DECEPTION - A Family Affair (3 page)

By the time her father arrived Freddie was long gone, he demanded the baby be put up for adoption and this was the first time she took a stand and denied him his request.  War was declared and her fear was replaced with powerful strength.  With all the research she conducted prior to graduating, she found a college where she could attend with family housing to accommodate her and Marissa.  She received her acceptance letter with a full scholarship to start in the fall.  She was thankful and thrilled to be finally out of her father’s control.  Marisol felt complete with the love she carried for her baby girl and hope filled her heart again.

Unfortunately the hope diminished as fast as it appeared.  Marissa never had the chance to take her first step nor say her first word, after hitting her two week birthday she died of SIDs.  Marisol found her lifeless body in the cradle and had no explanation as to why God had taken her baby away from her.  Marisol also died that day.  Her heart could no longer feel.  She held her baby in her arms for the whole day until her father came home from his shift to discover his daughter sitting in her mother’s rocking chair with tear stains staring out into a zone of her own. 

She ached knowing Marco never had the chance to know their beautiful baby girl’s existence. Marisol had to bury her so soon after her joining this world.  It was that define moment when she vowed never to forgive Marco.  It was the darkest period of her life, with her over whelming grief and guilt for being incapable to protect her defenseless baby.  When she buried her baby she also buried her heart alongside her.

She hadn’t thought about her losses in quite a while.  She had to pull herself together and put aside all personal feelings to prepare for her grieving students.  She needed to provide the upmost support for them.  After meeting with about 40 students today one had left her feeling concerned.  When Alex first came into her office she almost forgot to breathe, he looked so much like his uncle Marco at that age with his olive skin, dark hair and unique colored turquoise eyes.  The old memories came surfacing as soon as he walked into her office. He appeared reserved and she can clearly see he felt deep sorrow for the incident that was beyond his control.  As she spoke to him, little by little Alex began to open up a little; she discovered the two were a so-called couple.  He kept repeating he wished he could have helped her but would not elaborate any further.  The more she questioned him the more he began to shut down.   She decided not to push him any further, his distress clearly shown.  Within time she hopes to gain his trust so he can share what he knows and there can be closure for all concerned.  One thing she is certain about is carrying guilt for someone’s death; it is way too much to cope with especially a child no doubt.  Lord knows, she has the therapy bills to prove it.

Marisol was about to organize her office to head out for the evening when she heard knocking on her office door.  Those doors were made of solid wood to knock and be heard was sometimes a challenge.  Walking over to open her office door she checked her reflection from the window to ensure she looked presentable and her bun still in place just a few stragglers fell naturally loose around her face.  Women envied her for her flawless body, beautiful light tan complexion and natural wavy reddish blonde hair which complemented her hazel eyes.  She was medium height with beautiful long legs, slender although blessed with curves in all the right places, even her breast were the perfect size. Her mother’s genes undeniably dominated her make up.   She was oblivious to how she affected men around her although she never missed the daggers’ directed at her from other women who she silently threatened by just showing up to a place.  As she took a final glimpse of herself she saw sadness and she needed to quickly snap out of it.  Wearing her black pant suit didn’t help her paleness especially since she hardly wore any cosmetics today. She marched over to open the door and was unprepared to see Angelo Alex’s father facing her.  She felt drained however this encounter would be worthwhile if she was going to be effective with Alex.  

“Hi Marisol, do you have a minute to spare?” Angelo asked hesitantly.  He always seemed to avoid Marisol whenever they were in the same circle of people or if they show up at the same place within town.  At first it upset her since she needed some part of Marco in her life but for whatever reason she knew he blamed her for Marco’s quick departure.  Angelo may not be as handsome as Marco but was definitely attractive.  There were three brothers and all three were dark haired and olive skin, Marco the first born was the only one who had their grandmother’s turquoise eyes and now it was passed down to Alex as well. The youngest brother Cisco was born with down-syndrome.  Even though his condition had taken a toll on the family, Cisco gave his family so much joy and he was showered with love. Marisol sees him occasionally for he runs a lot of errands for the local merchants and everyone adores him.

As Marisol cleared her throat hoping to erase all her thoughts of the past, she cleared a path for him to enter her office as she responded to him.  “Hi Angelo, please come in and take a seat.  I’m actually glad you are here.”  As she retreated back to her seat at the head of her desk she took a long look at him as he sat down, he seemed quite distressed.  

After shuffling his feet with his head down, he looked up at her and took a deep breath before rambling all at once.  “I don’t know where to begin.  I guess I can start with an apology for just barging in on you.  It’s just Alex freaked out last night when we received a call from Mrs. Prescott about Savannah.  She knew the two were friends and asked Alex tons of questions.  Despite his emotional state he answered her questions as best as he could.  I feel horrible over the news but my main concern is Alex.  We hoped by sending him to school today would have helped but when we picked him up earlier he mentioned he spoke to you.  So far all he wants to do is sleep and cry.  I just want any insight you can share with me.”

Her brows creased with concern and with a sympathetic look she explained to him, “Unfortunately this is normal, he needs the time to mourn and to heal.  Just keep talking to him and reassure him of your love and understanding.  Most importantly get him to talk to you about what he is feeling.  With suicides the victims are the family and friends that are left behind.  They are left with feelings of guilt, pain, and unanswered questions leaving them with no closure.  It is going to take time to heal all wounds.”  Contemplating her next words she began with a sigh, “If you see any abnormal behavior or have any concerns please call me right away there are therapists we can recommend.” 

As Angelo shot up from his seat waving his hands across his chest he responded hastily, “My son isn’t crazy to go see some shrink that’s not what I came here for – for you to even suggest it took a hell of a nerve.”

“Angelo, please sit back down and let me explain.”  As she looked at him kindheartedly he looked unsure of what he should do next.  “Please Angelo” she pleaded and pointed to his empty chair with her hand.  He took his seat again as she began to explain.  “There are times when parents have to come to terms when situations are beyond their control to provide what is best for their child.  Seeing a therapist does not make a person crazy they are there to help your child cope with the pain that has been inflicted upon them.  Everyone deals with grief differently.  Look, all I’m suggesting is you keep a very close eye on Alex.  Check his computer; see what’s happening online with his Face book or Twitter web sites and check his friend’s pages that he is connected with as well.  Children express themselves and share a great wealth of information on their sites.  Look, I care a lot about him. When speaking with him today, he seems to feel somewhat responsible and that is too much for a person to bear, so please try to get him to talk.”

By looking at him it was clear by his expression he soaked in her words.  It’s understandable on how difficult it is for a parent to have their child’s world turn upside down and being unable to get it steady again.  It takes a strong family to deal with these difficult times which she knows their family is tight.  Before he can respond there was a knock on the door and then the door slowly opened with Sally the office assistant sticking her head in to announce another visitor.

“Sorry for the intrusion but I have Mr. Ortiz here looking for his brother.” The visitor entered the office as she kindly moved back to let him through.  She closed the door not before giving Marisol the - Oh my God he’s gorgeous look.  Marco froze as he met two hazel eyes that often invaded his dreams.

“Oh my God, Marco, you came!” Angelo almost tripped on his own two feet as he jumped up to embrace his brother.

Whereas Marisol couldn’t move she was almost paralyzed in her seat as she stared right into Marco’s eyes; feeling the blood draining from her face.  It was as if she was staring at a ghost, the ghost who haunted her every thought for the past twelve years.  All she could focus on was the words flashing through her mind telling herself to
breathe Marisol, breathe you can do this
.  She eased up from her chair while her hands leaned on her desk for support.  God he looked magnificent wearing a fitted black blazer with a white crisp dress shirt underneath with form fitting jeans.  His legs looked so lean and muscular.  His five o’clock shadow and turquoise eyes that seem so hard made him appear somewhat dangerous looking.  The young care free mechanic was replaced by a man who looked distinguished but also dark and mysterious.

“I was concerned when I arrived at the shop they told me you came here about a suicide.  What the hell is going on?”  Marco said as he shifted his gaze to his brother and held on to both his brother’s arms. 

“Everything is okay, it’s Alex, a girl friend of his committed suicide and he is taking it pretty bad.  I came here to discuss a game plan with Marisol who happens to be his guidance counselor which no introductions are in order I dare say.” Angelo replied as they both turned their attention to her. 

“Wow.  Welcome home, it’s quite a shock to see you here.” She stated as her eyebrows arched up in surprise. 
Think, act cool, stay focused
she had to remind herself and she felt her hands slightly tremble. 

“Hi Marisol, it’s been a long time.”  Marco replied slightly nodding his head back and forth looking like he was in a bit of shock himself not expecting to see her.  He hadn’t had time to plan this scenario out although he had gone over it in his head every time he thought of her.

She nodded in acknowledgement then glanced over at Angelo to help keep her composure while she still had a beating heart.  She cleared her throat before she spoke to him.  “One last thing before you leave, I would like to suggest you take Alex to the funeral services, it might help him, you know a chance to say good bye. The decision is yours.  The arrangements are scheduled for tomorrow at 3:00pm at the church across from the High School.”  She smiled courageously hoping they would both leave so she can gain some self-control.

Angelo responded again trying to take everything in. Looking down at his feet and then up again to face her. “I will definitely take your advice and see what happens next.  As for tomorrow, I will talk to him and let him make the decision.  Thanks again for being there for Alex.”  Angelo extended his hand to her and she felt good that she made some head way with him. 

She shook his hand and again reiterated that she is here if they needed her.  Angelo put his arm around Marco and patted his back and stated; “Let’s get you home, you my brother might be a dose of cheer for Alex.”

She watched both brothers walk to the door as Marco turned his head around and looked at her with scrutiny, weighing his words.  “It was great to see you.” He said and swiftly disappeared.  She stood looking at an empty door way.  She sat back down on her chair exhaling the breathe she held and began to shake wondering how much more her nerves can endure.  Oh my God, Marco is back home; for how long and why after all this time? 
Great to see you
was all he could come up with?  Did she ever cross his mind?  Is he already married?  All these thoughts were circling her mind.  One thing she knew for sure, she needed to stay as far away from him as possible if she was ever going to survive his visit home.  Then a crazy thought entered her mind; is it just a visit or was he back home permanently?

Chapter Two

Gathering her things she began to head out of the building everyone seemed to have left for the evening.  As she looked around she never thought in a million years she would be working at the very same school where she attended.  The same halls she would run through with Marco and Nate even though they had a year over her.  The building was very old and held so much history.  There is a great deal of pride that goes into this town which is one of the reasons why Marisol would never leave.  Walking outside she took a deep breath and could smell the rain as it began to drizzle.  It was dark and cloudy you could feel the autumn season in the air which was her favorite season.  She sprinted to her red Jeep Wrangler it had the attachable soft top in black; one of her first achievements after graduating college and paid in full.  To her that equals success.  She hated debt and wanted nothing to do with credit.  She needed financial freedom since she only had herself to depend on. 

Her parents William and Valencia Braxton gave her no siblings nor did she have cousins to converse with.  Valencia left all her family behind when she fled from Mexico to North Carolina.  Her father an only child worked various jobs at his father’s tobacco farm before he became a police officer for the county sheriff’s office and her mother was a part time seamstress dreamt of designing her own clothing line one day.  Marisol still remembers all the stories her mother shared but everything else was a blur as time passed.  Life seemed good to Marisol until that fateful afternoon; she was only in eighth grade when she came home from school to see three police cars in front of her home, they lived in a one story ranch with two wooden rockers on the front porch. Her mom always sat on one of the rockers while she waited for Marisol to come home from school each day and there was no sign of her that day, both rockers were empty.  The uneasiness spread through her stomach she knew something bad happened she felt it in her bones. Her bones never lied. She slowly entered the house observing the scene before her.  Her father’s partner Roy rushed over to her side while her father sat on the sofa with his head in his hands in silence.  She felt numb wishing she could just wake up from this terrible nightmare.  Roy took her hand while he informed her about her mom being in a horrible car accident taking her life and he shared his apologies.  From that day on life as she knew it had changed forever.  Her father was never the same after losing his wife and he never again discussed the accident or of his wife.  Whenever she needed support she always relied on Marco and Nate.  Growing up Marco was her crutch through the toughest of times.  Since the day he disappeared from her life and Nate being away at school she had to learn to rely and depend only on herself and boy it felt lonely at times.  Especially when her father had his stroke, she felt so frightened right after it happened.  She just had her life back on track graduated with her masters’ degree and settled in at her first job; when another curve ball was thrown her way again.  Out of obligation she moved back home to take care of him and once she started her new job at the middle school she hired a nurse for during the day.  It became way too much for her and it lasted for a good couple of years.  She knew her father had many faults however he was the only family she had left.  It was a difficult decision for her to put him in a nursing home where he can get the medical attention he needed.  The decision was made right after he had another stroke which caused him to fall and dislocate his hip, it all happened while he was under her care.  The nurse and doctors strongly suggested it was time to make the move that was in his best interest.  His memory was nothing what it was before the stroke, dementia set in at full force.  He sometimes didn’t recognize her and it hurt like hell.  Her life experiences have truly affected her even though it also made her who she is today. 
Keep rolling with the punches
were her words to live by.  She learned a long time ago what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger even though lately she seriously doubted the theory any longer.