The Legacy (43 page)

Phillip hedges himself in the corner, still too afraid to
believe her. The only thing that has helped him to cope this
long is praying. He remembers his mother telling him anytime
he is scared or sad, he can talk to God and he would never be
alone. The sound of her silky voice as she said this fills his heart
every day and has helped him get through the lonely days and
nights he’s lived through. He would give anything to be in his
mother’s arms again.

Saddened beyond words by the look of fear he wears,
Sadie brightens and smiles at him, hoping she could somehow
gain his trust. “Are you hungry, Michael?”

Phillip looks at her for a moment, trying to decide if he
could really trust her. Sadie has always been nice to him and
seems like she cares. She isn’t at all like Gladys. Every time
Gladys even looks at him he wants to cry, he is so afraid of her.

Sadie
continues
to
look
at
him,
her
eyes
pleading.
“Wouldn’t you like something special for dinner today? I can
make anything you like, and if I don’t have it, I’ll go and buy
it.” When he continues to silently stare at her, she sighs and
moves to get up, but what she hears next stops her.

Her emotions are mixed, but she isn’t too surprised by
this. She has felt that something wasn’t right for a while now.
She speaks to him again, except softer this time. Gladys usually
sleeps pretty hard, but she doesn’t want to take any chances.

“Would you tell me your real name?”
“Phillip. Phillip St. John.”
Sadie is again surprised by the sound of his sweet voice,

and she could swear he has an accent. She decides to get all the
information she can from him while she has the chance.
Hopefully Gladys won’t wake up any time soon. She lowers her
voice to just above a whisper.

Phillip considers her words for a moment and decides
maybe he can trust her a little. “My name is the same as my
papa.”

“He’s the best papa in the world,” Phillip says, slowly
coming out of the corner and his shell.
Sadie thanks the heavens for the information she had
gotten from him. “What about your mama? I’ll bet she’s nice
too.
When Phillip hesitates, Sadie wonders about his mother
until he says, “My mama is the best mama ever. And she is the
prettiest too.”
She smiles. It's obvious the little boy loves his parents and
they probably love him just as much. She looks at Phillip, really
looks
at
him,
and decides
he
can’t
possibly
be
Gladys’
grandson. “I’ll bet you miss your mama and papa, don’t you?”
Phillip’s eyes tear up and he nods. “I want to go home.”
She covers his small hand with hers. “Where is your
home?”
“In Italy.”
“Italy?” She briefly wonders if he is indeed making up a
story until he speaks again.
“I went to a wedding with Mama and Papa in North
Carolina. Mama sang there.”
“Really?” she says, growing more intrigued with each
thing he reveals. “I’ll bet she has a beautiful voice.”
Phillip again nods as tears trail down his cheeks. “I want
to go home.”
“I know,” she soothes. “How did you come to be with
Gladys?”
“She took me. My brother was there too, but she just
took me.”
Sadie's heart breaks at his words. For some reason Gladys
ripped this little boy from his parents. She wonders how the
woman could do something so cruel.
How could she do this to his
parents?
Pondering the anguish they must be going through, her
heart aches even more.
Those poor people. What they must be going
through. I can’t even imagine.
Looking at Phillip, she knows she has
to do something. Somehow she has to get him back to his
family.
“Listen, Phillip. I’m going to get you out of here. I’ve got
to get some help somehow.”
His eyes light up. “I get to see my mama and papa again?”
“Yes,” Sadie whispers, smiling. “I promise you, you will
be with them again. Maybe even by Thanksgiving. It’s the day
after tomorrow. Would you like that?”
“Yes!” Phillip whispers excitedly, his eyes sparkling.
Sadie pauses for a moment to think. She must think of a
way to get him out of the house. She could leave now and go to
the police, but Gladys will be awake soon and would wonder
where she was, and she doesn’t want to give her any cause for
suspicion. Of course, she did promise Phillip anything he
wanted to eat, even if it means going out to buy it. She could go
to the police then, but she hates the thought of leaving Phillip
alone with Gladys again.
Glancing back at the door, she listens a moment for
Gladys, then leans closer to Phillip and whispers, “I’m going to
go to the store. While I’m gone, I will try and get help. You just
stay quiet like normal and I will be back as soon as I can.
Okay?”
Phillip nods quickly. “Please hurry,” he whispers. His eyes
are drawn toward the door and fear instantly seizes him.
Sadie’s heart pounds violently as she slowly turns, her
eyes meeting the face that frightened the boy into silence.
Taking on a calm facade, her mind quickly works up a story.
She hopes it will sound convincing enough.
“What are you doing in here, girl?” Gladys growls, her
glassy eyes suspicious.
Sadie’s smile is tense. “I was just asking Michael what he
would like for dinner tonight. I was going to go out and buy
him something special.”
Gladys moves her hateful eyes to Phillip. “What did he
say?”
Sadie clears her throat. “He said he wanted pizza.”
“What else did he tell you,” Gladys asks, moving closer,
staring at her through hardened eyes.
Sadie rears back a little to avoid the stench of alcohol
permeating around the woman. “He didn’t say anything else,
just pizza. He never says anything, and frankly I was surprised
he even answered me.” She manages to keep her voice calm.
Gladys stares at Sadie a moment longer. Her head is still
fuzzy, but she doesn’t believe her, and she isn’t willing to take
any chances, just in case Phillip told her anything. “That boy
don’t need no pizza tonight. Just fix him something else.” She
isn’t about to let Sadie out of the house now that Phillip has
spoken. Until now, she'd never worried much because he had
been too afraid to talk, but she will have to be more careful
now.
Sadie remains expressionless, but her stomach is in knots.
Her plan for the moment is blown. She turns to Phillip. “I
guess you will just have to deal with hot dogs again tonight,
kid.” She keeps her voice monotone, but a casual wink, unseen
by Gladys conveys to Phillip she had meant what she said to
him. She will find a way to get him back to his family.

Sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of hot
chocolate, I make a list of things I need to buy for our
Thanksgiving meal. I will probably be sick in the morning, but I
am determined to get all the cooking done. Thankfully, I have a
whole day to prepare, and I have Adagio and Jessica here to
help, which will make things easier.

Last week I invited Velma and Ted, as well as Pete and
Dona to spend the holidays with us, but they all have plans.
Velma and Ted are heading out tomorrow morning to spend
Thanksgiving with his family in New York. Pete and Dona are
driving up to Virginia to spend the holidays with their son. I'm
a little sad they will all be gone because I've grown so used to
having them around now, but I understand they have their own
lives.

Checking my list over, I add a few more things like
crackers, croissants, and more juice, because I will definitely
need them for a while. Smiling, I press a hand over my flat
stomach. We have hoped for more children, and this pregnancy
has come right when I need something to help lift my spirits.
When we told Jessica the news earlier in the day, she was so
happy for
us, she cried. I'm so grateful to have her here, and
once Phillip is found and we go back to Italy, I will miss her
more than I can say. I make a mental note to talk to Adagio
about taking another trip to Salt Lake City next year.

I stir my chocolate and take a sip, savoring its sweet
warmth while my thoughts again turn to our missing son. I pray
he is somewhere warm and getting enough to eat, and I hope
he remembers what I taught him about praying when he is
afraid or sad.

Closing my eyes tightly, I try unsuccessfully to fight the
tears that come as I picture Phillip on his knees offering up
humble prayers to heaven.

He is all right. He will be back with us soon.
I remind myself to remain positive and have faith. Willing
away
the
sadness,
I dry
my
eyes
and shift
my
thoughts
elsewhere. I am startled by the sound of the doorbell. A
moment later Adagio sticks his head in the kitchen.
“
Amore
, someone is here to see you. She said she was a
guest at the wedding, but I do not recall seeing her there.”
I'm instantly curious. “All right, I’ll be right there.” I fold
the list and put it in my pocket before going to the living room.
The young woman is sitting on the sofa. I don’t recognize her
from the wedding, either. Of course, there
were
a lot of guests.
“Hello.”
The
woman
stands.
“Hello.
“I’m Janet
Cook.”
She
extends her hand and and I shake it firmly. “I’m an old
acquaintance of Velma's and I wasn't at the reception long, so I
didn't have a chance to meet you.”
“Well, I'm glad I have the pleasure of meeting you now.”
“I’m happy to meet you, too. I hope I’m not keeping you
from anything, but I just felt the need to see you.”
“No, I’m not busy at all.” I gesture to the sofa. “Please,
have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, thank you for coming to visit. I’m always happy to
meet new people. What brings you by?”
“Well . . . I uh . . . I just wanted to tell you how sorry I
was to hear about your little boy.”
“Thank you.” I am moved by this woman’s compassion
for someone she has never met until today. The support we've
received from new friends and neighbors means a great deal,
and we will never be able to repay their kindness. I notice Janet
wringing her hands nervously.
“Do you have children?”
Tears fill her eyes. “I had a little girl. I lost her about four
years ago. She was only three.”
“I’m so sorry.” I lean forward and squeeze her hand
gently, my heart going out to her. “Do you mind if I ask what
happened?”
“Not at all. That is why I felt such a strong need to meet
you. You see, my ex-husband was a very hard man. He was
abusive, not physically, but verbally and emotionally. When I
finally divorced him after three years of dealing with his abuse,
he swore he would get even with me.” She chuckles bitterly.
“Well, he got even with me all right. He took Kelly from me.
He took her from a friend’s home one day while I was at work.
The police were never able to find him. They think he left the
country.”
I wipe at the tears that come nonstop before moving to
the sofa and hugging her. We know nothing about each other,
yet we share a common bond. That her story is so much like
mine is uncanny. I move back, looking into the woman's eyes.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. It’s a little easier now, not much but a little. I
still pray every day that he is taking care of her and keeping her
safe. In my heart I feel she is okay, but it’s still hard knowing
she is out there in the world somewhere and I might not ever
see her again.” She squeezes my hand. “I hope things turn out
different for you. I hope you get your son back.”
“We pray for that every day as well. And I hope you will
get to see your daughter again.”
Janet nods, her voice catching in her throat. “I want that
more than anything.”
I smile sadly, aching for her. I've just finished drying my
face when Adagio walks in.
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine.” I motion for him to join us. He sits
next to me and I tell him about Janet's missing daughter.
Compassion immediately fill his eyes and he expresses his
sympathy to Janet.
We talk with her for a while longer and a friendship
quickly forms between us. Her visit helps me to remember I
really am not the only mother in the world suffering the pain of
having a child taken from her. I'm grateful she came, and
grateful for the opportunity to get to know her.
“Do you have plans for the holidays?” I ask.
“Actually,
I do.
My
sister
has
invited me
to
spend
Thanksgiving with her family in Nashville.”
“That’s good. But if something should happen and your
plans fall through, you’re definitely welcome here.”
“Thank you,” Janet says with a smile.
Before she leaves, I hug her and thank her again for
coming to see me. She promises to keep in touch.
Moving to the window, I watch her drive away, again
grateful to have made a friend.
“She is a great lady,” Adagio says, moving behind me,
wrapping his arms around my waist.
“She
is.”
I sigh,
leaning
my
head back
against
his
shoulder. “But she has no one to lean on.” Reaching back, I
press a hand to his face. “Thank you for being a steady rock,
for loving me unconditionally and not giving up on me.”
My eyes slip shut as his lips rummage my ear, the
sensation sending instant heat through me. I release a breathy
sigh as his mouth languorously explores the side of my neck,
searing a burning path to my temple. Oh, what he does to me!
“That
will never
change,
baby,”
he
finally
whispers
against my ear, producing a warm shiver. Turning me in his
arms, he lightly presses his mouth to mine, whispering again,
“That will never change.”