Chapter 25: A Branch Of Flowers

Noticing that Garcia's glass was empty, Roberta fetched the pitcher and went to him, pouring him a fresh helping of juice. It was a gorgeous day today, too pleasant to be cooped up inside when the Lovelace estate had such a nice garden. Garcia looked up from his book and smiled at her. She was tending to the garden today while Diego was in town. She never stopped working, even on days like these. Garcia must have been in awe of her work ethic. She left the pitcher back down and returned to the rosebushes, taking the clippers in her hands and severing any stray branches and leaves. The sound of birds chirping reached her ears and the sun was unobstructed by clouds, full and incandescent in the clear blue sky. It was peaceful here. Roberta finished tending to the rosebushes and wiped her gloves on a handkerchief that hung from her belt. She liked it here. Though it had only been a few months since Diego had taken her in and offered her a place in his home, Roberta was grateful that she had been given a new chance at life. She had already become disillusioned with her former comrades and there were many who still wished her dead. It was a stroke of luck that her father and Diego Lovelace were best friends and that the master of the house saw fit to take her into his family. Had he declined to make that offer and sent her running, she would still be out there trying to stay alive while being pursued by old enemies. But here, in this gorgeous estate, she could remain hidden under the guise of a simple maid. To top it off, she was surrounded by those that she had grown quite fond of during her short time here. Diego was immeasurably kind to her, but his son was the one that truly intrigued Roberta. He hadn't greeted her with disdain or caution when she first arrived here, he had only ever been friendly and kind to her. Sure, he was unaware of her muddied and violent past, and Roberta intended to keep it that way, but she had still been a stranger in his home and he was quite young. It could have been a recipe for disaster, but when Diego introduced her as their new maid the boy welcomed her warmly and never spoke down to her or belittled her in any way, like a lot of wealthy families would have. She was a servant of the household, but it did not feel like she was inferior to them.

She had started to trim a small bush near the table when Garcia laid down his book and spoke to her.

"Don't you ever stop working?" he asked. "It's such a nice day, I thought you'd want to take a break."

"Oh…with Master Diego away from home, I did not wish to forego my duties."

"Don't be silly," he told her. "My father wouldn't mind. You deserve to relax every now and then. Take a seat." Roberta was unsure, having basically programmed herself to work nonstop, but she did as she was told and set down the clippers. She sat herself down in the chair across from him, shielded from the sunlight by the parasol that stood beside them.

"It is…peaceful here, Young Master," she remarked. "You and your family are very lucky."

"I guess," Garcia said lazily. "It gets pretty boring most days. Plus, we haven't had much peace lately."

"Is that so?" Roberta asked, clasping her hands together politely on her lap.

"My father says there are some bad men who came here a while back. He says they made threats about our land. He told me he's seen them around again recently. He's always had some pretty powerful friends, so nothing worries him. But he had this look on his face like he'd seen a ghost. I don't know what it is that's got him so scared."

"I see," Roberta said calmly, considering the possibility that her old allies had been harassing the Lovelaces. No, that was impossible. Garcia implied the first appearance of these 'bad men' had been long before she had joined them here. Still, something felt off to the maid. "Does that worry you, Young Master?" Garcia scratched his chin and contemplated that.

"Maybe a little," he admitted. "It's just that I've never seen father that way before. He must think that something will happen." The boy went quiet for a moment and Roberta did not say anything to him. She was more concerned about the identity of these men and if it was possible her presence here would get back to her old masters. The last thing she wanted was to put them in harm's way because of her mistakes.

"You do not truly believe there is any danger, do you?"

"No," Garcia said. "If there was, my father would put a stop to it. He wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"Nor would I," she said warmly. Her feelings for the boy grew more and more by the day and she would dread the thought of him coming to harm. Anybody who dared lay a finger on him would have to deal with her wrath.

"You'd protect me?" he asked, almost embarrassed.

"I would," she said, throwing caution to the wind. "I would make sure that nobody could hurt you or your father. And if you were ever to be taken from your home, I would stop at nothing to return you safely to your father." She had almost said too much, but Garcia did not appear to suspect anything. He just smiled at her, completely comfortable with her as if he had known her for years. She was basically a part of the family, now. "But enough talk of that," Roberta said, breaking the silence. She rested her elbow on the table and held her hand open. "Let us arm wrestle. Perhaps today is the day I finally beat you, Young Master."

(*)

Garcia had been dozing off, but the memories of his time in Venezuela were as clear as day in his mind. It was all he could do not to lose hope, restrained in here with Rock and forced to endure the Thai heat, but he could not give up on Roberta after everything they had been through together. They had endured the aggression of the cartel, the threat of the Grey Fox team and FARC guerrillas sent to hunt down the Bloodhound, and even the plague of conflicts and wars since the Black Marchers had not divided them or caused them to lose their lives. The New Order were no different, Garcia knew it. They would not keep Roberta from rescuing him. The years had taken their toll on her, but she would be true to her word. Nothing would stop her from bringing him home. He was her family, and family was all they had to hold onto these days. It had been an arduous journey, but it would be worth it just to return to the estate in peace.

Garcia turned his head to the side. Rock was not sleeping, he was simply staring into space while they waited for this ordeal to be over.

"Do you have any family, Mister Rock?"

"Huh?" the Japanese man grunted, having been too busy not paying attention to hear what was said.

"Your family," Garcia repeated. "You must have someone left in the world. Where are they?" An uncomfortable question no matter what way you looked at it. Rock knew the answer to it, but he was not sure if he was in much of a sharing mood right now, especially regarding this. The mention of his family reminded him of Tokyo, which also brought back more than a few unhappy memories, and just like that his mind was racing.

Um, this shouldn't take too long, okay?

Mmhm.

Seeya.

Shoo, hurry up and go! Shoo, shoo!

After leaving Revy in the playground, he went to the house he had grown up in. 'Okajima' was written on a plaque outside in Japanese. He stood there for a while, gazing at the building that his parents still lived in, wrestling with himself about whether or not he would go through with it and actually meet his parents. What would they talk about? What did they know about his new life? Had they been under the impression he was dead, legally declared as much by his company, or had they somehow learned he was alive and living a life of crime in a foreign country? It was all too much for him. It was like the house gave off a bad smell. All he wanted to do was avoid it at all costs. And so he turned around and headed back towards the playground to reunite with Revy, giving her a sloppy excuse to say his parents weren't home after all. She must have known he wasn't being honest with her.

There was very little in the way of secrets between Rock and Garcia and it did not bother Rock to confide in the boy after what they had seen together. He let his guard down and opened up to Garcia.

"My parents are still in Tokyo. My brother got himself a good government job so he travels a lot. I haven't seen or spoken to them since before I came to this city."

"Have you tried to make contact with them?" Again, Rock recalled the day he went to the house in Tokyo.

"Only once," he started his admission. "I was in Tokyo with Revy on a job for Balalaika. During our free time, I went to the house my parents live in. But I…I guess I got cold feet. I couldn't do it." Garcia gave him a few moments of silence, conscious that this was probably a distressing topic to discuss. But he could not remain silent forever. He had to make his fellow captive see sense.

"You should go again," Garcia told him firmly. "Who knows how much longer you have left before it's too late?"

"Garcia, I…"

"You must listen, Mister Rock," the Lovelace boy insisted. "I know the path you are walking and I know you've chosen to accept your place in the world. But you will regret not trying to make amends if you leave it too long. You said it yourself, you are touched by darkness. Eventually, you won't be able to survive the darkness of this world anymore and when that time comes your regrets will flash before your eyes. If we get out of this okay, I will get to return home with my family and live in peace. I can only hope you will get to say the same one day. But that can never happen if you cut yourself off from everyone around you, especially your family." Rock did not argue, but it was obvious he was not convinced either.

"It's not as simple as that, Garcia," he said weakly. "It's…complicated. Besides, I'm part of Lagoon Company now. They're as good a family as I'll ever have."

"At one time, maybe they would have felt the same," Garcia said bluntly. Rock could almost feel those words cut through him like a hot knife. "Things are different now, Mister Rock. The family you once had with the rest of Lagoon Company is gone because you refuse to let anyone in. When the day of reckoning comes, your real family might be all you have left in this world. But only if you reach out to them." Rock listened to Garcia talk, but it was a lot to take in right now, especially given recent events and his gradual but drastic change in personality. As depressing a thought as it was, Rock had come to terms with these facts. Whether it be Lagoon Company or his real family in Tokyo, he had intentionally walled himself off from any emotional connection and he was determined to keep it that way. Even if it destroyed him in the end.