Previous Disclaimers Apply
Chapter 52
Natalia went through the door first followed by her wife. Mrs. Rivera shut the door and quickly followed the ladies over to the sitting area.
"May I order some tea and pastries or fruit?" Asked Mrs. Rivera.
Olivia looked to her wife who gave a very subtle nod of the head.
"Let me, please, Mrs. Rivera." Said Olivia moving towards the phone after helping Natalia settle on the sofa.
"Do you have a preference, Mrs. Rivera?" Asked Olivia before placing the order.
Mrs. Rivera shook her head 'no' as she took a seat Olivia quickly placed the order and then joined her wife on the sofa. Mrs. Rivera took a seat in the adjacent chair.
"Natalia? I..."
"Mama, please. My I start."
Mrs. Rivera nodded and sat back slightly to hear when her daughter had to say.
"I'm very upset in that you waited two weeks to tell me about Papa. I understand why, but it still upset me. I know what Papa was like growing up. Stern doesn't even begin to describe him; that's one of the reasons I was so scared to tell you and Papa I was pregnant all those years ago. So I can understand that right after he died, you still couldn't defy him. Before we go any further, Mama, I have to know, can you accept me and my life now. Olivia and I are married; we share a home, a family, a bed. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"I understand, yes, but I...I don't know if, I mean I want to, I want to accept it. It will take time I think. It's different from what I know. I mean I knew there were people out there, like that, men with men and women with women, but until you I never met any of them." Said Mrs. Rivera.
"Truthfully, Mrs. Rivera, you probably did meet someone who's gay, you just didn't realize it." Added Olivia.
"I supposed you're right." Replied Mrs. Rivera.
"Mama, I want to forgive you, I do, but I think it is going to take some time. Maybe we can start small, meet a few times a month, speak on the phone. We have 20 years to catch up on. Also, I need to talk to Rafe. I don't know if he's ready to forgive you or not. He'll need to make that decision."
"I'll agree to any conditions you have if that means you'll try to forgive me?"
"OK, number one, I know the catholic church's stance on gays and if I hear any such rhetoric coming from you, I will put you on the next bus back to Chicago myself. There is no gray area here, you either accept me or you don't. Number two, if after a while things are going good between us, I'll consider letting you meet our other children. I think we can start with that for now."
"Yes, whatever you ask, I'll do."
A knock sounded at the door. Olivia got up to let the room service waiter in. He quickly left and Olivia went about fixing everyone teas. She brought over the plate of pastries and fruit first then the tray with the teas and condiments. After Natalia took her first sip of tea, she reached into her bag and pulled out several small photo albums.
"Mama, I did bring some photos of Rafe. I don't have many from when he was a baby. Cameras and photos weren't as important as food and a roof over my son's head."
Olivia had joined her wife on the sofa. She wrapped an arm around Natalia to provide whatever support she could. Mrs. Rivera took the album and offered what seemed like a forced smile to Olivia showing affection to her Natalia. Both Olivia and Natalia saw this. Each knew that this was uncharted territory for Mrs. Rivera. Mentally they each decided to give the woman a chance to come to terms with their relationship.
As Natalia and Olivia sipped their teas, Mrs. Rivera thumbed through the pictures. Natalia saw her mother smile at some of the photos, she was seeing the woman she knew as a child, yet 30 years older. Mrs. Rivera finished the album and handed it back to Natalia.
"He was a beautiful child." Said Mrs. Rivera.
Natalia nodded in response.
"How...was it..was it that hard on your own?" Asked Mrs. Rivera tentatively.
"Yes, it was. I stayed with a couple of friends for the first few weeks until I found a job waiting tables. One of my friends, it was her uncle's restaurant. They had a spare room upstairs and they let me rent it for next to nothing. Her aunt was so nice to me. She helped look after Rafe right after he was born. Then when he was about 6 months old I was approved for government housing. I was very lucky that several of my neighbors were very nice and I was able to have several people whom I trusted to watch Rafe so that I could work at both of my jobs."
Mrs. Rivera sat quietly taking in what her daughter was telling her. She had forced herself all those years ago to not think about Natalia or the difficulties she was facing being alone, 16 and pregnant.
"Once I had saved enough money, we were able to move out of the government housing and I found a small one bedroom apartment. I was able to buy some second hand furniture, so I gave Rafe the bedroom and I slept on the pull out sofa. I always made sure he never went to bed hungry. There may have been some nights that I did, but Rafe, he was my world, my responsibility. I wasn't about to turn my back on him." Said Natalia, ending the sentence with a touch of anger.
Olivia knew that Natalia had a rough time raising Rafe on her own, but hearing her wife describe their lives was bringing up a whole other set of emotions for Olivia. Mrs. Rivera kept observing the ladies, she felt as though Olivia had nothing but contempt for her. She hoped, she prayed that someday the hotelier would see her in a different light.
"When Rafe was 5 years old, he started kindergarten. He was as smart as the other children, but his teacher had sent home notes the first few weeks, saying that Rafe wasn't very active on the playground during recess. I wasn't home in the afternoons. Mrs. Rodriquez would pick him up from school and watch him til I got home. Her son was in Rafe's class. So I never knew that most afternoons when they'd get home, Rafe would nap. Mrs. Rodriquez just thought he was tired from school. Then one Saturday morning, one of the few Saturdays I didn't have to work, I couldn't wake Rafe up. I ended up carrying my baby boy for 10 blocks to the county hospital. He had gone into a diabetic coma. The doctors diagnosed his diabetes and were able to stabilize his insulin levels. He was in the hospital for three days. Those three days I spent learning how to check Rafe's sugar levels and how to give him insulin shots. As soon as I could I found a third job to have enough money for his medical needs. None of the jobs I had offered insurance. That was my life, Mama, until Rafe was 15 years old."
By now Mrs. Rivera couldn't help the tears that were sliding down her cheeks. Hearing how her daughter and grandson suffered and that it was completely needless was breaking her heart. She tried to tell herself that had she known, she would have fought harder with Natalia's father to find her and bring her home; but in the end, she knew she would never have gone against her husband. And that alone should condemn her soul to Hell.
"When Rafe was 15 we moved to Springfield. I'll leave that story for another time. But in the end I had gotten a job as a maid here at the Beacon. And I was eventually promoted to be Olivia's assistant. That's when things got better for us. I had a steady well paying job, with benefits. But life still threw some very difficult curve balls at us. Things happened, people got hurt and one died in a car accident. It was a very dark time for a while, but that's when Olivia and I grew closer. We became friends, best friends and then we fell in love. It was a hard road to follow, accepting our feelings for each other and then forging ahead to become a family. But we did it; we're married, as legally as you can get in this state. We have three wonderful children between us, Olivia's two daughters and Rafe; plus these two." Said Natalia as she rubbed her hand over her stomach.
"Two? You're having twins?" Asked Mrs. Rivera excitedly.
'Yes. Oh, Olivia, here." Said Natalia quickly grabbing her wife's hand and placing it to the side of her stomach.
Olivia felt in wonderment of the feet or hands that were punching at her hand. Olivia shifted on the sofa to lean down to her wife's stomach and placed a kiss there.
"OK, you two. Mario, Luigi. You need to settle down. You kept your Ma up last night. She needs her rest now." Said Olivia.
And just as quickly as the boys started kicking they calmed down.
"Yes, Mama, twin boys. They are due in about three weeks." Continued Natalia.
"Congratulations." Replied Mrs. Rivera.
"It will be so different this time. I'm not alone. I have my wife our other children. We have a beautiful home and a thriving business."
"Yes, I can see you are happy. You are happy aren't you?" Asked Mrs. Rivera.
Natalia knew her mama. She was asking if Natalia could handle being this way, with a woman. Could she handle all of the negativity and hardship that can bestow people like this.
"Mama, I've known the anguish and despair of being tossed aside by the very people who are supposed to love and protect you. I've known loneliness and solitude after Nicky disappeared. I've experienced more nights than I care to remember going to bed feeling that pit in the bottom of your stomach when you've gone two days with barely one meal and crying yourself to sleep not knowing when that next meal will come. I've endured watching my son go down a dangerous path that landed him in jail, deservedly so. I struggled for so long not only physically but emotionally when Olivia and I were falling in love. But, Mama, the love I feel for Olivia is so much more than I ever thought possible. I wake every morning with a smile on my face and my heart full of love; I thank God every day that He brought the extraordinary woman into my life." Said Natalia clasping Olivia's right hand between hers.
"I never knew one's heart could be filled with so much love. Mama, Olivia loves me so completely, she takes care of me and makes sure that I want and need for nothing. She lets me be who I am, whether that is a mom taking care of her family, putting wonderful meals on the table and keeping our farmhouse full of love or I may be running around in the corporate world managing the hotel. Olivia treats me with respect, dignity, trust and most of all love. I knew all of those years ago, that someday I would find my prince charming and Rafe and I would find love and the family I had always dreamt of. It just happened to be a woman who would complete my life. Fifty years from now, Olivia and I will be cuddled on the sofa arguing over what to what on TV. She is my eternity as I am hers."
Mrs. Rivera had never heard such words spoken before, not during a wedding or even on TV. She was thankful that her daughter had someone who loved her so completely. She vowed internally to do whatever was necessary to be part of her daughter's life. She had missed too much; she didn't want to miss anything else.
"Would you, could you tell me another story? Perhaps you could tell me about your wedding day?" Asked Mrs. Rivera.
Both Olivia and Natalia took this as a good sign. They enjoyed their tea and pastries as they detailed to Natalia's mother their wedding day.
TBC…
