A New Beginning (Second Chance #1) (12 page)

When they got outside Karla was standing off to the side, alone and holding a piece of paper in her hands. Leslie approached them with a sad look on her face. “Hey guys. We’re taking Karla home as soon as she changes clothes. If you all still want to come over you’re more than welcome. I think Karla is going to need all three of you tonight.”

“What’s going on Mrs. Peterson? She looks so lost.” Rylee said as she watched Karla walk into the house.

“Before I answer that, how much did she tell you three about her past?”

“I think she told us everything Mrs. Peterson. We know about the abuse and that her mother was in jail before she died. We also know about Tony.” Conner answered for the group. Hatred for Tony shined in his eyes.

“Okay, good. I’m glad you all are standing by her and accepting everything. She was scared you would all turn away from her.” Leslie told them. “About forty minutes ago Captain McGraw showed up at the house. They cleaned out Karla’s mother’s jail cell today and found two letters she’d written but never mailed to Karla. He brought them to us. That’s why we were trying to get in touch with Karla.”

“Oh my gosh. Has she opened them?” Callie said in horror.

“No. She said she wanted to wait until she got home. That’s why I think she’s going to need you three. She’s going to need us all.”

“We’ll just go grab our things and tell everyone bye. It’ll take about ten minutes, tops.” Conner said before he darted inside and upstairs.

“All I have to do is change out of my swimsuit and I’ll be ready. I don’t have anything with me but Karla and I are the same size and I’m sure she’ll let me borrow some pajamas.” Rylee said before she turned and walked away too.

“I’ll be finished as soon as possible Mrs. Peterson. Don’t leave without me.” Callie said before she walked inside behind Rylee.

Ten minutes later, after having said their goodbyes, Karla, Callie, Conner and Rylee were all loaded into Leslie’s seven passenger SUV. Karla stared silently out the window the entire ride home. She was lost in her own thoughts and everyone left her alone with them.

When the SUV stopped in front of the house Leslie turned to them all. “Let’s go in and have some hot chocolate and cookies in the kitchen while we talk.”

“Sounds good Mrs. Peterson.” Rylee answered and they all got out and went in the house.

When they were all seated at the table Karla opened the first letter and read it out loud.

Dear Karla,

I know I was never the best mother to you, hell I was barely a mother at all, and I know that you probably hate me, but I wanted you to know that I have always loved you.

When mama and daddy found out I was pregnant with you they weren’t mad or angry with me, they were disappointed with me; which was worse.

I met your father when I was almost seventeen years old. I was working at a hotel in Dallas as a waitress and he was staying in the hotel during a business convention. I fell for him instantly. When I first came on to him he turned me down, telling me he was happily married with two children back in Puerto Rico. I wasn’t used to rejection, I had used my body since I was thirteen to get what I wanted. I’m not proud of it, but I can’t change it now. On the last night of the convention I was his waitress again and I drugged his drink at dinner then I bribed a maid to let me into his room and I waited.

When he came in he could barely walk so I helped him to the bed and took what I wanted from him. I was meaning to leave before he woke up, but I fell asleep. The next morning when he woke up he yelled and screamed and called hotel security. I was escorted from the hotel and fired.

Six weeks later I discovered I was pregnant. I knew exactly who the father was, but all I had was his name and I had no money to try to track him down.

Now that you know the truth I want you to share it with his children, I know you’ve been in contact with them. Maybe this will restore their image of him.

You may not believe me, but I never meant for you to ever get hurt. I never showed you, but I love you Karla.

Always, Diane

When Karla finished reading the first letter everyone was silent. She got up and walked out of the room. Rylee moved to follow, but Andrew stopped her. “Give her a minute. She needs to absorb what she just read. If she isn’t back in a few minutes you can go to her.”

“Yes sir. She just seemed so broken when she left. I’m worried about her.”

“We all are, but she’s stronger than any of us give her credit for.”

A minute later Karla came back carrying her cell phone. “I sent Manuel a text and told him I needed to Skype with him and Kiara tomorrow night. They need to hear this letter. They need to know that our father never willing cheated on their mother.”

“Karla, honey, are you alright?” Leslie asked in a soft voice.

“I never thought my opinion of her could get any lower than it already was, guess I was wrong.” With a shake of her head to clear it Karla picked up the other letter. “Who’s ready to hear what else she has to say?”

When everyone nodded she opened the second letter and started reading.

Dear Karla,

This is the second letter I’ve written you, I never mailed the first one because I didn’t know where to mail it too.

In a few days you’ll have both of them though.

Some of the other inmates and I are planning something, I’m not going to say what in case this letter is found, but I don’t plan on surviving it.

I hope you understand. I’m doing this for you because I want you to be happy. For once in my life I want what’s best for YOU. This is going to sound selfish of me, but I am ending my life in three days.

Since I’ve been in here I have realized that I am nothing but bad for you. I have never been any good for anyone, especially you.

I love you Karla and I hope that someday, somehow, you are able to forgive me.

I hope you find happiness wherever you are. I love you, and in my own way I always have.

Best of luck to you.

Love, Mom

When she was finished she buried her face in her hands and cried. She cried for Diane and for herself. She cried for Manuel and Kiara. She cried for Grams and Pops. When she was all cried out she looked up and into the faces of the people she loved. She had found happiness, she’d found a home and she’d found love.

“Karla are you okay?” Rylee asked from across the table.

“No, not really.” Karla answered looking around at all of them. “But I will be because I have all of you to help me.”

“You will always have us Karla, never doubt that.” Callie said as she got up and walked around the table to where Karla was sitting. She sat down beside Karla and wrapped her arm around her. “We love you and we will always be here.”

“Yeah. Always.” Rylee said and went to sit on Karla’s other side and wrapped a supportive arm around her too.

Conner silently got up, stood behind Karla and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Yes. You have us and we’ll always be here.”

Leslie’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of them giving strength to Karla. “What do you want to do now Karla?”

“Right now I want to go take a shower and clear my head. I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that she actually did those things to Alexander. I know she was young, and I know she apologized to me, but that doesn’t excuse her actions. It also makes me wonder if that’s why she always blamed me for everything. I’ll be back down in a few minutes. I just need a little time alone.” She walked out of the kitchen, up the stairs and into her room. She’d just shut and locked the door when her knees gave out and she sank to the floor, curled into a ball, and cried harder than she’d ever cried in her life.

As she cried she let her mind open up and examine her life up to this point. When she’d been younger and lived with Grams and Pops she’d been happy. They had always shown her love and compassion. They had always been there. She remembered back to her kindergarten program, she’d been a dancing daisy, Grams had hand sewn her costume, and they’d sat in the front row and recorded it. She remembered now that they had both kept looking at the back of the auditorium, but she had no idea what they were looking at.

Grams had always told her stories about Diane too. She’d always tried to let her know what kind of person Diane was, even though Diane chose not to be around. She’d shown her pictures of the four of them together at Diane’s high school graduation. After that day the pictures started having Diane in them less and less, but Grams and Pops had both told her that Diane had been busy. That she’d wanted to be there, but couldn’t be.

It wasn’t until Grams died that she realized they’d been lying to her about Diane. She’d overheard a conversation between Pops and Diane. Diane had been yelling so loud that it’d woken her from her sleep so she’d tiptoed to her door and cracked it open a little.

“Diane I am going to need your help now. Before your mama got sick we had no problem taking care of Karla, in fact we loved it, but now that she’s gone I just can’t do it by myself. She’s such a good kid and if you’d take the time to get to know her you’d know that.”

“Daddy I don’t want anything to do with her. She ruined my life and I wish I’d never had her.”

“Diane your choices ruined your life. Karla is a consequence of those choices. You’re not seventeen anymore and I think it’s high time you grew up. I ain’t going to be here forever so you need to get to know her.”

“She can go into foster care for all I care. I’m only twenty-four and I ain’t ready to settle down yet. I ain’t gonna settle down yet.”

The last thing Karla heard was the door slamming and tires squealing as Diane left. Diane didn’t show up the next day for Grams’ funeral.

She showed back up a few days later and stayed this time.

When a knock sounded on her bedroom door she pulled herself back to the present. Not wanting to see anyone just yet she went into her bathroom and took a shower. When she came out she looked at the clock and almost two hours had passed since she’d come up here. She knew they’d be worried. After taking a deep breath she unlocked her door and opened it. Rylee, Callie and Conner were all sitting on the floor waiting for her to come out.

Conner stood up and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. She laid her head on his chest as Callie and Rylee wrapped their arms around her too. She felt as if nothing could hurt her as long as she was wrapped inside this cocoon of love and support. 

When the four of them went back downstairs a few minutes later Leslie and Andrew were in the family room sitting on the couch. Leslie looked up at them and smiled softly. “You okay honey?”

“Not really okay, but I’m starting to come to terms with everything. Diane wasn’t a good mother to me. She always blamed me for everything, but now I understand why. She didn’t want to grow up and take responsibility for her actions.” Karla took a deep breath before she continued. “I was just something that would stop her from doing what she wanted, I was a mistake she couldn’t fix. That’s why she took off and left me with Grams and Pops. I don’t think she was lying when she said she loved me, because in her own way she did. I still can’t find it in myself to forgive her, but I do understand her a little better.”

Leslie stood up and wrapped her arms around Karla. “You are an amazing young lady. You’re intelligent and understanding and you have a very kind, loving heart even after the Hell you’ve lived through. I am so proud to be a part of your life.”

“We all are.” Andrew added from behind Leslie. “Karla, what do you want to do now?”

“Right now all I want to do is pop some popcorn, get some Cokes, go upstairs to the entertainment room and watch a movie that’ll make me laugh. How does that sound?”

“Sounds wonderful. Later, if you all get hungry, I’ll order pizza. Same toppings as last time.” Leslie told them with a smile.

“That’d be awesome Mrs. Peterson.” Rylee said, “Now let’s get that popcorn and those Cokes. I’m ready to laugh.”

Fifteen minutes later they were seated in the theater style chairs in the entertainment room. There were four rows of four chairs and they had chosen the last row. They’d chosen to watch
Jumanji
and were just starting it when Karla’s phone rang. She looked at her phone and sighed. “Excuse me for a minute. It’s my sister.”

She started to get up, but Conner grabbed her hand and paused the movie. “Please stay. We’ll wait.”

She nodded and sat back down, bringing her phone to her ear. “Hey Kiara.”

“Hey Karla. We just got home. Sorry we didn’t respond to your text sooner, but we weren’t home. We took a trip to San Juan today to visit our aunt, padre’s sister so she’s your aunt too. Anyway, her oldest daughter is getting married next month so we went to the wedding shower today. I’m going to put you on speaker so Manuel can hear and talk too. Hang on a second.” Karla heard a soft click then Kiara was back. “Okay we are both here now. What’s going on? Your text sounded urgent.”

“It is kind of urgent. I was going to wait and tell you both face to face through Skype tomorrow, but I can tell you now. My mother killed herself yesterday.”

“Oh my gosh. Karla are you okay? I know she was horrible to you, but she was your mother and I know this has got to be difficult to deal with.”

“I’m actually doing alright. I have Leslie and Andrew and my friends here with me. I told them everything.”

“How did they react?” Manuel asked as he checked to see how much money he’d managed to save. He was hoping it was enough to go to Karla, but it wasn’t enough for one round trip plane ticket, much less two.

“They were fine. They’re all going to be there when we bury her tomorrow. There was another reason I sent that message though. Diane left two letters for me in her cell at the jail and one of them concerns the two of you.”

“How in the world can anything that woman said have anything to do with me and Kiara? She didn’t even know us.” Manuel asked with an aggravated tone.

“It has to do with our father. I’ll scan and email you a copy of the letter tomorrow so you can read it for yourselves, but I’ll tell you what it says. Diane was working as a waitress in the restaurant at the hotel our father stayed in during a business convention in Dallas Texas. She thought he was attractive and came on to him, but he rejected her. He made it clear that he had a wife and two children at home whom he loved very much. Not used to being rejected, she decided to take the decision out of his hands. On the last night of the convention she was his waitress again and she drugged his drink at dinner then bribed one of the maids to let her into his room. When he got to his room she took what she’d been wanting from him, but got caught the next morning because she’d fallen asleep. She was fired on the spot and escorted from the hotel.”

Karla took a deep breath before continuing, “My mother drugged and raped our father. He never did anything wrong. He was faithful to your mother after all.”

“Wow. That’s pretty sick.” Manuel said with disgust. “To go to those levels to get something you want is horrible. Karla, I know what you’re thinking and I want you to stop. This is in no way whatsoever your fault. You are completely innocent in all of this. The one to blame is Diane.”

“I’m a child of rape, just not the kind of rape everyone thinks about.”

“That may be true, but I bet every penny I have that if padre had known about you he would have fought to get you here with us.” Kiara said with determination. “Madre would have stood by him and you would have grown up in a loving home with us. I will always believe that.”

Karla was struck speechless by Kiara’s words. Could she believe that Alexander and Maria would have accepted her considering the way she was conceived? She wanted to believe that.

“Karla, we have to go. Abuela is calling us for dinner, but we will definitely finish this conversation tomorrow. Thank you for telling us about the letter. I know it was difficult for you to share that with us. I really wish we could be there with you tomorrow. If you need to talk before we Skype tomorrow night please call me. Manuel and I will both be home right after Mass and will talk if you need to. I love you Karla.”

“I love you too Kiara. The grave side service is at three tomorrow afternoon so it’ll probably be about six my time that I can be on. Is that okay?”

“That’s perfect.” Manuel responded. “Talk to you tomorrow little sister, I love you,”

Before Karla could respond Manuel disconnected the call.

When she slipped her phone in her pocket Rylee looked at her and asked “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you all ready to watch the movie?”

“Yes” they all said together and burst out laughing, breaking the tension that had entered the room.

They watched the movie, drank Coke, ate popcorn and laughed a lot over the next two hours. When the movie was over Leslie ordered pizza and they ate in the kitchen with Leslie and Andrew. Karla recapped her conversation with Kiara and Manuel to them all, but none of them commented.

The rest of the night passed quickly and when it was time for bed Leslie and Andrew laid sleeping bags in the floor of the entertainment room and they selected another movie to watch. They were all asleep within half an hour.