pick out an acceptable outfit. I find a nice sundress and strappy sandals that look both professional for searching records, but also not too formal. I secretly thank my mom for buying me several new dresses before I left.
I wake early the next morning so I can attempt to deal with my crazy hair. I manage to do a cute fishtail braid in it and let a few wisps pull free and frame my face. I put on a little makeup but try not to overkill it.
I manage to grab a cup of coffee and a roll before heading out to the gate to wait for Lance. The gardener whistles at me as I walk through the courtyard. I blush and curtsy at him and he waves and smiles at me. Jose seems nice enough, but I don’t know him well enough to know whether I should be flattered or creeped out by his attention. I’m not standing there for more than five minutes before Lance pulls up in a posh-looking SUV. It’s new, which is unusual for these parts.
Jose opens the gate for me and Lance gets out and opens the passenger door. He has on mirrored sunglasses. I notice his head move slightly as though he is looking at me from head to toe.
“You look lovely,” he murmurs in my ear as I climb up into the passenger seat.
“Thank you,” I say as I buckle my seat belt. “So is this your rental car or Cody’s?”
“Technically this is Cody’s car, but his company has a driver and he picks him up most days. So, I get to use this bad boy,” he says with a grin.
“Lucky you, other than the driving here part. There are some crazy drivers around these parts,” I laugh as a motorcycle zooms around us as though the universe is proving my point.
“You don’t say,” Lance replies, laughing as well. “So, where exactly are we going?”
“Well, I have an appointment with the hospital administrator where I was born. I’m hoping to get some birth records that I can use. Then I’m thinking to go to the notary or perhaps a church and get additional information,” I explain.
We are quiet for a few moments as we travel along the scenic mountain road.
“Are you really a media mogul?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.
Lance chuckles. “I started a small tech company out of college. We were making some software that my friend and I had worked on since college that helped social media websites interact more with advertisers. Then we came up with some apps and now we have three different sectors of the company and about fifty employees. It’s small, but I love it. I’m my own boss and I can truly work from anywhere as long as I can get cell service.”
“Small world,” I say. “My uncle owns a company that does app stuff and software design and some other things. He is much the same, traveling the world and enjoying the fruits of his labor.”
“Oh really, what’s his name? Maybe I know him,” Lance asks.
“Jesse Ryder,” I reply. I see from Lance’s reaction that he knows him. “I hope that’s a ‘he’s an OK guy’ look and not a ‘dear God why is she related to that asshole’ look.”
He laughs. “No, I don’t think he’s an asshole at all. He’s actually a really savvy business guy. I’ve spoken with him a few times at some conferences. He seems nice enough, but really I don’t know him that well.” He shrugs.
“He’s a good guy. Other than the fact that he is about ten years late in growing up, but better late than never,” I giggle. My uncle is great. He was such a big help to my mom when my dad died. I think about all the times Uncle J helped us with school work or went to our games or plays or award banquets. He really was a wonderful support system to us.
“You still with me, Lily?” Lance asks as he nudges me with an elbow.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry, sometimes I zone out,” I say with a shrug.
“It’s alright. You just looked deep in thought over there,” he says with an encouraging smile.
“I was thinking about my uncle,” I admit.
“You two are close?” he asks.
“Sort of, I guess,” I answer honestly. “He wasn’t around much when I was younger. My parents were only in their early twenties when they adopted us and he was younger than my mom so he was still in college. Let’s just say Uncle Jesse had a misspent youth, or maybe a well-spent youth depending on how you look at it. When my dad died a few years ago, his company was just starting out and he really stepped up and helped my mom out with us and everything. We got a l
ot closer after that.”
Lance is quiet for a moment. “Sorry about your dad.”
“It’s alright. It was almost ten years ago, seems like a lifetime ago,” I say.
“Were you close with him?” Lance asks.
“Very,” I say. “Dad just got me. I never had to worry about what I said or how I acted. I was a tough kid. I didn’t handle all the changes in my early life very well.” I pause looking over at him. It seems strange to share something so personal with someone I don’t know that well, but I feel like I’ve known Lance forever, so I continue. “Something about Dad just calmed me down. I haven’t had anyone else like that in my life since him. I miss that the most, having someone that centers me just by holding me.” I glance sideways at Lance. I don’t want him to know yet that he has this same effect on me.
“I guess it’s nice to have had that at all,” he ponders softly.
“I suppose so,” I agree. “Turn left up here,” I say as I focus on directions for the rest of our ride. We pull up on a side street where I know there’s parking. I tip the guy on the street to watch the car and we walk the two blocks over to the hospital. The hospital is definitely not like the ones at home. It’s crammed with people and it doesn’t smell of disinfectant, but instead smells of blood, disease, and sweat. I ask the front desk where to go and we are allowed through security and led to an upstairs office. A woman in her late thirties shows us to a file storage room. It’s literally filled with boxes that are filled with files. She explains where the birth files are for the year I was born. Lance helps me pull down eight boxes. They are disorganized and there’s a good chance my file isn’t even in one of them, but it’s the closest I’ve gotten to finding answers, so I start going through them. Lance begins to help and within two hours we are down to the final box. I look at it with trepidation and slowly start pulling out each file, careful to keep them ordered how I found them. We are over halfway through when I catch sight of a name. A name I’ve seen before, my birth name.
“Here,” I whisper, my shaky hands holding the document out to Lance. He takes it from me and then grabs my hand with his.
“You want me to read it first,” he asks. I nod.
