Ch. 16

Holding her in-law's hand affectionately, Cristina asked, "Did you love your husband?"

"Cristina, don't tell me you don't love our Preston anymore!" Rose misunderstood the question. "Is there another guy?"

"No, Rose. I don't mean that." Of course I love him. Of course I do.

"Good, good." Rose lightly squeezed Cristina's hand. "I know my boy could be dull to live with sometimes, but he's a good guy."

"No, he isn't boring at all. Preston is the only person I could imagine spending my life with." A small smile lit up her face.

"OK." Rose was both happy and perplexed when she heard that. "So, why're you asking me about my marriage?"

"Rose, how was Preston's father like? You never talked about him."

Cristina did not know anticipate the impact of her words on her jovial in-law. The silence made her regret having asked that question.

"He's a good man." Rose was not really upset by the question. She only needed some time to gather her thoughts. She wished she could say more, but it was hard to talk about someone from nearly four decades ago. Things she did not want to remember had been filtered out, almost entirely.

"What happened to him?" Cristina tried to rephrase her thought. "I mean, did he really die when serving in the Navy?"

"Cristina, did you find out something?" Rose began to wonder where all these questions were coming from.

"I am just… curious…I don't know anything about my own father and I've always wondered how Preston's father was like." Making excuses in front of Rose was much harder than in front of her son.

"There are stones that are better left unturned."

Cristina acknowledged what her in-law said with a doubtful stare.

"Rose, if he's still alive, would you want to see him once more?"

This time, it was her in-law who responded with an equally hesitant gaze.

"Will you forgive him for what he did to you and the family?" Cristina tried to be persistent.

"It might sound silly, but I won't have to forgive him, Child."

Squinting her eyes, Cristina muttered, "why?"

"I never held a grudge against him. What he did wasn't right, but I never stop thinking about him, hoping he'd return some day."

"You do?" Cristina was surprised.

"That's very naïve, isn't it?" The older woman made a quiet smile.

"No. Not at all."

Cristina laid her hand over her in-law's shoulder and rested her head on it.

Then she sprang up, as if something had caught fire on her mind, "We've to hurry up before he's gone."

Rose starred at Cristina. "You mean, you actually know where he is?"

Cristina nodded. She wasn't sure what else she should say. She was afraid Rose would blame her for not breaking the news to anyone else sooner.

"You did not tell Preston, did you?"

Cristina shook her head when Rose showed a sign of relief. It surprised Cristina to realize that she might have done the right thing by not saying anything.

"It's been so many years, but it might still be traumatic for the boy to hear."

"Do you want to see him then?" Cristina was confused by her mother-in-law.

"There wasn't a single day in my life that I didn't."

Rose's reaction was a little more dramatic than Cristina would have imagined.

"OK. Let's go." Cristina kept her fingers crossed that Samuel hadn't already left.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Author's Note: How long will it take before Cristina tells Burke about it? I have no idea. I am not going to speed things up because I really have no idea.