Salsa and Speedbumps

by Baganz, Susan M. ;

  Cada día trae más tontos.

  Each day brings more fools.

  ~Mexican proverb

  January 2012

  “Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Antonio DeLuca is here.”

  “Thank you, Helen.” Robbie dropped his pen and rose to his feet to come around and shake Tony’s hand. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Tony.” Robbie motioned to a leather chair by the desk. Helen had already left and closed the door behind her.

  “So what’s up?”

  “I have some news on that contract from DeLuca’s Restaurant in Chicago.” He paused. “I haven’t even told Stephanie yet about what my colleague discovered, but I wanted you to know, because this is your family, and I wanted you to be aware of what the suspicions are.”

  “I’m all ears. Don’t hold back with the truth. I’m not close to that part of our family. Even though we are both DeLuca’s, we are Cucina and a totally separate entity. Still, if there’s something fishy going on, I would like be aware.”

  “It seems that there is suspicion of underground crime associated with your uncle and the restaurant.”

  “I’d always wondered.”

  “There’s big business in drugs and in trafficking humans.”

  Tony leaned forward. “What’s human trafficking?”

  “Have you heard about the sex-slave trade?”

  “Slavery was abolished.”

  “Maybe in some forms, but the more I’ve researched this, the more I’ve been appalled at what is going on even in our own area with these crimes. Women and children, specifically, are big bucks for savvy traffickers.”

  “Explain.”

  “Overseas young women are lured to bigger cities with the promise of jobs. They get there and find themselves held hostage as prostitutes. No family or friends, no recourse for escape or finding help. They are imprisoned to serve men, and these underground companies trading in human beings earn big money while the girls get nothing.”

  “That’s horrible, but what does that have to do with my uncle and Stephanie?”

  “Your uncle is under observation. Stephanie’s contract involved travel to the Middle East, Asia and other places. Why do you think your uncle would need a staff person to travel like that?”

  Tony shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t think of any good reason for it.”

  “Apparently, there has been a lot of turnover in women being hired by DeLuca’s. They go on business trips and never return.”

  “So you think my uncle is selling women?”

  “That’s the suspicion. He’s making a lot of money, beyond what would be reasonable for the restaurant business in any economy. I wanted you to be aware and keep an eye out to make sure no more attractive young women you hire get any offers and decide to take them up. They could be walking into a living hell.”

  “He targeted Stephanie. Thank God she had the good sense to refuse.”

  “I’m concerned he hasn’t abandoned his appeals. I’m not sure how to let Stephanie know about this.”

  “You need to tell her.”

  “After everything with Luis, I really don’t want to give her more of the seedier side of men to consider.”

  “Better for her to be aware.”

  “Tony, do you think he would do something more active than send the letters? Your uncle has been persistent—almost threatening.”

  “He’s not used to being denied. I wouldn’t have thought he would ever hurt a woman, but if what you are saying is true, and knowing his obvious attraction to or obsession with Stephanie, I think you have reason to be concerned he wouldn’t stop with the letters.”

  Robbie nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  “What will you do?”

  “At some point, I need to share this with Steph, but I loathe having to do so.”

  “I would be too.

  “I tell ya, Tony, my life has never been quite the same since I met that gal.”

  Tony grinned. “Yeah, but there are compensations. You got a good woman, Robbie. She’s smart and has a good head on her shoulders. You need to trust her with this.”

  “I know. Just hate to break up our domestic bliss with this kind of stuff. It is ugly.”

  Tony nodded. They chatted a little more, and Tony left to go back to his own restaurant and the work of the day.

  Robbie came home and was greeted with a kiss. “Hmmm, I can definitely get used to this.”

  Stephanie smiled. “Dinner’s not ready yet, and Levi is sleeping. We can sit on the loveseat for a little bit. I want to hear about your day.”

  She dragged him to the chair and sat down next to him. Robbie loved the way her hair smelled. She had been working hard to prepare for her parents’ visit, and he knew she was nervous about them finally meeting. She had dark shadows under her eyes, and the baby weight was definitely coming off fast. He was worried about her. He also figured that nursing a baby took a lot of time out of her day as well. He was grateful she was committed to that and glad he could give her a break with a bottle.

  “I had some new clients come in today. I can’t say much about the cases, but they should be interesting. I’m going to have to do some research on previous cases, but it should be a good challenge. I had something else that I wanted to tell you about, though. Remember how I asked Max to check out the contracts from DeLuca’s?”

  She was snuggled up under his arm, and he glanced down at her and realized she was sound asleep. The timer went off in the kitchen. He hated having to get up but moved away from her and settled her head on a pillow. He put her feet up and tucked a fleece blanket around her before taking the dinner out of the oven.

  Robbie ate by himself and managed to clean up the kitchen before Levi awoke. Stephanie slept through her baby’s cries. She had to be exhausted.

  He sat in the nursery, fed Levi, and rocked him. Robbie gazed down into wide eyes staring back at him.

  “So, little man, I have to admit, I’m kind of glad you got those blue eyes like your momma. You got a pretty special mom. I was a little worried that when I would finally meet you, you would remind me of your dad. But your eyes are so different, and I hope that as we love you and teach you about Jesus, you will avoid the sins of your father. I’ll be praying that any generational stuff is not passed on to you from him. You have a pretty shady legacy on that side of your genetics, but on your mom’s side, you got pure gold. So together, we will love and cherish her, huh?”

  Levi started to spit up and Robbie wiped it away with the burp cloth and smiled.

  “Well, kiddo, I guess we got a long road ahead of us, but I had a great mom and dad, and I will do everything in my power to be there for you and love you and guide you as you grow. By the time you are crawling, my lower back should be all better so I can get down on the floor with you to play. I look forward to that. Mostly, I look forward to seeing how God will use you to glorify His name in this crazy, mixed up world. Will you be a missionary? A doctor? Heck, even if you want to be a plumber or work in a factory, I really don’t care as long as you use the gifts God has already set aside for you and bring honor to Him and make your momma proud of her boy. What do you say?”

  Levi’s mouth formed an “O” and his little arms waved around before he managed to get his thumb to his mouth.

  “So, you are going to be a thumb sucker, huh? Well let me tell you, you chose wisely. You can never lose your thumb.”

  Robby got Levi back to sleep before Stephanie woke up. He fed his drowsy wife dinner and helped her to bed and experienced peace as she snuggled up to him there.

  * * *

  The next morning, Robbie found himself welcoming Mr. Bixby from Every Child a Home into his office.

  “Roberto, it seems I need to beg your forgiveness for our last meeting and my wrong assumptions about your character.” The man fidgeted with his gloves.

  Roberto leaned back in his chair and fought back a yawn, hidden by his hands steepled in front of his face.

  “I wanted to apologize
in hopes you would consider joining us again at Every Child a Home. We could use your legal assistance.”

  “So what happens the next time someone comes and raises questions about my character?”

  “I’ll come to ask you first before jumping to conclusions.”

  Robbie nodded. “I am married now. This is something I will need to discuss with my wife and pray over before I can give you a response.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I’ll be in contact with you in about a week.”

  “I look forward to hearing from you. By the way, congratulations on your marriage and the new baby. Marriage and fatherhood seem to suit you well.”

  Robbie fought back a yawn and smiled. “Thank you. I am quite content on both counts. God has blessed me with Stephanie and Levi.”

  “Give my regards to your wife.”

  “I will. Thank you, Mr. Bixby.”

  * * *

  The next visitor was unknown to Robbie. The man walked into his office and was barrel-chested and balding. His round, florid face almost swallowed his tiny eyes. Something about him looked familiar. Robbie just couldn’t think of what it was.

  “Mr. Rodriguez?” The man held out a large hand to shake.

  Robbie’s eyebrows rose. “And you would be?”

  “Mr. Rubinski, Natasha’s father.”

  Robbie nodded and motioned the man to a seat and sat back and waited.

  “I’ve come to ask you to stop the harassment suit against my daughter.”

  “I didn’t start any harassment suit.”

  “But you initiated the complaint.”

  “True. I provided dates, times, facts, pictures and emails that had been sent to me that constituted harassment. However, none of these were initiated by me.”

  “But you started it.”

  “No, Mr. Rubinski, your daughter started it.”

  “She didn’t know what she was doing. She’s a ditz.”

  “I believe your daughter understood exactly what she was doing. Have you seen the evidence?”

  “No, it’s a bunch of bull.”

  “Is it? Have you looked at the pictures?”

  “So she sent you pictures. Big deal.”

  “Pictures of her naked and in sexually explicit poses? My wife was not really fond of those and neither was I.”

  “She what?” The man jumped to his feet. Robbie was grateful for the mahogany desk that stood between them.

  “It’s called sexting, Mr. Rubinski.”

  “I know what it is. I just can’t believe my princess would do such a thing.”

  “Would you like to see and read some of the file?”

  Mr. Rubinski stared at Robbie. “Yes, I believe I would.” He sat down again.

  Robbie paged for Helen to bring the Rubinski file that was locked away in another room. When she arrived, she handed it to him and departed, closing the door behind her. Before handing the file over, he looked shrewdly at Mr. Rubinski. “Realize, Mr. Rubinski, that there are copies of all of these documents. You could destroy these right here, even in front of me, but that could land you in trouble and would not aid your daughter’s case.”

  Mr. Rubinski nodded and reached for the folder that was handed to him. He opened it. Robbie could not see what he was viewing but he could guess. Mr. Rubinski’s face grew more crimson with every page he turned. He slammed the folder shut and slapped it on the desk.

  “You swear you never touched my daughter?”

  “I was a newlywed. I only had eyes for my gorgeous wife.” Robbie turned a framed picture of the two of them on their wedding day. It was a shot from the shoulders up, and Stephanie was stunning. “I’m not saying your daughter is unattractive, but I prefer my wife and her more modest attire and gracious heart to being pursued for the purpose of sex alone.”

  Mr. Rubinski nodded. “What am I to do? She’s my only child.”

  “I’m not sure what to tell you, sir. Stop rescuing her and let her face the consequences of her choices. She did make choices. She was given warnings to cease her activity.”

  “Do you have any kids?”

  “I have a newborn son.”

  “Don’t spoil him. It really does make them rotten.” Mr. Rubinski rose and reached out a hand to Roberto again. “I am sorry to have invaded your life today in the manner I did. I will take your counsel under advisement.”

  “I’ll be praying for you, Mr. Rubinski. And for Natasha. She’s a very lost young woman who is going to fall hard if she doesn’t make some wiser choices.”

  “Thank you for the prayers. I have a feeling I’m going to be needing them. Again, I am sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

  “I’m glad I got to meet you, Mr. Rubisnki.”

  “Funny that you say that.” He turned back to Robbie with one hand on the doorknob.

  “Why?”

  “I came in here bound and determined to make sure you rued the day you met me.” He shook his head in confusion. “Not sure what changed, but thank you for being gracious.” With that, he opened the door and left, closing it behind him. Robbie paged Helen to come and return the file. He hated to even touch it.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Donde hay capitán, no manda marinero.

  What the boss says goes.

  ~Mexican proverb

  Stephanie greeted her parents at the door. They would stay in a hotel for one night but had come to meet Robbie and their grandson.

  “Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.”

  “Where is the little tyke?” Her mom asked.

  “He’s napping right now but will be awake soon to eat.”

  “Go get him now. I want to see him.”

  “Mom, I understand that, but he’s sleeping, and I’m trying to get him on a schedule so that soon, I can get more sleep at night between feedings.”

  Her dad grunted, looked her up and down and said, “You’re still fat.” He went to the living room, sat in the recliner, and put the feet up. He reached for the remote and turned the television on.

  “Dad, please, not so loud. The baby?”

  He ignored her.

  Stephanie’s mom flapped her hands helplessly and looked at her daughter. “You do look tired, dear.”

  “Well, I have a newborn and I had surgery. I am tired. It’s going to be quite some time before I can really get a good night’s sleep.”

  “Where is your husband?” Mom looked around as Stephanie took the coats she had collected and hung them up in the closet.

  “He’s still at work. He should be home soon.”

  “Does he make good money?” her father asked.

  “He makes a respectable wage for his profession. He has no complaints.”

  “How come you are in this lousy apartment instead of in a nice fancy house? Attorneys live in fancy houses.”

  “We are saving money and will look to buy a house in the future. Robbie needs more back surgery, so this is a better choice for us at the moment.”

  “That’s selfish of him. You could be in a nice big home and save us the money for a hotel. And why couldn’t you have driven down to see us instead? You have always done so before.” He flipped channels.

  “Dear, she did just have a baby.”

  “So what? Women do that every day. No big deal.”

  “Dearest, try to be more charitable. This is our daughter,” her mom chided.

  “Our daughter, who got pregnant with one man, married another—Hispanic no less—killed the first, and lives in a hovel when she could be making money hand over fist in Chicago.”

  “Daddy, I’m fully aware of my failings, but this is my life, and I am content with my husband, our son and our home.”

  “Humph,” was the only response she got as he refocused on a war movie on the history channel.

  “Come, Stephanie. Let me help you in the kitchen. I smell something delicious.” Her mom guided her out of the room towards the smell of the food.

  Stephanie fought back the feelings of disappointment and hurt that always cam
e when she spent time with her parents. She had hoped that with her marriage and son, somehow she would be acceptable. “Sure, mom.”

  Entering the kitchen, Stephanie went to check the food simmering on the stove top. “I know how much you and Dad love creamy foods, Mom. I made some beef stroganoff for dinner.”

  “Did I forget to tell you that Dad is on a low fat diet? Oh, and he has decided he hates mushrooms now.”

  “Oh, well, I guess he can pick them out and we can try to limit the amount of sauce he gets.” Disappointment rose again.

  “Your apartment is...nice,’” said her mom with some doubt in her voice as though she was searching for something to compliment. “I do love your leather furniture in the living room.”

  “Part of what I got when I had to buy new stuff after Luis destroyed my previous apartment.”

  “Ah, yes, Luis. What a disappointment he turned out to be.”

  “Hmmm, that would be an understatement.” Stephanie turned from stirring the skillet to check that everything was just as it should be at the table she had set with care.

  She heard the door open and rushed to the living room to greet Robbie. She leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek and whispered, “Welcome home.”

  “I’m sorry I got delayed at the office. Have they been here long?” Robbie whispered as he glanced into the living room at her father.

  “No, not long.” She looked into his eyes. She knew he understood her appeal for help and how worried she had been about this visit.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m here now, and we’ll see if we can get through this together. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She gave him a weak smile as she took his coat to go hang it up and turned to introduce him to her parents.

  “Dad, this is my husband, Roberto.”

  Mr. Simson looked up from the television for a second, scanning Robbie from head to toe, before turning his eyes back to the flat panel. “I guess you’ll do.”

  Robbie raised an eyebrow as he glanced at his wife. Stephanie shrugged and took him to the entry to the kitchen where her mother stood.

  “Mom, meet Robbie.”

  “Oh, you are a handsome one, aren’t you? And an attorney? Stephanie, you didn’t do too bad for yourself.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Simson“