Love Letters (16 page)

Upon parking her car outside the Miramar restaurant, she saw that she had fifteen minutes before their scheduled lunch. She turned off her engine and opened her window. Her thoughts drifted to Josh. She had to admit that she missed him.
Oh well, maybe he’s given up hope since I’m marrying Richard.

She pushed her thoughts aside as she got out of the car and walked to the restaurant lobby. She informed the receptionist that she had made reservations for two at twelve noon.

“
Under what name is your reservation?”

“
Chloe Rogers.”

“
Your mom is already here,” the receptionist said.

She escorted Chloe to a table overlooking the ocean. “How do you know she’s my mother?”

The receptionist grinned. “You look exactly like her.”

Chloe cracked her knuckles.
What am I going to say to her?

Suzanne was wearing a matching black blazer over a white blouse and a skirt. She had a black-and-white scarf that matched her Chanel bag.

Suzanne was smiling. “Chloe, dear, it’s nice that you came on time.”

Chloe gave Suzanne a tight embrace. “Hi, Mom.”

Her eyes were watery as she looked at her mother.

“
Oh darling, you look a little pale, do you have lipstick on?”

Chloe laughed. Her mother obviously hadn’t changed much, despite the passage of time. It was ironic that she had hoped for acceptance from Richard’s family only to discover that his mother was precisely like her own – judgmental.

The waiter came to take their orders. Suzanne took a long time examining the menu even though she had eaten here countless times in the past. Chloe ordered the Miramar Benedict, while Suzanne finally chose a Miramar Omelet.

“
What is it that you’ve been meaning to ask me?” Suzanne said, putting butter on her bread.

Chloe’s stomach growled. “You sure you want to know now, before you’ve had anything to eat?”

“
Who says we can’t talk and eat at the same time? I didn’t drive all the way here just to eat.”

“
I meant we can talk about other things first, if you like. Here’s a photo of my fiancé, Richard, who’s meeting us for dinner tonight. What do you think of him?” Chloe handed her the photograph.

Suzanne put on her glasses and examined it. “I’m sure he’ll give me good looking grandkids.”

Chloe shook her head. “Is that the only thing you can say?”

“
I meant that he’s handsome and you do want cute kids, don’t you?”

Chloe smiled. This was vintage Mom.

“
You mentioned Richie works for a bank?”

“
It’s Richard, Mom, and he’s a loan agent.”

“
Oh, you mean a loan shark.”

“
Definitely not one of those!”

“
Chloe, how can you be so gullible? They’re all the same. They want you to buy houses you can’t afford, and convince you that you’re making a good deal.”

“
Not Richard. He works very hard and he’s full of integrity,” Chloe said, while eating her bread.

The waiter brought their drinks. Chloe took a big gulp of her soda to give her an energy boost.

Suzanne held Chloe’s hand. “Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt then. I hope you understand that I only want what’s best for you.”

Chloe took three large bites of her Miramar Benedict. “I know, Mom.”

Suzanne watched her eat and shook her head. “A lady never eats like that.”

“
I’m sorry, Mom. It’s just that I’m really hungry. I hardly finished my bagel this morning, and I’m still upset about that agent showing up so early.”

“
What agent?” Suzanne asked while slicing her omelet.

“
Richard wants me to sell the house,” Chloe said softly.

“
What?” Suzanne cried, dropping her fork with a clatter.

“
You heard what I said. Richard wants us to live in the city where he works.”

“
How could you even
think
of selling that house? Do you know how hard your father worked to make sure that house was paid in full?” Suzanne cried. “Even before you were born, your father and I agreed to give you the house when we were retired so you wouldn’t have to worry about mortgage payments. We were lucky to get a good deal and bought it when prices were low. How could you consider selling it?”

Chloe’s throat tightened. Her dad had worked long hours to be able to pay the mortgage in full. He always told her that he didn’t want her struggling to pay mortgage bills. He made sure that she and her mother were comfortable. Chloe wiped her mouth with her napkin. She knew that her dad had made the right choice, since properties now cost a fortune in Half Moon Bay.

“
Richard said the house is too big for us and he needs to be in San Francisco for his work.”

“
What?” Suzanne shook her head. “That makes no sense. What about your job?”

Chloe realized this was the third time she’d had this conversation. One with Nicole, another one with Josh, and now with her mom. “He said I don’t have to work.”

“
Chloe! What are you going to do? I can’t believe you’re going to give up everything for this Richie. I’m starting to dislike this man.” Suzanne raised her voice.

Chloe was trembling again. Why had she told her mom so much, and why had she brought this up before discussing Ignacio? Now it would be more difficult to broach the subject, but what could she do? She was still fresh from her yelling match with Richard. Yet she knew she had to come clean with her mom about her plans. “Mom, I know it’s hard for you to accept but marriage is about sacrifice.”

Suzanne shook her head. “This is not who you are, Chloe.”

“
How can you say that when I haven’t seen you in more than two years?” Chloe said, wiping her mouth. She felt trapped, yet she also didn’t want to give her mother a bad impression about Richard, whom she was going to meet later that evening. From her mother’s sour expression, Chloe could see it was too late. Her mom had already made up her mind about Richard.

“
You’re my daughter, Chloe. How could I not know you?”

“
Maybe I’ve changed.” Although she knew her mother wouldn’t buy that, she also knew everything was going in circles and this had all started when Josh arrived.

As their voices escalated, people began staring at their table. Suzanne didn’t say another word. Chloe decided she’d ask her mom about Ignacio later, feeling that she might react defensively given the current circumstances.

Deciding it was time to change the subject, Chloe said, “What’s keeping you busy these days? Have you watched the Broadway play Wicked?”

“
I saw that last year,” Suzanne said, taking a bite of her omelet. “I’ve been busy supporting a homeless organization in San Rafael. I help with the feeding program and fundraising.”

“
Really? I’m impressed, Mom.”

“
I figured I’m getting older and it’s my way of giving back. I’ve always been thankful to your father that I never needed to work, and for giving me a privileged life,” Suzanne said. “These people have never tasted what we’ve had, Chloe – food, a job, a roof over their heads.”

“
I’m happy for you, Mom.”

“
I feel very blessed, Chloe. You need to come visit me one day so you can see for yourself.”

“
I will.” Chloe nodded.

The waiter gave them the bill and Suzanne insisted she pay. “My treat okay? You’re buying dinner later.”

“
Thanks, Mom,” Chloe said, chewing on the ice from her glass.

They went outside to where their cars were parked and, as Suzanne climbed into her Volvo, she told Chloe that she’d meet her at her house. They both arrived at Chloe’s place at the same time. As Chloe opened the front door, Greta immediately jumped at Suzanne to give her a big wet kiss. “My goodness, you still remember me.”

“
How could she forget you, Mom?”

Suzanne followed Chloe inside and went to the living room to sit down. “Chloe, I’m impressed. You’ve managed to keep the house clean, except why is this big teddy bear lying on the couch? Do you still sleep with this?”

Chloe grabbed the teddy bear and walked upstairs to leave it in her room. “Make yourself at home.”

She came back later wearing her slippers as she entered the kitchen. “Do you want me to make some tea?”

“
Tea would be good.”

Chloe came back from the kitchen bringing two cups of tea. “Mom, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“
Chloe, you’ve been beating around the bush since I first spoke to you. Will you just ask me?” Suzanne said, taking a sip of her tea.

Chloe hesitated, then gathered up her courage and, taking a deep breath said, “When Dad passed away, did you ever think of dating again?”

Suzanne shook her head. “That never crossed my mind.”

“
No?” Chloe looked down at the tea leaves floating in her cup. “What I mean is, aren’t you lonely?”

“
I’m busy and I have lots of friends. This organization is keeping me busy too,” Suzanne said. “Is that what’s bothering you, because you don’t need to worry about me, I’m fine.”

Chloe nodded. “Did you ever think of looking for someone who you dated in the past?”

“
What do you mean?” She frowned.

“
Like a previous boyfriend,” Chloe prodded.

“
Are you all right, Chloe?”

“
Mom, I, uh, don’t know how to tell you, but I found Ignacio Rodriguez’s letters.”

Suzanne stared at her open-mouthed.

“
I can show them to you. There are nine let—”

“
I know how many letters there are,” Suzanne interrupted.

Chloe stared at her.

“
Go bring them to me and I’ll tell you what you want to hear.”

Chloe ran back upstairs to get the letters as Greta sat beside Suzanne on the couch
.

When she returned, she handed her mother the envelope. Her mom pulled the letters from the envelope and read the first two. Her eyes grew moist. “Where did you find these, Chloe?”

Chapter Nine

“
The letters were tucked in one of the old boxes we had stored in the attic,” Chloe said, taking a seat next to her mother.

Suzanne wiped her tears and returned the letters into the envelope. “I met Ignacio a long time ago, before I met your father.”

Chloe sat closer to Suzanne. “I’m curious to know what happened, Mom. Why didn’t you end up with him? Did you love him?”

“
Chloe, you ask too many questions.”

“
I won’t pressure you if you don’t want to talk about it.” Chloe held her mother’s hand.

“
I remember that day very well,” Suzanne said, reminiscing. “My friend Monica told me that sailors had arrived from Peru. We were young and excited to see who they were. Monica’s father worked for the Peruvian embassy. That’s how Jill and I got to attend the party for the sailors.”

Chloe nodded.

“
I used up all my savings to buy a beautiful dress for that evening. I couldn’t afford much, but I bought a decent dress at a discount.” Suzanne smiled. “I was eager to practice the Spanish I had learned in school with the sailors, but more than anything I hoped to meet somebody special.”

“
You were twenty years old, right?”

Suzanne nodded, looking down at her hands. “Yes, but my parents were very strict with my sisters and me. We could hardly go out so it was difficult for us to meet men.”

“
Tell me how you met him,” Chloe begged.

Suzanne was glowing while she spoke. “When I arrived at the party, I noticed that I was the most elegantly dressed among the ladies. All of them were hovering around the sailors, while I chose to stay in the corner. And there he was, dashing – my knight in shining armor walking towards me. He was tall with broad shoulders and sun-kissed skin.”

“
This is exciting, Mom.”

“
I pretended I didn’t hear him when he asked me to dance. He came around behind me and gently repeated the invitation, which made me turn around to catch a good glimpse of him. He stood out among the other sailors and spoke perfect English. We danced all night and spent the next four days together.” She looked into the distance, as though reliving that time. “I never felt as free in my life as I did with him. I still remember walking hand in hand through the streets of San Francisco buying hotdogs, laughing the night away. Those five days we spent together felt like a lifetime to me.”

Chloe remembered her first date with Josh and, though they were young then, she had never forgotten how it felt to be with him. She knew what her mother meant about being free. She too had felt on top of the world when Josh rode her on his bike thirteen years ago. Now here she was feeling that same excitement once again … but she was marrying Richard. She brushed her thoughts aside and focused on her mom. “How come you never told me about Ignacio?”

“
What was I supposed to tell you, Chloe? Did you want me to tell you that your father wasn’t my true love? Don’t get me wrong. I loved your father, but it was a different kind of love.”